Newsletter

of the

LOWER HUTT

. HISTORICAL SOCIETY INCPreserve the past, Challenge the future

February 2016.

Next meeting: Friday,

the 12

th of February 2016.

Derek Lightbourne, who has a university background in geography and

history, speaks to a combined meeting of the Lower Hutt and Petone

Historical Societies about New Zealand’s subantarctic islands and their

flora and fauna.

St Mark’s Church, 58 Woburn Road, Lower Hutt.

(Please note the change of meeting place.)

7.30 pm.

All Welcome.

. Gold coin donation

On Enderby Island, Auckland Islands Group. Picture: Derek Lightbourne.

SUBSCRIPTIONS:

A reminder that subscriptions for 2015-16 are now due.

Memberships are $15 ($20 family). Payments can be forwarded to: The Treasurer, LHHS,

P.O. Box 30-014, Lower Hutt.

LHHS ENQUIRIES: Graeme Ross (President):

92 Park Road, Belmont.

Ph: 565-1992 (home) or ross.family@xtra.co.nz

Newsletter: Gerald Davidson. Ph: 938-3723 or gerald.davidson@paradise.net.nz

Anyone wanting to preorder the long awaited book of Petone Memories, you can order with

me. Order before Saturday 12th and it's $20, orders after will be $25. Skip through the first

half of the 20th century with local tales of fishing, Saturday night dances, sports and much

more. Delivered to you next week. Anyone wanting to preorder the long awaited book of

Petone Memories, you can order with me. Order before Saturday 12th and it's $20, orders

after will be $25. Skip through the first half of the 20th century with local tales of fishing,

Saturday night dances, sports and much more. Delivered to you next week.

President's Corner

SUN, SAND AND SWEAT is the new publication of the Petone Historical Society based on the memories of the older Petone-ites. Roy Hewson writes:. “We started collecting these in 1990 in the hope of publishing them for the new century. For many reasons this was not possible mainly because of lack of photographs. Eighteen months ago one of our new and much younger committee members offered to edit the stories and produce the Book. Barbara Scott has done a fabulous job in creating SUN, SAND and SWEAT which gives a great idea of what life in Petone was like in the early part of the 20th century written by the people who lived it and she has managed to gather many family photos that I have never seen before. It is still available for purchase for $25 plus $2.90 for postage if it is required. We are also very grateful to Anne Taylor, editor of “ Heritage Today,” who did a great design of the book. It looks great.” For copies contact Roy Hewson at 568-6449. [G.D.]

KiwiRail ANZAC Commemoration,

Petone Railway Station, 7am, 25 April 2016.

Over the last eight months a series of

meetings of a special group convened by

KiwiRail have been held to organise the

Centennial observance of the first public

ANZAC Day event in New Zealand.

The Petone ANZAC Commemoration

Committee includes representatives from

Kiwirail, the Rail and Maritime Union, the

Hutt Workshops, the Petone Community

Board, the Hutt City Council, Steam

Incorporated, the R.S.A., and the Rail

Heritage Trust.

The original observance in 1916 at

Petone Railway Station was also unique

in that it was a joint Australian-New

Zealand ceremony, with the Australian

part at Hornsby (N.S.W) timed for the

same hour.

The highlight of the combined ceremony

to mark the comradeship and unity of

purpose of Australian and New Zealand

railwaymen at Gallipoli was the unveiling

of each country’s flag. At Petone: the Red

Australian ensign. At Hornsby: the N.Z.

Flag.

It is also useful to note in view of the

controversy over a new flag here is that

the Australian flag was originally red.

We were not in the position to organise a

special 100th joint ceremony, but

representatives from Hornsby will be at

Petone.

It was decided early on to retain the

current time of 7am and not move the

100th event to the historic time of 3.30

pm.

Invitations have been issued to the

Australian High Commissioner and the

Prime Minister.

The original event was attended by the

Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime

Minister and the Cabinet. The

commemoration will include the

locomotive Passchendeale. This is a

memorial steam locomotive, now

restored, which was named

Passchendaele, in 1927, after the battle,

as a memorial to railwaymen who died in

the First World War.

