Thank you
The Mahurangi West Hall Management Committee was delighted to receive a generous bequest from the estate of a well-known local identity and historian, Beverly Simmons of Warkworth. Bev and her husband Ron bought the then deserted and derelict home, Riverina, at the corner of Hepburn Creek and Wilson Roads in Warkworth in 1969. During the 1970s they restored the house and added 4 hectares, which Bev then farmed. Bev moved to Warkworth in 1987 after Ron’s death and died there on 23rd November 2018 aged 90 years.
Bev was a real character and was committed to researching and publicising Warkworth’s history, and her work is archived in both the National Library and the Auckland University Library collections.
Bev was also actively involved in the restoration of the Warkworth Town Hall, and her research, and application to the Historical Places Trust for a listing for the Town Hall, saw the hall awarded a Category 1 listing. Bev also worked for the Warkworth and Districts Museum and in support of the Jane Gifford restoration.
Ever willing to share her knowledge of Mahurangi history, Bev invested a lot of time in finding some of the wonderful historical photographs which add so much to Ron Locker’s book, Jade River: a history of the Mahurangi, which was published in 2001 by Friends of the Mahurangi.