Located on the corner of Jackeytown Rd and State Highway 56, this rocket was constructed to commemorate the settlement's centennary.

Karere Lagoon is one of the many ox-bow lakes along the banks of the Manawatū River. The original photograph is captioned “Mr Monrad’s. A lagoon at Karere with maori canoe”. The children are probably those of Olga and Viggo Monrad, who farmed beside the lagoon. Karere is situated at Tiakitahuna, between the Manawatū river and State Highway 56.

A church group gathers outside for a picnic in Tiakitahuna. William Rowland (b.1891) may be standing on the far left,

A church group gathers outside for a picnic in Tiakitahuna.

Karere is situated at Tiakitahuna, between the Manawatu River and State Highway 56. It is one of the many ox-bow lakes along the banks of the Manawatu River.

David Rowland (d.1914) emigrated to New Zealand from England. He bought land at Tiakitahuna (also known as Jackey Town), in the newly opened up Manawatu area, in 1867. There he married Marara Koroneira, a daughter of the chief of the Tukorehei tribe ( a sub-tribe of Ngati Raukawa,) and they had ten children.

This short publication tells the story of the two branches of the family and their children.

Local historians weekly "Back Issues" article in the Manawatū Standard. The new cheese factory at Tiakitāhuna, officially the Empire Cheese Factory, was declared open on August 31 1909. It was marked with a banquet in the cooling room. The advisory board consisted of strong personalities, creating debate and disagreement from its beginnings.

The first annual general meeting was dominated with members insulting each other and fiery debate. It was followed a few days later with further arguments at the factory, resulting in court action.

This baptismal register was for the Foxton Presbyterian Church. The register also includes Communion Rolls of Foxton 1907-15, Oroua Bridge 1909-15, Glen Oroua 1909-15, Tiakitahuna 1909-13, and Session Minutes 1909-1928.

A film believed to have been taken by Rod Matheson.

0:00 - 0:18: Chrysanthemum Festival at the Izadium
0:18 - 2:20: Opiki Bridge
2:20 - 2:25: Tiakitahuna Rocket
2:25 to 2:47: Railway stations
2:47 - 3:04: Family shots
3:05 - end: The Student Prince"

Film has no sound.

Alfred Tanner died in September 1902, aged 67. He was a stone mason and brick layer who worked on the construction of the Carroll building, the first Gasworks, The Opera House and the Public Hospitial. According to family history Alfred once lived in a hut on a manuka patch that became a part of the Square, had a farm at Tiakitahuna, and later in the Kairanga District. Mr Tanner was the father of Mrs Hannah Eades, of Woodville.

Mangawhata dairy factory was owned by a co-operative. Later owned by Kenneth McDonald (who also owned factory at Rangiotu and Tiakitahuna). Managers were Liggins, Colin McKenzie and Steve Corvett. Around 1936-1937, this factory was burnt down from a fire originating in the boiler house. The factory was quickly rebuilt on its original site between the Oroua River and Main Drain, where it remains standing (2016). The dairy manager and his assistant were provided with houses, while the workers had use of a separate bunk room with kitchen and dining room attached. A bore behind the factory supplied artesian water for factory processes. Mr Charlie Walker was manager around 1936. The factory made butter and later cheese.

Name: Oakley

Suburb, Palmerston North Central

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Oakley Street is named in honour of Mrs Sarah Oakley (1854-1938), nee Hanlon, one of the town's earliest residents and land owners.

The image is a derivative of this Palmerston North Borough map from 1923 by HR Farquar, Civil Engineer and Licensed Surveyor.

Mrs S Oakley's parents, Sarah and John Hanlon, emigrated from Warwickshire, England, in 1874 with their children Caroline, Sarah (then around 20 years old), Lawrence, Agnes and William; on the ship Euterpe. Mr John Hanlon is recorded as a mason on the passenger list. The family settled in Terrace End Palmerston North and Mr Hanlon took up work as a builder and mason.

Here their daughter, Miss Sarah Hanlon, met Mr Frederick Oakley, one of the first carpenters in Palmerston North. Mr F Oakley was born May 6 1846, in Walsall, England. He arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand with his parents in 1857, aboard the Indian Queen. He apprenticed into the building trade in Wellington, working for Mr Lockie.

