Sweet memories of festivals

Re: ‘The Days the Bay was Orange' (The Weekend Sun, January 20). I enjoyed reading about the article in your newspaper about when Tauranga held an annual Orange Festival. It is a time I also remember, as Iris Stockwell does.

There is just one small part of the article I'd like to correct – the route taken by the Orange Festival Parade in those first few years.

I was an Orange Festival Princess in 1961, the first year of the festival and can be seen in the background in the green dress of the photograph which accompanied the article.

In 1961 - and possibly for the ensuing two years at least - the parade started on Cameron Rd outside the racecourse and proceeded down Cameron Rd to the Tauranga Domain where the festivities were held.

This photograph with the article was taken at the domain after all the floats had arrived and the ‘Queen' was presented with her crown. It was in later years that the procession was reversed and later still it was shortened, as Iris remembers.

Over the years as the festival grew in popularity Tauranga became a sister city to the city of San Bernardino, California and the festival queens exchanged visits as part of their prize. The festival became a very popular event and with an increasing number of floats entered each year competition was fierce.

As your article stated, it was a great event organised by local businesswoman Ada Parnwell and continued for many years.

T Simpson, Tauranga City.

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