As part of a Valley Profile series, MEGHAN HAWKES searches through old newspapers to bring you the stories Thames Valley locals once read about themselves.
1908
Two young ladies – Miss Medhurst and Miss Frogley – had a very unpleasant experience at Tapu. The ladies, who were camping on the coast, took seriously ill and seemed to be suffering from the same complaint. Medical aid was summoned from Thames, the resident surgeon from the hospital arriving at 2am. In the meantime, it was discovered that the sudden and violent attack was due to poisoning caused by eating oysters which the ladies had found on the top of some rocks.
Emetics were administered and proved successful, both young ladies recovering rapidly. Their experience was a warning to others not to eat shelled fish which were subject to the heat of the sun for such a long time every day.
An immense fire raged in the Piako lands near Waitakaruru, Miranda, and in the direction of Netherton. It was fortunately confined to areas where raupo and small quantities of commercial flax were grown but the damage was not great and the flax roots were not destroyed. Drainage works foiled the fire – it would have been nothing short of a calamity had it got to mills, tramlines, and dwellings. Residents were praised for their readiness to help others – a commendable spirit of comradeship existed, and when the raging fires threatened destruction and ruin, there were many hands extended in assistance.
Paeroa was on the way to becoming one of the largest and most flourishing inland towns in the Dominion. The producers were on one side of the town, and the consumers on the other, and Paeroa was in the happy position of being the natural market place for the whole of the district.
The price of land round about Paeroa had gone up considerably and the farmers were flourishing. Fresh land, promising to yield golden harvests, was cultivated every year. The growth of the butter company was proof of the prosperity of the farming district; from a small business it had grown to be one of the most important butter factories in the colony, while the quality of its product was second to none. Now the company found it necessary to build larger and more up-to-date premises. The goldfields up-country made a splendid market for the farmers, and the prosperity of the farmers meant prosperity for all.
A narrow escape from a serious accident occurred on the County Road near the Pārāwai Railway Station.
Two men were driving home in a gig and in turning the corner rather sharply, the gig overturned and dashed its occupants to the ground. Help was soon at hand and it was found that one of the occupants had escaped with a severe shaking, while the other had his face cut and arm badly bruised. The gig was broken to pieces.