A number of meetings have been given

over to discussing the logistics of how

this is done. This is why the earlier time

was retained.

The plan agreed is to have the

Passchendaele towed out and taken up

the Melling Branch and positioned with a

set of carriages at the platform at 8am.

Wreaths will be laid on the locomotive.

The train will then depart for Wellington

with the official party. There will be two

return trips to Taita in the day with

tickets and 1000 seats available for the

public.

Other facets of the project include an

official book and souvenir tickets.

The book is entitled New Zealand

Railwaymen at war, 1914 – 1918. Barry

O’Donnell of the Rail Heritage Trust is the

general editor. The publication is made

up of several articles. New Zealand

Railways in the First World War : Neill

Atkinson. Hornsby first ANZAC Day 1916 :

Elizabeth Roberts. The ANZAC Memorial

Flagstaff : Gerald Davidson. Major

Norman Frederick Hastings and Corporal

Leslie Andrew V.C. : Barry O’Donnell. The

5th (N.Z.) Light Railway Operating

Company : Paul Napier. New Zealand

Railway Roll of Honour and Obituaries :

Neill Atkinson. Published the KiwiRail the

official history will sell for $20 a copy.

Souvenir tickets will be available for

travel on ANZAC Day. All travel is one

way : the return trip is by unit.

A film trailer has been commissioned

sponsored by the Light House Cinema

and KiwiRail. Set to Pou atarau, and

consisting of a series of pictures and text

to promote the centenary, it is to be

screened for one month before ANZAC

Day at the Light House Cinemas at

Petone, Pauatahanui and Cuba Street

(Wellington).

It was also agreed to commission a

replica Petone Honours Board : the

original being lost around 2002. This is

to be unveiled on ANZAC Day and

displayed in the Petone Railway Station,

being the closest railway building to the

site of the old workshops. The Hutt

Workshops Passchendaele memorial will

be displayed on the station platform on

the 25th.

A photograph of the Petone flag flying at

Hornsby has been found and Brendan

Graham from Colourise the Hutt was able

to colourise it.

KiwiRail will be also marking their

involvement in the First World War with

a special display train which will be

progressively taken around N.Z. The key

event is, however, at Petone.

Gerald Davidson. 5.2.2016

The Australian Red Ensign. This is a photograph of the Australian flag unfurled at Petone in 1916. It is

now in the care of the Army Museum, Waiouru. The wording on the hoist is : Greetings Hornsby

Railwaymen N.S.W. (Two clasped hands embroidered in white) HANDS ACROSS THE SEA to Petone

Railwaymen Wellington N.Z. 4.3.1916 Credit: Waiouru Army Museum.

The N.Z. Flag flying at Hornsby, 25 April 1916. Colourising by Colourise The Hutt. Original reference: Cumberland argus and fruitgrowers advocate, Saturday May 6, 1916. Original caption: THE NEW ZEALAND FLAG, Presented to Hornsby from Petone, N.Z., and unfurled by Miss Strickland, daughter of his Excellency the Governor. The object on the top of the mast is a model aircraft. The following report is from the same publication of the 15th of April. THE HORNSBY AEROPLANE. The flagstaff which is to carry the huge flag sent over by the Petone (N.Z.) railway depot, and which is to be unfurled on 25th instant, was erected at Hornsby station on Saturday afternoon. It is surmounted by a miniature aeroplane, which serves the double purpose of an artistic ornamentation and a weathercock. We were shown the 'machine' before it was committed to the air. It has a length of about 20 inches. The body is made from a piece of an old fruit-box, while the propeller is composed of a tobacco-tin on which have been soldered eight of the little silver spoons supplied with ice cream blocks, which are partly twisted so as to catch the wind. The whole contrivance is nicely picked out with different colored paints. The

'mechanic' was Mr. H. J. Pratt, the popular manager of the local branch of the N.S.W. Bookstall Co. THE HORNSBY FLAGSTAFF. This was of a similar size to the ANZAC Flagstaff at Petone, being 59 ft. high, and with a mast of 20ft. It had a black-butt base of 32ft, the remainder being of oregon, and was be erected on the Milson's Point line platform. (Source: Cumberland argus and fruitgrowers advocate, 1 April 1916.) [G.D]

