Norm Petrie, Raglan’s well-known recycling artist, has moved to Taupo closer to other family members. As an iconic figure around Raglan his move has left a hole in our hearts. And not only has Norm moved but his former home at 2 Snowden Place has been completely demolished along with its manicured box hedge and his store of old tyres. Norm’s chookies that wandered around the edge of Main Rd and Snowden Place are nowhere to be seen and I hope they have found a good home. The days of Norm having a few spare eggs to sell are now gone. A regular entrant in the Raglan Best Garden competition he often won a prize for his manicured tree which he trimmed on a dangerous looking makeshift ladder.
Norm moved to Raglan as a boy in 1941 spending most of his life here. In recent years he is probably best remembered for the swans he made from car tyres partially split in half, splayed open and then painted white. As Norm got older he found the car tyres were too hard to work and moved onto motor cycle tyres. He turned these into pukekos which being smaller often flew off in suitcases to distant parts of the world.
He was very proud of the letters he received from international visitors with photos of his pukekos in their gardens back home. One delivered to him by NZ Post was addressed to, ‘Norm who makes pukekos in Raglan, New Zealand’. TV1 weather man Jim Hickey included Norm in the Raglan episode of ‘Flying in with Jim’.
When motor cycle tyres also got too hard for Norm to work he moved onto recycled packaging tape creating woven hearts and bags. Norm said he was taught how to weave bags when he was in his hospital recovering from TB many years ago. He often had a stall in Bow Street selling these creations as well as exhibiting them at Matapihi Gallery.
The bare land at 2 Snowden Place is for sale through Ray White Raglan Real Estate.
