Latest From: David Verran

Military engineers and their contribution to Devonport

I recently read Peter Cooke’s book ‘War by the spade; how the Royal New Zealand Engineers built a...

By: David Verran
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issue 101 august 2019

Jim and Geoff Smale, the next generation

James Henry (Junior), or Jim, was born to William John and Aroha Smale on 8 January 1916. The Smale family say that...

By: David Verran
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issue 99 june 2019

James Smale and ‘Smale Brothers’, to the 1940s

James Smale was born around 1859 in Launceston, Devon, and arrived in New Zealand around 1879. He was the fourth...

By: David Verran
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issue 98 may 2019

Henry ‘Harry’ Hopper Adams (1851-1928) and Takapuna

Despite a poor education, and with no formal engineering qualifications, Henry Hopper Adams became a mine manager...

By: David Verran
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issue 97 april 2019

Benefitz