Public telephones in the wild

Starting with my post on the telephone boxes of doom from 1924, things proceeded through to Jayne including a link to that on her blog (thanks again, Aussie):

"As we've just about lost all of our lovely old red public phone boxes *sniff* have a gander at the ones in NZ."

To which I responded over there:

"Sadly, the red phone boxes pictured are in captivity, ie. MOTAT, our transport and technology museum out at Western Springs. All we have on the streets these days are mainly those booth things, if we're lucky. Down country there might be pockets of difference tho' (more fingers crossed on that)."

Well, I found one a bit closer to home than that, yesterday.

When studying the public telephone box in the wild in Nu Zillund these days, there are usually three types -- the semi-booth thing where only your head and shoulders are sheltered from the sides (Type A), its cousin where at least your legs get a bit more shelter from the southerlies or the westerlies (depending on where the booth is) (Type B) ... 

Type Bs are changing their livery/plumage to this:

 

 

and the enclosed one (Type C) which is approaching extinction if not already there, descended directly from the classic, close-to-extinction in the wild, wooden telephone box (Type D-1). Type D-2 are Type Ds which are in captivity and have been struck dumb, their telephonic equipment removed (poor buggers).

But ... I found a Type D-1, in Parnell.

 

 

And ... the telephone's still there!

Sadly, though, this appeared to be a solitary specimen, so with no sign of any breeding pairs, this appears to be a one off. Nice plumage, though.

A plea for the St James Theatre

There's a good opinion piece in today's Herald by Bob Kerridge on the old St James Theatre, slowly decaying away in darkness, which I thought I'd bring to folks' attention.

Previous posts here are:
Goodbye, St James, goodbye.
The theatre's Facebook page.

Vedette -- a First World War postcard mystery

This came from the Avondale Sunday market as well. It was inside a shabby looking frame, but it caught my eye (as things can tend to do).

It is a postcard (says so on the back). Parts of the text at the back have been removed due to sellotape (wretched stuff), but it's something about ACTIVE SERVICE, No. 76 something-or-other Army Series, and G.P. & S. L.

"Vedette", means a mounted scout or sentinel, near as I can find out -- but is it just a description, or the artist's non-de-plume?

Not really NZ history -- but I do like the artwork. Suggestions/answers always welcome.

George Dixon and his Lion trade mark ginger beer

My favourite soft drink is ginger beer. I reckon it's a good choice as a favourite, considering ginger beer was around in colonial times, right alongside the spirits, beers and rotguts for the flourish of pubs and bush licence operations which sprouted like buttercups across an unmown paddock.

I also have a small collection of ginger beer clay bottles, to which I added another today from the Sunday Market. It had the above intriguing trade mark on it, first I'd ever seen on a local bottle of its kind. The "G D" stands for George Dixon of Wellington (1848-1883). [Update 28 February 2011: Jonathan Taylor, author of a research page on George Dixon, has corrected Dixon's birth year as 1848, not 1818 as the NZETC reference says. I've amended the date.]

Feilding Star 26 June 1883

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand termed his demise as just losing his life during a severe gale while on board the SS Taiaroa -- but contemporary reports had it that he committed suicide by jumping overboard.

"Mr George Dickson, the well-known cordial manufacturer here, committed suicide by jumping overboard from the Taiaroa. When he left Auckland it was noticed that he appeared to be very unwell. When the steamer got out to sea, after leaving the Spit at 1 a.m. yesterday, he became violently delirious, and three stewards were told off to watch him in turn. About 10.40 yesterday morning, during a heavy gale, a tremendous sea was shipped. The steward left him in order to put things straight in the saloon, which was flooded. Dixon was confined in the ladies' cabin, the stewardess watching him. Dixon took advantage of an opportunity to rush on deok and jump overboard, sinking at once. A mountainous sea was running, and it was impossible even to attempt to rescue him. He leaves a wife and several children."

Wanganui Herald, 27 June 1883

It was rumoured that his state of "ill health" was alcoholic delirium tremens.

However, these reports were refuted by a letter published in the NZ Herald a few weeks later. Dixon had apparently dreaded the passage to Auckland on the Taiaroa according to the writer, knowing he would be affected by seasickness during the voyage. When the ladies' cabin was flooded by a surge of water, Dixon was said to have panicked, dived out of the cabin, fell striking his head, rose unsteadily on the pitching deck, and toppled over into the sea. (Evening Post, 6 August 1883)

The New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, however, wouldn't have a bar of it. They declared that Dixon's death was not an accident at all but suicide (backed up by testimony from the crew), and refused to pay out on the ₤500 policy. Mrs. Dixon took them to court in October 1883. The jury, however, decided for the insurance company. (Christchurch Star 18 & 19 October 1883)

Mrs. Dixon took over the reins of the company ably and well despite the set-back, expanding the business, and even winning awards.

