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Nurse Upton and the Maheno

Although Florence Winifred Upton, born in 1876, probably had an uncomplicated childhood growing up in the small Kaipara Harbour community at Whakapirau, World War I soon changed all that. After finishing school, she trained as a registered nurse and when the war broke out two years later, she successfully applied to be one of 14 nurses to serve on the Maheno. As news of the devastating number of soldiers wounded at Gallipoli reached New Zealand, the public was horrified and a public campaign raised money for the conversion of two passenger steam ships into modern hospital ships. The Maheno and the Marama were New Zealand’s first official hospital ships.

Upton left New Zealand on the Maheno’s second charter in January 1916. She was part of a medical contingent comprising seven doctors, 14 nurses (the only women on board) and around 65 orderlies. The Maheno had nursing capacity for 600 wounded soldiers, but in action they often carried 1600 patients.

The Battle of the Somme broke out two days before the Maheno was due in Southampton. The ship was diverted into the mined English Channel to collect the first contingent of wounded from the battlefield. While Winifred was on the

Maheno, it made 14 dangerous crossings of the channel, transporting more than 14,000 men from the front line.

Life on the ship was not easy or pleasant. Each voyage was over-capacity, cramped, unsanitary and dangerous. Many of personnel became ill due to the conditions on board. The wounded came straight from the fighting and were covered in mud, blood, gore and vermin, which spread to the personnel on board. The injuries the wounded suffered were horrific and a putrid stench pervaded the ship from the severe wounds, intensified by the overcrowding and confined space.

The working conditions were difficult and the medical staff worked hard. After four months, there were enough wounded Kiwi soldiers in England to fill a ship, and the Maheno set sail for home.

After her war service, Upton returned to nursing at the Whangarei Hospital. She later became matron at Kawakawa’s Bay of Islands Hospital and this remarkable woman retired around 1933.

Volunteers Needed

The Kauri Museum is seeking volunteers to assist with the running of the museum. If you are interested in joining the team, working in any department, please phone Marion Walsh on 021 823 944 or email marion.walsh@kaurimuseum,com

Underwater hockey player rises to national heights

Mahurangi College deputy head girl

Charlotte O’Connor, 17, has won a place in the New Zealand women’s underwater hockey squad, which will compete at the World Championships in Australia in July.

New Zealand will be defending the title it won at the championships in Quebec, Canada in 2018.

As the youngest member on the squad, O’Connor says she is looking forward to consolidating her place in the side.

The selection process started with trials last August. Over successive camps, numbers were whittled down to the final team of 12, plus two non-travelling reserves, which was announced at the start of this month. While normally a goalie in the school team, O’Connor will play on the wing in the NZ side.

The elite women’s team is coached by underwater hockey veteran Rebecca Brosnan.

Most of the players are either from Wellington or Auckland, and are in their late 20s or early 30s.

O’Connor says training with the NZ squad offers more room for improvement.

“It’s easy to get into the habit of playing in set ways,” she says. “Our coach challenges us to think of other formations, bring better precision tactics to our game and to strategise. It keeps the game interesting.”

O’Connor started playing underwater hockey in 2018 after watching her brother Ryan competing.

“I love it. Playing seemed to come naturally; it seemed to draw on the skills I’d learned from other sports like netball. Underwater hockey is also a small community of players, so it’s a bit like being part of a big family.”

O’Connor has two more training camps before leaving for Australia. She says her preparation also involves a lot of fitness training out of the pool, including strength training three times a week.

“Height is an asset in the game, but the really good players are the ones who can surface and dive quickly to be as effective as possible under the water.”

Underwater hockey involves teams of six, pushing a puck to a sunken goal at the end of the pool, “a bit like ice hockey but under water”. Each player is armed with a stick, as well as fins, mask, gloves, mouthguard and snorkel.

NZ will be up against teams from Australia, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia, but O’Connor thinks Great Britain will be their toughest rival. They finished second behind NZ at the last world championships.

The World Championships will be held at the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre, from July 18 to 30.

