Tokoroa historian Elsie Monahan finishes South Waikato history trilogy

Elsie Monahan, a retired teacher and genealogist, has chronicled South Waikato's history. Photo / John Van de Ven

A passion for history and her community has inspired a South Waikato resident to chronicle the district’s stories.

Elsie Monahan, a retired teacher and genealogist, has been fascinated by history since she was a little girl, and decided to start documenting South Waikato’s history, from before the 1920s until the 1980s, nearly 10 years ago.

She published her first book in 2017 and recently published the final work of the trilogy.

Monahan has lived in South Waikato for almost her entire life, saying she “toddled into Putāruru” at the age of 2, before moving to Tokoroa.

As there was no secondary school in Tokoroa at the time, she continued her education at Putāruru High School before attending Ardmore Teachers Training College.

Monahan said there was a need for people to “respect” the past to “truly understand” South Waikato, however, in her understanding, not much of the district’s history had been recorded.

So, armed with pen and paper, she set out to document the district’s story herself.

Her literary history project started with Bedrock and Rail: South Waikato Pre-1920, followed by the second book Hard Times and Hope: South Waikato 1920–1950.

She recently completed her trilogy with Years of Growth: South Waikato 1950–1980, which explores the farming boom, the hydro dam projects and the development of the Kinleith pulp and paper mill.

In her view, those three projects “transformed” Tokoroa from a small village into what many described as “almost a city”.

The book also includes parts about the development of South Waikato’s diverse community and the successes of local people at national and international levels, particularly in sport.

At the age of 85, Monahan has been a part of the district’s history for a little while.

Among her strongest memories is the royal visit in 1953, when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip toured New Zealand.

Monahan was part of the crowd who gathered at the Tīrau Domain as the royal couple planted oak trees.

That part of the domain has since made way for State Highway 1, but the trees are still there – on the island in the roundabout at the southern entrance to Tīrau, alongside a monument placed by Raukawa Charitable Trust.

John Van de Ven is a photographer based in Tokoroa. Being a passionate local, he created the Facebook group Tokoroa History, which is dedicated to the stories and history of South Waikato people and businesses.