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Te Aroha News
14 July 2010
Family link fuels look into ‘old stuff’
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| Then: Joan Deane (1939) |
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| Now: Tara Deane (2010) |
A newcomer to the staff at Te Aroha’s i-Site has found family connections to the early days of the town she didn’t know existed.
Former Thames High School student Tara Deane spoke to her grandmother, Joan Deane (nee O’Toole) who used to live in Te Aroha, and the first of two startling coincidences came to light.
Mrs Deane used to live in Te Aroha and pulled out some old photographs to show Tara, one of which just happened to be taken outside the former Department of Tourist Resorts building (now i-SITE) at the Whitaker St entrance to the domain.
The photograph shows Mrs Deane and a friend dressed in their Sunday best. The back of the photo says “Joan 17yr” (she’s now aged 88), dating it back to about 1939.
Tara told her grandmother this is exactly the building she was now working in.
Mrs Deane even remembers what she was wearing that day, the colour of the outfit and shoes and how much they cost, and she thinks they had been to church and were dropping Dad off at the Grand Hotel.
She also told Tara that a barometer from the Grand Hotel (now Grand Tavern) has been in the Deane family since 1924.
Tara learned of another Te Aroha connection on a tour of the town museum in the domain.
Mr A J O’Toole was a long serving linotype operator for the Te Aroha News.
“Tooley” joined the staff in 1923 and retired in 1951, the longest serving staff member since the former newspaper was established in 1883.
He was Joan’s father and Tara’s great grandfather.
His printing press is in the museum.
Tara said she is definitely more interested in “old stuff” since finding these family connections with Te Aroha.
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