Mr. Taylor came to Auckland with his father, the late General Taylor, H.E.I.C.S., of West Tamaki, over 40 years ago, and was the fourth son of the General. His brother, Mr. William Innes Taylor, died somewhat suddenly a few weeks ago. Mr. A. K. Taylor was formerly member of the Provincial Council, and also of the General Assembly. He was also at one time a director of the Bank of New Zealand, and the Loan and Mercantile Company, and interested in many of our mercantile institutions. Last year he was president of the Auckland Racing Club, and although he did not run horses, took considerable interest in sporting matters. He was at the Ellerslie races on Easter Monday. The deceased gentleman was greatly respected for his personal integrity and for his genial and unassuming disposition, and his sudden death will be deeply regretted by a wide circle of acquaintances. He had lived for a quarter of a century at Mount Albert. Deceased leaves a widow and eight children—four sons and four daughters —to mourn their loss. •The funeral will leave his late residence at four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. Paperspast

OUTSTRIPPING GUY FAWKES. MT. ALBERTS PERFORMANCE.

[November 6, 1924 – Auckland Star] Mount Albert surpassed all the other suburbs of the city in its celebration of Guy Fawkes’ plot by having several unforeseen fires. No less than four times was the local brigade summoned. The first call was a false alarm, the second produced something material in the nature of a burning shed, but it was not until after a further diversion at a gorse fire that the brigade got its real opportunity. It was a six-roomed house fully enveloped in flames to which it was hurried just after one o’clock when the celebrants of the notorious plot had abandoned their play. It was quite a spectacular fire, the glare being discernable for miles around, while it was a complete success in that it burnt the building to the ground.

The brigade was given its fourth alarm by a motorist who passed the station, and when it arrived at the house, situated on the Mount Albert-Onehunga road, more than two miles away, the fire was assured of victory. The roof went before the brigade arrived and it was impossible to effect a save, though the shell of an adjoining shed was saved. The cause of the fire is not known. Paperspast

COMMUNITY LIGHTING.

[November 28, 1936 – Auckland Star ] Seventy-eight lights were switched on last night at the Mt. Albert tram terminus as a result of a community lighting scheme being brought into operation by the business men of the district. The idea originated with the Mt. Albert Business Men’s Association, which arranged a scheme similar to that recently established in Newmarket. The lights have been installed in the main shopping area, and shopkeepers are well pleased with the result, which has turned the street into a splendidly lighted thoroughfare. Paperspast

MT. ALBERT WELFARE WORK.

[May 2, 1934 – Auckland Star] The annual meeting of the Mount Albert Welfare Committee was held on Monday, the Mayor, Mr. R. E. Ferner, presiding. The committee reported that 250 homes had been visited, and that there was great need for firing, groceries, clothing, boots, shoes and blankets. In all 668 sacks of coal had been distributed, also several tons of firewood. Groceries had been sent to the homes of nearly 200 people. Clothing also had been given. A “drive” held in May last resulted in a good collection of clothing, footwear and general goods. Toys were distributed to children in the district at Christmas. Paperspast

BABY FOUND BURIED. DISCOVERY AT MT. ALBERT.

[August 16, 1926 – Auckland Star] Another discovery under tragic circumstances was made at Mount Albert on Saturday, when it was found that a baby girl, born on Thursday morning, had been buried in the garden of a house. Today an inquest was opened before Mr. F. K. Hunt, S.M., a post-mortem examination was ordered to be made, and the inquiry was adjourned sine die. Detective Nalder gave evidence of the discovery of the child. The mother of the child is a girl about 20 years of age and was employed as a domestic. Paperspast

EXPENSIVE LOAD OF SOIL.

[April 13, 1916 – Auckland Star] S. I. Grin admitted that he permitted a cartload of soil to be placed on the road at Mt. Albert without having previously obtained the permission of the Borough Council. It was stated that defendant had had a load of soil left in front of his house and had taken only half of it in before nightfall. Later a man was riding along the road and his horse stumbled on the soil and was somewhat injured. Defendant then placed a light out to mark the obstruction. Counsel for the local body stated that the leaving of obstructions on the street was becoming too common at Mt. Albert, and it was intended to prosecute offenders. Defendant was fined 10/-, and 38/- costs. Paperspast

TO SAVE THE CHILDREN.

[December 7, 1918 – Auckland Star] A girl of twelve years, who was physically over-developed and mentally underdeveloped, was charged with being a child not under proper control. The application had been made because the girl had made serious complaints about a man which the police had found to be wholly imaginary, and investigation had revealed that her influence on other children of the same age in the neighbourhood was not wholesome. The girl was committed to the Mt. Albert Industrial School, where she would be subject to restrictive training. Two girls and a boy of ages ranging from seven to eleven years, came up as children having no means of subsistence. It was stated that the mother of the children had died of influenza, and that their stepfather was away at the front. The three youngsters were committed to Mt. Albert Industrial School. Paperspast

PROPERTY SALES.

[April 16, 1915 – New Zealand Herald] Messrs. Samuel Vaile and Sons, Ltd., will hold an auction sale at their land sale rooms, 87, Queen Street, at 2 p.m. today, when they will offer 170 sections in the Euston Estate, Mount Albert. This estate is a subdivision of a portion of the property held for many years by the Kerr-Taylor family, and has frontages to the Mount Albert-Onehunga Road, Fowlds Avenue, Taumata Road, and other roads. Paperspast

OLD BOYS’ REUNION. MT. ALBERT GRAMMAR SCHOOL

[November 16, 1923 – New Zealand Herald] The first reunion of old boys of the Mount Albert Grammar School was held in the school building last evening.

