My Speech

Have you ever been past the Kohi Rd ?, just out of Waverly. Turned down that road and on to the Moeawatea Valley road. Well I`ve been going there since I was four

 . My place is the Moe, land that my great Uncle Ernie farmed for 60 years.

 

 Uncle Ernie was one of five boys, Ernie, Fred, Owen, Ray and Mervyn. Ernie's name is Ernest Frank Matthews. He was named after his two uncles Ernest and  Frank who fought in WW1. His parents were Les and Hilda Matthews. Uncle Ernie never married and he lived in the Moe all by himself, he was known as a hermit.

 

It was only about 2 years ago when he was about 84 that he came to live with us. Not long after that he died aged 85. He was buried in the Moe where he had planted Kauri tree ten years before.

 

 On the way into the Moe we always see at least 10 goats but sometimes we see more than 50. You could even see a deer if your lucky enough. Every time we go in we always go on a walk. last time all the kids walked along the ridge track. We saw a baby goat and we caught it.

 

 My Dad takes me hunting. I got my first goat in the Moe and I`ve gotten many more since then. Sometimes Mum and I take the horses. We ride them around, down the tracks and when they get sweaty we take them to the creek and wash them. I love being in the Moe. We stay in a house without power but we use head torches. In Maori Moeawatea means sleep in the daytime, which is what some of the adults do.

 

 To Me

Uncle Ernie is a legend farming in a remote place and leaving us a legacy that my family and friends enjoy being a part of. The Moeawatea is My Place.