After seven years’ experience he went to Foxton and built the first post office with Mr John Edmund Perrin. On moving to Palmerston North in May of 1871, he and Mr JE Perrin built the first store in the township – belonging to Mr George Mathew Snelson.

Later they partnered with Mr J Perrin's brother-in-law, carpenter and undertaker, Mr Frederick Meyrick. Advertising as carpenters, builders and undertakers, the firm Meyrick, Perrin and Oakley, built most of the early houses in Palmerston North.

A letter Mr J Hanlon wrote to the Manawatū Times was referenced, January 6th, 1877:

“… his daughter laid the “foundation brick” of the first brick cottage ever erected in Palmerston, on 28th December last.”

Mr Hanlon didn't actually specify which daughter.

Miss S Hanlon married Mr F Oakley on the 13th of June 1877, at Saint Patrick’s Church. In doing so they joined two of the earliest building families in Palmerston North.

The Oakley’s had nine children; Helen Agnes b.1878, Rachel Sarah b.1880, Mary Elizabeth Josephina b.1882, Frederick William John b.1884, Mabel Gertrude b.1886, Harold Sylvester b.1888, Francis Claud b.1891, Joseph Mary Francis Xavier b.1898 and Raymond Reginald Louis b.1895. They were predeceased by their youngest son, Raymond, in 1925.

The couple moved to 169 Church Street (later renumbered 457) in 1904, and remained there the rest of their lives. Mr Frederick Oakley died in December of 1930, aged 84 years, and Mrs Sarah Oakley died in July 1938, also aged 84 years. Both are interred at Terrace End Cemetery.

History

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Oakley Street, then unnamed, was drawn into James Mitchell’s plan of 1866. It was surveyed all the way through to Cuba Street. However, the location of the Palmerston North Showgrounds, decided in 1886, altered the earlier plan. Once Oakley Street was formed, it ran from Featherston Street and ended a short way into, and adjoining, sections 295 and 296 of the showgrounds.

Water services were extended to Oakley Street in 1904, and concrete stormwater culverts were completed in 1907. The laying of the main sewer was completed in 1909. In 1910, the Manawatu and West Coast Agricultural and Pastoral Association (A&P) requested that water mains and a fire plug be added to eastern end of Oakley Street. This was a fire precaution, given its vicinity to the showgrounds. The Borough Council approved the plan, providing the Association paid the full cost. After the A&P Association explored options with the Fire Board, a four-inch water main was constructed in Oakley Street in 1911.

Around 1896 the A&P Association rented land from Mr Christensen on, what was then, allotments 1 and 2 of section 295, Oakley Street. This property, described as a sort of island territory in the A&P Association grounds, was successfully claimed by Mrs Catherine C Peters. The Supreme Court allowed that she was the widow of the original grantee, Mr Carl Peters. She was an absentee owner and the land was used intermittently for grazing. The A&P Association repeatedly tried to purchase or lease the Oakley Street land from Mrs Peters.

In 1920 the government authorised taking possession of the land for public purposes, under the Public Works Amendment Act, 1910, and clause 50 of the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1919. As a result, the A&P Association publicly gazetted their intention to acquire the land and made payment based on government valuation. In 1922 this move was nationally criticised and became known as the "Peters Case" when Mrs Peter's son protested the actions – over twelve months after the fact. A detailed overview was provided in the Dominion, volume 16, issue 62, 6 December 1922, page 7.

The sale was finalised in April of 1921 and the A&P Association asked the council to close that portion of Oakley Street; 800 links, being lots 2, 3, 4 and 5 of section 295 southwest Oakley Street, and 100 links on the northwest. A meeting of local electors was called to make the decision in March of 1922. The citizens voted in favour of increasing the A&P Association grounds via this method. A special order was passed by the council in April 1922 and that portion of Oakley Street was closed for A&P Association use.

In May of 1922, Oakley Street residents requested that the footpath be tarred, sanded, kerbed and channelled. They were prepared to pay half the expense. The work was approved in June and completed in November. A second request to have the gas main extended was referred to the Gas Committee and Engineer. By July 1924, residents requested the installation of an electric street lamp to replace the gas lamp recently removed. This was referred to Electric Committee.

