On 30 April 1895 a petition by 54 Swanson residents (see appendix in Rugged Determination p.165) was presented to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for five acres to be set aside for a cemetery. The land, gazetted in 1896, was situated a short way up what is now known as O’Neills Road. Trustees were appointed in 1897: John Moul, Edwin Read more...
The ‘Weekly News’ reported in February 1901 that James Wilkinson of Auckland, who owned a 24-acre block west of Church Street, “has given a piece of land at Swanson for the building of a place of worship, but it is conditional that the place be erected in twelve months, which is rather hard lines on Swanson… (in October 1901) busy Read more...
Mr Church ran a dinkum store, which was also known as Church’s Cash Store. There is reference to this store in the Women’s Institute minutes of 16 October 1930 when the following supplies were noted for the Mad Hatters Ball: Leg of mutton, Calverts; Tomatoes & Lettuce, Mrs Winters; 1lb of tea, Miss Guy; large loaves/4lbs butter, Corey & Thompson; Read more...
By 1923 an Anglican vicar gained enough support to build an Anglican church in Swanson and at the beginning of 1923, £300 was borrowed to pay for Mr Erickson’s ground (next to the school). The trustees who saw the project through were: Messrs T.M. Kay, G.H. Mills, E.S. Green, A. Christian, and the Rev A. Venables. Money was raised to Read more...