Moncur Drive named after expert knitter.
Moncur
Drive is a quaint, tree-lined street of mainly residential dwellings with
the exception of the Commercial Travellers Association. In the early 1900s, Goudie’s Nursery ran from Otonga Rd back to the thermal area. This sequoia tree and lane of trees on Kiwi Street marks what was the back entrance. The track that was the main entrance to the nursery off Old Taupo Road is now Moncur Drive (8, 9).
Moncur
Drive was named after Alexander Francis Moncur (1889-1976). Labour MP for
Rotorua 1935-1943,
Rotorua mayor 1947-1953 and expert knitter (3).Born in Thorpedale, Australia on 9/3/1889, Moncur came to New Zealand in 1906 and had worked in West Coast and Waihi mines and for the Railway before owning a taxi business in Whakatane (4).
Moncur may have had some impact on Rotorua before taking up
his roles here. He was Chairman of the Auckland Branch of the Amalgamated
Society of Railway Servants during the railwaymen strike at the time of the
Prince of Wales’ Visit to Rotorua in 1920. The Prime Minister, Mr. Massey, had
to take an arduous
car journey from Rotorua to Wellington for negotiations where further train
travel for the Prince was agreed on (5, 6).
Moncur was a Borough Councillor in Whakatane and involved
with the Labour Party there before moving to Rotorua in 1935 (4) Moncur was the
mayor of Rotorua from 1947 to 1953, a period where there was growing demand for
houses and increased water supply (7).
Author of Rotorua streets, Philip Andrews, notes that
ironically Moncur “had opposed the naming of streets after local personalities”
while serving for council (3). Andrews also states that Moncur knitted baby
layettes while Parliament sat. Moncur later made comments against the
efficiency of hand-knitting despite having “the reputation of being an expert
knitter” and got himself into some hot water with more than one “woman
knitter”! (3, 8, 9)
References:
1.
Allen, P. (1996). Rotorua people 1880’s to 1940’s: living
south of old railway: Glenholme area top Whakarewarewa. Rotorua: P.
Allen.
2.
Allen, P. (1990). Rural community, Rotorua, 1920: just before
and during 1920’s. Rotorua: P. Allen.
3.
Andrews, P. (1999) Rotorua streets: the stories behind the
street names of Rotorua & district. Rotorua: Bibliophil
7.
Stafford, D. M. (Donald Murray). 1988. The new century in Rotorua: a history of
events from 1900. Auckland [N.Z.] ; Rotorua [N.Z.] : Ray Richards
Publisher and Rotorua District Council.
9.
WORK
OF WOMEN KNITTERS: Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 137, 11 June 1940,
Page 6
Post by Sandra Quinn, Heritage & Collections Librarian.
Post by Sandra Quinn, Heritage & Collections Librarian.
