Grandad's photos

We visited Waikino today (between Waihi and Paeroa), with the intention to try and find a Jater grave. We found that there is no graveyard at Waikino, although there were about 5000 people living there around 1900. Waikino processed all the gold-bearing ore mined in Waihi and sent it to Waikino by railway. That explains Alfred's occupation of Tramway Foreman.




Here is a reconstruction of Waikino in its heyday.



Alfred and Matilda were married in Auckland and had 3 children in Papakura, see my earlier blog article. Both seem to have died in 1926, Alfred was 84 and Matilda was 77. There appears to be a typo in Alfred's death date, and also in their surnames shown as JARTER. Apparently all the records were transcribed by students.



A certificate, now displayed in the Waihi Museum, was presented to Hubert Percy Barry, Esq by the management of the Waihi Gold Mine and was signed by all the staff. Here you can see Alfred Jater's signature.



The staff at the District Council Waihi were most helpful in locating the graves of Arthur and Matilda, and they are in the Pukerimu cemetary, just south of Paeroa. Although they are unmarked they are right next to the marked grave of Edith Dora McKee, and you can see the nice view they have from their hillside grave.

My next mission is to get a death certificate of Alfred and a birth certificate of at least one of their 3 girls which will hopefully fill in the last few gaps.