Today in NZ history- 18/06/1895 - Minnie Dean goes on trialMinnie Dean's trial for murdering a baby placed in her care began at the Invercargill Supreme Court. The 'Winton baby-farmer' was found guilty three days later and hanged on 12 August.
- 19/06/1940 - Niagara sunk by German mines off NorthlandThe Second World War arrived in New Zealand with a bang when the trans-Pacific liner Niagara was sunk by a German mine off the Northland coast. All 349 people on board were rescued.
- 20/06/1987 - All Blacks win the first World CupWith Michael Jones, John Kirwan and captain David Kirk scoring tries, the All Blacks defeated France 29-9 at Eden Park, Auckland. Kirk became the first All Black captain to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
- 20/06/1943 - US Navy tragedy at PaekākārikiTen United States Navy personnel were drowned off the Paekākāriki coast near Wellington during a beach landing exercise.
- 18/06/1895 - Minnie Dean goes on trial
Monthly Archives: March 2009
Truth in wine description
Winemakers and wine critics are responsible for some of the most pretentious crap that ever flowed out of a word processor. But I did enjoy these descriptions from a Marlborough winemaker. Each starts with the usual tosh, then degenerates into … Continue reading
Posted in English language, Wine
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Martinborough Fair
Martinborough’s famous fair attracts many thousands of people to the town on the first Saturday of February and March every year. There’s plenty of tat and junk, as in the photo above, but there’s good stuff too – you just … Continue reading
Posted in Fairs and markets, Martinborough, Wairarapa
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Samuel Pepys
Yesterday a colleague told me one of his daily joys was reading the diary of Samuel Pepys. Every day my colleague gets an email containing the ‘current’ diary entry (the correct month and day, but from three and a half … Continue reading
New kitten coming up
Parents of the Burmese kitten that may take over our lives from around early July. We visited the breeder in Upper Hutt last Sunday. Mum and Dad were mated last week and kittens are due on 25 April. They could … Continue reading
Posted in Burmese cats, Cats
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