"At the various exhibitions that have been held from time to time, Mrs. Dixon has been very successful with her Aerated Water and Cordial exhibits, and was awarded prize medals both at the Wellington and Sydney exhibitions."

Mrs. Dixon may have wallpapered over the past in the glowing tribute to the firm as at 1900 -- but one thing is certain: she proved herself to be a true businesswoman.

An old relic on Geddes Terrace?

This may not look like much, and I've passed it by tons of times while heading along Geddes Terrace, both as a nipper in Primary School and now. Today, it appears to be just part of the boarding house facilities packed onto a narrow site between Great North Road and Avondale.

Something this past week, though, made me pause, and take another look at the tongue-and-groove exterior, the way it has obviously been altered and reused over the years. And I recalled something sent through to the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society for our files quite a few years ago ...

You see, this is the back of the old Avondale Police Station, a complex of three buildings completed in 1906, comprising constable's residence ansd office, a lock-up gaol, and stable. I'll have a look at the Council files (they only go back to 1927, but that'll do) to see just what this wee building might really have been, (1940 aerials indicate the building was there then) but -- it reminds me a lot of the blueprint for the stable, above. If so, altered  or not -- it would be Avondale's oldest surviving stable which we'd be able to date. The fact that a large garage-style door is at the end lends some support to the idea that it could have been a stable.

A bloke backing his car out of the carpark beside the building that day asked if I was looking for someone. I explained that the building reminded me considerably of the old gaol and stable buildings, and that I was just a history buff, wondering if I've come across more history. I tend to do that kind of thing -- stop dead, on a footpath, and wonder.

I'll update when I can.

Caution using "A field guide to Auckland"

A friend of mine showed me her copy purchased at a book sale recently, and I thought at the time, "Cool!". A field guide to Auckland, originally published in 1997 and redone in 2008 (the second edition is what I got my hands on -- but not on sale, dammit) is a tabbed area-by-area set of brief summaries covering the Auckland region as it says on the cover: "exploring the region's natural and historic heritage."

Because I'm in the process of piecing together stuff about Henderson's Mill, I turned to page 188, where summary no. 70 tells us about the Henderson's Mill Heritage Trail.

At which point, my heart sank.

The author of the summary there makes the following points:

Reference to the "Dundee Sawmills" established by Thomas Henderson and John Macfarlane in 1849.

This isn't too bad. Some in-depth research would have pointed out to the author that the first sawmill there was more likely older that 1849, and that it wasn't called "Dundee Sawmill" until after 1855, when "Long" John McLeod and Cyrus Haskell leased and rebuilt the mill, even though yes, Thomas Henderson came from Dundee in Scotland. The date 1849 is one picked out of the box of possibilities by most commentators on the subject of Henderson's history, even myself up until recently. My current theory is that when researchers saw that John Macfarlane's will was dated 1849, that must have been when the mill was built because then there was something worth writing a will about. Perhaps -- but on examining John Macfarlane's probated will in the land records fromm 1860, it covered all the real estate owned by the partnership, including properties in the city, and even more likely the shipping fleet later dubbed the Circular Saw Line.

"Immediately above the dam site is the original mill manager's house restored in 1994 ..."

More contention, here. If you ask the West Auckland Historical Society about Mill Cottage (which is what the summary refers to), they will tell you it was the mill's cookhouse, not a "mill manager's house".  Considering the building was relocated from slightly further back on the site (something not mentioned in the summary) and altered considerably over the years since the 1860s, the liklihood that it was originally a residential house instead of a utility building is in doubt.

"...Falls Park, the site of the relocated Falls Hotel (1856), constructed using kauri from the mill."

Here's the real howler. The Falls Hotel was completed in 1873, not 1856. As the sawmill ceased being a timber mill from around 1868 (it became a flax mill) and was abandoned altogether by about 1873-1875, it is extremely unlikely that the kauri in the building was cut in Henderson. Ben Copedo, West Auckland historian, thoroughly researched and published his findings on the story of the Falls Hotel in 1999. This was two years after the first edition of the field guide -- but nine years before the second edition. Copedo's findings are backed up by contemporary newspaper sources. Whereas the origin of Mill Cottage may be down to opinion, that of the Falls Hotel is not. The statement in the Field Guide is wrong.

I took a look at page 190, summary no. 72, to see what that said about the Pollen Island Marine Reserve. The piece steers clear of most of the history of the area before 1996 when the Motu Manawa Reserve was established, but one sentence about the shellbank which is Pollen Island: stands out: "These vast depositsd of cockle shells were used for park pathways by ACC from the 1920s. For this a small tramway was built out to the north end of Pollen Island." Interesting statement, because it completely misses that fact of why Pollen Island is so-named (after Daniel Pollen, who set up a brick and pottery yard on Rosebank close by from the late 1850s, and would have used the shellbank for lime for the works), and that up until 1927 Avondale was an independent borough, and from the period just before World War I until amalgamation owned the shellbank, using the shell there for lime and footpaths. Still, it is just a summary, I suppose ...