The headmaster, Mr. F. Gamble, complimented the masters. He had been in many famous New Zealand schools during his career as a master, and had known many weak links in the staffs, but he could safely say that no such link existed in the staff of the Mount Albert Grammar School. Mr. McBride proposed that an association should be formed, so that the old boys should keep together during the coming years. The motion was carried, the association to be called the Mount Albert Grammar Old Boys’ Association. Mr. C. C. Lamb said the old boys could greatly help the school. He also mentioned the school magazine, the Albertian, which was one of the best magazines ever published by a secondary school in the Dominion. Musical items were given by several of the masters. Paperspast

DANGEROUS CATTLE. (To the Editor)

[February 27, 1890 – Auckland Star] Sir,- Notwithstanding the serious accident which lately occurred to a lady through being gored by a cow in this district, the butchers’ cattle continue to be driven through the populous districts during ordinary working hours. This practice is so very dangerous that the safety of the public imperatively demands its discontinuance. Of course, we know that the abattoirs are in the wrong place, but they are there, and cannot be removed except by great loss to the owners; so the owners and those who use them should be compelled to either drive very early in the morning, if by the Mount Eden route, or else take the Epsom, Three Kings and Mount Albert roads.

I might point out a very direct road, and avoiding the thickly populated parts, viz., from either of the saleyards to Mr Paton’s, thence straight down the Epsom Road to Kingsland Road, thence (by arrangement with Mr Taylor) across his land already laid out in streets, coming out either by the Mt. Albert Church or at Morningside by the station, thence to the abattoirs. This would be a much straighter and more comfortable road for the cattle and drivers than the tortuous Mt. Eden Road with all its turnings. I commend the matter to those interested.—l am, sir, A RESIDENT of Mt. Eden. P.S.—ln any case the cattle should be driven before or after the children are going or returning from school. Paperspast

RIFLE SHOOTING. MT. ALBERT QUARRY. HOME GUARD APPLICATION

[August 13, 1941 – Auckland Star] “There are plenty of other places in the borough where shooting could be carried out,” declared Mr. H. L. Kayes at the Mount Albert Borough Council meeting last night when commenting on an application from the 6th Battalion of the Home Guard for permission to carry out rifle-firing practice in the old scoria pit on Mount Albert.

It was pointed out in the application that it was proposed to use .303 ammunition made for 25-yard ranges. Practices would be held on Sunday mornings and duty men would be posted to ensure that no unauthorised persons entered the danger area. “The most likely source of danger would be the possibility of bullets ricocheting off stone.” said the engineer, Mr. W. E. Begbie, who added that this could possibly be prevented by arranging sandbags at the back of the targets. Mr. B. Brigham mentioned that shooting on Sunday mornings might cause annoyance to sick and aged people. It was stated by Mr. E. O. Faber that the Mount Roskill guardsmen were using a quarry at Three Kings and the Kohimarama unit carried out shooting in its area. In his opinion the possibility of ricochets was remote. Subject to police approval, it was decided to grant the request during the pleasure of the council. Paperspast

RAILWAY DANGER AT MOUNT ALBERT.

[June 7, 1912 – Auckland Star] Sir, —The train from Auckland arriving at Mt. Albert at 4.15 pm. is not taken alongside the platform, but stops upon a loop-siding in the middle of the station yard, where a score or two of passengers (mostly women and children at that hour) are dumped down, to make their way across the main line in front of the incoming  new Kaipara express, which does not stop here, but crosses the train from Auckland, passing between it and the platform, which the passengers have to reach and climb at the peril of their lives. The risk to infirm, nervous, or elderly people, or to ladies with children, is undoubtedly great, and whilst I admit that the local officials do their utmost to avoid an accident, yet the arrangement is so bad that it is only a question of time (probably not a long time) before something serious happens.—l am, etc., J. M. SMITH, Domain-road, Mt. Albert. June 6, 1912.  Paperspast

The post SUDDEN DEATH OF MR. A. K. TAYLOR appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

[October 19, 2018]: On October 2 last year, Mt Albert Inc stepped into the online world with stories trying to fulfil a promise to deliver local news, information and backgrounders the Herald and Central Leader had long since abandoned.

It’s interesting to flick back to that opening week and look at a range of stories that had been told nowhere else – from the plan to create a farm centre at MAGS to the news that no school would be built on the Unitec land.

Then there was the opening assault on the owner of the burnt-out shell of the old medical centre, the final interview with Mt Albert’s first mayor, Frank Ryan, an introduction to the people behind the new Albert’s Post, the fascinating war-time story of Jeanette Amies – and a stack of backgrounders on everything from history and big issues to schools, doctors and politicians.

Many months went into gathering and writing much of that launch material – along with pictures to go with them – and learning the intricacies, limitations and frustrations of running a website.

Since then, Mt Albert Inc has published around 200 stories of interest and concern to this community, and all of them now sit in an archive rich in local – and national – revelation. In time, the most important of them all may be the commitment given by Jacinda Ardern that the Unitec housing development will be “gold standard”. Politicians always need reminding of their promises.

At the beginning, I laid out the site’s ambition and finished the column with this:” … it’s up to you whether you accept the responsibility as a citizen to stay well informed. We hope you’ll come along for the ride”.

The same column repeated a plea I had made many times, in one form or another, in the planning stages and since then: “Is there a co-editor (or two) with journalism experience out there? A WordPress wizard I can call on from time to time? Someone with the credentials to follow up an advertising lead?”

The response then was as deafening and disappointing as it is today and, after months of filing several stories a week and often daily, I’ve done my dash in this role as a community volunteer.

In that time (with a couple of breaks where traffic naturally came to a halt because there was nothing new to see), the site has registered around 150,000 page views and 130,000 unique visits, which I guess isn’t too bad for a budget outfit with no marketing backup, run by an old bloke in his retirement. (Certainly an advance from an earlier project: a long-running website to keep locals informed over the quite specific Asquith Ave Housing NZ development.)

I’ve had some help here and there, and it has always been appreciated. Thank you to those people, most of them old newspaper colleagues, and thank you, too, to the local board for providing the grant and giving oxygen to the concept of a hyperlocal news site.

But the lack of general support (and an eye condition which is causing me problems) means this phase of Mt Albert Inc’s brief life is over.

Hopefully there will be another phase; the reservoir of hundreds of thousands of words and an archive of 1000 or so pictures will sit there until a fresh face concerned at the decline in the coverage of local news and information – and the growing influence of social media – is ready to have a go. When that happens, I’ll be very happy to help on the technical side and perhaps pitch in as a part-time contributor.

Meanwhile, to those who came along for the ride, thank you for climbing on board. I’m sorry the journey was so short but hope you found it worthwhile.

