By Geraldine Dunwoodie
If the skeletons in the closet are something that interest you, you should get your hands on some of the ‘True Tales’ publications. Compiled and edited for the last ten years by Geraldine Dunwoodie, a long-time resident of Thames, these are the stories that locals have written, and often contain some unexpected surprises!
Each of the stories has a maximum limit of 1,500 words and can be about anything related to the location on which the book is based. “This means that anyone who has a story about the area and its people, and is willing to put it in writing, can tell their story. It’s sometimes not the same memory that someone else has about the same event.” Geraldine says.
“No two people see the same event the same way. There have been one or two slightly differing opinions, and it’s meant we have had to develop a more robust disclaimer regarding the stories.”
“We accept the stories as they are given to us, and we don’t edit them. We aim to make sure that the author’s voice is authentic”.
With nine True Tales books in print now, the original idea came from the Coromandel Town History Research Group, which published three True Tales books. The Treasury trustee Sue Wright had been in this Coromandel group, and she twisted Geradine’s arm to learn more about the wider region. When this group disbanded, they left The Treasury a generous financial bequest, ensuring that there would be sufficient funds to continue reprinting these books.
New books continue to be produced, and with all the money going back into the publishing fund, it’s a safe bet that there will be True Tales books on the bookseller’s shelves for many years to come.
“The Treasury Publishing Group, which also organises the book launches, keeps in touch with the booksellers and posts out purchased books, are all volunteers from The Treasury. When the publishing fund reaches an amount we deem sufficient, and we have a stable reserve for future books, we can donate back to the operating fund for The Treasury. We owe a big thank you to the community for supporting us, both by contributing stories to the books and purchasing them. In this process, we have gathered a fascinating snapshot of local history on a wide variety of topics from people who may never have thought to see themselves in print. These are the stories which aren’t told in the newspapers or the history books and contain photos which may always remain in the family.”
The next book, which is in the final stages of printing, is ‘True Tales of the Paeroa Ward’. Geraldine says, “This book has been many years in the making. The stories trickled in slowly for years, and suddenly a couple of Paeroa locals started contacting friends, family and genealogy groups, and many more stories came in as a result, including one from Ireland. It was a fabulous community effort.” The book launch will be held in Paeroa on 17 October at 5:00 p.m at The Refinery, a landmark building featured in one of the stories.
“Our family has a connection to Paeroa, and a very personal connection to the book aside from the production side of things. My late husband’s father operated the Belmont Milk Bar when Morrie was a child, and the family lived in the tiny accommodation out the back. Towards the end of 2024, having asked his sister, Joy, for Paeroa stories with no luck, my daughter and I decided to visit Joy with the intent of asking about the family’s time in Paeroa. Her stories were wonderful, and we recorded her speaking about her Paeroa days, later writing them up as a True Tales story for the Paeroa book. Joy’s health declined, and in May 2025, when visiting her in a care home with my daughter and my grandchildren, I read her the story we had put together.
It was a very special moment for the next generation to hear a part of her story and have a chat about it. A few months later, after Joy’s death and at her memorial celebrations, her daughter had printed out copies of the story, and they were on all the tables around the venue. Friends and family were able to reflect on her early life. It was not an expected outcome from collecting Joy’s story, but it was a very special one to the family.”
To purchase copies of True Tale publications and to see the complete list of the books, call into The Treasury, 705 Queen Street, Thames or online from their bookshop or from selected local bookstores.
