Even Even the dogs have forgotten to bark: The events and the people of Lepperton, Sentry Hill and Waiongona

The Lepperton area was one of the early settlements of Taranaki. As the wars died down in the late 1860s civilians began to settle in the area that had been occupied by the Militia and the local Maori. The book “Even the Dogs Have Forgotten to Bark” tells of the early events of the area including some of the pre-European days, a story of murder, a dramatic kidnapping and the development of Taranaki’s first railway including a large railway workshop and an important refreshment stop on the main route between Auckland and Wellington (in Lepperton). Stories of the hardships of the early pioneers who had to strip off to cross rivers to get to New Plymouth, deal with forest fires, terrible roads, sickness and accidents are told. (Why did one of the early residents die from a seemingly insignificant sore toe?). The book tells of the development of the dairy industry’s three dairy factories in the area, the condensed milk industry that almost became an Australasian supplier, the growth of the local stores, the school, the community hall and the festivities held there, the churches, the butcher; the growth of a bullock wagon freighter to a nationwide carrying firm and the village in general. Sporting activities grew from the first challenge of the Militia to local and invited residents to a game of cricket, which became a two day event accompanied by a great feast, through to the array of fine sporting facilities in the village today. Colonel Lepper’s descendants are still in the area and the story of his and ninety other families who lived and worked in the district are all told in this comprehensive and very readable book which takes the story of the area from just before the first Pakeha settlement through to the present exciting growth of a large rural village that is happening today. While specific to this area it is also generic in that similar stories will have happened in rural areas all over New Zealand.