The Timaru Hospital Grounds in the early 1900s
P.W. Hutton & Co. Postcard 1903
Muir & Moodie Postcard 1905
Hardy Photo - Arthur A. Ware Series. 1907
The old wards one and two. Ward One was a very busy pediatric ward when I did a year, 1981, as a staff nurse. Two was a general medical ward in the 1970s and 1980s. I had plenty of experience there also. Forty beds in each and in the middle, the dirty and clean utility rooms, opposite each other and an charge nurse office, beds down each side with only curtains until the units were altered into pods and CCU in the middle of Ward Two. We even had patient's out on the balcony. Ward Two was also known as the Macdonald Ward and there was a shiny brass plaque at the entrance of the ward. Ernest Macdonald of "Corra Lynn" Sherwood Downs, was very involved in the community. He was Chairman of the South Canterbury Hospital board from 1927-1950, joined in 1923. In 1950 as a tribute to Ernest Macdonald, a surgical ward at the Timaru Hospital was to be known as the Macdonald Ward in recognition of his 28 years on the South Canterbury Hospital Board, 24 years as Chairman.
Arthur A. Ware Co. Series 1907, No.1599.
Cabbage trees are no longer there. The fountain long gone now a
parking lot.
Patiti Point
The picnic area at Patiti
Point with the Timaru Hospital in
background.
Photo taken 25 January, 2008.
Geocahing. The plaques on the wall read:
Patiti Point
In the early 1800's this site was used as a shore whaling station
and subsequently as a lookout for spotting whales for the Weller Brothers'
station at Caroline Bay.
Also the site of Peerless [sic] Town, an early immigrant receiving centre.
The reserve was developed by the South Timaru Rotary Club
and handed over to the Timaru District Council, 1992.
Bluestone Rock.
Salvaged from the old Timaru Main School.
Built 1874.
Demolished 1956.
Stonemason K.H. Kempf.
Distressingly the plaque has a mistake....there is an 'L'. The ship was "Peeress"
Otago Witness, 10 December 1881, Page 11
The South Canterbury Times of the 29th' ult. reports that a man named Pierce, who with his wife lately came from Dunedin, and were living at Peeress Town, went out of his mind, and on Tuesday morning jumped down the face of the railway excavation south of the town, and afterwards tried to make for the sea, but was too much hurt. He was taken to the Hospital, when it was found that he was decidedly insane, and that he had broken his knee joint by his jump down the bank, which was about 30 feet high.Otago Witness, 2 October 1869, Page 3
The Timaru Herald of Wednesday states :- On Monday morning a good-sized whale was been close in shore off Timaru. A boat was put off, and the crew fired several shots from a rifle into the monster, but without much apparent effect. Harpoons could not be used as whale lines were wanting. A whale again was seen towards evening, probably the same one as appeared in the morning, and a boat again put off and came close alongside the fish, who was among the rocks near Patiti Point. A harpoon was ready, with line attached to it, and the men in the boat pulled with a will until they were suddenly brought to a sense of their position by the whale appearing almost immediately beneath them, and had to "back water" to prevent a collision. At this time the monster was in a position where it was not thought advisable to fasten the line to him, as the boat would iv all probability have been upset by being dragged over some of the numerous reefs in the vicinity. The line, too, was of an indifferent character, and there appeared to be no one in the boat who really understood whaling. The boat returned to the shore after a little further chase, and the prize was allowed to escape. We believe that at least a dozen whales have been seen near Timaru this season, and yet very little effort has been made to effect a capture. There was some talk of forming a small company, but the matter fell through.