MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Pioneer Village shaping upThe idea of Mangawhai having its own Pioneer Village took three big steps closer to reality recently with more historical buildings finding a new home and new purpose on the Molesworth Road site. In the early hours of February 14, the 130-year-old Tara Road School was removed from its street namesake and relocated to the Village with two buildings from the 1900’s – Mangawhai’s former Post Office and the old Te Arai Library – following a few days later. The vision of ‘a living and breathing village’ providing a venue for weddings, community events, workshops, meetings and markets, has been a project for Friends of Mangawhai Community Park (FMCP) for just over two years. Physical work began onsite 18 months ago with the transfer and restoration of Mangawhai’s first Anglican Church which had also served time as a school in the area from 1894. Whangarei firm, Haines House Haulage, transferred the school while a group of know-how-can-do locals, Rob Ewing from Mangawhai Transport, Gary Crosbie of Mangawhai Engineering with organiser and FMCP Chairman Jim Wintle, and volunteers Phil Hislop and Bert Sainsbury, relocating the smaller buildings. Wintle says he was impressed with the smoothness of the transfers. “Went really well… without a hitch,” he says. “The school even still has the old desks inside, intact. The library won’t need much to clean it up but unfortunately the Post Office is a bit sick and will need to be totally recladded. Bit of a spend but it will last another 100 years.” Wintle also had high praise for the people of Haines Haulage who were also involved with moving the Church. “Once they knew this was a community project they ‘sharpened their pencils’ and lowered their costs,” he says. “Couldn’t fault them, a bunch of good guys.” SMOOTH GOING: A dedicated team, from left, Jim Wintle, Phil Hislop, Bert Sainsbury with Haines House Haulage coordinator the ‘Boss’, Tama Morehu |
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