Norma and Bob Evans: Early Settlers of Rotomahana
Norma, and her husband Bob, arrived in the Rotorua area in 1955, from Kurow, North Otago, where they settled on a farm in Rotomahana. The farm was a returned servicemen’s settlement. In Norma’s own words “Everyone worked very hard, coped with the mud, the deficiencies and lived on £7 per week.”
Each dairy unit consisted of about 120 acres and 60 cows,
the units had a ‘part house’ a shed and a walk through cow shed. Norma describes the ‘part house’ they
arrived at, ‘they consisted of one large and one small bedroom, a living room,
kitchen and a bathroom come wash-house” The
first thing they bought on arrival was a pair of gumboots for all six of them!
They were to farm there for 27 years. Husband, Bob, was a
farmer when they married in 1946, but Norma was a town girl, she much adjusting
to do!
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:Rerewhakaaitu 21st Jubilee Committee, 12th
July 1975. Page 14
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In Norma’s book ‘Rotomahana: Returned Servicemen’s farm
settlement 1953, 1954, 1955’ published 2012, she gives a history of the area
both the physical and the community of people that formed those early years.
There are photographs that show what they arrived to and how they developed the
‘farm’ and their family grew up. Norma also recalls the early days of the
Rotomahana WDFF, in which she was an active member, and in the 1960s,
president.
During her time in the district Norma was also involved in
other community events and organisations, these being: the Rerewhakaaitu Youth
Club started by Norma and Triss Hill; the Co-ordination Committee where she
persuaded the Education Department to provide educational ‘day classes’ for
rural women out in the Rotomahana, Lake Okaro area; Norma was on school, hall and church committees; Anti-Litter Committee; Civil
Defence; Road Safety Committee; A&P Association and in the 1980s was a
Lakes Inspector.
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| From : Rotomahana: returned servicemen’s farm settlement, 1953, 1954, 1955. Written by Norma Evans |
In 1981 Norma and Bob restored the ‘Hickey’s Flat farm
cottage’ it was a cottage constructed of Kauri, and nearly 70 years old. This
cottage they donated to the Te Amorangi Museum c.1981 and thus Evansville came
into being. Norma donated much of her collection of memorabilia and
reminiscences to the Museum and formed a long relationship with the trust.
Sadly, Norma was to lose ‘her dear Bob’ in 1984. Norma wrote his biography and published it in
1998.
Norma has documented her life and many life experiences in 3
books entitled “Oh dear me” and a biographical publication on her parents. In 2012 she wrote ‘Rotomahana: returned
servicemen’s farm settlement’ and in 2016 published “Rotomahana mud:
farming it, coping with it, living on it, 1955”
In 1988 Norma was awarded for “a
lifetime’s commitment to people” by the Rotorua North Rotary Club. She received
a Service Award, presented by Grahame Hall.
In 1993, Norma was awarded a
“Women’s Suffrage Award” and in 1997 she was awarded an M.N.Z.M. New Zealand
Order of Merit, for her community work.
In 1995, Norma was awarded a
Rotorua District Council Community Award.
But of course Norma did not stop
there with her contributions to her community, continuing…
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| Norma is pictured here with Council and Library staff and two of her daughters in 2010. |
Norma donated her memoirs and some of her collection to the
Rotorua Library, for which we are very grateful. She also donated much to the
Te Amorangi Museum and the Rotorua Museum.
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Here Norma is at the Rotorua Library to launch her book on
Rotomahana, c.2012
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| This is Norma on her 90th Birthday, at her final residence Cantabria Home and Hospital. |
Norma died on 18 April 2017. Wife of Bob. Mother and
mother-in-law of Janice and Rob, Eleanor, Annette and Sandra.
To read her obituary click here
With thanks to The Rotorua Daily Post and Rotorua Library Heritage Collections for this blog post
