NZHistory, New Zealand history online - waiuta

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Joseph Divis envelope

A letter posted to Joseph Divis from Czechoslovakia in 1935. Just addressing it to him in ‘Waiuta, New Zealand’ was good enough to ensure delivery.

Private collection

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Joseph Divis outside his Waiuta house

Joseph Divis stands at the back of his cottage at Waiuta, which proved to be his last home. Rough on the exterior but immaculate inside, it also had a panoramic view of the town which featured in a few of his photographs. The cottage is one of just six old buildings which remain at Waiuta in 2008. See image of the cottage today.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Brendon Wilshire collection (copyright)

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Joseph Divis house in 2008

A front view of the house occupied by Joseph Divis in his later years. It was one of the few buildings still occupied in Waiuta in 2008. See early image of this cottage.

Photographer: Simon Nathan

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Waiuta in 2008

Waiuta in 2008 – a view over part of the historic reserve. Chimneys and concrete foundations are the main relics of the community that previously lived here.

Photographer: Simon Nathan

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Queen carnival at Waiuta

The 1931 Waiuta jubilee celebrations had an extended prelude in the form of a Queen Carnival, with local organisations competing to see which could raise the most money and have their queen crowned on the big day. That honour went to Hester Nitschke, representing the king of local sports, rugby league. Funds went to building local facilities, including a swimming pool which can still be seen at Waiuta. Having ‘HRH’ and her entourage pose in front of the mine buildings no doubt appealed to the photographer's eye for the paradoxical.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Friends of Waiuta

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Waiuta jubilee

Whether they came from along the road or far away, everybody attending Waiuta’s 1931 jubilee strictly observed the dress code of the day. They included Tony Anisy, in the front centre with moustache and wing collar, a familiar figure in the town's earliest days, when trudged the muddy streets hawking goods from a large portmanteau. This was one of those rare times when Divis looked as if he had only just beaten the shutter timer in his bid to be in the photo.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Brendon Wilshire collection (copyright)

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Jubilee at Waiuta

The 1931 jubilee, marking 25 years since mining and settlement had begun, was the greatest event in Waiuta's history. A grand parade of floats, shown here being assembled in front of the Empire Hotel on Top Road, was just part of the fun. Sadly, the town's life was already more than half over. In 1951 the Blackwater mine shaft (below the pennanted poppet head in the right distance) suffered a major collapse. The company decided to close the mine and with nothing else to sustain them, most of the inhabitants moved out in a matter of weeks.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Brendon Wilshire collection (copyright)

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Waiuta family scene

All done up in their best, the Jones children (Betty, Jim, Bill, Amy, Myrtle, Ron on the trike, Irene and Joyce) would have been a delight to any Mum's eye. That smart appearance was achieved in spite of hardship. Their father, Percy, was forced to stop working because of miners' phthisis, or quartz dust on the lung. Refused a pension on a technicality, he eked out a living selling fruit, vegetables and sweets from a stall. After the Joneses left Waiuta, Joseph Divis moved into their tiny cottage. Mrs Mona Jones lived to a good old age in Remuera, Auckland.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Brendon Wilshire collection (copyright)

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Wedding at Waiuta in 1931

Even in a town where every celebration was done with style, the 1931 wedding reception for Laura Beckwith and Ernest Wallenburg rated as lavish. Following a service in the Anglican Church, more than 300 guests sat down to what the Grey River Argus described as ‘a sumptuous repast’. Divis, who had boarded with the Beckwiths, captured the occasion with one of his finest indoor studies. Tragically, the bride died just two years later and the groom fell victim to miners' phthisis while still in his 30s.

Photographer: Joseph Divis
Brendon Wilshire collection (copyright)

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