Waihi’s Colin Purcell is called “the golden boy” for a few reasons.

One... he literally makes gold bars at Waihi’s Oceania Gold.

But his real claim to fame is being the last baby born at the old Katikati Maternity Hospital along Beach Rd before its doors closed.

Colin decided he’d return to Burstein House on this 60th birthday on Friday where the Katikati Advertiser caught up with him.

Burstein House has seen better days, but still exists at the back of Katikati Community Centre and a family lives there.

The old maternity hospital opened in 1942 and closed in 1964.

By the time Colin was born, the annexe was being utilised less as the roads to Tauranga and Waihi were improving and expectant mothers travelled there.

In 1964 an old mens’ home in Te Puke burnt to the ground and its residents were rehoused at the empty Katikati annexe.

Colin can be seen here as a baby, flanked by seniors who made Burstein House their new home after a fire destroyed their home for senior men in Te Puke.

Colin has a photo at the steps of the old building flanked by seniors. He was the last baby there, and the annex became a home for seniors. It was renamed Burstein House.

When Colin was 26, he was asked to recreate being the last Burstein House bouncing baby on a float for the Lions Club of Katikati Christmas parade.

Colin recreates being the last baby at the local Lions Christmas parade on a Burstein House float.

The Bay of Plenty Times captured the hilarious snapshot of Colin in a cot with baby bonnet and dummy. He had agreed to do it as long he could have beer instead of a milk.

Colin attended Katikati Primary School and Katikati College with his siblings. He joined Katikati Volunteer Fire Brigade while still at high school, trained as a plumber with his uncle at Purcell Plumbing and eventually moved to Waihi.

Colin is a dad to two, and grandfather to one. He says he’s in Katikati every few weekends.

He celebrated his birthday at Waihi RSA on Saturday and the theme was gold and black.

Katikati Maternity Hospital - By Ellen McCormack/abridged

The opening of the Katikati Maternity Hospital on June 1, 1942 was the culmination of more than 40 years of effort and fundraising by the local community who were determined to obtain medical services for the district.

Health issues had always been a major concern in Katikati due to the long distances that had to be travelled to reach the nearest doctor or hospital and the condition of the roads.

Settlers also lobbied for a permanent doctor.

In early 1942 a house was built and Dr Joseph Burstein from Austria was appointed resident doctor for Katikati.

The long trek for medical attention to either Waihi or Tauranga has ended.

In the early days Dr Burstein ran his surgery without appointments or nurse. Patients would show up at his surgery.

Known as Katikati’s man of medicine and music was Doctor Joseph Burstein, honoured here as one of Katikati’s murals.

Everyone knew whose turn it was next and if the doctor was called away to deliver a baby or any other emergency, patients went home and returned the next day. It had a room for patients after minor operations and a dentist also extracted teeth at the hospital.

For the next 20 years Dr Burstein served but with the road improvements, some women preferred to have their babies in Tauranga or Waihi.

In 1964 the “old mens home” in Te Puke was burned to the ground so the residents were moved to Katikati Maternity Hospital and this was the beginning of a resthome service in Katikati.

In 1997 Lexham Park was built and the residents were transferred to their new home.

Source: Tauranga City Libraries / Ellen McCormack https://paekoroki.tauranga.govt.nz/nodes/view/19715