Tomorrow's Yesterday: October 2006

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Old Tins - Aulsebrooks

Robert Ewing McDougall, 1860-1942
Robert McDougall was born in Melbourne on 27th December 18601, and brought as a child to Christchurch in 1863. He was educated at Charles Cook’s Private School and Christ’s College, and began his career as a junior clerk in the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, Christchurch, in 1875. For most of his working life he was, however, associated with the firm of Aulsebrooks.
Aulsebrooks bakery was established in 1863, by John Aulsebrook, on a Colombo Street site. In 1879 Robert McDougall’s father, W.E. McDougall, bought in as partner and a new factory was built at the corner of Montreal and St Asaph Streets. After two years the partnership ceased, but in 1883 Aulsebrook approached McDougall again. W.E. McDougall declined further involvement, but bought an interest for his son. Until 1889, when John Aulsebrook moved to Sydney and sold out to Robert, Robert managed Lane’s Flour Mill, on Mill Island in the Avon near the Hereford Street bridge, good preparation for his later association with Aulsebrooks2.

Doll and dresses

Rewena Bread

Rewena Paraoa 5 cups of flour1 tsp of salt2 tbsp of sugar 1 tsp of baking soda1 cup of Rewena (heated in the microwave till luke warm) Sift flour, salt, sugar in a bowl. Make well in centre and pour luke warm rewena, sprinkle baking soda over. Mix and knead lightly for about 10 minutes until dough forms. Add more water if mixture is to firm. Place into deep well greased cake tin and cover, put in warm place to prove (double in size) and then bake for 45 minutes at 180 C

Vodanovichs - Lincoln Road

Vineyards and Wineries in the Henderson area
Babich Wines – established 1916 Babich Rd, Henderson
Balich Estate Wines – established 1912, Sturges Rd, Henderson
Page 5
Britannia Vineyards – established 1936, Edmonton Rd, Henderson
Collard Brothers – established 1910, Great North Rd, Henderson
Delegats Wines – established 1947, Hepburn Rd, Glendene
Eastern Vineyards - established 1938, Sturges Rd, Henderson
Fairhaven Wines – established 1942, West Coast Rd, Glen Eden
Fino Valley Wines – established, 1966, Henderson Valley Rd, Henderson.
Fullers Wines – established 1961, Candia Rd, Henderson
Grandview – established 1968, Don Buck Rd, Massey
Hughes and Cossar Limited – established ?, Sturges Rd, Henderson
Kurtes Wines – established 1942, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Lincoln Vineyards – established 1937, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Mayfair Vineyards – established 1946, Sturges Rd, Henderson
Mazurans Vineyards – established 1938, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Mothers Cellars – established 1964, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Nova Wines – established 1968, Metcalfe Rd, Henderson
Old Railway Winery – established 1961, Henderson Valley Rd, Henderson
Orbrossa Wines – established 1972, West Coast Rd, Oratia
Pacific Vineyards – established 1936, McLeod Rd, Henderson
Panorama Vineyard – established 1937, Awaroa Rd, Henderson
Penfolds Wines New Zealand Limited – established 1944, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Peters Vineyard – established 1945, Norcross Ave, Henderson
Pleasant Valley Wines – established 1902, Henderson Valley Rd, Henderson
Public Vineyards – established ?, Bruce McLaren Rd, Henderson
Sapich Wines – established 1945, Forest Hill Rd, Henderson
Sea View Vineyards – established 1926, Simpson Rd, Ranui
Soljans Vineyard – established 1938, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
St Jerome Wines – established 1965, Metcalfe Rd, Henderson
Ti-Toki Company – established 1977, Tram Valley Rd, Swanson
Tony’s Vineyard – established 1965, Rosier Rd, Glen Eden.
Vodanovich T. & A. & N. & Sons vineyard – established 1949, Lincoln Rd, Henderson
Windy Hill Winery – established 1935, Simpsons Rd, Henderson
Western Vineyards – established ?, Vineyard Rd, Henderson Valley

Lincoln Vineyard

Spanning four generations, the Fredatovich family have provided a backbone for not only the local wine industry over the past half century, but also in the wider community.
Lincoln was started in 1937 by pioneering winemaker Petar Fredatovich. He had a vision of providing quality wine to meet the needs of the early settlers in New Zealand. His vision has grown with the Generations that have followed him.