• If you have a strong background in  journalism and are interested in volunteering to build on the first year of Mt Albert Inc, drop a line to [email protected]

The post End to this phase of Mt Albert Inc appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

This was strongly opposed by Mr. A. A. Buckley. “The bridge is of vital importance,” he declared. “Not only will it be the centre of our town planning scheme, but North Auckland is one of the richest district in New Zealand, and the bridge will increase its trade with the city. A little borough like Newmarket has already contributed, and we are the largest in New Zealand.” Mr. Buckley moved that the council subscribe £5.

“I do not agree,” said Mr. J. H. Langley. “Mount Albert is certainly the largest borough in New Zealand, “but it is also the most expensive in which to do anything for the ratepayers. We should not spend any money outside the borough. We have a loan, but when that is done, this borough will be the hardest in New Zealand to live in.”

“You tell us how much we will get out of the bridge, but you do not tell us how much the landed proprietors on the other side will get,” remarked another member.

Mr. B. Brigham also opposed the donation.

Another supporter of the bridge was Mr W. G. Russell. “When the bridge is built,” he declared, “a stream of motor lorries will bring the wool and butter and cheese from the North to be shipped at this port. Yet, though we are willing to be taxed at the rate of £500 per year for the museum, we squabble over £5 for the bridge.” Mr. Russell further explained that the ratepayers would not have to pay anything unless a poll were taken.

“I am sorry to think that this borough is going to be known as the meanest in New Zealand,” said Mr. Carr. “The council is taking a very narrow, parochial view of a great national endowment.”

The Mayor explained that his attitude did not signify opposition to the building of a bridge across the harbour. On that point he refused to give an opinion. His care, he said, was to safeguard the ratepayers, and if the council committed itself by subscribing to the fund, the ratepayers might be called upon to pay a big share of the cost of a commission of inquiry.

On the vote, Mr. Buckley’s amendment was defeated by a majority of one, and the Mayor’s motion was carried.

During a discussion on town planning later in the evening, the subject of the harbour bridge again came up. After a short debate, Mr. Russell handed in his resignation as the council’s delegate to the Bridge Association’s meetings.

Paperspast

The post DONATION REFUSED. TOWARDS HARBOUR BRIDGE. appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Despite strong criticism from a number of town planning specialists, the local body is persisting in its idea of running a 16ft road around the northern face of the hill. It means that a steep inner wall of raw scoria will be left to be seen from a distance, and the throwing of the material down the hill will present an ugly appearance for a long time until it heals over.

The result of heavy rain may mean that a good deal of the soft material will be precipitated into the back sections of those residents living below. Many ratepayers are of the opinion that this scheme is very ill-advised and a waste of money which should be otherwise spent on laying out the inside of the extensive old quarry, and it is an unnecessary disfigurement of a once beautiful hill.

Another thing is that the first proposal was to use the inside of the quarry as a children’s playground. But if that is still in mind then is it wise to direct motor cars along the road where small children will have to go to enter the base of the quarry? A number of experts from the Playground Association considered the site unsuitable because of its height and distance from the centre of population, and also on account of the heat inside the walls in the summer. It has been questioned whether there was any great need for a road at all, and if provision had been made for cars to be parked up near the present football ground it would have been adequate.

It is not expected that all the members of a borough council should have a knowledge of landscape gardening, but there are a number of bodies and individuals from whom good advice can readily be got.

So it is a pity to rush ahead with a project before it has been well studied by the ratepayers. Many of those who have looked closely into the scheme on the ground consider that the best idea would have been to make a six foot pathway around the face and lay out the quarry as a football and cricket ground, and give up the suggestion to use it for a playground for small children.

Those who love the hills are very concerned at the lack of consideration shown by the very body which is entrusted with the care of one of the unique features of Auckland’s skyline.

MT. ALBERT RATEPAYER.

Paperspast

The post SPOILING MOUNT ALBERT. appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Mt Albert Grammar School has drawn a line in the sand over the aquatic centre – it wants it gone in as little as two years, putting huge pressure on Auckland Council to settle on a replacement site.

After years of concern over the pressures posed by a public pool in the school’s Alberton Ave grounds, MAGS has decided enough is enough.

In discussions with the council and the trust that administers the pool, the school is now making its position very clear: it wants the aquatic centre off its land in perhaps two years.

The firm stand comes as the council seeks a five-year lease renewal, which the school is not prepared to endorse.

The wrangle between the school, the council and the trust board that administers the complex is now reaching a head and a result is expected in the next two or three months.

MAGS, which owns the land through the Ministry of Education, is in a powerful position. It says it needs more space for classrooms and that cars moving to and from the popular pool pose major health and safety issues for its burgeoning roll.

The school favours a compromise that would allow it to retain the length pool, which could then become a part-community facility for school use and for “serious” swimmers.

Under that arrangement, the bulk of the complex – the “fun” dimension including the wave pool and slide which draw 65 per cent of the 300,000-plus visitors each year – would go.

The council apparently accepts the aquatic centre cannot continue in the long term in its present form. But it had been hoping to extend the lease for some years to allow a different site to be identified and a new pool built.

The school’s resolute new position puts the council on the spot. While it is committed to providing a pool in Albert-Eden, officers were no doubt working to their own deadline – five or six years away, perhaps.

Even starting now, with no land earmarked, it would surely take three years or longer to get the design, consents and finance (perhaps as much as $30m) in place and the build completed.

In the Albert-Eden area there are just two publicly-owned sites available:

• Chamberlain Park, where the local board is about to move ahead with its plan to cut the golf course in half and create a wider recreational area;
• The Mt Albert War Memorial Reserve where the option is to extend the community and leisure centre operated by the YMCA.

Chamberlain Park seems the logical choice as part of the major overhaul of the land and will probably be favoured. But whatever site is selected, there will be community concerns.

Everyone will want a new pool but no one will want it just down the road; the prospect of hundreds of extra cars a week on local streets like Wairere Ave, Asquith Ave and Linwood Ave will bring seriously raised voices.

Alberton Ave residents, meanwhile, will count their blessings. Three schools in their street mean traffic will always be heavy, but taking the pool visitors away will ease the headache.

