CAMERON CRESCENT
In 1886 George Woodroofe’s second daughter Robina married D.J. Cameron, the son of Donald Cameron, and stepson of Masterton mayor William Lowes. The Cameron family came to New Zealand from the Highlands on the ‘Blenheim’ in the 1840s. A number of Cameron brothers took up land at the Pahaoa in 1845, where the family eventually developed extensive holdings. Donald John was born in Kaiwharawhara in 1858, and developed his farming skills on the family’s Pahaoa property. He was later active in farming a number of properties in and around Masterton. His knowledge of land values made him a valuable advisor to the government when they bought some large blocks of farmland for subdivision into smaller farms.
Norman Cameron, Donald and Robina’s only son, served as a commissioned officer in the New Zealand Army at Gallipoli where he lost his life. Donald, and his brother Robert, helped buy 14 acres of the old Showgrounds in Dixon Street, and presented them to the town as a memorial to their son and nephew, and to all fallen soldiers.
At a meeting of the Masterton Borough Council in May 1958 it was decided to affix Scottish names to the area of land known then as the Cameron block. The land, some of which had been used for the Riverside Golf Course, was laid out in 300 housing allotments. The first of these Scottish names was given to Cameron Crescent.