Waipawa's iconic tractor in its old spot at Nelly Jull Park. Photo / CHBDC
Waipawa's iconic tractor in its old spot at Nelly Jull Park. Photo / CHBDC
A hue and cry has gone up around Central Hawke's Bay after the council decided to remove a much-loved playground tractor for safety reasons.
The Fordson tractor had graced Nellie Jull Park in Waipawa since the 1940s and was the last piece of playground equipment from the original playground ofthe 1950s - until early Thursday morning.
Public comment on the council's Facebook post accused it of "a big fail" saying the tractor was a Waipawa icon. One woman said she had wedding photographs taken with it.
Others said their children - including children from Hastings - loved the old tractor and would be "gutted".
Central Hawke's Bay Council said the tractor, which they had dubbed Toby, had been returned to the farm of the family that donated it in the late 1940s, after being deemed dangerous because of rust, sharp edges and other issues.
But parents of the tractor's young fans said the tractor should have been restored, or at the very least given a decent send-off with a last opportunity for people to take photographs.
Keen local history buff Elisabeth Gough said: "This tractor symbolised the farming nature of the area as well as being a joy for children".
CHB Mail editor Rachel Wise said the tractor had memories for many in the community.
"My grandfather Claude Smith - Smithy - worked for the Waipawa Borough Council and he was very proud of that park and took us to play on the tractor often. It was part of a school holiday treat when we travelled from Auckland.
Claude "Smithy" Smith who worked for the Waipawa Borough Council and used to help maintain the tractor, with his grandchildren Rachel, Davin and Brian Mason in the 1960s
"We would fight over who got to 'drive' and who turned the crank handle, back when it would turn.
"I can still remember the judder the steering wheel made when you spun it, the paint all worn away from all the busy little hands. The levers on the dashboard still worked a bit, and the steel wheels were great for climbing on.
Rachel Wise - nee Smith - with her own grandson on the old Fordson tractor.
"My own children then played on it, and then my grandchildren."
A council spokesperson said the tractor was removed at 7am "after a short karakia".
A family member who did not wish to be named said "My father did a mechanic apprenticeship, and as a project was required to do something up; somehow he got his hands on Toby and made him mobile again.
"The story goes that Toby was only ever used to turn over the front lawn so my father could grow watermelons, then he was driven up to Nelly Jull, stripped down and he's been there ever since. We used to play on him as kids, our kids did too, now he's come home."
Council chief executive Monique Davidson said Toby had become a landmark, and would be sorely missed by many, but thanked the family who donated him for many years of service to the Central Hawke's Bay community.
