A mural on Sel Peacock Drive

The folks at West Auckland Historical Society are proud as punch of their new mural at their carpark beside Mill Cottage on Sel Peacock Drive, Henderson.

 

They've capped it off with a great new sign, telling folks exactly who they are.

Another night light-show

The Auckland Ferry Terminal. On my list of "favourite buildings", it dates from 1912. Hope they do something just as, if not more, spectacular for the ol' girl's centenary.

The following are some of my amateur attempts during Telecom's latest night lights show.

 

 

And, just to finish off the night, I took a crack at capturing the Skytower at night by the bus stop on the way home. The result ain't perfect -- but I like it.

More on James Hewett

Following on from my earlier post, Phil Hanson has sent the following this morning via email. He found the image originally on the Aerohub site.

Despite the Depression, grass-roots commercial aviation blossomed during the early 1930s with small companies using a wide variety of (usually British) light aircraft.

Jim Hewett was one who saw an opportunity. He left the Goodwin Chichester Aviation Company of Wellington, where he had been a pilot with some other notable pioneers including George Bolt, and in September 1929 set up Falcon Airways Ltd, using a DH60G Moth that had been first registered four months earlier as ZK-AAR. He flew mostly from a hilly ridge at Orakei Heights. This was the location quoted in The History of Aviation in New Zealand, by MacPherson and Ewing (Heinemann, 1986), rather than the more general “Orakei” of some other references.

Leo White noted in his book Wingspread (published in 1941 by the Unity Press) that Hewett was “one of the old school and a pilot who had been decorated for gallantry during World War I, [and] he knew the ‘tricks of the trade’ flying over cliff tops to gain advantage of uplifting air currents. He made a non-stop flight from Dunedin to Auckland in 10 hours, fitting an extra tank to his Moth.”

Although dismissed by White in a sentence, this was quite a flight. MacPherson and Ewing wrote: “In February 1930, in order to promote his services and establish aviation as a fast, efficient means of travel, Jim Hewett flew nonstop between Dunedin and Auckland. Departing at 6:40am on 15 March he touched down at Mangere at 4:40pm, taking ten hours to cover a route that took him over the four main centres. This broke the previous long-distance record for a day’s flight – established over eight years earlier by Bert Mercer in the ‘Creamota’ DH9 – extending the distance by 190km.”

It certainly seems that Hewett had little time to sit around during his Falcon Airways days. Leo White noted: “Jim seemed to be always in the air. If some anxious watcher rang the nearest aerodrome to say a yellow Moth was being buffeted by foul weather or that a machine was flying in the dark, nobody was unduly concerned. ‘That’s Jim Hewett,’ they’d say.

“Arriving over Auckland in the dark Jim used to shine a torch over the side to find the power lines near the aerodrome, and land without effort.”

Falcon Airways took on a wide range of work, from the inevitable joyriding to air taxi and other charter activities. Wingspread records one of the more unusual assignments: “Falcon Airways took part in clearing up a murder mystery. Jim flew detectives on their investigations in the Waikato and saved the limbs of the law considerable time on an aerial search.” Unfortunately, he did not name the investigation.

Hewett closed Falcon Airways when he went on to a greater adventure, flying the de Havilland DH89 Dragon Rapide (aka Dragon Six) ‘Tainui’ in the air race celebrating Melbourne’s Centenary. ZK-AAR, meanwhile, went on to enjoy quite a long life, going next to the Canterbury Aero Club, then back to Auckland to the de Havilland agent, Air Survey and Transport, which shared the military airfield at Hobsonville. It was taken over by the RNZAF in October 1939 and became and instructional airframe at Rongotai, where it was presumably broken up. Had it survived the war, it would have been considered too old and of too little use to rehabilitate to the civil register.

The DH89, ZK-ACO, had been purchased with funds from a special Art Union lottery and was one of two New Zealand entrants to participate in the 1934 MacRobertson Centenary Air Race from London (actually Mildenhall, to the north) to Melbourne, a distance of between 11,300 and 12,323 miles, depending on which contemporary report you read! In fact, four aircraft were entered from New Zealand but two never arrived at the starting line. Another was crewed by Aucklander Harold Gilman, who was serving in the RAF, but his Fairey Fox crashed during an emergency landing in southern Italy, killing both occupants.

