| Francis Trembath |
| Francis arrived in Auckland, New Zqaland, Saturday 26 December 1874 by the ship �Assaye,� with two of his brothers, Alfred, 20 and William Henry, 17. Francis was 18 years. He settled in Coromandel, at Thames. In 1880 commenced a dairy business on his own account. Fourteen years later he added a baking and confectionery business, which he has since successfully conducted in addition to the dairy. Mr Trembath first entered the Thames Borough Council in 1892, served for four years and after being out for two years, was again elected, and held office till returned unopposed as Mayor. Mr.Trembath is ex officio, chairman of the Board of governors of the Thames High School, and is also a trustee of the Thames Hospital and a member of the committee of the Thames Library and of the Harbour Board. Further notes on his term of Mayor, �for five years, during which the drainage of the Hauraki Plains, started the rise of dairying and the railway helped Thames through the dull years for mining. (On the Hauraki Plains, dairying did not start going on newly drained land till after the first ballots for settlers in 1910.) Timber and Kauri gum were of some assistance, while the Thames Coast began to attract visitors. Even so, the cry for 1901 was, �Where are we going to get the money?� Street house-keeping suffered to some extent. Trembath took over the used and untidy railway land by the Grahamstown (not Thames) railway station, an unused reserve. The Queen having died in 1901, the area was named Victoria Reserve, the nucleus of Victoria Park. During 1902 Thames Borough and County did some �reeling and writhing and fair �..ing in coils�� over a separate Waihi Hospital and Board. Waihi with its big gold production simply went ahead. But Thames continued to make some improvements to the town, in spite of lack of money. Carnegie was approached about a free library building, which would duly come to pass in 1905, and a modest memorial was made for South African war troupers. At the end of 1904 the steady Waiotahi mine opened up a bonanza, leading to the boom years of 1905-7 1905 began with wooden public baths to cost �1,234, and a general cleaning up of the town, including many collarless dogs. The Ward system was abolished, and elections were to be in April. Trembath lost by a small margin. His successor, Arch Burns, was able to capitalize on the foundation laid with an impressive list of achievements in prosperous times, such as the opening of the Carnegie Library on November 2, 1905, and on November 30 the public swimming baths. By the time he got on to a new public hall the Waiotahi gold production was slacking and the party was over. Burns had meanwhile done a good deal of improvement, including concreting of drains and water tables, which had not been affordable during Trembath�s time. |