This is photograph of a sketch of the replica Petone Roll of Honour to be unveiled on the 25th of April. The original Roll of Honour was unveiled in February 1920 and placed on the outside wall of the Petone Railway Workshops’ Pattern Shop, enclosed in glass, facing the Hutt Road and relocated to the new Lower Hutt site in 1929 and displayed in the Social Hall. The last verified sighting of the Honours Board was in 1985 by myself. The Social Hall, to the right of the Elizabeth Street gate, was demolished around 2002 at the time the canteen and administration building were sold and moved off site. In 1919 Railways authorised the erection of thirteen Honours Boards, one of each railway district and one for each workshop. [G.D.] Credit: Peter Dent.

ANZAC DAY AT PETONE

EXCHANGE OF FLAGS.

Dominion, 10 April 1916. The Petone Railway Workshops' staff will hold a function on Anzac Day (April 25), which is unique in the history of the Dominion—the unfurling of the flag of the Commonwealth of Australia; On the same day and at the same time, the Hornsby Railway staff, New South Wales, will unfurl the New Zealand flag. The idea of exchange of flags originated with Guard T. Stone, of the Hornsby Railway staff. It is the custom of the Hornsby staff to give their men when leaving with the Expeditionary Forces a suitable send-off, also to have the flags of the Allies flying. There was one flag that was missing of New Zealand. Mr. Stone set out to get this flag, and placed his views before the Hornsby Railway staff, which agreed to his scheme for securing the flag. Mr. Stone communicated with Mr. Hiley, General Manager of New Zealand Railways, placed his scheme before him, and asked for his assistance. Mr. Hiley was very impressed with the idea, and selected Petone Workshops .as the depot to carry out the wishes of the staff at Hornsby. A mass meeting of the staff of the Petone Workshops unanimously decided to support the scheme, and arrangements were left in the hands of the Petone Workshops Patriotic Committee. The committee has its arrangements well 'in hand', to make the function a success. A new flagpole 61ft. from the ground has been erected on a site by the railway station. The fence around the pole will be of unique design, and the ground will be planted with various shrubs, and should in time be a beauty spot for the town. The New Zealand flag, presented by the men of the workshops, has been forwarded to Mr. Stone, who wrote by return mail "The flag" arrived in good order. The Hornsby staff is pleased with the very fine flag, and I am delighted to think my scheme is going to be a great success. By the presence of the New Zealand flag we are united in the bond of good fellowship." The Commonwealth flag arrived last week and is a fine specimen. The New Zealand flag to be used at the unfurling ceremony has been presented by the Railways Department, and the Union Jack has been presented by the officers of the Workshops, Railway Station, and Petone Stores Department. The three flags are each 20ft. by 10ft. They have been made by Messrs. Tregear and King, of the workshops trimmers' department, and are notable examples of good workmanship. Invitations have been accepted by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward, the Hon. W. H. Herries, and other members of the Cabinet; Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., Mr. Hiley (General Manager, N.Z.R.), the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) and councillors, the Mayor of Petone (Mr. J. W. McEwan) and councillors, and the Mayor of Lower Hutt (Mr. H. Baldwin) and councillors, and their lady friends are also to be invited to attend the ceremony, which takes place at 3.30 on Anzac Day. The Petone School children, to the number of 1100, under the direction of Mr. Foster, head master of the District High School, will take a prominent part in the function.

Evening Post, 22 April 1916.

The Aurora Australis. Red Rocks (above) and the South Coast (below). 17 March 2015.

The Milky Way at Wainuiomata. 18 February 2015.

Super Moon rising at Wellington, 1 October 2015.

The Hutt Valley and Wellington from Alpha Peak in the Tararuas. The mountains in the distance

are the Seaward Kaikouras. 3 March 2014.

Reflecting on the meaning of life. A campfire and the Milky Way on the South Coast.

2 March 2014.

The Moon rises behind the Radio Mast on Mt Victoria, as an aircraft approaches. 27 March 2013.

Mark Gee’s ward winning photograph of the Palliser Lighthouse and the universe above.

17 March 2012.

Credit: All images by Mark Gee.