Page 203, summary No. 81 on Judges Bay ...
Referring to the Dove Meyer Robinson Park: "The park contains many fine trees including an impressive pohutukawa planted by Robert Gillies c.1855 ..."
The only Robert Gillies I know of even remotely connected with the history of the park's site was a Dunedin surveyor (his son was Harold Delf Gillies) married to Emily Street whose parents purchased part of the site in 1878 (NZ Herald, 9 September 1878, p. 2). Emily herself joined her parents  on an adjoining site after Robert's death in 1886. Who on earth is the author in the field guide talking about?

Ewen Cameron is described on the back of the book as curator of botany for Auckland Museum, and Bruce Hayward is a research geologist and marine eciologist. The historian of the team is Graeme Murdoch, best known for his work with the Auckland Regional Council and Te Kawerau o Maki. I've heard Murdoch speak, and he offered the best translation I've heard of the little-known Maori name for Traherne Island, Te Kou (the fish hook), but -- based on what I've read from just these two pages, the rest of the book's historical information is cast into doubt for me. I'd rate the book as a tertiary source at best, for starters, in terms of the historic content. The summaries, although unsourced in the main, appear to rely heavily on other works (which, as happens a lot with Auckland history, simply follow on and repeat from earlier works without additional primary research). The NZ Archaeology Association have included it on their list of teacher resources as a "secondary source" which is a bit of a concern, as the information in the book, including the errors, could be repeated in classrooms without checking for accuracy.

It's even featured in a list published by the Sydney Morning Herald as "An excellent guide, virtually indispensable for anyone who wants to explore Auckland's natural and historic treasures."

It is a guide, yes. Excellent -- no, it isn't.

Overdue Book Carried Greetings From Santa

Such was the headline of an article from 1 February 1957 in the Auckland Star which caught my eye today in the Auckland City Library.

Iris Smith wrote a book called The Santa Claus Book in 1948, in which a story from Admiral Richard Byrd was included, written for his own children one Christmas when he was at the South Pole. The Auckland Library had a copy in their children's collection -- and in 1955, it was borrowed. The borrower, learning that the Admiral was off soon back to the Pole, posted the library book to him, asking for him to take it with him to Antarctica in order for him to autograph it on Christmas Day.

The book was posted back to the Auckland Library, and arrived on 31 January 1957. In it, as arranged, Admiral Byrd signed the book, and wrote:

"I have been up to see Santa Claus and was asked by him to send his greetings to all the children of the world. And a Merry Christmas to all, from Richard E. Byrd."

Along with him, his son Richard, one of the children for whom the story had been originally written, now accompanying his father and joining him in inscribing in the book:

"In anticipation of World Children's Day, greetings to children of New Zealand from the bottom of the world. I have the good fortune to be sailing with my Dad on this 7th Polar venture, Operation Deepfreeze. I am sending these greetings on behalf of my Dad's four grandsons -- my youngsters -- the oldest of whom seems to be a born explorer and wants to come down next year on Operation Deepfreeze. Their names are Dickie, Ames, Levi and Harry."

The message was written on Christmas Day, 1955. Three others in the party added their signatures.

And all this was what met the eyes of children's librarian Miss Joan Lawrence when she opened the parcel.

A little more than a month after the book was returned to the library, Admiral Byrd died in his sleep, 11 March 1957.

The library at the time bought another copy for lending purposes, so that the special book could be kept for display. David Verran at the research centre today found the book on the digital catalogue, lodged with the Sir George Grey Special Collections. I haven't seen the book yet, but -- hopefully, I'll bring back an update soon, to let you know if that is the same well-travelled version of the book signed by explorers so very far away.

I also don't know if the unnamed borrower was given a massive fine or not ...

St Matthews-in-the-City and their billboard

The folk at St Matthews-in-the-City who brought you the "measuring fish" billboard earlier this year are now in strife over this sign:

There are newspaper articles about it. The church has already had to replace the sign once, after it was defaced with brown paint yesterday within hours of it being put up.

These are some shots of the interior of St-Matthews-in-the-City -- a true gem of Auckland, both in terms of its parochial history and the beautiful architecture.

 

 

 

 

To any of my readers -- if you, like me, think that the billboard is not offensive but just thought-provoking (and, I reckon, quite clever), send an email to the church. Give them a bit of support this Christmas (I already have done). I support their right to freedom of expression and freedom from vandalism.

Update, 19 December: The parish have had to give up, after an elderly woman slashed at the second billboard with a knife. Vandalism wins, sadly.

A given-up-for-lost photo ... arrives

Just when I think the day is going to be ordinary ... someone sends through wonderful stuff inside an envelope which lands in my letterbox. Such happened today.

