Midwinter Matakanui CakeThis is an old recipie for a coconut & banana cake. I usually make it at Easter but it is good to make it in winter to warm up the kitchen...
Midwinter Matakanui CakeThis is an old recipie for a coconut & banana cake. I usually make it at Easter but it is good to make it in winter to warm up the kitchen...
All Blacks play for Matakanui CombinedAll Blacks Tom Donnelly and Zac Guildford are playing for Matakanui combined at Ranfurly against Maniototo today. This will be great opportunity for Matakanui players to experience what is like to play with the game's elite...
Time to think about visiting Central Otago
I keep meeting people who are thinking about biking or walking the Otago Central Rail Trail, this is something to be recommended, even if you are not...
A gathering of the local Matakanui Men following a recent Matakanui Valley game against Owaka from South Otago. Clockwise from top left: Ralph Milne, Richard Morgan, Stuart Sinclair and the...
If you come from Central Otago you are very lucky; but if you come from the valley of Matakanui you are special. Matakanui is in the centre of Central Otago according to Goggle Earth and who would question them. I am a girl from Matakanui, who left as soon as I felt able; I couldn't wait to see the world.
Matakanui was once a thriving gold town with some 3000 people, it was a harsh secluded place, but it had a whole community established on strong Scottish principles that we still hold dear today. So if your ancestors are from Matak and you can't get there easily, come reminisce with me.
I was born in 1957 to Colin and Betty Wilson of Drybread, just 3 miles from Matak. I grew up with my family, my cousins and with animals. My dog and my pony and an assortment of pet lambs. My horse was called Barney after my grandfather he was also a barney pony who was black, strong willed and a little bit crazy. I could have ridden Misty or Smokey or Flash, but for real excitement there was nothing like racing your brother home, along the Glassford Road flat. Stewart was on his motorbike, me on Barney, seeing who was the fastest. . It was usually a dead heat but occasionally Stewart would win.
The culture of Central is rugby racing and beer. Matakanui had its Allblacks – Harvey and Wilson, it has a race course at Omakau and plenty of pubs. There was one in Matakanui. Tennis was big - Wilson's were good at it, as were the Milne's and the Naylor's. But then I am forgetting the Morgan's, Huddleston's and Clouston's. The Donnelly's were good at all sports and Scotts had music. There was not too much culture in my circle, but I still dreamed of singing in the opera and practiced every day with my dog Laddie. Funny I didn't even know if I could paint, until I tried it, but we were taught we could do anything we wanted to, if we wanted it enough.
But enough so, this is about the launch of matakanui.com a virtual place for anyone who wants to visit. It is an art portal for emerging and established New Zealand visual artists and a blogg. Eventually with help we may even open up Teddy Duggan's general store, if we think some money can be made.
I could not have done any of this without the help of Maureen Gardner nee Milne. She was my best friend when I was growing up. She is very clever and can do everything I can't do. She has developed this site for me for no payment just love and we have had great fun getting to know each other again. She is in Sydney and I am in the hills of Khandallah in Wellington. I am a full time solo mother of Jack and Grace Bendell.
So I am spreading the word, Murray Deaker and Jan Hayward (nee Deaker) are on board as is Marie Donnelly (hockey player extraordinaire). Jan tells me that Sir William Southgate is from Matakanui, my mother Betty Wilson nee Glassford, can remember him. Who would have thought that one little community would produce so many outstanding people!
We look forward to your company. Marie Wilson, Director, matakanui.com