A Great little Resource

One of my favorite local history books is ‘The Streets of Timaru’, a wonderful book full of history and information about how Timaru grew and evolved  from its early days.  It was co-authored by Keith Bartholomew and Jack Hamilton, sadly it is out of print now but  I see Keith has been busy again working on this publication celebrating the commemoration of 150 years for the Timaru Botanic Gardens.

Hot off the press and on sale from our local Museum for around $20, this little gem is a great resource to add to your collection of books on Timaru.  It covers its evolution from unsold land that our earliest residents petitioned the council for to make into a reserve to the splendid 23 hectares we all enjoy today. 

Our Botanic Gardens are something we probably all take for granted by when they were originally formed there would have been none of the wonderful trees and features we see today, more likely just bare paddock and wasteland.  Years of hard work, foresight and planning, not to mention fundraising would have gone into them and the result is that we, in later generations, get to meander and stroll about,  admire the views and flower beds, relax under mature magnificent trees,  feed the ducks, gather in groups or just breathe deeply of the fresh air and recharge our batteries in a busy life….all without having to pull a weed or mow a lawn.  How cool is that?

Karen Rolleston

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