Above is a horrible photocopy-of-a-photocopy after who-knows how many generations of copying. This was copied from the old files at the Avondale Community Library way back in the 1980s when I was starting out on my mad quest to gather info on my home suburb. No one knew the Mrs. Mould who was supposed to have had the photo. All I got was shaking heads when I showed the photo to people. I even put a note about it in the very first Avondale Historical Journal in 2001. No go.

And then, while sitting waiting for a train at the station today, I open an envelope. Within, amongst other wonderful images of Avondale's past which came from the collection of a lady who lived here from the 1930s to 1980s (not Mrs Mould, though) ... was this:

Other normal people get excited about new gear at Christmas. Or sports heroes, or pop stars, or new restaurants etc. etc. Me, I get absolutely high and elated and over the flamin' moon on seeing an image I had hoped to see, in photo quality, for more than half my life.

What's it all about? This is a photo from c.1919 (judging by the fact that the name on the cart is D. (Dan) Robertson, who ran a grocery business from a wooden store just across the road from that fine verandahed villa in the centre behind the horse's rump). The villa is that of the Collins family, who owned the corner site, Great North Road and Rosebank Road -- a massive one, which later became four shops and a brick post office over the course of the 1920s-1960s. In 2004, the same scene looked like this:

John Kinder's House

Image: Kinder House, 1995, from AWHS collection

Rev. John Kinder, and emblem of the Church of England school at Parnell.

I was privileged to be in attendance yesterday at Kinder House in Parnell (I am delighted and honoured to say that I'm a member of the Society connected to the House, although sadly I'm unable to squeeze in time to help them on a volunteer basis at the moment). Yesterday was a dual celebration: commemorating the 150th anniversary of the wedding of John and Celia Kinder, and a wonderful new booklet to add to the collection available for purchase through the Society, Maria Ellen -- the Other Mrs. Kinder, by Diana Stuart Masters. Maria married Rev. Kinder's brother Henry, and thus started a story well worth reading, laced with intrigue, scandal, murder in Australia and dark whispers in New Zealand.

Follow the link (also added to the left sidebar) to find out more about the house, Rev. Kinder and the early Church of England school to which he and the house were connected.

Display for the 150th wedding anniversary of Rev. John and Celia Kinder.

Corrugated Kiwi

A range of photos taken this week at MOTAT didn't turn out all that well, but this one did -- so I've popped it on the blog at the side, just to add a bit of Zealandian colour.

Renaming places of reverance

This is the Avondale Baptist Church, first main landmark in Avondale once the Oakley Creek is crossed (down underneath the road) as one travels up New North Road to the intersection with Bockhouse Bay Road. Photo was taken within a bus. I'd never have had that angle otherwise.

Here is the intersection adjacent to the church ...

 

... so someone made the decision to call the church now The Intersection. It's been that way about a year, now. The name Avondale Baptist Church isn't gone, though, it's just in smaller lettering near the bottom of the sign.

Now, I'm not religious, and I don't belong to any religious denomination. Folks could say, therefore, that I'm being a bit picky, and also that churches have the right to call themselves whatever they like. But -- even if you let history go, geography surely will come along and tap you on the shoulder, reminding you of one thing: sense of place is key. Folks like saying "I go to [Place] [Denomination] Church". It's also easier when explaining to someone where your church is. Well, at least that's my opinion.

The George Maxwell Memorial Cemetery suffers from the same problem. Recently, a much-loved member of my historical society died. Her funeral notices all stated she was to be buried at Rosebank Cemetery, a name which hasn't officially existed for the last couple of decades or so because the local Anglican Church decided to name their cemetery on Rosebank Road after the late custodian of the cemetery. Again, yes -- they have the right to name their plot of land whatever they feel like naming it. The good lady who passed away, though, never called it anything except Rosebank Cemetery, where she now lies in peace next to her beloved husband who died in the 1980s, from before the renaming. Even a columnist in the Western Leader just a couple of weeks ago referred to the cemetery as Orchard Street cemetery (not silly, as the entry to the corner site is off Orchard Street), rather than its official, signposted name. Why? Because a lot of people out West now where Rosebank Road is, and Orchard Street possibly -- but there are still queries of "Where?" when George Maxwell Memorial Cemetery is mentioned.

Then again, before Rosebank became so well established as a sub-district name from the 1920s or so, folks called it the Avondale Cemetery. Times, and names, do change ...

A brief history of our Avondale Baptist Church (taken from History of the Avondale Baptist Church at the 75th Anniversary, 1926 to 2001, by Dr. Stan Edgar and Burt Turley):

11 October 1925

More than 80 people gathered at the section near the corner of the intersection to a meeting regarding the building of the church on the site purchased earlier that year.

5 December 1925

Foundation stone laid.

