People will soon be able to experience a whole new side to Paeroa’ history, with the launch of True Tales of the Paeroa Ward.
The book, due to be released on October 17, is a collection of essays and stories from people with memories of the rural Waikato town. It’s been a labour of love six years in the making.
“It was a very slow process. [The books] normally only take about two years to go from start to finish at the most,” editor Geraldine Dunwoodie said.
“But we wanted to get it finished. And then all of a sudden we had one lovely lady who wrote several stories herself and also sent links to all sorts of genealogy groups… Another lady right at the last minute managed to get another three or four stories in quite quickly.”
True Tales takes quite a different angle from traditional history books.
“It’s all things that you don’t find in the newspapers or the history books, and you see photos that perhaps will remain in family hands and normally not be available,” Geraldine said.
“It’s a jolly good range of stories: everything from looking at early family history, to current family, early businesses to current businesses, including The Refinery where we’re having the book launch. And for the businesses, of course, we’ve got The Valley Profile.
“World War II gets a mention, schools get a mention. And there’s quite a bit on some of the early hotels of Paeroa, and some landmarks.”
Geraldine said it was hard to pick a favourite from the many different recountings included in the volume. One thing the stories all have in common though, is authenticity.
“We don’t actually change the author’s stories. We might put in the odd comma or take out something that’s been put in twice, but that’s all we do. We like the different flavours of the authors to come through.”
The stories came from far and wide – she even received two submissions from Ireland, Geraldine said.
“Another story came to us from Switzerland, too,” she said.
“I’ve been nagging for that particular story for a couple of years. It was a friend of my husband’s, people well-known in the area, so that was lovely to have that in.”
True Tales of the Paeroa Ward is the latest in a series of local history books produced by Te Whare Pātaka The Treasury Archive and Research Centre in Thames.
Previously-published titles cover historical recollections of Thames, the Coromandel, Waihī, Waikino, and more.
The book will be on sale at The Treasury’s online shop.
Proceeds from the book’s sales go towards The Treasury’s work to collect and preserve the region’s history.
DETAILS: True Tales of the Paeroa Ward book launch, October 17, 5pm at The Refinery, 5 Willoughby St, Paeroa. All welcome. See www.thetreasury.org.nz for more.