The end of the road for the aquatic centre should not come as a surprise to anyone because the limited upgrade finished in 2015 to deal with major building leaks was only designed to last 10 years.

The school has been voicing its concern over the last year or two, but no one, least of all the council, imagined the wave pool and slide complex might have to be be shut by 2021 or 2022.

MAGS headmaster Patrick Drumm says the assumption has always been that the pool is “going, going, gone” as a public facility because the growth of the school roll and the safety issues meant it had outgrown its purpose.

In two years, MAGS will be the biggest school in the country with a roll heading towards 3300, probably reaching 3600 in 2023. It has almost phased out students from outside the zone, but the new farm centre and strong growth within the zone will continue to stoke the roll.

The pool complex carpark is within the grounds and “with 3100 kids moving around the school on the bell every hour, plus 300 staff coming and going and cars entering and exiting using the same entrance we are very concerned from a health and safety perspective whether it is viable at all really,” says the headmaster.

As well, the school needs the land for more classrooms to cope with a roll that has exploded since 2000 (when girls were admitted, two years after the pool was built) from fewer than 1400 pupils.

“It is chaos out there and the aquatic centre is not now fit for purpose,” he says.

Mr Drumm says everything is now coming to a head and he is critical of the ministry for its lack of planning in not providing suitable facilities for future growth.

The ministry took a denial stance to the projections that MAGS was going to reach the sort of numbers that had become a reality, and now a “crunch point” had been reached.

“The repercussions of that go well into the community. It’s not just about MAGS, the pool, traffic management, student movement – it’s all about quality really.

“We have been very frustrated that a school like MAGS, which is enjoying great success, hasn’t been on the radar or taken seriously by the ministry in terms of planning for growth.”

Mr Drumm says the time has been reached where the ministry needs to say, ‘well hang on a minute, the school is growing – one of the fastest growing in-zone schools in NZ and we can’t go through another pool renewal period and hope it will be all right’.”

He poses the question: “How long do you keep a facility like that rolling along with a heads-in-sand approach when we’re growing the school by another 100 or 150 kids a year?”

Mr Drumm says a decision will be reached in the next two or three months and the school was working on a timeline that was the shortest possible.

“Five years is ridiculous and we are looking to bring it back to a shorter time frame, perhaps two years,” he says. “That will send a really strong message that we don’t see it as even a medium term venture let along a long term one.”

So he would be surprised if the pool was still operating in three years the way it is now?

“Absolutely. I just cannot see how that can work and, in fact, it would be negligent of all the parties just to assume that it can.”

It might be possible to shift the parking out to Alberton Ave, or create a new entrance, but the carpark site was needed for future development in the short term.

The status quo “is just absolutely impossible”.

Earlier Mt Albert Inc stories:

Murky waters mask pool future

Big issues backgrounder on the pool

The post Aquatic centre gone in 2 years? appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Work begins next Monday to turn the top of Owairaka/Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura into a car-free zone and the plan is to introduce a new visitor car park and toilet block beside the main entrance, with an automated gate at the start of the loop road. The present car park on the western side of the football field will be grassed.

When the project is over, the road will be permanently closed to all private motor vehicles including motorbikes and scooters. The exception will be for people who have limited mobility and cannot walk to the tihi (summit); they or their drivers can phone a dedicated number to obtain an access code for the gate.

The work will take about two months to complete and the loop road will stay open to walkers, cyclists and vehicles during construction, with temporary closures when cattle stops are being removed.

The steps to ban cars follow similar moves at Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill in May this year, Takarunga/Mt Victoria and Pukewīwī/Puketāpapa/Mt Roskill in March this year, and Maungawhau/Mt Eden in January 2016.

Paul Majurey, chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, says the change recognises that Ōwairaka/Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura is a site of immense cultural and historical significance.

“Ōwairaka/Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura was a significant pā settlement, home to well over 1000 people at the height of occupation,” he says. “Despite immense damage by quarrying, some important examples of early Māori life in Tāmaki Makaurau still exist there in the form of terraces, midden and pits shaped for dwellings, agriculture and defence.

“To Mana Whenua, the tihi of a maunga holds great spiritual and cultural significance and has always been a place to be treated with respect and reverence. Honouring these values alongside creating an enhanced experience for pedestrians is at the heart of the vehicle access changes.”

Making the loop road safer for walkers was also a consideration because pedestrians, cyclists and cars all share one narrow path..

Mr Majurey says the authority has had consistent feedback that the maunga are “vastly more peaceful and safer places to be without cars driving up and over them. People are really connecting with the preservation of these taonga.”

Bruce Morris

People ahead of cars the way of the future on the mountain

• More information about the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, including the Tūpuna Maunga Integrated Management Plan, click here

The post Car-free mountain by Christmas appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

The inquest was held at the Avondale Hotel yesterday afternoon, before Dr. McArthur and a jury, of whom Mr W. A. Bollard was chosen foreman. Constable Crean represented the police.

W. H. Chatwin, lithographer, a brother of deceased, said his brother was a butcher by trade, but had been working for his father as a carter and general hand. Witness last saw his brother about three weeks ago in Queen Street. His brother was then in good health, and he was very strong and hardy. He was 24 years old, and born in New Zealand.

Henry Miller, storeman in the employ of Henry Miller and Co., residing at Mt. Albert, said he had known deceased for about three or four years. Deceased took part in the football match at Mt. Albert between the players of Mt. Albert and those of Kingsland. Deceased played with the latter team. The game began about 3.20, and was played in the usual manner.

The first incident was a rush. After that the teams lined out, and the deceased was found lying on the ground. The whistle was blown owing to the fact that a player was hurt. All went over and saw that deceased was hurt. One of the players got a little brandy and the rest applied the usual remedies of rubbing. As the rubbing process did not revive deceased, some brandy was got from Mr M. McLean’s, but no one succeeded in administering it.  Chatwin complained of having received a bump on his neck and shoulder. About five to ten minutes previous to deceased’s being laid out he came into collision with witness, but no complaint was made about it. They both suffered, but continued the game.

