Researching the Glengarry settlement

Mike Harold, Godfrey Prenter, John Ryan and Clive Weber discuss people and places at Glengarry in the earliest times.

This year is the centenary of the settling of the Glengarry Block north-west of Dannevirke.

To mark the event historian Mike Harold is hoping to write up the history of the Glengarry settlement hopefully for the centenary time in November this year.

He brought together locals Clive Weber and Godfrey Prenter with John Ryan from Hawke's Bay to his home to reminisce on Tuesday, August 25. Both Clive and John are sons of WWI Glengarry Soldier Settlers. Godfrey is the resident who has lived in the district the longest ... and still does.

They had a great day, identifying people in photographs, reminiscing about the hard life on the dairy farms and viewing the block in the modern day during an afternoon tour.

For Mike Harold it unlocked a treasure-trove of information to add to his research which he started a decade ago when he interviewed long-time residents such as Ted Curran and Lois Hansen – original "soldier settlers".

The original block of 1950 acres owned by the Armstrong family was sold to the government in 1919 and distributed/sold to returning soldiers from WWI in November 1920, 29 farms of between 70 and 100 acres going by ballot and designated as dairy farms.

Life in those first years was really tough. The block had been cleared of bush but there was huge work stumping and fencing and a downturn in prices drove some families off the properties.

The settlement thrived, however, and even experienced a visit from Lord Bledisloe in 1931. In the modern day it is the site of award-winning dairy operations.

Mike Harold would like any anecdotes and especially photos of any time since the block was settled. He says thanks to the Gallery of History and other sources the early history is largely "locked and loaded" but there is still time to add more. His deadline is the end of September. Contact him on 06 374 5725.