24 Advanced care planning, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

27 Auditions for Warkworth Theatre production, The Ghost Train, Warkworth Town Hall, 7-9pm

27 Gibbs Farm Tour, fundraiser for Restore Rodney East, 10am-2pm. General admission $85. Info & tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gibbs-farm-restorerodney-east-fundraiser-tickets-602062534247

28 Tea & Talk: 100 Years of Warkworth’s Temperance Hotel, Warkworth Museum, 10am. All welcome; $5 entry. Bookings essential: Warkworthmuseum@ xtra.co.nz

28&29 Garage sale, Warkworth Methodist Church, cnr Hexham and Church Hill, 9am1.30pm

29 30th annual Lifeguard Longboard Nationals, Mangawhai Heads, from 8am. Must be a qualified lifeguard to take part.

29 Auditions for Warkworth Theatre production, The Ghost Train, Warkworth Town Hall, 10am-12pm

29 The Marine Corps Forces Band of the Pacific free concert, Warkworth Museum, 11.30-12.30pm (see story p22)

29 Les Voisins presented by Warkworth Music in partnership with Chamber Music New Zealand, Warkworth Town Hall, 4-6pm (see story p21)

30 Puhoi Village Market, Riverside Park, 9am-1pm. Live music, stalls, treasures, food and the Community Table produce and plants. To book a $20 stall space, phone Jenny on 020 4020 6154

30 Point Wells annual general meeting, Point Wells Hall, 4pm (see brief p18)

May

1 Beef+Lamb NZ workshop on trees on farms, Kaiwaka (see story p32)

3 Warkworth Liaison Group meeting, downstairs meeting room at Warkworth RSA, Mill Lane, 7pm

6 Matakana Wellness Hub Connections Day, Matakana small hall, from 1pm. Meet your local therapists and try some free mini sessions

6 Variety Concert, Warkworth Town Hall, 6pm. Flood fundraiser organised by Warkworth Rotary and Warkworth Lions (see story p22)

8 Enduring Power of Attorney/Residential care transition, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

8 Matakana Community Meeting, Matakana Hall, 7pm – what does community resilience look like? All welcome (see story p15)

11 Warkworth Hockey Club agm, ITSS Engineering, 24 Morrison Dv, 6pm. All welcome

12 Warkworth Bowls auction, 6- 8pm. Items to be auctioned include a 24-speed road bike in near-new condition, an 8-speed ladies road bike also hardly used and an Ozito weedeater used only once, along with several small lots for the silent auction. Tickets $10, which covers the band and nibbles. Available by contacting John Hurdley on 021 994 968

12-14 Cats, Warkworth Town Hall, presented by Glass Ceiling Arts Collection (see story p21) co.nz

15 Low Vision Support Group, Summerset Falls Village, Warkworth, 1.30pm. All welcome. Info: enquiries@mcdonaldadams.

18 Pink Ribbon brunch, Warkworth Town Hall, 10am-1pm (see story p20)

19 Quiz Night, fundraiser for Warkworth Primary School junior campus (see story p22)

20 Wedding Dresses through the Decades, Whangaparaoa College, 3pm. Fundraiser for harbour Hospice (see brief p23)

20 Wedding Dresses through the Decades, Whangaparaoa College auditorium, 3pm (see story p23)

21 Puhoi Sports Club annual general meeting, 2pm

22 Support for Seniors, Warkworth Library, 10.30am-12 noon. Presented by Paddy Sullivan, Age Concern Rodney.

IF

WANT

Warkworth Town Hall has been a centre of community life for Warkworth, Kaipara and the Matakana Coast for over 100years. The recently renovated hall and facilities are available for everyone in the Mahurangi community to hire. In the entranceway to the Warkworth Hall stands an octagonal memorial to the members of our local community who fought in the Great Wars. It lists the towns and villages in our community whose men and women 'signed up', were all farewelled and some welcomed home - at Warkworth Town Hall. 100 years on, the residents and families of these same communities have contributed to the restoration of this important local building, through their rates and donations.

Saturday 27th May, 10am-2pm next to Warkworth Butchery