Whiting Street (Eltham)

The naming of Whiting Street helped resolve a confusing situation in Eltham that had existed for at least the previous fifty years.

Today few people know that for a long time Eltham had two Moir Streets. There was the present one, developed in 1905 and described in a previous ‘Word on the Street’ article. However some years earlier, in the late 1800s, Railway Street – that section north of Bridge Street – had been called Moir Street. Perhaps that was because for a few years George Moir owned the nearby Railway Hotel?

Two Moir Streets caused obvious confusion. But there was certainly no rush to make changes. Only in September, 1950, did the council resolve to change the name of the first Moir Street, located beside the railway line.

Arthur Whiting was a carpenter and one of Eltham’s earliest settlers. Perhaps his first public role was on the organizing committee of the very popular Axemen’s Carnivals, held in Eltham in the early 1900s. The event rapidly became a special feature of the Eltham sporting calendar. In later years Whiting went on to gain election to the Eltham Borough Council. He was chairman of the Reserves committee and deputy mayor for some years.

Whiting died in June, 1950. It’s likely he knew before his death that the council intended to rename part of Moir Street to acknowledge his contribution to the town’s early development.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.