Jessie lived in Waipukurau nearly all her life, and the book contains her recollections of people, activities and businesses in the town - and also material from some of her friends.
As a contribution to Waipukurau's 150th, Jessie's family made the manuscript available to be published, with proceeds to go towards projects of the Central Hawke's Bay Settlers Museum.
The book recalls many of the early businesses, and one of them - Winlove's, still operates today in Waipukurau. It began as a hardware and ironmongery store.
Jessie said the only thing they didn't seem to supply back then was groceries and drapery.
The Winloves were close to Henry Russell's paternal vision of the town, and many employees lived in houses owned by the firm.
"Waipukurau didn't bother much with Greenwich mean time," said Jessie. "It was Winlove's whistle which ruled the day - when work started, when work finished."
Many parents let their children play until Winlove's loud 5pm factory whistle blew, and then children would be rushing home from all directions.
A town character was Mr Gordon Gideon, who was both a chemist and veterinary chemist.
Miss Annie McLean owned a bookstore a few doors from Gordon. She was a very proper and straight-laced elderly Scottish lady.
Gordon once called out to Annie when he spotted copies of Truth protruding from her bicycle: "I'm surprised to see you with that terrible paper, Truth. I didn't think you would sell such a gossip."
Annie replied: "Indeed, Mr Gideon, the papers that I sell in my shop are nothing compared to the things you sell in your shop. You should be ashamed of handling such things."
As Jessie was a nurse who worked in the former Waipukurau Hospital she recalls valuable history relating to its past, it having started as a small cottage hospital in 1879.
Small towns such as Waipukurau and Dannevirke once had their own hospitals, which have long disappeared. Nurses were trained at the hospital from 1923.
In the late 1930s the hospital became the specialist chest-surgery hospital for the North Island, where visiting surgeons carried out complex operations.
Writing about its decline in the early 1990s, Jessie reflected: "Our hospital has always paid its way and kept up with good equipment in all its departments.
"However, because others have not and because it is not big enough, it has been merged ... so it is to be stripped of equipment and staff. I don't doubt it will soon be just a memory."
The hospital closed for good in 1999.
Jessie's book is a rare and refreshing glimpse into the early social history of a small town in New Zealand.
Differences in people were tolerated more as being different in character, and while some teasing of them took place, it was generally good-hearted.
Although the book mentions some troubled periods such as the Great Depression, the reader gets the sense of an uncomplicated way of life then in a close-knit country town, which I thought rather refreshing by today's more wired and complex world.
The Central Hawke's Bay Settlers Museum at 23 High St, Waipawa, has for sale copies of Fading Memories – Waipukurau – Our town in the 1920 to 1935 Era by the late Jessie McKenzie Hamlin. Price $30.
The book can also be purchased at Paper Plus Waipukurau, Paper Plus Taradale, Paper Plus Hastings, Take Note Havelock North.
• Michael Fowler is taking a walking and bus tour, and other rail and walking tours of Hastings Art Deco during the Tremains 2018 Art Deco Festival. Bookings at iTicket. He is also speaking at 10am, Friday, February 16, at the Century Theatre, MTG, on the topic "Post 1931 Marine Parade: The beginning of Napier's Playground". Entry by gold coin donation.
• Michael Fowler (mfhistory@gmail.com) is an EIT accounting lecturer, and in his spare time a recorder of Hawke's Bay's history.
