I have just completed a bio for my grandfather Martin Riordan. He bought a farm in Hurford Rd, Omata, Taranaki about 1910-11, and lived there for a decade or so before moving into town in 1921. He was there during a time when 'District News' from Hurford Rd commonly featured in the local New Plymouth newspaper, and this added interesting 'flavour' to his bio. There are the various committees he was on- for instance he was chairman of the School Committee- but there are also some more 'offbeat' snippets.
In 1917, his bull earned a trip to the meat works after it gored several of his horses overnight. (TDN 28 Feb 1917)
In 1915 he was taken to court for failing to control the ragwort and
blackberry on his property, and that brought to light the sad fact that
his wife had been ill and away on holiday. (TDN 6 May 1915)
It wasn't uncommon to find that he was thanked for playing music at some community event or other. (TDN 27 Oct 1920)
Sadly, only a few months after leaving the farm, he died after contracting influenza. He had attended an event on Hurford Rd not long before his relatively sudden death, which left the rural community shocked. (TDN 5 Sept 1921).
As was typical of those times "Mrs Riordan" was mentioned less often in the papers.
