Castlepoint Station - Centennial of Estate of CA Johnson March 1976

The following is a photographic account of the rehearsal of the reenactment of the first landing at Castlepoint Station in 1876 to celebrate the centennial of the Estate of CA Johnson. The full rehearsal on Tuesday 16 March was filmed by TV One (now TVNZ) and screened in Today At One on Friday 19th March. The reenactment, with Douglas (Doug) Falconer as the bullocky (providing and working the bullock team) and Ernest (Ernie) Falconer as the wrangler, and acting as liaison for the TV producer, was held on Saturday 20 March 1976. The front page coverage in The Wairarapa Times on the following Monday reported that "The spectacle, was watched by about 4000 people attending the annual race meeting on the beach, was part of the Castlepoint centenary celebrations." The newspaper reported on the beach race results on an inside page.

As stores and supplies were also shipped into the station in the early days, the lighter made two runs. The first run to deliver stores and collect bales of wool from the station for export; the second to deliver the landing settlers. The stores shipped in were necessities for early farming development such as grass seed, wire and a bundle of slasher handles for the station as well as a keg for the pub!

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