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Reefton Railway Station, 1950s - where Dorothy Haldane was murdered
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DescriptionThe little white hut with the green door on the right is where Harry (Darky) Whiteland (the station janitor, who shot dead Dorothy Rose Haldane on 27th August 1953) lived. Date of PhotoBetween 1st January 1950 and 31st December 1959Map[1] ContributorWayne Murtha
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Category TagRailways
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CommentsRobert Ray Did he get hung for killing her?
Like · Reply · 1 · December 4 at 7:47pm
Trevor Taylor
Trevor Taylor Executed Dec 21 1953 in Auckland.
Like · Reply · 2 · December 4 at 7:53pm
Trevor Taylor
Trevor Taylor Harold Whiteland, (sometimes wrongly known as Harold Whitehead), was born in India in the late 1890's. He was also half Spanish so, of course, when he came to live and work in Waiuta, a town with a strong penchant for 'nicknames', he was immediately christened 'Darky' by the locals. A single man, he lived in a small hut in the bush, off the track on the way down to the Snowy River Battery. Although apparently harmless, Darky was 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic' and local children were warned to stay well away from him and his hut. This was not unusual in the small isolated town with a large itinerant population of single men working at the mine. He was never in any trouble in his time in Waiuta and locals remember two things about him – he was a champion swimmer and could easily swim 2 lengths underwater in the town swimming pool. Also, he always carried, but rarely used, a large, super-sharp knife. Somewhere around the time that Waiuta died in 1951, Darky moved to Reefton and worked at Monteith's Brewery. He then got a job at the railway station where he worked as a labourer and cleaner around the station and the yard and he lived in a single-man's hut in the compound near the Hattie Street/ Buller Road corner, opposite the Loco shed. He was then about 59 years old. Nineteen year old, Dorothy Rose Haldane was the booking clerk in the railway station. The only child in her family, she was Reefton born and bred and was engaged to be married. There was a personality clash between her and Darky Whiteland, she was always ordering him around and they did not get on. He once told her that her fiance should be 'put to sleep for his own good'. On 22 August 1953, staff were advised that the rent on their huts was to be increased, so Darky was already in a bad mood when he was confronted by Dorothy about the poor job he was doing, cleaning the station windows. They argued when she told him to use newspaper and not cleaning fluid and he stormed off in a huff. He went to his hut at the top-end of the railway yard, and then walked back to the station with the Stationmaster who didn't think to ask him why he was carrying a rifle. The Reefton Railway Station is one room wide and the main office, in the centre, is roughly an 'L' shape with the door at the end of the short stroke.And the ticket-selling window at the far end of the other arm. (It was later moved to the other office). Reaching the station, Darky Whiteland walked straight in and shouting, “Allah be praised”, he shot and killed Dorothy Haldane at her desk while the other staff, including Shunter, John Lawrie, stood shocked and dumbfounded. He dropped the rifle, ran outside and dived in front of a passing locomotive pleading to the driver to run him over, but he didn't. At his trial in December 1953 at the Greymouth Court, the issue was his mental state, but he was found guilty of murder and hanged at Auckland Prison on Monday 21 December 1953. As he mounted the scaffold, in a firm clear voice, he wished all those present a very merry Christmas. The controversy that arose around the execution of Harry Whiteland and also of Edward Te Whiu raised questions about post-war trauma, intellectual and developmental disability as factors for leniency and were partly responsible for the abolition of the death penalty in 1961
Like · Reply · 7 · December 4 at 7:56pm
Judy Ron Biddington
Judy Ron Biddington Very interesting to read all this history which is also part of my history. I am the "fiance"referred to in the story. Factually the story is fairly accurate. Just one point it has always been contended that Dorothy and Darky did not get along together...See More
Unlike · Reply · 4 · December 5 at 9:39pm
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Judy Ron Biddington very interesting .. !!! dad told me several times about 'Darkie" and not long before dad died he told me about Darkie saying" have a merry Christmas".. i got the story that Darkie murdered the girl because he had a crush on her and she rejected his advances..
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Maye Dunn Brian McIntyre
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Brian McIntyre
Brian McIntyre Sad. That fiance sounds good about the posting
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Laura Mills Detlaff
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Mawson N Kay Shaw
Mawson N Kay Shaw Thank you Trevor, all of these years we have wondered why Dorothy Haldane was shot by that man known as Darkie, now we do that was quite a story.
Like · Reply · 2 · December 5 at 10:44am
Barb Rodway
Barb Rodway That was fantastic info. Thanks for sharing it Trevor
Like · Reply · 2 · December 7 at 9:35pm
Denis Mellett
Denis Mellett Is John Lawrie still alive.he used to take us rides in the steam engine when shunting when I used to stay at Charlie and Sible Murcotts place in Hattie Street
Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs
Linda Skelton
Linda Skelton John and Clara Lawrie have both passed away Denis Mellett
Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs
Denis Mellett
Denis Mellett thank you
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Laura Mills Detlaff
Write a reply...
