Henderson Brothers Sawmill, Upper Kaimai (1936-1957) Part Two

 By John and Julie Green

Early single man’s hut

The Henderson Brothers sawmill and village were built in 1936 on what is now known as the Old Kaimai Road. The construction was under the leadership of Harry Christian who lived in the lower Kaimai. One of the first residents was a Finnish national, Eino Kinnunnen (known as Charlie Anderson), who was invited there to help establish and run the operation.  He had a family but left them back in Gisborne and lived in a single man’s hut across from the mill.

Typical mill house

They were promised the first completed house, but after six months they could wait no longer to be a family unit. They came north and the five of them squeezed into the tiny accommodation. Charlie Anderson was a fitter and blacksmith, and had skills as a farrier. He was also responsible for the repair of the second-hand four-sided planer that was purchased from Auckland, and for its operation during his time there.

Cookhouse under construction

Eventually there were half a dozen “huts” and 14 excellent two-bedroom homes for families plus a cookhouse and office. Elsie, wife of Fred Henderson, ran the store and postal agency for the first couple of years, followed by Alf’s wife Laura. Locals thought that school teacher Alan Simcock coped remarkably well with the sudden increase in his roll from 24 to 35.

Fred Henderson

As time went by, a tennis club was formed, using the court at the school. Just prior to the war a meeting was held by locals and a commitment made to build community hall. Timber was donated by the company, hardware by the farmers and labour by the mill staff. It was the centre of the community’s social life including fortnightly dance, with an excellent dance floor made from specially selected matai timber.

Esme Henderson on the “skids”

One of Charlie’s sons wrote an extensive memoir of their time there for a “bush” reunion held in 1988, portraying an idyllic life of playing in the bush and the stream that ran nearby. It was not without tragedy though as their beloved dog was killed by one of the bush trams, and they took many a risk around the water. Fred’s daughter Esme, now 96, was there for two years as a ten- and eleven-year-old. She felt she was extremely well educated at the school, and when they moved to Matamata she was way ahead of her new school mates. She speaks very fondly of her time “up the Kaimai.”

Two single men’s huts (note concrete chimneys and timber stack)

Jean Cole (daughter of Roy and Dorothy Henderson, who were in residence for about nine years) remembers:

“Life at Kaimai was happy and carefree. There was a block of bush behind the mill houses, bordered by the new through road, which was our playground. We were free to roam between meals - the sound of a whistle being blown was the signal for the Simcock children to go home, and for the Roy Henderson family it was a cowbell. There was always someone to remind us that they could hear the cowbell and Mum wanted us home. When we heard we were to move to Tauranga there were many tears from the children, but our mother was very happy as she had struggled for years to dry the many nappies on the clothesline … blown about dreadfully and often rained on. Life by the beach in Tauranga was far easier for her.”

The village across the road from Henderson’s Mill

After the mill ceased operation in 1957, some of the homes were removed to Greerton and refurbished. The community hall was moved twice, eventually finding a new home at the Lower Kaimai School, where it is still in use. Only one house remains near the old mill site. The Henderson’s Tramline walking track nearby is nowadays managed by the Department of Conservation.

Sources

Memories of the time we lived at Upper Kaimai, 1936-1945, by Eddy Anderson
Henderson Mill, a Landmark, by Ron Lipinski, Bay of Plenty Times, 25/10/2006
Sawmilling Days in the King Country and Kaimai Range from 1933-1945, by Dorothy Henderson
Recollections of the Henderson Timber Company’s Mill, by Dorothy Henderson
More Recollections of Mill Operations, by Bob Henderson (appeared in a 1988 booklet, Kaimai Revisited - 75th Jubilee of the Kaimai School)
The Era of the Bush Tram in New Zealand, by Paul Mahoney, Transpress, 2004
Personal recollections of Jean Cole (daughter of Roy Henderson) and Esme Crawford (daughter of Fred Henderson)
Help with initial images Bill Coster, long time Kaimai Resident
Images courtesy of the Cole family
All images provided by Jean Cole and Esme MacDonald