Hewett’s experience qualified him well to fly the aircraft, accompanied by Cyril Kay as navigator and Frank Stewart as radio operator, although the latter was also a well-known Auckland photographer.

The other Kiwi aircraft competing for a £10,000 cash prize and gold cup was from the Manawatu and wore the province’s name. It was a single-engined low-wing Miles Hawk two-seater flown by the hugely experienced and well known Malcolm (Mac) McGregor and H C “Johnny” Walker. The contest was in two sections, speed and handicap, and both aircraft were entered into the latter.

The de Havilland finally arrived at Melbourne after a flying time of 106 hours 51 minutes, but although it beat the Hawk’s 118 hours it was, on handicap, assigned fifth place to the Manawatu entry’s fourth. The achievement can partly be gauged by the fact that 10 aircraft failed to finish and another 24 failed to even start. There’s a good account of the race from a New Zealand perspective in the book, Mac’s Memoirs by G H Cunningham (Reed, 1937).

As a postscript, the best-known connection with aviation and the general Orakei area was the New Zealand Flying School at Mission Bay, established to train pilots for the First world War, and was the former owner of the supposed “aircraft in the tunnels” at North Head that have intrigued historians and archaeologists for years. The flying school also owned the first two aircraft ever built by Boeing.

There’s another more contemporary aviation connection. In 1961-62, a TEAL executive, G N Wells, actively promoted the development of an airfield at Bastion Point – possibly an outrageous suggestion in the light of what was to transpire there a few years later, but regarded as “forward thinking” at the time. Wells owned a two-seat Ercoupe that had been flown from Europe to New Zealand some years earlier and envisaged an “airpark” for light aircraft. His cause was championed by Leo White and received fairly widespread press coverage.

A Hospital Link

Many thanks for my good friends Bill and Barbara Ellis for sending this 2006 shot through tonight of a very cool piece of art on a utility box -- at the time it was outside the nurses' home, in Grafton. Link buses are still one of the best ways of getting around the inner city loops, but today, they no longer have their original blue livery.

New Lynn Train Station after 1915

It's handy attending the meetings of other historical societies. I do it for the enjoyment of meeting friends and colleagues in this wee hobby of local history data gathering, but it's handy as well -- especially when someone comes along with a photo like this.

The line to New Lynn, as with neighboring Avondale, opened in 1880. In 1912, according to Sean Millar in his wonderful Railway Stations of Auckland's Western Line (2004), the station was completely rebuilt, and transformed into an island-platform style. A 24-lever signal box was installed in 1915, so this photo dates from the period of the First World War, at a guess.

Back then, the station was just west of Rankin Avenue, not east where it is today. It was replaced by a new station in 1984 (placed beside the new bus terminal there from 1980), and became just a glorified tin waiting stop. Now, of course, it's in line to be replaced again, by the new underground station next year.

The old station building hung on for a while, used by a charitable trust, but after destructive break-ins, it was finally demolished. 

Floggings in Mt Eden Gaol, 1868

My eyes caught the word “garrotting”, so I followed the Weekly News article while on a trawl in the central library. A garrotte in these times has the sinister meaning of a rope or wire used to strangle someone to death. In the 1860s, it apparently meant the use of an arm around the throat. That query led to the story of two of the very few incidents of penal flogging at Mt Eden Gaol.

Private Joseph Bryant arrived on the Empress in 1863, described in later court records as being an illiterate English Roman Catholic soldier, born c. 1844. (Southern Cross, 29 May 1868) He was a deserter from the Military Train in 1865, captured by police then escaping from the military guard. (Southern Cross, 6 March 1865) He was charged with highway robbery in Auckland’s Queen Street in 1866, stealing ₤9 10s. in gold from Count Albert Klaprodi after garrotting him. (Southern Cross, 27 June 1866) Bryant came up behind Klaprodi, choked him with his arm around the Count’s neck, then reached into the man’s pocket and took the gold. Bryant was sentenced to two years’ hard labour at Mt Eden gaol.

