Early in 1841 law and order was falling apart in New Zealand’s first organised settlement and the colonists of the fledgling Port Nicholson (Wellington) wanted protection – not from criminals, but...
In 2014 Justices of the Peace in New Zealand celebrated 200 years of service since the first J.P., Thomas Kendall, arrived in the Bay of Islands. As a further contribution to mark the milestone there...
Justice of the Peace duties have been many and varied since the first JP was appointed in New Zealand in 1814. JPs remained the mainstay of the colony’s primary judicial system until 1868 when...
In 2014 Justices of the Peace in New Zealand celebrated 200 years since the first JP took up office in the Bay of Islands. Thomas Kendall was appointed in November 1814, the first Justice of the...
When I was a young manager on the “relief circuit” for Amalgamated Theatres I never knew where my next port of call would be. With Easter fast approaching, and without any instructions, I thought I...
Investigating what makes up the 1930 Dennis Dart fire engine, I found interesting stories: not just from Dennis Brothers themselves, but from various makers whom the Dennis company trusted to supply...
This story was inspired by a stay at the Orua Bay Motel in 2015. Reading the in-room almanac I found a list of former proprietors of the harbour-side accommodation since it was first opened by the...
It is unusual to dismiss a fire chief who couldn’t do his job because the equipment he was given was deficient. To discharge two chiefs within three years for the same reason is exceptional. In hind...
On two occasions over the decades, in 1902 and 1927, Aucklanders have been rattled by a series of arsons and false alarms to the fire brigade, not knowing when and where the incendiarists would...
Charles Alexander Woolley was from a “fire brigade family” and began his career as a talented fireman in Auckland but who swapped his fire uniform and went to fight in World War One. He returned to...