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Fancy dress, Stillwater ALSO a history of Stillwater
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DescriptionThere are probably quite a few Moffitts in this pic. At the moment I can recognise only one, and that is me, the one in the long white beard. Probably around 1952-54
The location is in front of the store which is to the right of the photo. Behind the kids is the site of the hotel which had burnt to the found, literally, some years before. You can see the half burnt tree there. It survived for many years.
Behind the kids on the left is the road to the Railway Station, and to the right, up the hill, is the Arnold Road which had always been given as the location of that hotel. The hotel by then had been replaced by the one opposite the station which had been moved from Kokiri.
Up the hill to the right behind the kids, is the Stillwater School - behind that picket fence. That little bit of bush there is the 'Shrubbery' in which every child had planted a tree.
It was a great school, very well supported by the community. From its position you could look right down the valley to the Kiwi rail tunnel and we could watch for the trains.
It is interesting to note that this position is the point from which the photographer took the well-known photgraph of the Brunner Mine Disaster procession moving across the space where the children are standing in our fifties photograph. From his position there, the photographer captured the three 'cottages' in a cutting into the hill. There appeared to be no sign of them in my lifetime, and my mother used the area as a fowl yard. We found the occasional relic in there.
That cutting was created by the removal of gravel used by the men building the railway embankment out of the northern end of the Stillwater Railway Station.
You can just see one of the two big Railway houses behind the kid next to me. Below this is quite a sizeable 'cliff' exposing the quarry from where most of the gravel for the embankment mentioned above came.
Below the cliff was our much-loved hall with the sprung floor. Beside that was our single, well-used tennis court, initially promoted by the wonderful Allan McCone, my favourite teacher of all time. The whole community backed his project and he taught everyone how to play the game. In time, he even managed to rope in a wonderful tennis player called John Patrick as a teacher, who made our team quite strong for a while. I remember a lovely young man called John Adams who helped coach us at tennis at that time. Sadly he was killed in the Dobson mine.
I will always remember these people among so many other Stilwater people. As Catherine said, it was an amazing community.
Mary Moffitt Thinking about this photograph, I realise that I was wrong about the round-shaped trees up at the school. These trees were huge Poplar trees which were later cut down for safety reasons. One marked the amazing gate, one just like a wooden sheep-handling one - because kids just don't close gates.
We kids loved trees. Our shrubbery would have been quite small then, lower than the fence and between it and the poplars.Map[1] ContributorMary Moffitt
The location is in front of the store which is to the right of the photo. Behind the kids is the site of the hotel which had burnt to the found, literally, some years before. You can see the half burnt tree there. It survived for many years.
Behind the kids on the left is the road to the Railway Station, and to the right, up the hill, is the Arnold Road which had always been given as the location of that hotel. The hotel by then had been replaced by the one opposite the station which had been moved from Kokiri.
Up the hill to the right behind the kids, is the Stillwater School - behind that picket fence. That little bit of bush there is the 'Shrubbery' in which every child had planted a tree.
It was a great school, very well supported by the community. From its position you could look right down the valley to the Kiwi rail tunnel and we could watch for the trains.
It is interesting to note that this position is the point from which the photographer took the well-known photgraph of the Brunner Mine Disaster procession moving across the space where the children are standing in our fifties photograph. From his position there, the photographer captured the three 'cottages' in a cutting into the hill. There appeared to be no sign of them in my lifetime, and my mother used the area as a fowl yard. We found the occasional relic in there.
That cutting was created by the removal of gravel used by the men building the railway embankment out of the northern end of the Stillwater Railway Station.
You can just see one of the two big Railway houses behind the kid next to me. Below this is quite a sizeable 'cliff' exposing the quarry from where most of the gravel for the embankment mentioned above came.
Below the cliff was our much-loved hall with the sprung floor. Beside that was our single, well-used tennis court, initially promoted by the wonderful Allan McCone, my favourite teacher of all time. The whole community backed his project and he taught everyone how to play the game. In time, he even managed to rope in a wonderful tennis player called John Patrick as a teacher, who made our team quite strong for a while. I remember a lovely young man called John Adams who helped coach us at tennis at that time. Sadly he was killed in the Dobson mine.
I will always remember these people among so many other Stilwater people. As Catherine said, it was an amazing community.