On the same day, in the same court, Samuel Johnson, Henry Kersting and George Saunders were up on charges of stealing three pigs from butcher Albert Dornwell. Johnson received four years’ sentence, Kersting two years and Saunders twelve months, all with hard labour. (Southern Cross, 6 September 1866)

Bryant and Kersting were released together from the stockade in March 1868 – and two days later, assaulted and robbed a baker named Caley on Upper Queen Street, this time one adding heavy punches to the face, chest and stomach while the other held their victim by an arm around the throat. As he lay on the ground during the latter part of the attacked, Caley was kicked. A watch and some silver was taken. (Southern Cross, 16 March 1868) Kersting had arrived on the War Spirit in 1860, described in the court records as being a literate English Catholic labourer, born c.1846. This was his third time before the bench. Another involved with the Caley robbery, Henry Goldsmith, had arrived in Auckland off the Caduceus in 1862 from Sydney, a labourer born c. 1846. Like Kersting, this was his third appearance in an Auckland court. (Southern Cross, 29 May 1868)

Bryant, Kersting and Goldsmith were sentenced to penal servitude, but with an extra sting: flogging. Bryant was sentenced to 10 years gaol, with 50 lashes; Goldsmith 10 years with 50 lashes as well; Kersting to 5 years, and 25 lashes with the cat-o-nine-tails. (Weekly News, 6 June 1868)

Just as volunteers to be executioners were drawn from the prison populations in colonial New Zealand – the position of flogger for the three men was to be filled from out of the penal staff in Mt Eden. The authorities had some difficulty, however.

We believe some difficulty has arisen, in the way of the gaol authorities carrying out the punishment of flogging awarded by Mr. Justice Moore at the last criminal session of the Supreme Court, upon the garotters Bryant, Kersting, and Goldsmith. On Friday last the overseers and warders of the Mount Eden Gaol were asked to furnish volunteers for the infliction of the lash upon the confines, but none stepped forward. They were then asked separately to perform the duty, but one and all refused, inasmuch as their terms of engagement did not specify that they would be called upon to undertake such an unpleasant duty. 

(Southern Cross, 6 July 1868)

The next day, Bryant and Kersting were flogged.

The prisoners' Bryant and Kersting underwent the infliction of the lash yesterday at the Stockade. The prisoner Goldsmith,who was first sentenced for a burglary, and afterwards for the attack on the warder, will not be flogged until the expiration of his first term of imprisonment. As we stated yesterday the warden refused to have anything to do with the corporeal punishment and the authorities were therefore compelled to get someone from without. They succeeded in procuring the services of a man said to be a discharged soldier, and yesterday morning at seven o'clock - before any of the prisoners were allowed to leave their cells— Bryant and Kersting were brought out into the prison-yard for punishment in the presence of the Governor, Mr. Young, Dr. Philson, and the whole of the warders employed at the Stockade. Bryant was first stripped and tied to the triangle, when the operator proceeded to give his first instalment of twenty-five lashes, which he bore without a wince. On being unfastened he picked up the clothes which had been taken off him, tucked them under his arm, and went to his own cell, where he remarked in the presence of the warders "That he had many a worse flogging from his mother." Kersting was then served in the same manner, and received his punishment apparently with the same unconcern as his confederate. After dinner Bryant went to his work as if nothing had happened.

(Southern Cross, 7 July 1868)

On 5 August 1868, Bryant, Goldsmith, Kersting and a horse thief named Alexander Campbell escaped from the gaol. Bryant evaded capture the longest, the others caught the same day. (Southern Cross, 6 August 1868) He was eventually caught, and all four received sentences of two years in gaol. (Southern Cross 2 September 1868)

Come November, the authorities had a problem. Under the 41st clause of the Offences Against the Person Act, the punishment of flogging had to be completed within six months of the sentence being passed. Bryant stood to escape half of the flogging, and Goldsmith the whole lot. (Southern Cross, 25 November 1868)

It would appear that time ran out – I haven’t seen a report on the further flogging of Bryant and Goldsmith.

The last floggings at Mt Eden seem to have been in the 1870s, going by what comes up from Papers Past. Even so, other centres, such as Blenheim and Dunedin, continued the practice for a time. The 1941 Crimes Amendment Act abolished flogging and whipping as punishments for murder, but it wasn't until 1961 when they were finally off the books for other crimes in New Zealand, including homosexual acts. (NZhistory.net)

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

Pt. Chevalier Times No. 8

The latest edition can be read here.

James McMullen Dargaville

It still seems to me that J. M. Dargaville's pillar is at a bit of a lean in relation to the other graves around it at St Stephen's Cemetery in Judge's Bay, Parnell. It's an illusion -- his marker is set square and straight on the slope. I took the photo in 2006, aware then of Dargaville's influence in the history of both the area around the town he named after himself, and West Auckland. He was an opponent of the Riverhead route for the northern railway, for starters, preferring Kaipara and on towards the Northern Wairoa.

