Urban Designer - Vernacular Architect - Maritime Planner - Owner-Builder - Servant of Piglet - Educator - Author - Revolutionary - Peacenik - Tour Guide 

Tony Watkins

 ~ Vernacular Design 

Autobiography
Planning Department Silver Jubilee Print E-mail
ImageAfter 25 years the Planning Department was in good heart and doing great work. No one guessed that the next 25 years would see a steady decline into irrelevance until the Department was killed off just before its Golden jubilee.
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NZIA Conference Queenstown 1967 Print E-mail

ImageThe idea of "restructuring" sounded exciting. I was very naive. Everyone was going to spend the next thirty years restructuring. It became a way of life, and no one could remember when it was any different.

 

 

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Leyland O'Brien scows Print E-mail

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Rangi
“The most picturesque fleet at that time (1923) included the big scows, Moa, Rangi and Seagull, owned by the Leyland O’Brien Timber Co. One could always pick a scow engaged in the log trade by the marks left on the decks by the toes of the timberjack.”

 

 

 

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Leyland O'Brien Print E-mail

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On loan to Alexander Turnbull by L R Young
My first real job was at the Leyland O'Brien timber mill.

 

 

 

 

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Papatoetoe Primary School Print E-mail
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Standard One 1945
The Wiri Hall once stood where the Manukau City Centre has now been built. With overcrowding at the Papatoetoe Primary School we were lucky enough to spend a year using the Wiri Hall as a temporary classroom. We had our own horse paddock so that we could ride to school.
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