My Account
Among the first to uphold the law in the Mahurangi district were Special Constable J A Brown and his successor Michael William Munro.
An indication that most of the settlers were law-abiding is the number oforganizations in which Mr Munro had time to be actively engaged.
As secretary of the Races Committee and starter for the Caledonian Sports he played a dual role. It is recorded he quickly nipped illegal gambling in the bud. He was a member of the Highway Board, involved in hall and school committees and first secretary of the Masonic Lodge.
From his home on the river he ran the Cragieburn post office.
Even the indefatigable Mr Munro had his critics. A letter was sent in 1873 requesting a member of the Armed Constabulary be stationed at Warkworth. The reply made it clear there were higher priorities. It was another nine years before Constable N Mcleod was appointed at a salary of £11-8s per month.
The parliamentary estimates of October, 1879, allowed for a courthouse to be built at Warkworth. On completion in 1880, Justices of the Peace presided there over a Court of Petty Sessions and the annual granting of licences to sell liquor.
For some years the building bore the legend 1912, but painters in more recent times found 1880 visible beneath the paint layers.
There was a move in the 1940s to have the courthouse demolished.
Wartime restrictions on new buildings led to restoration rather than destruction. In 1982, alterations were made to bring the colonial structure into modern usefulness.
