The former mining town of Waronui may be long gone but the memory of those who worked, lived and died there will live on after a ceremony there yesterday.
More than 60 descendants of former mine workers and landowners gathered at a spot once occupied by a railway line that led to the coal mine, to see unveiled a plaque commemorating the former township and the lives of two miners who died there in 1930.
Waronui was once a busy coalmine near Toko Mouth Rd and linked to Milton about 9km away by railway, but until recently, there was nothing to remind visitors of the mine and its history.
Dunedin woman Daphne Lowery, whose grandfather, William Reay, owned the land occupied by the mine, was determined to see the township's memory preserved, and especially to remember mine manager Joseph Morris and worker James Carruthers who died in an mining accident there in 1930.
Descendants of the Reay, Carruthers and Morris families were among those who gathered at the unveiling, staged at a specially created lay-by where a large rock, donated by the Clutha District Council, carries a commemorative plaque.
Mrs Lowery was 2 years old at the time of the tragedy and said a desire to see the township remembered had become more of a priority in the past few years.
Clutha Mayor Juno Hayes said it was very important to remember the history of the district.
Mr Hayes paid tribute to Mrs Lowery and others who were responsible for making such an effort to have Waronui remembered.