Deceased was wing threequarter, and witness was playing five-eighths. Witness met him and came into collision with him, witness’ shoulder coming into collision with deceased’s chest. It was after this that deceased was laid out. Play was resumed, and both took up their positions. There was then a forward rush from the Mount Albert side, in which the deceased was laid out. He did not know with whom deceased came into contact on that occasion.

Every attention was paid to deceased when he was hurt. The game was stopped, and Dr. Parkes was sent for. He arrived little over an hour afterwards. The deceased was then dead. There was no reason to suspect any foul play, as the game was played in the best possible spirit on both sides. There was no personal feeling on either side.

Joseph Clarke, bootmaker, residing at Kingsland, who played in the game, deposed to deceased receiving two severe bumps from Miller playing on behalf of Mt. Albert. On the second occasion he was not in a position to say who came in contact with deceased. He saw the rush, and was of opinion there was no foul or rough play. He knew of no one having a grudge against deceased, or any member of the opposite team. In witness’ opinion as a member of deceased’s team, no blame was attachable to any one.

S. T. Astley, carrier, referee in the game, living at Avondale, said the game was fast, but there was no unnecessarily rough play. He saw the two incidents in which deceased suffered, and in his opinion there was not in the slightest any blame attachable to any one.

To a Juryman: Deceased had a peculiar method of throwing his head about when attacked.

Dr. Parkes, who made a post mortem, said he found a hemorrhage on the base of the brain, due to laceration of the brain tissue. He considered this sufficient to account for the cause of death.

The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

Paperspast

The post FOOTBALL FATALITY. THE INQUEST. appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Putting aside the ongoing traffic issues, the starkness of the streetscape has drawn most of the local criticism since the upgrade was “opened” in May.

The pocket park on the north-eastern corner of the main intersection has been savaged as cold and soulless, and the wide open footpaths as concrete wasteland.

But all that is about to change.

The Albert Eden Local Board expected pleasant finishing touches as a matter of course to make the streetscape more appealing.

But Auckland Transport didn’t see it as part of the job – and the board and the council have now taken up the challenge of “prettying” things up, using funds left over from the upgrade project.

Work will start soon on a programme to introduce colour to the village strip and it should be over by the end of October.

The plan (as shown in the image here provided by the council):

Pocket park area: the garden bed beneath the lovely ash tree (at present in scoria rocks of varying sizes) will be planted with Libertia pereginans and Coprosma repens. A council expert says “Coprosma brings a striking glossy green, and the Libertia brings a strong orange colour”.

As well, colour will be added to the stark concrete plinths – adding tone to the embedded patterns and texture.

The bus stop area (adjacent to Albert’s Post):  Where the scoria now sits, contractors will plant Liriope muscari – to provide “wonderful texture, deep green leaves and periodic purple flowers”.

The “main street” planter areas (at present empty): Each bed will be planted out in a single species, with the species (shown on the council image) used alternating down the road. The edge of the garden bed facing the bike lanes will remain unplanted to prevent tangles with cyclists.

While the traffic issues will only disappear when everyone starts catching trains, buses and Uber helicopters to work, the village will start to look more welcoming this summer.

Bruce Morris

The post Village ‘prettying-up’ starts soon appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Peter Whitehead would probably have been embarrassed at all the fuss – a modest, hard-working student given a lasting place in the school that helped to shape his life.

In the shadow of the Mt Albert Grammar classrooms that guided his progress from youth to young man, a monument now honours the sad story of a life lost too soon.

Peter, three years out of MAGS, was fleetingly in the headlines in 1985 for tragic reasons: he disappeared in January that year while climbing with a friend on Mt Tutoko– a challenging and dangerous 2723m peak in the Darran Range between the lower Hollyford Valley and Milford Sound.

His companion’s body was found at the base of a bluff near the peak icefield, but there was no trace of Peter, then aged 21 and in the first year of a career in computer software after graduating from Auckland University. It’s assumed he fell into one of the many gaping crevasses on the mountain.

The sad story lay dormant until December last year when a concrete-encased plaque bearing the inscription “Peter Whitehead Memorial Tree” was hauled from Meola Creek alongside the school.

Who was Peter Whitehead? To most locals it was a mystery, but Mt Albert Inc delved into archives to unearth the full story.

A kauri was planted on Roy Clements Treeway land – the urban forest and walkway named after one of Peter’s teachers – and the memorial plaque was placed beneath it by family and friends. (The picture at the bottom of the page was taken at the original 1986 planting ceremony. It shows (left to right) Michael Whitehead (Peter’s younger brother), Felicity Barnes (Michael’s wife), Alan Esler, Lindsay Esler, Una Esler and family friend and MAGS old boy John Matthews. Peter’s parents were living in England at the time.)

But the tree died and vandals added further indignity to sad memories. They apparently rolled the concrete slab 10m or so to the stream where it lay unnoticed for years before being hauled out by a digger last December.

That set off a chain of events ending today with a special ceremony in the school grounds to honour an Albertian who will never be forgotten.

A kowhai tree now sits alongside the original plaque, with a separate plate explaining to future students just who Peter Whitehead was and how he died.

Headmaster Patrick Drumm paid tribute to prefects who led the initiative to establish a permanent memorial to Peter Whitehead.

“I wonder what Peter would think of the school now,” said Mr Drumm. “Could he have imagined that we now have over 3000 pupils?

“MAGS has certainly changed over the years since Peter’s time, but today’s commemoration is about what hasn’t changed. That will always be about people, past and present – people being the most important thing in our schools.”

After a karakia by Matua Peter Walters, the school hymn by three students and a reading of the monument inscription by prefect Janelle Kara, present academic dean Warwick Gibbs, who taught Peter, painted a picture of his past pupil.

To a small audience that included Peter’s dad, Bob Whitehead, and Roy Clements, Mr Gibbs confessed to feeling somewhat daunted when he was first asked to speak “because we are talking about a boy in a class 42 years ago”.

“Fortunately,” he added, “there are some factors that help me, one of which is that I never throw anything away and that class has stayed in my memory for a long time”.

Peter was known as “Punky” among his mates and Mr Gibbs rated his third form class one of the best he had taught.

