Early history of Whanganui people in new book

FOLKS: Alan Burnett focuses on people in his new book Early Whanganui. PICTURE / PAUL BROOKS

Author Alan Burnett rather liked what historian James Woon did more than a century ago when he wrote about the individuals that made up the community of early Whanganui, so Alan took a similar approach for his new book Early Whanganui.
Alan grew up in Hunterville but, during a lengthy stay in Australia, when asked, would say he was from Whanganui, finding that a lot of people actually knew where that was. Mind you, he was educated at Wanganui Collegiate as a boarder, and if he mentioned "cold water and rotten food", it was only in passing. His father and grandfather attended Collegiate before him.
Now Alan has written a book about the town he once claimed to be from, a town to which he and his ancestors have contributed a great deal.
Alan's book was launched at the recent AGM of the Whanganui Regional Heritage Trust, held in the Grand Hotel, where he spoke about its conception, development and eventual publication.
He began by saying what it pleasure it was to be able to speak to such a large and knowledgeable audience.
The packed room featured a few published writers and many amateur historians.
"I was inspired by my cousin Robin (Burnett) Ward who wrote the chapter on Oneida in Historic Houses of the North Island," said Alan. Robin also researched the Burnett family history, finding an account of the arrival in Whanganui in 1856 of Joseph and Mary Burnett, Alan's great-great-grandparents, and their son Cornelius.
Alan's book is divided by chronology, briefly discussing the period before European settlement, then moving on through the town's history, with names of its settlers and Maori inhabitants in bold.
Although the book grew from an interest in his own family, Alan realised the book could not be so specific, so it became a book about Whanganui and its many influential people.
"In my case the names are Hair, Burnett, Burr, McWilliam and Alexander, which, nowadays, is an enormously extended family. "James Woon brought to life a lot of what went on. He had a very easy way about people, and some of it is quite amusing."
Alan worked with the subheadings of "Assaults, Arrivals and Achievements", under which broad categories he interpreted and documented the early history of Whanganui.
To put the book in its conceptual perspective, Alan has included a Family links section at the back, wherein his own family connections to Whanganui are outlined in detail. Some of the pages feature letters by his ancestor settlers and an intriguing account of life in the new town by Cornelius Burnett - written in 1887 - and Annie Bramwell, which she wrote in 1931 at the age of 80. She wrote her account for the New Zealand Historical Society, Wanganui branch newsletter, and it has since been reprinted in Lakes District of Wanganui. Such personal viewpoints put history in human terms and make fascinating reading.
Hinemoa Ransom-Boyd was in the large audience and Alan thanked her personally for the input from the printers, H&A Print, of which Hinemoa is partner with her husband, Ed Boyd.
Early Whanganui by Alan Burnett retails for $25 and is available from H&A in Purnell St and Paige's Book Gallery in Guyton St.