This is New Zealand, Programme 10

Rights Information
Year
1954
Reference
34691
Media type
Audio
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Rights Information
Year
1954
Reference
34691
Media type
Audio
Duration
00:12:40
Credits
RNZ Collection
Henderson, Jim, 1918-2005, Presenter

This series of yarns, written and candidly narrated by Jim Henderson, focuses on the people, places and curiosities of the West Coast of New Zealand.

In this episode, Henderson discusses the settlement of Denniston in the Buller District. He describes how Tom McGee, now superintendent of three big state mines near Denniston, arrived from Glasgow in 1926 and rallied miners into donating a penny out of every dollar they earned towards a community centre.

By 1947 Tom had built the first Buller Mining Community Centre along with the assistance of secretary organiser, Tom Muir (son of a Buller miner) and their local community. The Buller Enterprise got everyone from this isolated community of approximately 3,000 people to pitch in.

It bulit or repaired five community halls, four children's playgrounds and two large sports grounds, three water supply schemes, a dam and an electric supply scheme. It provided education classes (with assistance from John McDonald, Head of the Westport Technical School and Adult Education people), performed plays, bought two movie projectors and offered afternoon play centres.