Recalling the early settlers at Roydon

Author Joan Hood at the launch of Roydon Downs Returned Servicemen Settlers 1955, 1956, 1957 in 1998 at the Paengaroa Hall. The book recorded the history of the balloted settlement.

Roydon Downs Returned Servicemen Settler's families will gather to celebrate 60 years since the settlement of the area at the weekend.

Fourteen dairy and sheep and beef farms were established by the then Lands and Survey Department of the Government when they purchased the Wallace Run in 1951 with the intention to settle returned servicemen.

After it was subdivided into farms they were balloted as leasehold titles.

The first five dairy farms were taken up by the Fowlers, Rileys, Marshalls, McLeods and the Donalds in 1955.

A year later the Carnachans, Davisons and Willis families moved onto the last three dairy units while the Lanes and Hoods settled the first two sheep and beef blocks.

In 1957 the Banks, Kent, Ward and Walker families moved onto the remaining sheep and beef farms of the settlement.

All the families had a Government State Advance Loan and had to adhere to a budget, which was overseen by their agents.

It was due to this that the Roydon Downs Settlement pulled together to help each other, especially in the early days. Some had to share their wool sheds until others had built their own.

Some houses were very basic and were adapted to suit their means over the years.

All this made the community a very close-knit group, which was particularly noticeable when they had their first reunion in November 1996 to celebrate 40 years of the settlement.

A lot of people travelled from afar to attend and on arrival said it was 'like going home'.

Two years later the Roydon Downs Returned Servicemen Settlers 1955, 1956, 1957 book launch was held at the Paengaroa Hall.

The book recorded the history of the balloted settlement, which was written by Joan Hood with help from a few people.

In 2006, a 50th reunion was also held at the same venue but was a smaller affair, with seven of the original senior settlers who had lunch at the Trading Post Café at Paengaroa, then onto the hall for afternoon tea.

With now only five remaining parents of the families, the community is looking forward to celebrating the 60-year milestone with an afternoon tea to reminisce with the families once again and to enjoy each other's company with a speech or two and the cutting of the cake.

The reunion is on Sunday.