FRIDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2014 This advertisement is authorised by the Hauraki District Council How lucky I’ve been HDC Citizen Awards 2014 - Lawrie Smith Ask Paeroa local Lawrie Smith anything about “You didn’t have to shift out of town – Captain Cook and chances are he’ll know the there were plenty of opportunities locally, answer. Semi-retiring at 66, he became obsessed you just had to ask and look,” he says. with Cook books (not the Edmond’s kind), reading His interest in history has grown with the more than 30 of them from cover to cover over the grey hair on his head. Now secretary of next few years. Paeroa and District Historical Museum, “It kind of gets you,” he says, “We were taught a he’s the driving force behind a three year little bit (about Cook) in school, but I didn’t realise project to create an enduring memorial how close to us he was.” to Captain Cook’s navigation of the area. One of seven boys and three girls growing up on a An earlier memorial erected on the corner Hikutaia farm, Smith’s family home was just down of State Highway 2 and Hauraki Road in the road and across the Waihou River from the 1969 had disappeared a few years earlier, Netherton bank Cook landed on in 1769. Scouting suspected stolen for scrap metal. for timber to build English warships, Cook spread Borrowing machinery from local the word about Hikutaia’s abundant kauri forests contractors and doing everything, from and by the 1800s six more English ships had fundraising to concrete laying and planting Mayor John Tregidga congratulates Lawrie Smith on ventured into the area, taking home as many logs specimen trees, themselves, Lawrie and a small his tireless efforts in preserving and restoring the as they could carry. committee of volunteers completed the fi rst stage commemorative historic sites in the community. Around 150 years later, 15-year-old Smith left the of the project for a fraction of its estimated price family farm to work in a bake house in Paeroa. tag. In June this year a three tonne steel anchor, donated by the Royal New Zealand Navy, was found volunteering his time to community events and “There was no room for me on the farm. It (baking) installed at the newly prepared site, on the corner organisations. He also regularly plays the trombone was the hardest work ever, turning all the dough of Hauraki and Captain Cook Road, overlooking the in a local jazz band, but he’s not one to blow his own – we made truckloads of it; we used to bake 100 river. Within a kilometre of Cook’s actual landing trumpet. dozen pies a week easily,” he says. site, the memorial includes a picnic area and car “I didn’t really think about it till I was 60, how lucky He had his fi nger in other pies too. Stock car racing park. Future plans include building a walking track I’ve been, what a great life I’ve had. Now I just want at Western Springs fi lled most of his spare time, to the actual site, and a jetty. to give something back. Something that leaves a along with logging and helping his brothers back on In the meantime, Lawrie’s busy restoring another memory in Paeroa.” the farm. Eventually he left the bake house to work broken memorial, lest we forget. Erected on for Shell Oil, which had a big operation in Paeroa at Primrose Hill in 1903 to commemorate Trooper that time. A promotion saw him move to Auckland George Bradford, the fi rst New Zealand soldier to during the construction of the harbour bridge and die in an overseas confl ict (Boer War), the Bradford Quick Tips for from there he went on an OE to America and an Memorial was a two metre high, three dish granite all-expenses-paid six month stint in England. Back fountain. Sculptured in Italy it was smashed by Smart Water Use in Auckland and at a loose end one afternoon, vandals in Paeroa in the late 1950’s. he went to Pukekohe to watch Paeroa West play rugby. Considered too expensive to fi x, parts of it ended Make mine a jug up in a Hikutaia garden; others Lawrie tracked “I saw my wife on the sideline,” he grins. down to a rambling Cambridge backyard. He hopes For cool drinking water, fi ll a jug The girl who’d caught his eye was a Paeroa school it will eventually go back on display in a safe place, and keep it in the fridge. Running teacher. New to the area she told Lawrie she didn’t such as the Library foyer. water to cool it down can waste 10 litres a minute. plan to stay for long but as it turned out she never In his Hauraki District Citizens Award nomination left. Lawrie moved back home and got a job at Linn form, Lawrie was described as “The keeper of Motors, the two were married, had two daughters our local history.” Someone who can always be Mind that drip and have stayed put since. If the toilet leaks or a tap drips, fi x it right away. HDC Service timetable for 1st to 5th January 2015 For more tips, click the smart water Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday use logo on the Council website, 1 January 2 January 3 January 4 January 5 January and look for tips in this page over the coming weeks. All Council Offi ces 8.00am Paeroa, Waihi and Closed Closed Closed Closed to Ngatea 4.30pm Waihi and Paeroa 10.00am Closed Closed Closed Closed to Library H A U R A K I 4.30pm D I S T R I C T C O U N C I L 8.00am Ngatea Library Closed Closed Closed Closed to PUBLIC NOTICE 4.30pm FREEDOM CAMPING BYLAW 6.00am to 9.00am Swimming Pools 11.00am 11.00am 11.00am (lane swimming) to to Pursuant to Section 157 of the Local Government - Paeroa Closed to - Waihi 5.00pm 5.00pm 5.00pm 9.00am to 5:30pm Act 2002, notice is hereby given that the following - Ngatea (public swim) (public swim) (public swim) (public swim) amendments were made to the Hauraki District Council Consolidated Bylaw and were adopted by the Paeroa Transfer 12.30pm 12.30pm 12.30pm Hauraki District Council on 17 December 2014, and Closed Closed to to to Station will come into effect on 2 January 2015: 5.30pm 5.30pm 5.30pm • Schedule 11: Restricted Sites for Freedom Camping of Part 3 (Public Safety) was amended Waihi Transfer 10.00am 10.00am 10.00am Closed Closed to to to to remove two sites from the Schedule. Station 4.00pm 4.00pm 4.00pm The Hauraki District Council Consolidated Bylaw can be viewed at the libraries and Council offi ces in Refuse bags only Ngatea, Paeroa and Waihi or on Council’s website Waihi www.hauraki-dc.govt.nz. Waikino Whiritoa - extra Kerbside Refuse Whiritoa - normal A copy can be obtained by calling 07 862 8609 or 0800 collection collection 734 834 (from within the District). and Recyling Refuse bags and Bags & glass Collection recycling only Refuse & recyling L D Cavers Karanghake Chief Executive Mackaytown Hauraki District Council Paeroa.