“They were friendly, funny, related well to each other and were extremely intelligent. Large numbers of them went on to become doctors and engineers and several left early to start their further education. Peter was one of those.”

His old teacher remembered “a tall, slim, quiet young man with considerable intelligence” and mark-books from the 70s showed he was an excellent scholar.

An end-of-year report from the fourth form noted: “Peter’s application is a model to others. I am extremely impressed by his ability and hard work.”

Best friend Lindsay Esler told the small gathering, which included Peter’s dad, Bob Whitehead, that he and his mate were pretty much inseparable during their school days.

“We had a great childhood. Peter was quiet but a very determined person who wouldn’t give up on things.

“He was always well-prepared and careful, but unfortunately not everything goes according to plan, and it was a very tragic loss of a person with huge potential.”

Mr Esler said the poignant occasion should remind everyone that “life is fragile. We need to seize the moment and enjoy things and take experiences as they come.”

CAPTION FOR TOP PICTURE: Bob Whitehead with Lindsay Esler beside the Mt Albert Grammar monument

Last December’s Mt Albert Inc story: Mystery plaque hides a tragedy

The post Lasting tribute to young life lost appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Even the mighty and powerful cannot budge Auckland Transport from its conviction that the village upgrade has been successful.

After backgrounding staff from Jacinda Ardern’s office, AT has summed up the upgrade with a confident declaration: “We hope the data and information affirms that the key objectives of the project have indeed been delivered.”

The Prime Minister had expected to be at this week’s meeting to hear the council agency’s views, but it conflicted with her New York visit to the United Nations.

In her place, senior staff and members of the Albert Eden Local Board were led through the town centre project and now AT executive Lorna Stewart has written a follow-up document.

She’s told the board and PM’s office.“… despite people’s perceptions the evidence is that travel times (and speeds) through the town centre are not extreme and overall traffic counts remain similar to that prior to construction.”

The document gives the impression everything is going as well as can be expected, side-stepping community concerns over:

• Rat-runners using previously-quiet streets to avoid the town centre hassles;
• Illegal parking in poorly-signed clearways that will continue to impede traffic flows and be a headache into the future;
• The upgrade design (into which AT had major input) that introduced wide cycle lanes and footpaths, forcing the use of clearways always likely to pose policing problems;
• The east-west flow between Carrington Rd and Mt Albert Rd that badly stutters in busy times and gives too much emphasis to the limited flow of right-turning traffic.

In the document to the board and Ms Ardern’s local office as MP for Mt Albert, Ms Stewart says travel time through the New North Rd/Carrington Rd/Mt Albert Rd intersection is about the same as it was before the beginning of the works in April 2017.

Noting that traffic volumes in the area were cut by around 25-30 per cent after the Waterview tunnel opened in July 2017, she says the current traffic flow through the intersection is 22,000 vehicles a day.

This is comparable to the Mt Eden town centre, though vehicles spend less time in traffic in Mt Albert town centre than in Mt Eden.

Ms Stewart says the Auckland Traffic Operations Centre (ATOC) is continuing to actively manage the operation of traffic signals in the town centre, and the monitoring and tweaking of the light phasing has seen an improvement in the performance of the intersection.

In the morning peak:

• Vehicle speed when travelling through the intersection from Carrington Rd has increased from 20kph (measured August 20-24) to 34kph (September 17-20) and travel time decreased from 289 seconds to 175 seconds respectively
• Travel speeds for vehicles travelling through the intersection from Mt Albert Rd have increased from 26kph (August 20-24) to 31kph (September17-20), and travel time decreased from 304 seconds to 257 seconds respectively
• New North Rd has remained consistent

In the evening peak:

• Vehicle speed when travelling through the intersection from Carrington Rd has increased from 19kph (August 20-24) to 31kph (September 17-20), and travel time decreased from 304 seconds to 193 seconds respectively
• The speed and travel times for vehicles travelling from Mt Albert Rd have remained consistent.

Ms Stewart says the performance along New North Rd during evening peak continues to present a challenge.

“While AT continues to safeguard the clearway, a single vehicle parked in the clearway will have a detrimental impact on travel time and speed through the town centre,” she says.

Since July 9, AT has issued more than 200 infringement notices and towed over 120 vehicles. The AT enforcement team will remain in the town centre during evening peak for as long as possible, “but eventually they will need to return to a rostered system of enforcement”.

Ms Stewart says managing the traffic during the weekend will be more difficult to address. AT is unable to operate a clearway at these times because parking is important to local businesses.

But ATOC is working to find ways to improve the traffic light phasing for weekend traffic, and AT’s parking enforcement team will also ensure the P60 is enforced.

On other matters, she notes:

• AT earlier determined that retaining the right-turn from New North Rd into Mt Albert Rd was the best option and traffic engineers are monitoring the situation.
• AT has improved lighting at the car park behind ASB with safer white lighting and is in the process of improving the lights in the tennis club car park. A new pole and extra LED lighting will be added.
• Other issues, including time restrictions and more/improved signage are currently in the process of being resolved.

The post AT to PM: It’s all pretty much OK appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

As the steps to reshape Chamberlain Park edge closer, a central question remains: does this area of Auckland really need the extra sports fields provided for in the development plan?

When the Albert Eden Local Board first floated its strategy to cut the golf course in half and introduce open space of wider appeal to its community, the vision was for six extra fields.

Budgetary restraints peeled that optimism back over time to two artificial fields. Even without the cost of the land, standard sports fields are very expensive to build. And a step up to artificial turf pushes the starting point to $1.8m, assuming no work is needed to create the platform. For Chamberlain Park, with its contours and volcanic rock, the price will be much higher.

Whether Albert-Eden is desperately short of sports fields is a major point of contention between supporters of the local board plan and the lobby wanting the 18-hole golf course left pretty much as it is.

The local board points to statistics which show that Albert-Eden is one of Auckland’s poorest-served areas for parks and sporting fields.

Buying land to create new parks isn’t an option because there’s precious little available so close to the city. Even if a decent-sized block came up, the price would be well out of reach of a council that has huge capital works ahead of it.

So the 32 hectares of Chamberlain Park, owned by Auckland Council and under the control of the local board, offered a “solution” – more green space and sports fields for everyone to use, with a new nine-hole course and driving range to mollify the golfing fraternity.