 His bio entry in the Cyclopedia of Auckland is fairly detailed.

Mr. James McMullen Dargaville, after whom the township of Dargaville is named, was a representative of Auckland City West in the House of Representatives from 1881 to 1887. Mr Dargaville came of an old Huguenot family, which left France and settled in Ireland about the time of the revocation of the “Edict of Nantes.” He was born on the 7th July, 1837, in Cork, where his father was a physician of note. ...At a very early age Mr Dargaville was seized with a spirit of adventure, and emigrated with his brothers to Australia; after some experience in Victoria, he entered the service of the Union Bank of Australia in Sydney. He rose rapidly, in five years becoming branch manager, and two years later being sent over to New Zealand as branch inspector.

He came first to the West Coast of the Middle Island, where he so increased the bank's business that in March, 1868, he was promoted to the important post of manager of the Auckland branch. In July following he resigned and started business as a wholesale merchant in Auckland under the title of Must and Co. Mr Dargaville, however, subsequently gave up this business, and entered the timber and kauri gum trades in the Northern Walroa district, where he acquired the land upon which he founded the present town of Dargaville, which now has a population of about 400 people and is owned by his widow and children. At one time Mr Dargaville carried on a very extensive timber business, there being over 400 men in his employ. It was through his energy and enterprise that this district, which was comparatively unknown to the people of Auckland, was opened up, and an industry, which has since employed many thousands of hands, given a great impetus.

Mr Dargaville took an active interest in political matters. He was for some time a member of the Auckland Provincial Council, and contested the superintendency election with Mr. John Williamson, ex-superintendent, and Mr H Lusk, being defeated through the latter splitting the votes. In 1881 he became a member of the General Assembly for Auckland City West, and in 1884 was re-elected by the same constituency as a supporter of the Stout-Vogel Government. In 1887 he was defeated for Marsden, in 1890 for the Bay of Islands, and in 1893 for Eden. Immediately prior to his death he announced his candidature for Auckland City, and, had he lived, would have contested that seat in the general election of 1896. Mr Dargaville was at one time a member of the Auckland Harbour Board, as the representative of Parnell, being chairman of the local body. When on the provincial council he advocated and carried, by a majority of one, a scheme for supplying the city of Auckland with water from Waitakerei, by gravitation. However, during his temporary absence in the north of Auckland, a counter proposal was carried in favour of the existing pumping system. Mr Dargaville took the leading part in the projection of the Kaihu railway, which was originally started by a private company, but subsequently fell into the hands of the Government.

He also took an active part in Volunteering; he was captain of the Auckland City Engineers, and of the Dargaville Volunteers, and a few years before his death was president of the Dargaville Rifle Club. At one time he was United States Consul at Auckland, was Grand Master of the Orange Lodge of New Zealand, and a prominent Mason, being the founder of Lodge St. George, 1801, E.C. Mr Dargaville died at sea, while returning from a visit to the Old Country on the s.s. “Mariposa,” on the 27th October, 1896.

The bit about him being a United States Consul isn't quite true, of course. He was a consular agent, subsidiary to the US Consul at the Bay of Islands, and created a fuss when the consulate moved down to Auckland, and he saw his position therefore made redundant. The post on that ruckus is here.

Even at the time of his death, he was still political, and there was still talk of "deals gone wrong."

The death of Mr J M Dargaville took place under very sad circumstances. He was on his way back by the San Francisco mail steamer, intent upon contesting the Auckland City seat at the general election, but, being in poor health, he gradually sank under liver complaint and Bright's disease and died and was buried at sea. Mr Dargaville was a man of mark in Auckland for many years. To his enterprise the flourishing township of Dargaville owes its existence, and, in his time, he was esteemed throughout the district as the best and most liberal employer of labour in the Kaipara. Mr Dargaville was also a conspicuous figure in local politics and was one of the cleverest and most capable representatives we have ever sent to Wellington. He was essentially a man of progress, broad-minded and liberal in his ideas, and was a fluent and persuasive speaker. Had he lived, there is little doubt that he would have been one of the victorious candidates at the coming elections.

