Page 107 - Volume 1

There were 7 houses in
the village, built for the
married men who were
contracted by Downer &
Company to convert the
abandoned underground mine
into an open-cast venture.
Single workers had their own
huts. Shower and kitchen
facilities were situated
across from the houses.
Shown here are five of the
homes. There was a fire hose
stationed on the fence-line
at each second house and was
used for much more than
potential firefighting. Here a
hose is shown drying on a fence-
line.
At the far end of the row can
be seen the tennis court, built
as a recreational area. Not very
much use was
made of the facility
and the associated
building (inset
below) was used as
an additional house.
Just over the rise in
the distance was
the Kimihia school,
about 10 lazy
minutes walk by
road or by paddock.

A view north along Russell Road from what is now
the McVie Road intersection.

One of the original Russell Road homesteads
(no longer standing).