But while the board obviously didn’t expect everyone to embrace its plan, angry golfers take some mollifying. Chamberlain Park is one of just two public courses in Auckland, with a history stretching 80-odd years, drawing golfers from across the city – and none of them fancied the idea of having their course cut in half.

The battle has smouldered for five years and the council is now on the verge of seeking resource consent from its own planners for the right to start on stage one.

That work may begin in two or three months and the pro-golf group, Save Chamberlain Park (SCP), is threatening to go to court if it is denied the right to have its say.

Just one of the areas of disagreement: whether those two sports fields are needed.

The board, backed by all the sporting organisations spoken to by Mt Albert Inc, insist they are. They say they are desperately short of fields and worry they won’t be able to handle future growth in a burgeoning city unless more are provided.

Advocates for the golfers say their sport also needs nurturing and that Chamberlain Park fills an important role for, among others, newcomers to the game unable to afford the high fees of private clubs.

To them, it’s not the lack of fields that’s the wider problem – it’s the sort of field the council has traditionally provided.

Standard “soil fields” take a hammering in Auckland’s winters and are often closed – and over half of the council’s 845 sports fields are in that category. The percentage rises when applied to the 600 full-size fields.

The pro-golfing fraternity and their supporters say it would be better to spend money on upgrades to sand-based fields that allow more game and practice time.

First say to the sporting codes…

Central United Football Club runs 65 teams and spends tens of thousands of dollars a year (supported by the local board) for access to school fields. It is excited at the prospect of having two “home” fields at Chamberlain Park.

Club representative Greg Fahey says a lack of fields is impeding the club’s ability to grow the sport.

Central and Auckland City operate out of Kiwitea St where the practice area is limited and the main pitch needs shielding for high-level games.

“If we were able to have some access to fields if they were built at Chamberlain Park, it would be a miracle for us – giving us the chance of a home-base for training,” says Mr Fahey.

The lack of fields is “a big issue – there’s a lack of green space in this area and what’s available is competitively chased by the different codes.”

Iain Laxon, chief executive of Auckland Cricket, says the sport is currently short of fields in a number of areas around Auckland, “with significant shortfalls projected for future years”.

The Albert-Eden area is short of a number of pitches for junior cricket and the problem will increase this summer as grades move from 11-a-side to either 8 or 9-a-side across four age groups.

Mr Laxon says playing numbers have grown 25 per cent over the last three seasons and the sport’s ability to provide enough pitches is reliant on schools.

“Any additional council grounds that Auckland Cricket and clubs could access would make a significant difference to our ability to deliver cricket,” he says.

“We anticipate continued growth in years to come as we modify the game further and create new social cricket options for kids and adults.”

To do that successfully, says Mr Laxon, the sport will rely on more grounds and wickets across Auckland.

Rugby, which was allocated Nixon Park ahead of soccer locally and handles over 10,000 games a year in Auckland, has made its own overtures to the council about coping in the future.

Rugby league didn’t respond to our questions so, presumably, lower playing rosters and long-standing field arrangements mean they aren’t so concerned.

Stretching the net a little wider, Auckland Sport and Recreation (Aktive) says the city is facing a shortage of nearly 200 indoor courts, netball courts, outdoor tennis courts and artificial turfs for winter sports in the medium term.

The group wants more co-operation between schools and the community.

But the lack of fields creates huge worries for soccer, the biggest field sport by player registration, and the CEO of the Auckland Football Federation, Bob Patterson, says: “I agree 100 per cent that we don’t have enough grounds and that it is a huge obstacle to growing the game.

“There is certainly a lack of grounds, and well-maintained grounds, across Auckland.”

Mr Patterson says clubs already make the most of schedules to accommodate programmes/matches and are as flexible as they can be.

Better turf management would help and artificial pitches, too, but they are very expensive, he says.

“We are very restricted in what we can do and rely on the council’s support. It is a huge issue for us as the city grows and as more kids turn to soccer.

“Two extra fields at Chamberlain would be tremendous.”

When he hears that, lawyer and statistician Will McKenzie shakes his head.

Mr McKenzie, who provided a supporting submission to the Save Chamberlain Park group, challenges the assumptions of sporting codes and council reports.

Auckland, he says, is brimming with sports fields and the issue is not about getting more but rather upgrading existing ones.

“If you go to a sporting club and ask if they need more fields, what do you expect they will say? Of course they will want more fields. It’s like asking them if they’d like to win lotto.”

His contention: if every sporting field in Auckland was sand-based or upgraded to a hybrid surface using “carpet” – and with the big outer subdivisions providing, as they do, new playing fields to cope with rising populations – the city will not need further fields in the future.

Mr McKenzie says the council would do much better to spend money on the city grounds that offer limited use because of their deteriorating condition during Auckland’s winter.

The remaining 40 per cent of grounds have sand bases and give much better returns to sporting codes. A properly constructed field with a sand base will cope with around 20 hours a week, he says, as opposed to 8-10 hours for a standard field.

What does that mean? Well take the average football code – rugby, soccer or league – and work out the number of field hours used by each team. It will generally come down to something like six hours a week, with practice on Tuesday and Thursday and match day on Saturday.

A sand-based pitch will comfortably cope with three teams on that basis (with juggled times and days-of-the-week); a standard field would not support two teams.

Artificial-turf fields, needed for quality hockey, can provide as many hours as needed but are not as aesthetically-pleasing and are very expensive.

Hybrid fields – where a light-weight “carpet” of fibre over sand adds bulk to grass – are a good solution, giving more playing time a week than could generally be used.

Mr McKenzie believes that rather than clinging to the belief Auckland is short of playing fields, the council should be advancing its sand-based programme to give more playing time per field and swallow up the perceived shortage.

The local board plan to create two new grounds at Chamberlain Park would be a very poor investment costing millions of dollars when a much better result for sporting codes could be achieved by using the money to upgrade existing fields.

Mr McKenzie disputes council consultant reports looking at park use and projections. They are miscalculations, he says, varying wildly from report to report, and do not stand up to scrutiny. A 2011 report showed a city surplus of 697 hours, but that suddenly dropped to a deficit of 1924 and, now, a 3000 deficit is projected for 2021.

