Tuesday 22 January 2008

Off to Feilding and Wanganui

I'm off in half an hour to Feilding (yes it is Feilding. Driving through the place people often wonder where the C is. No not the sea (Feilding is quite a way from that) but the C being the one that ei is supposed to follow.

Feilding is named after Col William Henry Adelbert Feilding who was a director of a group called the Emigrants and Colonists Aid Association. The aim of the Association was to reduce unemployment in England by creating new settlements in the colonies. The Colonel travelled to the 'New World' to buy land for these settlements. He ended up in Manawatu where he bought 100,000 acres of land from the Government for £75,000. The area became known as The Manchester Block and 2000 settlers were provided with free passage over 5 years. The first 23 arrived on 22 January 1874 and were the founding citizens of Feilding.

I'm going there to play in the New Zealand Veterans Croquet Championships.

Then I'm off to Wanganui to play in their Annual Tournament.

Until I return I suspect that this will be my last posting.

Bye bye for now.

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