Do not bad-mouth Kawerau | News | Kawerau

6 March 2015

I have known Ken for more than 50 years, when I was just a tamer ball player at the Kawerau Soccer Club. Of course, you always talk about days gone by, who has passed on and the likes.

I tell people in Rotorua that I lived in Kawerau from 1962 to 1966. They say – in that dump? Hey mate you ever lived there? No?

Well don’t rubbish it.

The best years of my teenage life were in that small town. No mobile phone or laptops, broadband and the likes, only black and white TV, with usually a poor reception. You made your own fun – summertime, us kids went to the river or played tennis, cricket or softball. We hitched to Ohope or the lakes. In winter we played soccer, rugby or netball.

Before school I worked on the milk run – horse and cart – from 3am in the morning, after school for Tombleson’s chemist. We went to dances at the concert chambers, pictures at the town hall.

Of course it was 6 o’clock closing at the pubs then.

Lovely memories of a great little town, so please don’t bad-name it.

Clive Phillips

Source: Whakatane Beacon