It’s presented like “Chicken Little” – the sky is set to cave in, he says, but nothing could be further from the truth. The central Auckland suburbs have quite enough sporting fields. The issue is not about wasting money on more of them but, rather, expanding the programme to spend money on existing fields – introducing more sand-based and hybrid surfaces.

Interesting facts (courtesy the council’s Kris Bird):

• There are 845 sports fields in the city of which 603 are full sized.
• Around 54 per cent of the total are standard soil fields; 43 per cent are sand-based; 2 per cent are artificial and less than 1 per cent are hybrid.
• It costs around $400,000 to “elevate” a standard sporting field into a sand-based field; to upgrade a soil field to hybrid costs about $800,000. (There is considerable variation between sites, and costs are approximate.)
• Assuming no works are needed to create the platform , it costs around $1.8m to produce a green-field artificial field (not including the cost of the land).
• As a very rough guide, annual maintenance costs per field are soil, $25,000; sand, $42,000; hybrid, $38,000; artificial, $31,000.
• Sand-based and hybrid fields would need to be “rebuilt” around every 10 years.
• $3.7b has been allocated to Parks and Community in the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan. Building and maintaining sporting fields comes out of this budget and the exact amount is confirmed via the annual plan process each year.

Asked if there was a programme in place to upgrade standard fields to sand-based over the next 10 years, Mr Bird said that before 2015 a large number of soil fields were converted into sand-based across the region to reduce the number of closures.

From mid-2015 the funding for sports field upgrades changed to be mostly funded from development contributions rather than from rates. This meant that investment was now more aligned to areas of population growth.

Soil fields would continue to be upgraded to sand fields where demand warranted the investment.

Based on the latest supply-and-demand analysis, in a lot of areas the greatest demand was for sports field lighting and this was one of the focus areas for the council in the next 10 years.

Mr Bird said studies were commissioned every three years to examine the capacity and use of the sport field network.

The study’s findings were used to inform the Long Term Plan that, in turn, guided investment decisions.

The aim was to increase capacity where the need was greatest – through development or by optimising existing assets.

“This means that the objective is to invest in areas that have significant shortfalls and that will produce the greatest increase in the numbers of people participating in sport,” said Mr Bird. “The objective is not necessarily to evenly distribute resources across the region.”

Two sides of the Chamberlain Park argument

Last chance for the pro-golfers?

The post Sports field dispute boils away appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.

Those availing themselves of the invitation were afforded the opportunity of meeting the members of the Young Maori Party, in whose honour the reception was given. In the absence of the Hon. G. Fowlds, who was compelled to return to Wellington on Monday to attend the continued sitting of Parliament, the guests were received by Mrs. Fowlds and Mr. G. Fowlds, jun.

The beautiful and secluded grounds of “Greystone Knowe” presented an animated appearance, thronged with people, and an excellent orchestra discoursed sweet music on the lawn throughout the afternoon. Afternoon tea was dispensed in a large marquee, and the function was in every way a most enjoyable success.

During the afternoon the president of the Young Maori Party, Mr. A. Wilson, headmaster of St. Stephen’s Maori Boys’ College, was invited to address those present in regard to the aims of the party in question. Having given expression to the general regret felt at the Minister’s absence, Mr. Wilson went on to outline the aims and objects of the Young Maori Party. These, he said, were simplicity itself, though frequently misunderstood and sometimes misrepresented. The greatest aim of all was to raise the Maori to the highest possible plane, and to bring out in him all that was truest and best. The rate of progress had been slow, and they sometimes felt discouraged. But they were going to persevere until the Maori had reached the summit they had in view. The party had no political side. They simply believed the Maori race was to form an integral part of this Dominion, and if New Zealand was to rank amongst the nations of the world, it would be because its people had dealt out to the Maoris that consideration, sympathy and assistance which was necessary to bring about the result they were aiming to achieve.

The secretary of the Young Maori Party, Dr. Buck, M.P. (Te Rangihiroa), also briefly addressed those present. He commenced with an incantation in the soft-tongued language of the Maori, as follows: —

Piki mai; heke mai

Homai te waiora kia au

T tu tehua aria

Te moe a te; kina ite po

He ao! he ao! He awatea!

Which, translated into English, means:

Come hither, draw nigh.

Bring unto me the living waters of life.

Ah! Weary has been the rest of the aged at night.

But now it is dawn! It Is dawn! It is light!

The incantation, explained Dr. Buck, was used by the Maoris in expressing joy, and on such an occasion as this it could be well used.

The Young Maori Party, which they were representing, was endeavouring to help the Maoris to reach the highest and best positions in life. It had to be remembered that to compare the natives of this country with themselves they would have to go back to the Stone Age. The Maoris of two generations back were on about the same level as their European brethren were 2000 or 3000 years ago. They were happy enough before the white man came, but since the advent of the European the natives of New Zealand had had to assimilate, in the course of two generations, what the pakehas had taken 3000 years to come through.

The Young Maori Party had had much to do, and if they could see some glimmering of success ahead they must be satisfied. What was most needed to bring about the desired end was education—broad, wide, liberal education. So they found the young Maoris who had received some education coming forward to help the aims and objects of this party. They looked to the European for sympathy, that they might go on hand in hand, working out a mutual destiny in the young country. The party realised that in the avenues of education lay their greatest hope: education in matters of industry, public health, and religion.

The movement had its genesis in the Te Aute College, and had now developed into a party, with two working sections in the North and South. Dr. Buck concluded by thanking the Hon. Mr. Fowlds and Mrs. Fowlds, and, with the aid of the Maori visitors present, gave the ringing Maori tribute of appreciation:-

Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora!

Ka mate, ka mate! Ka ora, ka ora!

Tenei te tangata, puhuruhuru nana

Nei i tiki mai i whakawhiti te ra

Hupane, kaupane! Hupane, kaupane!

Whiti te ra.

Paperspast

The post GARDEN PARTY AT MT. ALBERT. YOUNG MAORI PARTY ENTERTAINED. appeared first on Mt Albert Inc.