Patea Historical Society - Patea Historical Society 103 Egmont Street

We are an organisation of volunteers with a passion to Preserve and Promote our local History. There are 10 members of our Executive Committee, and we meet on the last Tuesday, every second month.
Jacq Dwyer (President), Jim Baker (Secretary), Mick Parsons, Dave Crompton, Roy Hotter, Harvey Gibbs, Bronwyn Wattrus, Joe Bourke, Rob Groat, Howard Anderson.

In 2017 we reached 50 years since Patea Historical Society was formed. On Tuesday 31 October 1967 the first meeting of ‘interested people’ was held in Patea to consider the establishment of a Historical Society. The following people were at that first gathering: Mrs R Hennessey, Edith Purchase, Jack Gunn, Livingston Baker, Brian West, Morrison, Michael Kontze, Malcom Dickens, Bill McKee, Roy Nicol, Tony Grant-Fargie, Jack Hennessy, Gordon Hughson, Stan C Cowman. Absent:  Clive & Joan Robinson, Mrs Marshall, Marion Grant-Fargie, A Roy Simpson, Allan H Prince, Bourke, Howard S Anderson, Doug Brownrigg, Ron Carradus, Peter Rutherford, H Malcom Dickson.

Just over a month later the inaugural committee meeting of the society was held on Saturday 25 November 1967, with Mr Livingston Baker as its inaugural president. That first meeting was held in the sitting room of Leslie & Etta Hamilton's home at Manutahi. (now owned by Leslies's grt nephew Ross & Raewyn Symes). Exactly 50 years later to the day, we marked the occasion by doing the exact same thing!! Bettie Howarth and Joan Robinson were there on that day 50 years ago and were there again in 2017...with a clear memory of how it was back then. We saluted past members, and future members who will continue this important work, by having a whisky toast to them, in particular to the ones we’ve lost in recent years; Livingston Baker, Ian Church, John Heremaia, Gordon Hughson, Allan Meuli and Cedric Gwynn.

Back in early 1973, Mrs Reti (Eva) Kershaw and Mr John Heremaia were approached by Livingston Baker, who asked for their help to develop a Māori court section in the new Museum they were planning to establish . The two elders consulted their people and it was agreed to be a part of this project. Harry Baker donated his premises; the former Carlyle Photography Studios building to the Historical Society for the Museum. Situated at the corner of Egmont and Bedford Streets, it was built in 1869 and originally housed Taplin and Muir's General Store. Tragically and suddenly, Mrs Kershaw died the day before work was to have started on it. The people, under the tuition of the Reverend Napi Waaka, saw it fitting to dedicate this court as a memorial to her. After one year of dedicated planning and work, the Hon Matiu Rata, Minister of Māori Affairs, opened the Patea Museum, Aotea Utanganui, on April 25th 1974. The Museum building was relocated from the corner of Bedford St to its current location at 127 Egmont Street in 1982. In August 1999, after 25 successful years being run by volunteers, the Museum was handed over to the South Taranaki District Council. On 30 April 2011 a new purpose-built museum was opened by Mayor Ross Dunlop, with a karakia by Kaumatua Syd Kershaw (son of Eva Kershaw).

Patea Historical Society Head Quarters are in the old Patea ANZ building (built 1972). It was purchased in January 1999 with the help of a bequest from Miss Ruth Davidson and the Victor Corkill estate. The building provided a space for two rare and valuable Refrigeration Compressors from the Patea Freezing Works. On behalf of the Australian Company that owned the old Freezing Works site, Mr Lloyd Jeffree donated the two machines to the Society. Mr Noel McColl skilfully removed and relocated them to the building in 2000. It was another 5 years before they were fully restored by members of PHS, and the Freezing Works Display was officially opened by Chester Borrows MP on 25 November 2005.

PHS have funded, in partnership with The National Library of NZ, the digitalisation of the first 66 years of The Patea Mail onto the Papers Past website; 1875 -1941. This has been done in 3 instalments over the last 5 years. Each of these 3 instalments cost $20,000, Patea Historical Society pays half and the National Library of NZ pay half, to process and upload this valuable resource. Anyone, anywhere in the World can now search on key words or dates from days gone by and uncover some amazing information from the pages of The Patea Mail. It is a portal to the past, that Patea Historical is very proud to be a part of. And it would not be possible without the bequeaths that have been left to our Society over the years, and carefully invested. We hope to get the remaining years digitalized in the near future, but there is a bit of a process to go through, as the remaining years haven’t been put on microfiche yet. We are working on this.

We have for sale the following books: 'Heartland of Aotea' and 'Salutary Punishment' - by Ian Church, 'Legacy of Turi', 'Early Hotels of Old Patea', 'Hurleyville History'. History of Allied Farmers Taranaki “Too Old To Be Secrets Now”, Patea RSA, 100 years of History.

We endeavor to host at least two field trips a year to places of historical interest.

So much has been achieved by enthusiastic Patea Historical members in the last half century and we continue their good work into the future. We currently have over 60 members, and always welcome more, your membership helps us make things happen!! Membership is $10 per year, or $12 for a couple.