Leigh cuppa goes down well

Millie Henry has a go at churning butter. The Aucklander was in Leigh visiting her grandmother, Ellen Cole.

The historical display included the original dress worn by Jessie Matheson when she arrived in Matheson Bay, on the Spray, in 1859, aged 26. Jessie died in Leigh in 1900, aged 67. The dress was loaned to the Leigh High Tea organisers by the Warkworth Museum.

A high tea in Leigh on November 30 raised $1100 for improvements to the Leigh Hall kitchen.

About 90 locals and visitors attended, enjoying a range of home-baked sweets and savouries, all served on borrowed fine bone china.

The event also included a historic display featuring people and events in Leigh’s past.

Organiser Helen Parkes says that based on the success of the day, the tea is likely to become an annual event in tandem with Auckland Heritage Week.

“The Leigh Community Club and Leigh Hall Committees combined to create this event to showcase our hall facility, allow people to take a spell from the hustle of daily life and see a touch of our local past,” Helen says. “I think we achieved this and managed to do some community building as well.”