Know your town

Parks 

Neither JD Baird’s 1870 Waihinga plan or John Martin’s 1879 Martinborough plan  set aside land for parks or cemetery. The Martinborough plan had open ground in the centre with roads running through it. This was not fenced until 1905 and completely closed off until 1920 to officially become Soldier’s Memorial Park 

The first  public recreational area was the Racecourse which was situated  on what is now the golf course. The Lower Valley Jockey Club wanted a permanent course and in December 1879 a public meeting was called to discuss the proposal. It was suggested that to raise funds  one pound shares be offered with a target of 500 shares being sold . 600 ( 2021 = $97,741) were taken up. 

John Martin was approached to sell them a block of land, negotiations took some time, and it was not until 1894, fifteen years later, that  land was purchased from the Martin Estate for six pounds ( 2021 = $1,206) per acre. The area deemed as race course and recreational grounds.  The club’s final meeting was held  in December 1910.

In 1947 Golf Club members and local volunteers  began work on a building and shaping a golf course. The Club officially opened  on the ninth of April 1949. Which leaves the question ‘ what year did the people of Martinborough  loose their race course /recreational grounds?’   

In July 1913 Andrew O Considine gifted four acres of land bounded by Dublin and Princess Streets  to the Martinborough Town Board. This was opened a year later as Considine Recreation Grounds with a town v country football match. 

In 1919 a ‘Considine purchasing committee went public to collect two hundred pounds to buy an adjacent four acres to double the size of the park. They collected four hundred dollars. The now redundant land was formerly marked for the railway. In his 1923 will Considine left a further five hundred pounds ( 2021 = $52, 373) towards the park with a request that the park be called Considine Park 

Sports activities were mainly played  in an open paddock on the corner of  Sackville, Naples and Ohio Streets. Or in the case of soccer ,in Stacy Wall’s paddock.

In 1927 a committee of Rugby, football (soccer) and cricket went to the council to ask Mr Martin to use Race Course Trust funds to purchase 13 acres of land  next to the saleyards, land Mr Sharp was selling.  The three clubs agreed to pay a third each of the rates, and fence and maintain land. They were allowed to charge an admission fee.  The purchase was made and in 1945 the Trust handed the land over to the council and it became  Coronation Park and Puruatanga Park. 

The park is now the rugby grounds I cannot find when the other two clubs left the arrangement. Can any person tell me?

Huangarua Park was established in 1929  when the Martin family donated these sections to the town. The oak trees were planted  by Mr H Harrison an employee of the Martins.

I would welcome any corrections or comments . Please contact me if you know any . Mate Higginson