Kenmore Street

Kenmore Street is part of the Westown subdivision which featured in another word on the street. This block of land near Clawton Street was developed in the early 1960s by Mr C.W.H. Frank.

The developer, Mr Frank, had a son named Kenneth. It was his link with Penrith in New South Wales that gave rise to another of the subdivisions street names. 

It is thought that Kenmore is a portmanteau word that celebrates the marriage of Mr. Frank's only son. 

In 1958 Kenneth Frank married Jeanette Moore, probably here in New Plymouth. We assume that it was Mr Frank's idea to use the first three letters of his son's name, along with the last four letters (minus one o) of Jeanette's maiden name, to make Kenmore. 

As charming as this explanation appears - it is possible that the origin of this street's name could lie elsewhere. As with Penrith Street, there could be an Australian connection.  Kenmore is a suburb of Goulburn - a provincial city 190 kilometres southwest of Sydney. Brisbane also boasts a suburb called Kenmore, ten kilometres south-west of the city centre. 

Of course it is also possible that they saw the connection between both the place and the names. What better way to remember a couple that had shifted offshore? 

It is not known what happened to the newly married couple. They cannot be found on Taranaki electoral rolls so perhaps they left for Australia or quite possibly were already living there. Was this, as seems likely, in Penrith, or could it have been in a suburb in the city of Goulburn. Perhaps there is someone reading who knows the answer.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.