 (Observer, 14 November 1896)

The [Auckland] Star says considerable regret was occasioned in town by the news of Mr J M Dargaville's death. We are open to wager that the regret was not felt in the Star office. There has been no good feeling towards Mr Dargaville on the part of the Star since an unfortunate Kaihu Valley railway transaction, over which the Star proprietor lost £3000. Whether Mr Dargaville was to blame or not we cannot say, but the Star has pursued Mr Dargaville with remorseless malignance since that time, and probably was instrumental in keeping him out of politics.

(Observer, 14 November 1896)

St Andrews and a memorial stone

St Andrews Presbyterian Church has been on the corner of Symonds Street and Alten Road since 1847-1850. Well, the rear stone part, anyway. The part you see here -- columns, portico, tower -- date from 1882-1883.

Another more recent addition is this memorial stone's plaques.

Click to enlarge. 4 June 1989 was the Tiananmen Square Massacre or Incident as it is usually known here in the West. I don't think I've heard it called the Peking Massacre before.

 

Obviously, some folks took exception to the plaque.

Our 50th: latest "Avondale Historical Journal"

Well, it's out: the 50th issue of the Avondale Historical Journal, a special double-size edition. I never thought back in September 2001 when I churned out the first 50-copies edition that it would last this long, or prove as popular as it has been.

It remains my pride and joy, something, despite the odd dropped line, caption muck-up, or corrected fact, I am very proud of, and so happy that it is looked-forward-to by a hang of a lot of people out there in Auckland, Northland, other parts of NZ, and even overseas. It led to me editing and preparing Keeping in Touch, as well as co-editing and preparing NZ Legacy for the NZ Federation of Historical Societies, and to me putting together the Point Chevalier Times -- best of all, it led to the incorporation of the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society, my home crew, a gathering of truly wonderful people in our community and beyond.

Cheers, AHJ. So far, you're an idea that has lasted well.

"Always in the air": Orakei's Falcon Airways

Image from Flight magazine, via Flight Global Archive.

A chance sighting in Elizabeth T. Jackson's history of Orakei, Delving into the Past of Auckland's Eastern Suburbs, Section 2, of a paragraph on Squadron Leader J. D. Hewitt who operated a commercial flying service called Falcon Airways caused me to try to find out more about him. Especially after Jackson wrote:

"Mr. Hewett who had been decorated for gallantry in the First World War is said to have known all the "tricks of the trade" and chose his elevated starting point so as to gain the advantage of uplifting air currents as he flew over the cliff tops. Often he arrived back over Auckland in the dark but this did not worry him; he simply shone a torch over the side to find the power lines near his aerodrome and landed without effort." (p. 43)

James Duff Hewett was born 18 January 1891 at Kihikihi in the Waikato region. He served in France during World War I with No. 4 and No. 23 squadrons, the latter squadron also that in which Sir Charles Kingsford Smith served. Hewett was decorated during the war with the Croix de Guerre with Palm. He joined the N.Z.A.F. in 1924, and in 1927 he bought one of the first Gypsy Moths seen in New Zealand. This appears to have been the craft he used for his Falcon Airways, up until 1934 when he entered the MacRobertson Air Race which took place in October that year, in celebration of Melbourne's centenary. He flew with Cyril Eaton Kay of Auckland (1902-1993) -- but the two men, in the DH 89 Dragon Rapide Tainui finished last.

Hewett died in late 1955, at his Northland home, aged 64.

According to Jackson, Hewett enjoyed plenty of patronage for his early air service from off the Orakei cliffs in the 1930s, "for his yellow moth is said to have been 'always in the air'."

Old Government House

This, due to its size and the nearness of the ground's trees, was difficult to photograph. I've been wanting to do so for some time now, though.

 

I won't rabbit on about the building's history here. There's a lot said about it at the Historic Places Trust site, and University of Auckland.

 

I'll just say -- if you're from out-of-town, and you want to view one of Auckland's original public gardens, and the still great architectuere, then leave the frisbee at home.

 

Sweet tooth heritage

This may not look like much, but the Heard's Ltd. Building in Parnell is firmly entrenched in the annals of Kiwiana. Even if only for their barley sugars (a definite trigger for childhood nostalgia for me). Now, the Heard's brand is just another part of the Nestle empire.

Mainly a 1930s building, worked on in 1930 and 1937 by Fletcher Construction, the building features on at least a couple of sites, here and here. Beside where the blue cars are parked is Heard Park, upgraded recently.

