Mayor's Speech - Onslow Historical Society Reception

Marking 90th anniversary of amalgamation of Wellington and Onslow boroughs

Minister, council colleagues, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the Council Chamber for this commemoration of a hugely significant event in the growth of Wellington.

It was 90 years ago today that Onslow officially became part of Wellington, bringing around 2500 citizens, three new councillors and a famous chair to this Town Hall.

These days there are many more than 2500 people living in the old Onslow borough and the chair - the Mayor of Onslow's chair, which became a feature of this Council Chamber when JM Dale, the last Mayor, brought it with him - is usually to be found in Khandallah. It's nice to see it back here today.

But Onslow is still represented by three councillors and has proved to be the vibrant and vital part of Wellington that the authors of amalgamation hoped it would be.

The move was one of a series of amalgamations, including those of Melrose in 1903, Karori in 1920 and Miramar a year later - which gave Wellington a form we can recognise today.

Given the current debate about council amalgamation, with the possible fate of Auckland and possibly Wellington too very much in the news, it is impossible not to draw comparisons between now and then.

John P Luke, Mayor of Wellington in 1919, said: "A good deal of sentiment and local association has to be removed before amalgamation can be attained..."

The important question, he went on, was "what is best for the community as a whole and whether progress in a district can be better secured by being incorporated with other bodies."

I don't know if anyone spoke of Wellington becoming a Super City back then, or whether John P Luke was thought of as a Super Mayor.

But some of the issues seem very familiar. There was concern about transport, and the thorny issues of trams along the Hutt Road.

Water and drainage was a hot topic, and amalgamation with Wellington - "one of the best drained cities in Australasia", as it was then described - was seen as the best way for Onslow to get its drains fixed.

And people were worried about their rates going up, so the pro-amalgamation lobby was very happy to report that Onslow's rates would actually drop.

If anyone had concerns about job losses back then, it may have been some comfort that Mr Abraham, Onslow's long-serving Town Clerk, worked on for many years in the City Treasury.

I don't know whether the rates stayed down. - you historians would know that better than me. What we do know is that 90 years later, the old boroughs are so thoroughly part of Wellington that it is impossible to think of them as separate.

In 90 years' time will people say the same about Wellington and Porirua? Or Auckland and Manukau City, for that matter? Perhaps we should clear 1 April 2099 in our diaries so our great grandchildren can come back and discuss it.

There is comfort in the writer Aldous Huxley's observation that: "The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different."

There is perhaps less comfort in Karl Marx's view that: "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." John Banks, take note.

We can learn much about ourselves from history and we all owe a great debt to people like you who do so much to keep our history alive.

For example, Wellingtonians in general, and the people of Onslow in particular, can feel proud that more than a century before New Zealanders had even heard of Barack Obama, Onslow elected a black American, Robert Bradford Williams, as Mayor.

A fascinating account of his life - written by his granddaughter Jane Paul ¬- can be found in the 100th issue of the society's journal, The Onslow Historian, which I am happy to launch today.

Jane is with us today, as is another of Robert Bradford Williams's granddaughters Patricia McDowell and great granddaughter Lynette Bowker, and Judy Wastney, granddaughter of Onslow's last Mayor, J M Dale - living links with this rich seam of Wellington's heritage.

So belated thanks to J M Dale, Robert Bradford Williams, John P Luke, Mr Abrahams and all those others who did so much to shape our city, and thanks to the Onslow Historical Society for helping keep their memory alive.

I'm very proud to be your patron. Please enjoy this visit - and here's to the next 90 years!

Thank you.

The speech delivered may vary from this text.

Department Details:
Mayor's Office