Furlong Street (Hāwera)

Furlong Street in central Hāwera is named after a former mayor of the town.

William Joseph Furlong was born in Ireland about 1838. After he came to New Zealand, he married Annie Bradley in 1874 and the couple settled in Pātea. Furlong operated a store in the town and purchased property in the area.

When Annie died in 1879, Furlong returned to Ireland where, the following year, he married Catherine Wall.

On his return to New Zealand in April 1881, he began working as a self-employed Land and Commission agent in Hāwera. Well known around the town, he was elected chairman of the Town Board. Hāwera was eventually declared a borough and, in 1884, Furlong was elected as the town’s mayor. He served a single term, after which he moved to Manaia and opened a store there.

Furlong owned several residential and commercial properties and, by the late 1880s, was able to retire from business and return to Ireland. Eventually though, he needed to return to New Zealand to manage the properties. It appears Catherine and the children remained in Ireland at the time.

In late 1890, feeling unwell, he went to New Plymouth to see a doctor. He was suffering from heart disease. After a few days, his condition suddenly deteriorated one evening. Aware his time was nearing an end, he cried out “My God, a change is coming on” and died a few minutes later. He was fifty-two years old.

William Furlong was buried in the Hawera cemetery alongside his first wife Annie. His second wife, Catherine, remained in Ireland and died in 1936.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.