Mary Moffitt Thinking about this photograph, I realise that I was wrong about the round-shaped trees up at the school. These trees were huge Poplar trees which were later cut down for safety reasons. One marked the amazing gate, one just like a wooden sheep-handling one - because kids just don't close gates.
We kids loved trees. Our shrubbery would have been quite small then, lower than the fence and between it and the poplars.Map[1] ContributorMary Moffitt
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Location (city or town)StillwaterEventStillwater history
From Facebook
Date Created4th March 2020CommentsCatherine Moffitt Rowlands Looks like Guy Fawkes at Stillwater. It was a great tradition to dress up and collect money to buy our fireworks. Then a combined , huge, fire in the evening.
Paul Agnes Smith Similar event at Ahaura, also. Next morning was 'collection' for the tomthumbs, and any other crackers that didn't go off....
Sandra Skates Same in Dobson and the black potatoes in the fire yummyMary Moffitt Laura Mills Detlaff.
Computer too quick for me. Has a hair trigger.
Yes, Catherine is quite correct. There are probably quite a few Moffitts in this pic. At the moment I can recognise only one, and that is me, the one in the long white beard. Probably around 1952-54
The location is in front of the store which is to the right of the photo. Behind the kids is the site of the hotel which had burnt to the found, literally, some years before. You can see the half burnt tree there. It survived for many years.
Behind the kids on the left is the road to the Railway Station, and to the right, up the hill, is the Arnold Road which had always been given as the location of that hotel. The hotel by then had been replaced by the one opposite the station which had been moved from Kokiri.
Up the hill to the right behind the kids, is the Stillwater School - behind that picket fence. That little bit of bush there is the 'Shrubbery' in which every child had planted a tree.
Mary Moffitt It was a great school, very well supported by the community. From its position you could look right down the valley to the Kiwi rail tunnel and we could watch for the trains.
It is interesting to note that this position is the point from which the photographer took the well-known photograph of the Brunner Mine Disaster procession moving across the space where the children are standing in our fifties photograph. From his position there, the photographer captured the three 'cottages' in a cutting into the hill. There appeared to be no sign of them in my lifetime, and my mother used the area as a fowl yard. We found the occasional relic in there.
That cutting was created by the removal of gravel used by the men building the railway embankment out of the northern end of the Stillwater Railway Station.
Mary Moffitt Laura Mills Detlaff Please will you remove the traffic photograph which delivered itself to my post after I pressed 'Post'. I had been looking at it on Recollect last night??????? Go ask!
Paul Agnes Smith Similar event at Ahaura, also. Next morning was 'collection' for the tomthumbs, and any other crackers that didn't go off....
Sandra Skates Same in Dobson and the black potatoes in the fire yummyMary Moffitt Laura Mills Detlaff.
Computer too quick for me. Has a hair trigger.
Yes, Catherine is quite correct. There are probably quite a few Moffitts in this pic. At the moment I can recognise only one, and that is me, the one in the long white beard. Probably around 1952-54
The location is in front of the store which is to the right of the photo. Behind the kids is the site of the hotel which had burnt to the found, literally, some years before. You can see the half burnt tree there. It survived for many years.
Behind the kids on the left is the road to the Railway Station, and to the right, up the hill, is the Arnold Road which had always been given as the location of that hotel. The hotel by then had been replaced by the one opposite the station which had been moved from Kokiri.
Up the hill to the right behind the kids, is the Stillwater School - behind that picket fence. That little bit of bush there is the 'Shrubbery' in which every child had planted a tree.
Mary Moffitt It was a great school, very well supported by the community. From its position you could look right down the valley to the Kiwi rail tunnel and we could watch for the trains.
It is interesting to note that this position is the point from which the photographer took the well-known photograph of the Brunner Mine Disaster procession moving across the space where the children are standing in our fifties photograph. From his position there, the photographer captured the three 'cottages' in a cutting into the hill. There appeared to be no sign of them in my lifetime, and my mother used the area as a fowl yard. We found the occasional relic in there.
That cutting was created by the removal of gravel used by the men building the railway embankment out of the northern end of the Stillwater Railway Station.
Mary Moffitt Laura Mills Detlaff Please will you remove the traffic photograph which delivered itself to my post after I pressed 'Post'. I had been looking at it on Recollect last night??????? Go ask!
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West Coast New Zealand History (5th Mar 2020). Fancy dress, Stillwater ALSO a history of Stillwater. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 22nd Apr 2026 18:06, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/27332