21 March 1926

Opening services. The building's original architects were Holman and Moses, and the superintendent of work was Mt Albert builder (and fellow Baptist) J. A. Penman.

February 1931

Sunday School hall building begins.

Early 1960s

The church was enlarged, the New North Road frontage starting to look the way it does today.

In search of Mr. Phipps

Post last updated: 16 April 2012, with information from Sheryl Avery.

Way back in 1940, Mr. D. Ringrose included in his recollections of early Avondale that a Mr. Phipps unsuccessfully ran a horse bus service, and the service was taken over by "Mr. Hazel". (Challenge of the Whau, 1994, p. 22) Mr Hazel was likely Mr. Hassall, he of the exploding coke in the fire. As for Phipps, here's what can be gleaned so far from Papers Past.

Frederick Phipps. Courtesy Sheryl Avery.

Frederick Eli (also used the middle initial C instead of E) Phipps (20/2/1838-1920), with his wife Hannah, arrived on the Nelson in 1865. It had looked like he had left Auckland again on the Mary Shepherd, 12 September 1870 (Southern Cross, 6 October 1870), but this was probably another Mr Phipps.

Frederick and Hannah's children were:

Harriet Mary (born in Newmarket 1865, died 1948). Married Ernest Charles Avery.
Elizabeth Hannah (1867-1953)
Frederick William (1869-1915). Married Henrietta Mary Wood.
William West (1872-1943), Married Euphemia (Effy) Pitcenson (or Pitcairn) Saxton.
Eli (1874-1875)
Eli Samuel (1876-1939). Married Hannah Ball Meekan.

Phipps worked as a coachman By late November that year, Phipp’s horse bus was operating between the city (by the Union Bank) and the Whau Hall (Auckland Star, 5 November 1870; SC, 28 December 1870) and he served as agent for the Evening Star in the Whau township.

We beg to intimate to residents at the Whau, and along the line of road leading to that district, that by arrangement with Mr. Phipps, the Evening Star will be forwarded daily to subscribers by his 'bus leaving the city at 3.30 p.m. Mr. Phipps has also been appointed agent for the Star, and will receive advertisements and subscriptions for this paper.

 Auckland Star 5 October 1870

We have been requested by Mr. F. Phipps to state that on and after Monday next he will make two trips per diem to and from the Whau as follows: From Whau, at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.; and from Union Bank, Queen-street, at 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m. This will undoubtedly be a great boon to our friends at the Whau, and we trust that Mr. Phipps will receive that amount of support which his undertaking deserves.

Auckland Star 10 November 1870

Mr. Phipps had a store at the Whau by the following year (SC 24 May 1871) but if he was a newspaper agent, it may have been before that.

In 1872, a bit of legal trouble.

Breaches of By-laws of the City Council.—
Ernest J. King was charged with having allowed his vehicle to be used as a hackney-carriage, without a license. Mr. Joy appeared for the defendant, who pleaded not guilty; and Mr. J. B. Russell conducted the prosecution.— Mr. Goldie, Inspector of Carriages, deposed that on the 27th January last he saw an unlicensed, carriage standing for hire. A man named Phipps was the driver. Witness did not bring any charge against Phipps because he was not the owner, and according to the by-laws the owner alone was responsible. Phipps had told him he had hired the vehicle of defendant. --F. E. Phipps, on being called, said he was a licensed driver, and holder of a licensed carriage. His carriage was being repaired, and in the meantime he had hired one of Mr. King’s for one month by the week. He did not hire it for private purposes, but to place it on the stand, and he had given King to understand that such was his intention. He considered the carriage his own for the time being, so long as he gave it fair wear and tear. — The counsel for the defendant addressed the Bench at great length, and stated that, as this was the first case of the kind that had ever been brought before the Court, the decision given now would have to be a guide to future decisions in cases of the kind. He stated that in the strict letter of the law the person who had hired the carriage was for the time being the owner. — The Bench ruled that, as the defendant knew to what purpose Phipps was going to apply the carriage, he (defendant) was responsible. But as this was the first offence, a nominal fine of 1s. would be inflicted, without costs.

(SC, 7 February 1872)

Frederick Phipps was living in West Street, Newton by 1875, his eight-month old son dying there. (SC 10 June 1875)

A Mr F E Phipps was in charge of George Holdship's timber yard in Newton when fire broke out at the Rising Sun Hotel in 1878, (Auckland Star 17 January 1878) but whether this is the same Mr Phipps I'm after isn't certain. By 1880, he was back in the old trade.

NOTICE. Mr F. E. PHIPPS begs to Inform the Public that he will run an omnibus, commencing TOMORROW, starting from Arch Hill at 8.30 a.m. through Newton, Hobson and Albert street, Wharf and National Bank. The correct Time Table will be published shortly. 