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Heather Newby
Heather Newby Laura Mills Detlaff
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Steve Newby James Newby
Like · Reply · 1 · December 4 at 7:47pm
Trevor Taylor
Trevor Taylor Executed Dec 21 1953 in Auckland.
Like · Reply · 2 · December 4 at 7:53pm
Trevor Taylor
Trevor Taylor Harold Whiteland, (sometimes wrongly known as Harold Whitehead), was born in India in the late 1890's. He was also half Spanish so, of course, when he came to live and work in Waiuta, a town with a strong penchant for 'nicknames', he was immediately christened 'Darky' by the locals. A single man, he lived in a small hut in the bush, off the track on the way down to the Snowy River Battery. Although apparently harmless, Darky was 'a few sandwiches short of a picnic' and local children were warned to stay well away from him and his hut. This was not unusual in the small isolated town with a large itinerant population of single men working at the mine. He was never in any trouble in his time in Waiuta and locals remember two things about him – he was a champion swimmer and could easily swim 2 lengths underwater in the town swimming pool. Also, he always carried, but rarely used, a large, super-sharp knife. Somewhere around the time that Waiuta died in 1951, Darky moved to Reefton and worked at Monteith's Brewery. He then got a job at the railway station where he worked as a labourer and cleaner around the station and the yard and he lived in a single-man's hut in the compound near the Hattie Street/ Buller Road corner, opposite the Loco shed. He was then about 59 years old. Nineteen year old, Dorothy Rose Haldane was the booking clerk in the railway station. The only child in her family, she was Reefton born and bred and was engaged to be married. There was a personality clash between her and Darky Whiteland, she was always ordering him around and they did not get on. He once told her that her fiance should be 'put to sleep for his own good'. On 22 August 1953, staff were advised that the rent on their huts was to be increased, so Darky was already in a bad mood when he was confronted by Dorothy about the poor job he was doing, cleaning the station windows. They argued when she told him to use newspaper and not cleaning fluid and he stormed off in a huff. He went to his hut at the top-end of the railway yard, and then walked back to the station with the Stationmaster who didn't think to ask him why he was carrying a rifle. The Reefton Railway Station is one room wide and the main office, in the centre, is roughly an 'L' shape with the door at the end of the short stroke.And the ticket-selling window at the far end of the other arm. (It was later moved to the other office). Reaching the station, Darky Whiteland walked straight in and shouting, “Allah be praised”, he shot and killed Dorothy Haldane at her desk while the other staff, including Shunter, John Lawrie, stood shocked and dumbfounded. He dropped the rifle, ran outside and dived in front of a passing locomotive pleading to the driver to run him over, but he didn't. At his trial in December 1953 at the Greymouth Court, the issue was his mental state, but he was found guilty of murder and hanged at Auckland Prison on Monday 21 December 1953. As he mounted the scaffold, in a firm clear voice, he wished all those present a very merry Christmas. The controversy that arose around the execution of Harry Whiteland and also of Edward Te Whiu raised questions about post-war trauma, intellectual and developmental disability as factors for leniency and were partly responsible for the abolition of the death penalty in 1961
Like · Reply · 7 · December 4 at 7:56pm
Judy Ron Biddington
Judy Ron Biddington Very interesting to read all this history which is also part of my history. I am the "fiance"referred to in the story. Factually the story is fairly accurate. Just one point it has always been contended that Dorothy and Darky did not get along together...See More
Unlike · Reply · 4 · December 5 at 9:39pm
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Judy Ron Biddington very interesting .. !!! dad told me several times about 'Darkie" and not long before dad died he told me about Darkie saying" have a merry Christmas".. i got the story that Darkie murdered the girl because he had a crush on her and she rejected his advances..
Like · Reply · 1 · 2 hrs
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Maye Dunn Brian McIntyre
Like · Reply · 1 · 1 hr
Brian McIntyre
Brian McIntyre Sad. That fiance sounds good about the posting
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Laura Mills Detlaff
Write a reply...
Choose File
Mawson N Kay Shaw
Mawson N Kay Shaw Thank you Trevor, all of these years we have wondered why Dorothy Haldane was shot by that man known as Darkie, now we do that was quite a story.
Like · Reply · 2 · December 5 at 10:44am
Barb Rodway
Barb Rodway That was fantastic info. Thanks for sharing it Trevor
Like · Reply · 2 · December 7 at 9:35pm
Denis Mellett
Denis Mellett Is John Lawrie still alive.he used to take us rides in the steam engine when shunting when I used to stay at Charlie and Sible Murcotts place in Hattie Street
Like · Reply · 1 · 22 hrs
Linda Skelton
Linda Skelton John and Clara Lawrie have both passed away Denis Mellett
Like · Reply · 1 · 5 hrs
Denis Mellett
Denis Mellett thank you
Like · Reply · 1 hr
Laura Mills Detlaff
Write a reply...
Choose File
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Laura Mills Detlaff
Like · Reply · 2 hrs
Heather Newby
Heather Newby Steve Newby James Newby
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West Coast New Zealand History (9th Dec 2016). Reefton Railway Station, 1950s - where Dorothy Haldane was murdered. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 8th May 2026 03:27, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/18415