A big bit of Parnell, from Avondale

Heading along Parnell Road, at the top of Parnell Rise are the Mayfair Flats, completed in 1929. They were designed by Gummer & Ford, and built by Fletcher Construction Co. Ltd (who owned them until 1939). As this was towards the end of the period in which Fletchers owned the Avondale brickyard at St George's Road (re-named by them Glenburn Fireclay & Pottery Co) -- that's where the bricks and original roof tiles were sourced from.

So -- a quite substantiual part of present-day Parnell stems from ol' Avondale, out west. Probably more does, too, but so far, this one has been identified, thanks to the new history of Fletcher Construction, No Job Too Big (2009, Vol. 1). This was the reason for my Parnell stroll yesterday, in case anyone who knows me from out that way was wondering.

Last edit: 5 December 2017

St Jude's Church features in The Aucklander

I've only just caught up with chasing this article from The Aucklander, on the restoration need for our local Anglican church. I remember giving the paper the quote, included, via mobile phone on the footpath while I was headed out to the bus stop. I think it turned out okay, despite my despite scramble for the right words to say.

Land Uprooted High

One of the best $2 purchases I've ever made (this was bought on Saturday just outside the antiques fair at the racecourse), this book Land Uprooted High, subtitled "New Zealand's Rise to International Insignificance", is a hoot. Written by A. K. Grant and K. P. Gabara, in 1971 it is EnZed's version of the classic 1066 And All That.

A couple of excerpts:

"Hobson's next action was to choose the site of the new colony's capital. Running his fingers down an alphabetical list of New Zealand towns he came first to Auckland and chose that conurbation as the site of the seat of Government. The decision caused much bitterness among the New Zealand Company settlers at Wellington and in a last-minute bid for selection they tried to secure alphabetical pre-eminence for their settlement by changing its name to Aardvarksville. Hobson was not impressed by this chicanery, ordered the original name to be restored, and wrote to the Duke of Wellington apologising for the colonist's discourtesy.

The victor of Waterloo was typically gracious. "They can call the place what they damned well like, for all I care," he remarked to his secretary, "provided they don't name it after my wife's nephew, the young whelp."

And ...

Gold was one of New Zealand's main exports during the latter half of the century, especially after the advent of refrigerated shipping enabled it to be transported to England without going bad in the tropics. The first refrigerated consignment to arrive was declared by Treasury and Bank of England officials to be quite as delicious as foreign varieties, though their enthusiuasm was slightly moderated by the discovery of a dead rat in one of the bars.

The book was later updated and reissued as The Paua and the Glory in 1982, but this version is the original. Surprisingly hard to find at a price below $10, at that.

Waitemata County's Rock'n'roll steam road roller

Having a bit of a look around MOTAT before all the Heritage Festival closing formalities yesterday, I spotted a road roller with an interesting nickname: "Rock'n'roll". According to the interpretive sign, it dated from 1925 and was used by the Waitemata County Council (only error I spotted on the sign. Waitemata was a county, not a city) from 1928 up until 1964, when it was driven from Massey to Western Springs and donated to the museum.

 

They named it Rock'n'roll in the 1950s. Naturally.

Now, the last shot isn't meant to be pointing out that ol' Rock'n'roll needs a bit of sprucing up. I reckon the extra addition was added not too long ago -- but I do like taking photos of spider webs in damp weather. This one seems to have come out all right (and no, there are no visible spiders, for those with the aversion. I try to keep Timespanner a spider-free zone, for the sake of those readers. You know who you are!)

Of Heritage Festivals, and chocolate cake

The Auckland City Heritage Festival ended yesterday with a bit of a bash at MOTAT in Western Springs. MOTAT being one of my favourite places, I was delighted to accept an invitation to go along. It was a great evening, I got to chat to wonderful people I know in the heritage community, won a high tea for two at Cornwall Park in a business card draw (yes, I already have a friend lined up to share the treat), and eat a couple of pork buns.

Capping it all off nicely was the chocolate cake. Which was superb, by the way. Even the icing. Don't worry, I was good and only cut a small piece.

A couple more images of those who helped set the atmosphere. I'd love to have a photo of myself taken in period dress. That might just happen next year (Onehunga & Fencible Society folk at the do last night said they might lend some gear. I said it would have to be something fairly matronly, given the state of my hips alone ...) so, stay tuned. If it comes to pass, I'll post the results on Timespanner.