In recent years the Ōtaki Cricket Club has had success in the local competition – it reprises days gone by when Ōtaki were at the top of their game. The club began more than 150 years ago, in 1870. During the 1960s and 70s, it had strong teams, recalled by one its players, Ron Gibbard. A score book given to Ron by the widow of fellow... Keep Reading
The man whose heroics have led to the naming of a new scholarship was a Kiwi Spitfire fighter pilot in the Second World War. Carlyle Gray Everiss was born in Gisborne on December 3, 1914. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force and after gaining his wings in Canada was posted to No 58 Operational Training Unit in central Scotland. He was... Keep Reading
Just after midnight on 15 May 1942, Bill Carson, my father, stood on the deck of HMS Trinidad, boots smouldering from the heat of the deck plates as fires raged below. He and hundreds of others from the Royal Navy cruiser were waiting to be rescued by escorting destroyers; the survivors knowing that hatches had to be closed on many of their... Keep Reading
Otaki Today