Building 'an asset' at 100

Frank Wilson protested when the then Whangarei Borough changed his title from town clerk to general manager but in the end, he settled for both titles.

The 91-year-old, born and bred in Whangarei, was among former Whangarei Borough and later Whangarei City employees who returned to their old offices at the Old Municipal Building on Bank St yesterday.

The century-old building marked its 100th year of the laying of its first stone with a small ceremony attended by Mayor Morris Cutforth, present and former Whangarei District Council employees and those associated with the old municipal building.

Mr Wilson applied for work as an office boy in 1938 and was interviewed by the then mayor and town clerk.

"In 1978, they appointed me as the GM. I put a report to the council and told them I was appointed under the Municipal Corporation Act so I should be named town clerk," he remembered.

"So reluctantly they changed my title to GM and town clerk."

When he retired in 1981, Mr Wilson was given a wooden spoon as a "thank you" gift for his 42 years of "stirring" service.

Also at the ceremony was former Whangarei District Council rates' manager Bill Harris, who was interviewed for the position of office junior by Mr Wilson in 1959 and retired last year after 52 years at the council.

Mr Cutforth said the building had received little recognition but was an enormous asset for the district.

Within its walls, over the years, decisions had been made that impacted on residents for generations.