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The Camp , Denniston in the 1920s - One lone child on the road and not a garden in sight.
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DescriptionDenniston in the 1920s. One lone child on the road and not a garden in sight.Date of Photo1920sMap[1] ContributorGeoffrey Bell
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Date Created13th March 2023CommentsPam Englefield-Absolum
Life was soooo hard in those days and we complain about today.
Jon Hickford
Pam Englefield-Absolum my grandfather lived there at the Camp, signed up as soon as he could to go to WW1, landed on the 25th at Gallipoli, got shot, recuperated in Scotland, went to the Western front, got gassed, returned to NZ and then back to coal mining. He is buried at Orowaiti (died 1935), but what stories he might have told if I had got to meet him?
Reply2h
Pam Englefield-Absolum
Great picture
John Kelly
Be interesting to take the same picture now.
Jon Hickford
John Kelly. I was there a month back. Very, very different now. The Camp, as it was, barely exists now, yet that is where my grandfather lived.
d
Emmily Harmer
Colleen Byrne
Sheldon Kirby
Why isn’t that child at work?
Chris Tones
Sheldon Kirby He's stood there yelling out.. "shine ya boots guv'nor?"
Pam Murphy
Hard to believe
Reply5h
Lorraine Dennison
Great photo always make me think how hard it was alright I think alot of my grandparents and my dad an aunties no wonder I feel like I can cope with anything
Jock Allen
Or a lawnmower Great Photo
Stephen Catchpole
And as they said:
‘Damn Denniston
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether.’
Spr SimRacer
That’s me in that pic. My past life, I didn’t enjoy it.
Mari Walsh
I bet they froze up there!
Reply5h
Kerry Voigt
My sista Julene Gallagher had the most beautiful cottage garden in Denny but it was lots of hard work bringing in heaps of soil - ground is rock hard no graves up there either no way be digging a whole
Adrienne Humphreys
Kerry Voigt no they brought the dead dòwñ the incline to Waimangaŕoa fòr burial. My step farther iñ law was vborn and bred there the family nàme Ýoùng
Sean Phelps
I went there a few years back, what amazed me was the steep incline of the road, back then it would have been a muddy track...
Phil Norton
Terrible destruction of the environment..not a plant or tree in sight...Over the past 170 years the European settlers have destroyed 75% of native forests..and we wonder why we have a massive flooding problem nowadays..We should all start replanting natives beginning with flaxes and cabbage trees ...
Michael Mclauglin
Esther Bruns
No soil so no garden
Murray Brown
What a mess ,, wow
Italina Sowman
We don’t don’t realise how lucky we are that’s really horrible
Marlene Boyd
Certainly bred hardy folk, what absolute toilets they were. God bless them.
Jan Twort
Marlene Boyd toilers ☺️
Ian Miller
Probably not much soil either. Those rocks are rather prominent.
James Codyre
My Grandmothers family lived at Burnetts Face and any garden they had was grown in soil mixed with sawdust carted up in sacks from Waimangaroa.It often snowed "On The Hill"so they had a short growing season.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
James Codyre did they say what they grew? i would imagine it would be silverbeet and maybe parsley and cabbages?
Denise Eckersley
I think you need to visit and also look up the history of Denniston . It might change your view
Liz Moir
This one is around 1869… central Otago, thanks to Nelson museum..
No photo description available.
Grant Callaghan
I think that is Burnett's face,not the main plateaux
Cheryll Edwards
No vegans huh
Sylvia James
The camp Denniston Banbury mine on the right early 1900’s
Reply21h
Dennis Gibbs
What? No skate park, climbing equipment or play areas. Those kids must have turned out bad.
No, they developed resilience as did their parents.
Reply21hEdited
Rob Lunn
My father and his father worked up there the absolute harshest of environments the only good thing to come out of that place was the Coal and the incomes it provided in the hardest of times that our country has ever known I have nothing but respect for those guys who worked their guts out just to provide for their families not many of them made old bones and in reality no modern person in their right mind would be in a hurry to see the environment up there
Reply21h
Marilyn Jones
Has anyone the book called Denniston Rose? It really brings this scene to life
Reply21h
Diane Moreland
Marilyn Jones Yes I have and it is a great invite as to what life was like up there. My grandparents lived up there and brought up 7 children on the Deniston Hill.
Reply19h
Maggie Bath
Not sure that gardens would grow up there ..... how often did the sun shine?
Reply20h
Mary Moffitt
Well, I reckon that I can see at least six kids hiding from the one who is ‘HE’. Excuse the masculine word but that is what we called the person who has to find the others in a game of ‘Hide and Seek’. He’s probably yelling, “It’s your turn to go ’HE’ Millie Jones. I did it last time.”
Reply19h
Irene Lawrence
My Grandfather was born on the Face have a great picture of his school, teachers, and all the children, taken back at the turn of the century. Will find it and post.