Auckland Star 19 March 1880

We notice that Mr Phipps is running a 'bus daily from Queen-street to Wellington street at the low fare of threepence, for the accommodation of persons residing in that district. The enterprising proprietor deserves encouragement.

Auckland Star 17 December 1880

By July 1881, two days a week, he was back to supplying a service to the Whau, according to his timetables published in the Star.

A Mr. Phipps was involved on the board of the Northern Omnibus Company in the early 1880s.

A bad accident in 1883 left Phipps shaken.

A collision between Phipps' Archhill omnibus and a dray took place in Newton Hotel early last evening, with rather serious results. How the vehicles came together, or to whom the accident is attributed, we are not at present informed. Phipps' 'bus was knocked over on one side, and Mr Phipps, who was driving, was thrown violently on the ground, and received some slight bruises about the head. He was picked up unconscious but speedily recovered under the care of a few neighbours, The 'bus was afterwards righted and was driven to the stables, neither it nor the horses having sustained any severe injury. The dray also escaped uninjured. It was very fortunate that the 'bus contained no passengers when the mishap occurred, else the result would have been much more serious.

Auckland Star 15 May 1883

It appears in the 1880s he lived in East Street, Newton (a wooden building and a stable, according to records). 1890, he owned two shops and a cottage in Karangahape Road, occupation bus driver. Hannah Phipps died in 1893, and by 1898, after arriving back from Sydney, Phipps was living in Church Street, Devonport.He died aged 82 in 1920, living in Ariki Street, Grey Lynn.

Avondale bus crash, 1926

Many years ago, probably the mid to late 1980s, I photocopied a couple of photos from the vertical files held at Avondale Library, back when I was first starting out on my craze involving the gathering of my suburb's history. This is one of them: identified only as a crash on Great North Road, 1920s, possibly involving a milk truck. It was copied so long ago, the sheet is fullscap rather than A4.

I filed it away under Miscellaneous and moved on.

The other day, doing some fill-in research into the history of the recent building in Avondale which burned down I spotted a news article from July 1926 about a bus crash in Avondale, on the Great North Road. I followed it through, and that one of the buses involved is the same as in the photograph. This was just one of two Progressive Bus Company vehicles involved in an accident which injured nine people on 11 July 1926.

As Great North Road turns towards the Avondale township even these days from the city end, there is a sharp turn. I hesitate to cross there, as it's a bit of a blind corner. It is close to the spot where I took these photos of a mural traffic box. Back in 1926, Ash Street extension didn't exist, the Avondale Bowling Club still owned the land west of Great North Road where the road would go through, and a steep bank meant the main road was a hazard to the incautious driver.

Bus drivers in those days chose to stick to the centre of the road to avoid a capsize over the bank. Unfortunately on that day in 1926, two buses tried to use the centre of the road at the same time, between the Bowling Club and Hoyes and Jeff's coal shed.

The bus shown above was the one bound for New Lynn, driven by Jack Shorter. The windows on the right side were completely shattered, spraying the passengers inside with glass. It was the other one which was hit hardest by the side-on  collision, driven by George Bacon. It had the whole of its right side completely ripped away, and in the shock of the collision the driver lost control, heading forward and hitting a power pole.

Rain at the time wouldn't have helped with visibility. Most of the passengers were only lightly injured by flying debris and glass. Several motor cars passing through shortly afterward had their tyres punctured. Two of the passengers remained in Auckland Hospital at least until after the next day.

So, not a milk truck crash after all. The moral here is: keep those mysterious local history photos, folks. You never know when the real story will catch up with them.

Edited 16 November 2015.

Thanks to the admins at the Friends of Waikumete Facebook page -- I now know that:

"Henry Ernest Hardy died in Auckland Hospital from severe injuries to his head and face on July 14th 1926, aged 49. Mr. Hardy's son, Herbert had minor injuries. Mr Murdoch McKenzie, of Kelston House, New Lynn had his right arm broken. The bus drivers were Jack Shorter and George Bacon. George Bacon was found guilty of negligent driving causing death. He was fined 50 pounds and his licence was cancelled for 3 years, in lieu of a 9 month prison sentence with hard labour due to his unblemished record. Henry Ernest Hardy was a carpenter. He is buried in Anglican Division E, Row 9, Plot 122," Waikumete Cemetery. The image above republished with their permission.

Auckland's 'phone boxes of doom

In these days of the ever-continuing demise of public phone boxes in the wake of the cellphone revolution, younger generations will wonder what all the fuss is about in reading the following from the Auckland Star, 17 November 1924. I'm glad they had them round the right way by the time I was out toddling the pavements later on that century, though.

There are a few public telephone boxes in Auckland that are so placed as to be better able to provide more than the average trouble for those who use them. The worst that most of these boxes can do is to provide a sort of shelter shed in which one may stand for any length of time, feed the slot with pennies and turn the handle of the machine until exhausted, meanwhile swearing and shouting, all to oneself, against an inpenetrable barrier of silence.

