George Warren Edmeades
George Warren Edmeades was born in 1888 in Wanganui to Robert and Bessie Edmeades. While he was young, the family moved to Petone, where he attended school, and possibly encountered the Strand family who were also settled in the area.
George Warren was apprenticed as a plumber after leaving school, and completed his training after 7 years. In 1912 he married Rosanna Strand, and the couple made their first home in Morrinsville. George Warren was employed as a plumber by the building firm of Watts and Brayshaw. While there, the couple attended services at the Baptist Church. In 1920 George Warren had acquired the necessary funds to purchase land, and took up a mortgage on a farm in Tapapa Road, Putaruru (which is now called White's Road). However, he continued working as a plumber for financial reasons, including doing the plumbing on the first house built in Arapuni Village. The Putaruru Press noted in his obituary in 1977 that "He was known to make 2 tanks in a day, and dig a sump hole before lunch." George Warren and Rosanna were instrumental in the founding of the Baptist Church in Putaruru, which was built on a section he donated for this purpose. George Warren was also a lifetime member of the Temperance movement. Alongside his work as a plumber and on the farm, George Warren was also heavily involved in the local community. He was a member of the Farmer's Union, served on the School Committee of Putaruru School, and an early member of the Putaruru A&P Society. George Warren died in 1977 aged 90, and is buried in Putaruru. |