The wonderful town of Winton

Jack Tame opinion

By Jack Tame

Published: 8:23AM Monday February 02, 2009 Source: ONE News

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You may or may not have seen it. That Kiwibank ad, it's on TV all the time, the one where Winton gets a mention.

Winton doesn't get many mentions, and even though the lady on the ad makes that point abundantly clear - "Winton - wherever that is" - I think a large proportion of Wintonites are pretty stoked just to hear their town's name.

For those who are geographically challenged, Winton's a top spot.

Nestled right down "in the bowels of Southland", it's about a half hour drive inland from Invercargill. The population is well over 2,000, with a pub or two and an outstanding bakery.

I don't get to Winton that much, and until this week I hadn't been for a few years. From my home in Christchurch, it's a seven or eight hour drive, and from Dunedin (where I've been filling in for the past couple of days) it's a good 2.5 hour stretch.

Somewhat unfortunately, Winton's best-known past inhabitant isn't someone the locals like to boast about too much.

Minnie Dean, the only woman ever hanged in New Zealand, was buried in the Winton cemetery back in 1895 after she was convicted of infanticide. Her life, legal case and history are all extremely mysterious and debatable. Although some people consider her innocent, she was convicted of killing one baby and suspected of killing several more.

I don't wish to enter the debate as to whether she was wrongly convicted, as I simply don't know enough about her or her case, but since her hanging, her body's been in an unmarked grave in the Winton cemetery, just over the fence from where she lived.

The mere fact that her grave was never marked shows how strongly the people of Winton still feel about Minnie Dean. Some locals I spoke to believe she was an evil baby killer whose memory hurts the town's image, a murderer who doesn't deserve to be remembered with a headstone.

Others believe her story has now become more of a legend and her grave a quirky part of the area's history - even a tourist attraction.

The debate came to a head at the end of last year, when a distant relative of Minnie Dean approached the local community board and was granted permission to erect a headstone at her gravesite. From his home in Scotland, he didn't want to enter any debate. He just wanted a simple plaque to identify his relative.

That plaque was due to be installed in the next few days, but before it was in the ground, the tale of Minnie Dean took another twist.

One night last week, some mysterious person installed their own headstone.

Reading "Minnie Dean is part of Winton's history, where she lies is now no mystery", the headstone was dug in without permission from the local council or community board, and without consent from Dean's relative in Scotland.

Nobody claims to have any idea who installed the stone, but it had been professionally produced, and probably cost in excess of $1,000. Needless to say it won't last long. Any day the stone will be removed and replaced by the plaque the family wants.

It is 114 years since Minnie Dean was executed. Though every aspect of her story is debatable, I think it's fascinating.

The tale of Minnie Dean is a rich piece of Winton's history - who knows what its next twist might be?

I just hope I'm there for the next chapter. Any excuse to stop in for a yarn with the Winton locals has got to be good!

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