There are a few boxes where one is liable, at any time, to get more for his money -- where, as a kind of finishing touch, a knock-down may be administered as one steps or staggers out the door.

They have often been remarked upon, these boxes, which for some unaccountable reason have been placed in such position on the street-sides that their doors open from, and on to, the roadway, which means that those who wish to use the machines have first to step from the footpath into the roadway, and then from the boxes on the street again, when they wish to come out. Examples of them are to be found near the top end of Pitt Street, and near the Grafton Bridge corner in Symonds Street -- both of them, by the way, facing safety zones.

This latter fact has an important bearing on the case. There is a considerable amount of traffic at the two corners quoted, and now that zones have been introduced, there is practically no spare room between them (the zones) and the pavements, for any by vehicular traffic. Anyone who has watched or participated in the hop-skip-and-jump methods that must now invariably be used when attempting to cross a street, will realise the truth of this. There is no room for pedestrians on the streets to-day, and when in the streets, any member of that rapidly declining race has the odds against him by about one hundred to one.

Consequently, fate may at any time decree that an ordinary human being, having used a slot telephone, may open the door of the species of box under review, step straight into the front of a motor car and in less time than it takes to tell find himself some few feet away from the point from which he started. Those who meet this experience at the Grafton Bridge box will, of course, be more fortunate than others because it is nearer to the hospital.

It may be argued that any such accident (one almost occurred yesterday) would be entirely the fault of the pedestrian. Someone would say that, as there are windows on three sides of the boxes, there would be no excuse for anyone inside not looking out and seeing that all was clear before coming out into the open. Another might say, "Serves him right for using the things." To a certain extent all this is admitted, but the mere fact that people will step into the front of vehicles from the very pavements, let alone from enclosed spaces, makes it necessary that they should, under no circumstances, be provided with facilities for sudden death.

Inquiries regarding the usual position of the doors of these portions of Post and Telegreaph Department property were made from the District Telegraph Engineer, and he replied that he had noticed the same extraordinary position himself (who could help noticing it?) but added that it was like that when he came to Auckland, and had been for some years. Possibly the idea was that it prevented blockages in pedestrian traffic -- people opening and closing doors on the footpath all day could not be tolerated in a city of the standard of Auckland. Again, it may have been so arranged purely from a humanitarian point of view -- that a man, having lost all his temper and his pennies, could quickly end his cares by opening the door suddenly and flinging himself in front of the traffic.

Itr is, of course, much more probable that accidents would happen as people left the boxes, rather than as they prepared to go into them. They are more likely to see traffic before they step from the pavement than before when they step from the boxes. Then, more often than not, they see nothing but "red".

RMS Rangitiki

This is the third ship which brought part of my bloodline to New Zealand. I don't know the names of the first two yet, the ones which brought my paternal grandfather and grandmother separately to New Zealand around 1912, but the third has always been highlighted in my life, right from being a kiddy. The RMS Rangitiki brought my mum to New Zealand from Tilbury Docks in London 9 May 1958, to Auckland's wharves at 5.55 pm on 12 June 1958. With her came my maternal grandmother and my two American-born half-brothers. They had to stay on board, so my mum told me many times, because back then, Customs closed at 5pm. It wasn't until after 8 am the following morning, Friday the 13th, that the passengers were allowed to step onto these shores. Because of this, I've always considered Friday the 13th to be lucky rather than not.

At 16,984 tons, the Rangitiki was completed in 1929, followed by related ships the Rangitata and the Rangitane. All were built by John Brown and Co of Clydebank, and were originally ships of 16,700 tons, fitted with the highest powered diesel engines built up to that time in the United Kingdom. Rangitiki's maiden voyage was February 1929, from Southampton via Madeira and Panama.

During World War II, the Rangitane was sunk by German raiders in November 1940, and the Rangitiki nearly met the same fate. She was serving as a cargo ship, carrying meat and produce from Wellington for Britain, joining a convoy out from Halifax, Nova Scotia. The German battleship Admiral Scheer fired on the Rangitiki, but fortunately missed.

After that, she transported troops and military supplies to the Middle East, fitted to accommodate 2,600 troops. She was used in support of landings in North Africa in 1943, and then voyaged to New York with German and Italian prisoners-of-war. She also carried American troops, Commonwealth airman, and invalided troops.

Rangitiki returned to passengers to New Zealand waters after a full refit in 1948, with new engines, and all trace of her wartime past obliterated. A further refitting took place at Belfast in 1957 for her owners, the New Zealand Shipping Company.

