In one of Auckland’s oldest suburbs, nostalgia has a ready audience. And when nostalgia is mixed with the tragedies of war, the blend can be compelling.
The Mt Albert Inc Anzac week story of the two local boys who were inseparable through their youth and died alongside each other in World War One drew 1600 readers in April – one of the strongest responses yet in the eight short months of the website. The story even figured in the address by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Mt Albert Anzac Day ceremony.
The following were the top 10 stories of the month – three of them drawing more than 1000 readers, and all of them above 450.
- The tragic story of two boys who grew up together on the streets of tranquil Mt Albert and died alongside each other in the same shell attack in the Battle of the Somme
- Mt Albert Grammar School, struggling to hold its roll in its traditional area, takes steps to remove the Unitec land from its zone
- Latest auction prices in Mt Albert, and how they sit along the capital values set last July
- Mt Albert Inc pulls back a little from its drive to deliver local; news… and looks for some help
- Meet Roy Clements, the inspiration behind the treeway that runs alongside Meola Creek
- Sir Harold Marshall raises some questions over the Government plan to create up to 4000 new homes on the Unitec land
- Now the village upgrade is nearly over, eyes are turning to the earlier promise of a town centre plaza
- The Minister of Housing gives fresh detail on the Unitec plan
- The headmaster of Mt Albert Grammar explains some of the school’s philosophies about growing up in a growing city
- The old community house on the edge of the village is getting a well-overdue facelift