Laura Jane Morris
I look at pictures like this and wonder why people are so shocked that our earth is dieing. It's no surprise at all to me that we tore apart the earth this way, humans are a disgusting breed.
Raelene Beth Wendi Wilson
Laura Jane Morris have you read this whole thread? Might pay to
Kenneth Hill
Caption is wrong this is 'The Camp.'
Margaret Newton Alley
My Dad would of been 9yrs old when this photo was taken. Wow he never spoke of it.
Marg Iacoppi
Lots of interesting debate here. If there was nothing growing there, what is the greenery coming down the rock face towards the ‘cleared’ flat area and where did all the trunks scattered around come from?
Catherine Ayers
Marg Iacoppi you generally clear an area when you develop a town …what is your house built on ? Is there a road outside ? For goodness sake !
Wendy Ross
Hell on earth !
Jon Hickford
Wendy Ross amazing place on a good day though.
Frances Adank
My Westport grandma born Ambrosina Champion grew up at Burnett’s Face but raised her many kids in Westport. Denniston was famed for its dances and sports by my aunties and uncles through the 40s and 50s. The transporting in various ways soil up to Denniston was often talked about.
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Swee Ng
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Ha ha the whole place is slate Rock...nothing much could ever grow up there except thin growly stuff...
May be an image of nature, mountain and tree
Fiona Lamb
Love hearing all the stories of days gone by.
Melanie Ramsden
Fabulous photo.
I’ve just finished reading Denniston Rose. It’s just as I imagined it would look.
My great grandfather, Tom King, was the mine manager at Millerton. I wonder if it looked the same.
Alan Beck
Grandmother was a child aged 3 on the hill, c1903.
Val N Merv Brittain
I read the book Dennison Rose
Irene Lawrence
Here is the photo of the school pupils Burnetts Face, my grandfather is the wee boy in the front with the pink marker, his big brother is at the back holding up the flag. The year is 1905.
May be an image of standing
Heather Newby
admins.. post added
Bill Darling
thats tough living conditions even for the hardiest
Lyn Walker
Tough times
Adrienne Humphreys
The chiĺd could be my stepfather in law he was thèŕe àbout that time
Bob Hannah
Hi l was born there in 1935 lived in Marshavalecan not remember many trees growing no one had a garden it was mostly rock
Adrienne Humphreys
Bob Hannah would you remember 'Dingle' Young and family the son was Bill
Life was soooo hard in those days and we complain about today.
Jon Hickford
Pam Englefield-Absolum my grandfather lived there at the Camp, signed up as soon as he could to go to WW1, landed on the 25th at Gallipoli, got shot, recuperated in Scotland, went to the Western front, got gassed, returned to NZ and then back to coal mining. He is buried at Orowaiti (died 1935), but what stories he might have told if I had got to meet him?
Reply2h
Pam Englefield-Absolum
Great picture
John Kelly
Be interesting to take the same picture now.
Jon Hickford
John Kelly. I was there a month back. Very, very different now. The Camp, as it was, barely exists now, yet that is where my grandfather lived.
d
Emmily Harmer
Colleen Byrne
Sheldon Kirby
Why isn’t that child at work?
Chris Tones
Sheldon Kirby He's stood there yelling out.. "shine ya boots guv'nor?"
Pam Murphy
Hard to believe
Reply5h
Lorraine Dennison
Great photo always make me think how hard it was alright I think alot of my grandparents and my dad an aunties no wonder I feel like I can cope with anything
Jock Allen
Or a lawnmower Great Photo
Stephen Catchpole
And as they said:
‘Damn Denniston
Damn the track
Damn the way both there and back
Damn the wind and damn the weather
God damn Denniston altogether.’
Spr SimRacer
That’s me in that pic. My past life, I didn’t enjoy it.
Mari Walsh
I bet they froze up there!
Reply5h
Kerry Voigt
My sista Julene Gallagher had the most beautiful cottage garden in Denny but it was lots of hard work bringing in heaps of soil - ground is rock hard no graves up there either no way be digging a whole
Adrienne Humphreys
Kerry Voigt no they brought the dead dòwñ the incline to Waimangaŕoa fòr burial. My step farther iñ law was vborn and bred there the family nàme Ýoùng
Sean Phelps
I went there a few years back, what amazed me was the steep incline of the road, back then it would have been a muddy track...
Phil Norton
Terrible destruction of the environment..not a plant or tree in sight...Over the past 170 years the European settlers have destroyed 75% of native forests..and we wonder why we have a massive flooding problem nowadays..We should all start replanting natives beginning with flaxes and cabbage trees ...
Michael Mclauglin
Esther Bruns
No soil so no garden
Murray Brown
What a mess ,, wow
Italina Sowman
We don’t don’t realise how lucky we are that’s really horrible
Marlene Boyd
Certainly bred hardy folk, what absolute toilets they were. God bless them.