Then, after bringing my family to New Zealand in 1958 -- she nearly came to grief. In September that year, the Rangitiki grounded on the treacherous Goodwin Sands, off the coast of Kent. Still lucky, she was soon refloated and carried on undamaged. Her last voyage from Wellington was March 1962, but then she was sold to Spanish buyers, and then, when that deal fell through, to a Dutch firm of ship-breakers. Finally, she was sold again to Yugoslav shipbreakers, and was scrapped later on that year. (Source: The Ships That Serve New Zealand, L. G. Stewart, 1964)

The images come from my mum's copy of the May 1958 passenger list. The family came here in tourist class, and their names are there.

An explosive affair at Murchison

This is Murchison. Up until now, when mentioned to me, my brain would drag up the tidbit of a certain earthquake of note which took place there last century. However, 24 years before all that, it wasn't just nature getting startlingly violent in Murchison.

This from the Auckland Star, 2 August 1905.

One of the most remarkable events that has occurred in New Zealand happened at Murchison, Nelson, on July 14. A man named [Walter] Neame sued a neighbour named [Joseph] Sewell for the recovery of two heifers, which he claimed Sewell had wrongfully appropriated. The case was heard before Mr. Kendrick, S.M., in Downie's Hall. After the case had proceeded quietly for half an hour Sewell rose from a seat, and approaching the magistrate said, "I have a pocketful of dynamite, I can let it off in a minute, but I don't want to hurt you."

The police inspector noticed Sewell's eccentric behaviour, and enticed him outside the room and, with Constable Scott, went to arrest him.

Sewell evidently guessed their intention, and fumbled in his waistcoat pocket. This was immediately followed by a fearful explosion.

Sewell's body, except his legs, was blown to atoms. Inspector Wilson and Mr. [Elijah] Bunn lay stunned close by, seriously injured. Constable Scott and Mr. Fittall were 100 yards away. The direction of the explosion just missed others who were standing by, or all would have been blown to atoms. The force of the explosion is shown by the fact that a fence three yards away was blown to pieces. The explosion just missed destroying the hall, of which the corner was broken, the building being shifted three inches out of plumb.

All the windows in the vicinity of sixty feet were smashed to atoms, and the explosion was heard six miles away. The concussion affected crockery two miles away.

Great praise is due to Inspector Wilson and to Constable Scott for getting Sewell out of the building. Mr. Bunn is not expected to recover.

However, Mr. Bunn did indeed recover, and received ₤100 compensation from the government the following year. (Nelson Evening Mail, 29 August 1906)

Neame and Sewell had had a long-standing feud going on well before the explosive conclusion. At one point, Neame accused Sewell of leaving kerosene-soaked and burning rags at his door.

Six months ago Neame reported having found an ingeniously-contrived infernal machine two chains from his place, so devised that when he lifted the lid an explosion would follow, but no matches were in it, and the account was discredited. Three months ago Neame accused Sewell of poisoning his pigs, but this was also discredited.

Sewell, who was an elderly man of retiring habits, was deemed eccentric, as he had ideas and notions considerably advanced of the time. He was said to have devised a scheme of motor traction long before motor cars or 'buses were common, and his place of a few acres has some curious and ingenious mechanical contrivances of his own construction.

He also seemed to have realised the value of the "open-air treatment" long before medical science endorsed it; for his health and other reasons, he used to sleep in a van which he had covered in, and because of this he was regarded as a little "dotty." Those who knew Sewell very well, however, describe him as a quiet, intelligent, old man, extremely sensitive, but of warm, impulsive temper.

Sewell was greatly excited over the suit brought against him, and it is said he had a revolver in his possession, which he intended to take with him to the Courthouse. It is also said that on Thursday some Murchison people declared they would not enter the building while Sewell was there.

(Wanganui Herald, 17 July 1905)

Sewell was described as elderly -- but according to the Birth, Death & Marriages register, he was only 57 when he died. The hall where the case was being heard seems to have been known at the time as Downie's Hall, the only one in town and connected with the nearby Commercial Hotel and its proprietors, hence the name (after Charles Downie who owned the hotel from 1900). The hall was demolished in 1916.

Update 16 May 2012: This from Dave Grantham of Waikanae --

"Just came across your blog - very little seems to have been written about the Sewell-Neame saga. Walter Neame was killed in a trap accident near Lyell almost exactly a year later as reported in the Hawera & Normanby Star 9 July 1906. Both men's names appear in the Murchison Cemetery records online."

Mural on Grosvenor Street

I kept seeing this mural while on the buses whizzing past it along Great North Road through Grey Lynn, and was determined one day to take photos of it. Yesterday was my opportunity, wehen I hopped off the bus, and walked the rest of the way into the city.

The mural is by Doug Ford, completed 2008, and shows suburban Grey Lynn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CSIRO Bibliography entry for The Zoo War

Discovered this morning: my Zoo War has been included on a bibliography (.pdf file) put out by the Aussies at CSIRO. After the initial surprise, I have to admit I think that's quite cool. Considering it was the product of one of my "I wonder why that all happened?" hunts.

Okay, skiting's over. Moving on ...