Ohinemuri Regional History Journal 32, September 1988
By Mary Fennell
The Reefton Boarding House (1908) was a two storeyed building next to Geo De Castro's chemist shop. It was managed by Mrs Capill, the mother of Mr James Capill, who for many years was a well known stock drover in Paeroa. At this time Mrs Parker, a widow, with her two sons, Wilfred and Raymond, did the cooking at the boarding house. Mrs Parker later married Mr James Capill.
Mrs Capill (Senior) was the Grandmother of Les, Reg, John and Chrissie Shaw of Station Road, Paeroa.
The boarding house was later removed, piece by piece, to another site, leaving the section vacant for a great number of years, the neighbours using it to grow vegetables. Today, the Farmers Trading Co have a store on the land.
Mrs Capill's eldest son, Wilfred, was the Rev Wilfred Parker, Chaplain on the H M S "Prince of Wales" which, with the Battleship "Repulse" was sunk south of Singapore by Japanese bombing attacks on 10 December 1941.