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Kiwi of the Week

Godfrey Bowen

Bowen helped establish sheep shearing as a legitimate sport and a form of entertainment. He was one of the inaugural inductees into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

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Today in History

20 July

1892 Steam locomotive sets world speed record

The Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) Company’s locomotive No. 10 established a world speed record for the narrow 3 foot 6 inch (1067 mm) gauge, averaging 68 km per hour on a two-hour run and hitting a peak speed of 103 kph. more...

External links

Big Bull Yank (NZ Folksong)
‘Forty Years Ago - The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company’ (NZ Railways Magazine)
History of the first W.M.R. Baldwin Prairies

1965 Riots rock Mt Eden prison

The disturbance followed a botched escape attempt by two prisoners and lasted into the next day. Several warders were taken hostage and part of the prison was gutted by fire. more...