Puhoi Historical Society’s Newsletter – No 1. August 2005
Compiled by Werner FISCHER
At first sight it’s not much to look at… but this dray is impressive on closer inspection.
As far as we know there are only three drays on public display north of Auckland: the one in the Warkworth Museum, which is a well constructed replica using original parts, the one in the Matakohe Kauri Museum, which is authentic - and ours. And that is definitely authentic! It was used in and around the Puhoi valley to extract Kauri.. and we have the photographs to prove it.
All of which makes this simple wagon extremely rare and valuable.
It has had a somewhat chequered history since the bullocks last hauled it along Ahuroa Road and it eventually ended up with Carter Holt Harvey, who displayed it at their local forestry office. When approached by one of our committee, CHH very generously donated it to us on condition that we restore it and put it on public display. Which is exactly what we had in mind anyway.
The structure which covered it was part of CHH’s donation and after the wagon had been removed, this was pulled down and rebuilt on its present site. We had an enormous amount of assistance from Hallett Enterprise Ltd, who not only helped to re-erect the structure but also spent a morning hauling three logs out of the river for us - all at no cost to us! These were originally floated down the river by the settlers to be lashed together as rafts and then towed down to Auckland but a few got stuck in the process. One of these will eventually be mounted up on our dray. So, not only is the wagon itself historic but, in a sense, so is the log which will rest on it.
The wood shingles, which covered Carter Holt’s structure, could not be re-used and we had to buy new ones. They are expensive but no amount of persuasion by our expert wheedler got us a discount, so the whole exercise cost almost NZ $2000, including sundry materials. However, this simple wagon seems to have fired everyone’s imagination because we have received just over $1000 in donations ranging from $2 to $200. We are very grateful!
Quinten LUSH took charge of the restoration and contacted a number of experts. The advice he received ranged from not touching it at all to building an airtight, climate controlled structure around it. Neither extreme makes much sense, of course, so, after some discussion, we have chosen to take the middle road.
The whole vehicle is still surprisingly sound. There is some rust on the metal parts, a small section of dry rot on one of the wheels and some minor woodworm damage. We have moved the wagon to its permanent position by the river and Quinten has taken steps to preserve it over winter. In spring we will do more work to restore it to its original condition and to prevent future deterioration. Boards with photos and an explanation of the wagon’s function and history will complete the display. A mention needs to be made to Bill MARCROFT’s lead role and the assistance of others in this project.
Do come and have a look at it. It’s a
fascinating machine and nothing could illustrate Puhoi’s history more
vividly!
We are very proud indeed of our records, as you know!
Jenny SCHOLLUM our President and others have spent many years painstakingly collecting data on the original settler families and as a result the Society now possesses well over two thousand family photos, transcripts of taped interviews, collections of stories, newspaper clippings, school records, marriage and death certificates, records of land grants, passenger lists of the ships the settlers arrived on and even some facsimiles of their Austrian Empire passports.
But above all, there are the genealogical details - sheets and sheets of meticulously typed records of the births, marriages and deaths relating to each of the original settler families over each of the first three generations.
All this is stored away in a number of filing cabinets in our Records Room, vulnerable to accidental flood or fire or the attentions of the odd passing vandal. And so, two years ago, the Committee decided to invest in a computer and create an electronic back-up for our paper records. This move not only provides a second version of each record, but enables us to put the details onto CDs which can then be stored elsewhere for safekeeping.
There is another huge advantage of computerisation, of course, and that is the flexibility and ease of access that comes with it. We decided to use the Personal Ancestral File “PAF” program as the basis for the re-organisation of all our material because it suits our needs to perfection. Besides storing and organising the genealogical details, this program allows us to link both individuals and whole families to photos, tapes and written records alike.
We were most careful to buy a computer that can cope with
all of this and despite the speed of technological developments we hope it
will serve us well for years to come.
We had better own up! Not only did we invest in a powerful computer, we also spent a sizable sum on an up-market scanner to go with it. This enables us to scan faded old photos and produce a reasonable image which we can transfer to a CD for safekeeping or print out as a photograph.
And speaking of framed photographs, if you would like to
decorate your walls with scenes of historic Puhoi, we are in the process
of reproducing and framing a series of views of the village and historic
scenes. They will be up for sale to visitors at very reasonable prices and
the proceeds will eventually cover the cost of the equipment - we
hope!
For those of you who are seriously interested in researching the family history or those who are merely curious about what is available, we have acquired a Reference Computer for the Records Room which is accessible to the public.
On it you will find most of the items that are on our master computer and you can play with it to your heart’s content. We have made it as user friendly as we can and, even if you are not all that computer literate, you should be able to navigate your way around on it. Neat and colourful ancestral charts can also be viewed and copies ordered.
So, instead of just passing us by, come into the Records
Room and have a go!