In November of 1926 a petition was received from Oakley Street ratepayers highlighting the deteriorating condition of street. The council responded with tidying and improvements. In 1933 the footpaths were reconditioned and top-dressed with tar and sand.

Early residents included

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Mrs Thomasina Leigh, nee Collins, lived in Oakley Street from c. 1904. Miss Thomasina Collins was born in Cornwall, England, c. 1838. She came to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1874 on the ship Douglas, arriving in Wellington. Miss T Collins made Palmerston North her home, apart from three years spent in Marton.

Miss Collins had a daughter, Miss Elizabeth Catherine Collins, in 1879.

Mr John James Leigh was born in Somerset, England in 1820. He emigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1876 with his wife, Mrs Rebecca Leigh, nee Hayward, and one of their sons. They arrived in 1877 on the ship Marlborough. Mr J Leigh is recorded as a lawyer on the passenger list. Mrs R Leigh died in 1884, at 65 years of age.

Miss Collins married Mr Leigh in 1885. They spent their married life in Palmerston North, where Mr Leigh was caretaker of the Palmerston North Cemetery. Mr John James Leigh died at 76 years of age in 1895.

Mrs Leigh took in boarders and ran livestock for sale from her property. Mrs Thomasina Leigh died in 1924, aged 86 years. She is interred with her husband at Terrace End Cemetery.

Mr and Mrs H Rowland lived in the Manawatū for many years. Mr Herbert Rowland was born in 1853, Worcestershire, England. He followed his older brother, Mr David Rowland, to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1877. His brother was an early settler of Tiakitahuna (also known as Jackey Town). Arriving on the ship Wairoa, Mr H Rowland is recorded as a platelayer on the passenger list.

He moved to the Manawatū and took up land in Pohangina.

Miss Mary Demler (alternatively, Damler and Dammler) was born in 1867 in Rheinland-Palatinate, Germany. She emigrated with her parents and siblings to Aotearoa New Zealand in 1875, on the ship Terpsichore. They arrived in Wellington in 1876.

Mr H Rowland and Miss M Demler married in 1885. They had six children; John b.1886, William Herbert b.1888, Mary Sarah b.1890, Mabel Maria b.1892, Arthur August b.1894 and Grace Eileen b.1906.

In 1889 Mr Rowland sold his Pohangina property to Mr Vallley Calleson, and purchased land from the estate of Mrs Mary Elizabeth Hughey, in Motuiti, Foxton. The family farmed this land until moving to Palmerston North in 1900.

Mr Herbert Rowland died at the family’s Oakley Street residence in September 1911. He was 59 years old and is interred at Terrace End Cemetery. After his death, Mrs Mary Rowland moved to Upper Hutt, where she resided until her death in March of 1963. She was 95 years of age, and is interred at Akatārawa Cemetery.

Mr and Mrs J Hansen lived in Oakley Street from the time of their marriage in 1905. Mr Jorgen Hansen was born in 1878, in Denmark, and Miss Laura Marie Jensen Frost in 1879. Both were immigrants to Aotearoa New Zealand from Scandinavia.

The couple had six children; Paul Carlos b.1906, Carlos Jonathan b.1908, Viggo Daniel b.1910, Axel Josva b.1911, Jens Jorgen Ezra b.1914 and Andreas Frost b.1916.

Mr Hansen sold gravel and dairy livestock, predominantly jersey cows, from their residence on Oakley Street.

Mrs Laura Marie Jensen Hansen died in July of 1943, aged 64 years, and is interred at the Terrace End Cemetery. Mr Jorgen Hansen died in August of 1951, at the age of 73, and is interred at Kelvin Grove Cemetery.

Early business, organisations and clubs included

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Oakley was predominantly a residential street with some small businesses operating from homes. Mrs Leigh of 4 Oakley Street sold dairy livestock, for example, or Mr J Hansen of 12 Oakley Street sold gravel and dairy livestock. There was also a poultry farm at 6 Oakley Street.

There was a steady trade in the let and sale of property and renting of rooms. In 1905, Mr Ludolph Georg West designed two cottages for Mrs McCartney on the street.