Jan Twort
Marlene Boyd toilers ☺️
Ian Miller
Probably not much soil either. Those rocks are rather prominent.
James Codyre
My Grandmothers family lived at Burnetts Face and any garden they had was grown in soil mixed with sawdust carted up in sacks from Waimangaroa.It often snowed "On The Hill"so they had a short growing season.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
James Codyre did they say what they grew? i would imagine it would be silverbeet and maybe parsley and cabbages?
Denise Eckersley
I think you need to visit and also look up the history of Denniston . It might change your view
Liz Moir
This one is around 1869… central Otago, thanks to Nelson museum..
No photo description available.
Grant Callaghan
I think that is Burnett's face,not the main plateaux
Cheryll Edwards
No vegans huh
Sylvia James
The camp Denniston Banbury mine on the right early 1900’s
Reply21h
Dennis Gibbs
What? No skate park, climbing equipment or play areas. Those kids must have turned out bad.
No, they developed resilience as did their parents.
Reply21hEdited
Rob Lunn
My father and his father worked up there the absolute harshest of environments the only good thing to come out of that place was the Coal and the incomes it provided in the hardest of times that our country has ever known I have nothing but respect for those guys who worked their guts out just to provide for their families not many of them made old bones and in reality no modern person in their right mind would be in a hurry to see the environment up there
Reply21h
Marilyn Jones
Has anyone the book called Denniston Rose? It really brings this scene to life
Reply21h
Diane Moreland
Marilyn Jones Yes I have and it is a great invite as to what life was like up there. My grandparents lived up there and brought up 7 children on the Deniston Hill.
Reply19h
Maggie Bath
Not sure that gardens would grow up there ..... how often did the sun shine?
Reply20h
Mary Moffitt
Well, I reckon that I can see at least six kids hiding from the one who is ‘HE’. Excuse the masculine word but that is what we called the person who has to find the others in a game of ‘Hide and Seek’. He’s probably yelling, “It’s your turn to go ’HE’ Millie Jones. I did it last time.”
Reply19h
Irene Lawrence
My Grandfather was born on the Face have a great picture of his school, teachers, and all the children, taken back at the turn of the century. Will find it and post.
Laura Jane Morris
I look at pictures like this and wonder why people are so shocked that our earth is dieing. It's no surprise at all to me that we tore apart the earth this way, humans are a disgusting breed.
Raelene Beth Wendi Wilson
Laura Jane Morris have you read this whole thread? Might pay to
Kenneth Hill
Caption is wrong this is 'The Camp.'
Margaret Newton Alley
My Dad would of been 9yrs old when this photo was taken. Wow he never spoke of it.
Marg Iacoppi
Lots of interesting debate here. If there was nothing growing there, what is the greenery coming down the rock face towards the ‘cleared’ flat area and where did all the trunks scattered around come from?
Catherine Ayers
Marg Iacoppi you generally clear an area when you develop a town …what is your house built on ? Is there a road outside ? For goodness sake !
Wendy Ross
Hell on earth !
Jon Hickford
Wendy Ross amazing place on a good day though.
Frances Adank
My Westport grandma born Ambrosina Champion grew up at Burnett’s Face but raised her many kids in Westport. Denniston was famed for its dances and sports by my aunties and uncles through the 40s and 50s. The transporting in various ways soil up to Denniston was often talked about.
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Swee Ng
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Ha ha the whole place is slate Rock...nothing much could ever grow up there except thin growly stuff...
May be an image of nature, mountain and tree
Fiona Lamb
Love hearing all the stories of days gone by.
Melanie Ramsden
Fabulous photo.
I’ve just finished reading Denniston Rose. It’s just as I imagined it would look.
My great grandfather, Tom King, was the mine manager at Millerton. I wonder if it looked the same.
Alan Beck
Grandmother was a child aged 3 on the hill, c1903.
Val N Merv Brittain
I read the book Dennison Rose
Irene Lawrence
Here is the photo of the school pupils Burnetts Face, my grandfather is the wee boy in the front with the pink marker, his big brother is at the back holding up the flag. The year is 1905.
May be an image of standing
Heather Newby
admins.. post added
Bill Darling
thats tough living conditions even for the hardiest
Lyn Walker
Tough times
Adrienne Humphreys
The chiĺd could be my stepfather in law he was thèŕe àbout that time
Bob Hannah
Hi l was born there in 1935 lived in Marshavalecan not remember many trees growing no one had a garden it was mostly rock
Adrienne Humphreys
Bob Hannah would you remember 'Dingle' Young and family the son was Bill
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West Coast New Zealand History (6th Jan 2024). The Camp , Denniston in the 1920s - One lone child on the road and not a garden in sight.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 1st Apr 2026 15:03, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/32090