Letter Box Lincoln Road

St Mathews In The City - Pet Blessing

“Beware of the God” reads the bright red sign outside our church. The kennel beneath it and the subscript advertising the upcoming animal service give the sign its context. Adults and children smile as they pass by.
Our detractors also love it. “Ah,” said one chap last week grinning at the thought, “at last, a theological health warning outside St Matthew's.” He thinks visitors should be wary of the God within.
I agree with him. The God we worship here is not safe, and will not make you safe.
The late James K. Baxter was one of my spiritual mentors. As well as being among our country's foremost poets, Hemi combined his understandings of Maori and Catholic spirituality with a potent blend of compassion and justice.
One of his more difficult pieces comes from the Jerusalem Daybook:
“[God] is my peace, my terror, my joy, my sorrow… but not my security… Who is harsher than this God of ours? The God they imagine, and pray to very often in the churches, is a God of sugar compared to the terrible One who grips our living entrails… I would not advise any [person] to follow that One.”
As Hemi goes on I find myself both repelled and challenged by this image of God. I am repelled by the notion of a God who destroys, who terrorizes, who frightens, and who practices a random morality. Yet at the same time I know this is theological experience of many, not least Abraham and Jeremiah.
What challenges me is the deep Hebraic truth that God cannot be contained or tamed by our desires to have an orderly, secure, and predictable life. What Christianity often does to God is what the Governor of California in the 1970s, Ronald Reagan, tried to do to the Redwoods, namely make them into lounge furniture. That which is wild, wonderful, and free is an affront to our worst managerial instincts. It needs to be cut down, domesticated, and made into something comfortable to sit on and sip our coffee.
Proponents of Christianity throughout the ages have tried to keep God under control by creating fences out of the Bible, the Creeds, synods, clergy, hymns, and liturgies. Yet, as Baxter reminds us, they need to be aware of who and what they are dealing with. For God continually breaks out of our constructs and language - popping up in others' holy texts, speaking through social and political outcasts, refusing to favour any one race, religion, or sexual orientation, and generally being a darn nuisance to those who like decency and order. Be aware, this God is not safe.
If you want to judge a religion firstly judge how many constraints it puts upon God. Then judge the religion by its mercy. The untameable God who pushes us beyond our boundaries has always and continues to prod and shove us towards the exercise of mercy and compassion.
Jesus was a reforming Jew who rebelled against love being turned into legalism. His ministry was one of constant and unbridled compassion. This is the context of our Gospel reading today. In a society where women had few rights marriage gave them protection. Yet their husbands if they took a fancy to some other woman could divorce them at whim. Jesus' comments need to be understood as siding with the vulnerable, namely married women.
Of course we know that marriage can also be a place of violence and oppression. Nowadays the ability to divorce allows a way out. Biblical legalists however have taken Jesus' words and used them to judge those whose marriages end. Words originally meant to support the vulnerable have been turned to condemn the vulnerable.
Every religion needs to examine its beliefs to see whether they encourage adherents to be more or less merciful, more or less tolerant, and more or less compassionate. This is the touchstone of faith: does your church make you kinder? Does your church make the world a kinder place? And if it doesn't my advice is to ditch your church and go looking for God.
Kindness and compassion led St Francis of Assisi well beyond his comfort zone. There is a story told of Francis [1] and a savage wolf. The citizens of Gubbio were wary and frightened to venture beyond the city walls. Francis, both compelled by and trusting in God, went out alone to meet this wolf. The brute appeared. Francis made the sign of the cross and spoke, calling the beast “Brother Wolf” and telling him off for all the suffering he had caused. The wolf, having made ready to pounce, became very quiet, and in the end lay at Francis's feet. The tradition records that “[the wolf from then on] lived in the city ...and was fed by the people ...and never a dog barked at him, and the citizens grieved... at his death from old age.”
Let us note that, firstly, Francis was pushed by God to confront his fears. He ventured out, beyond where it was safe. Beware of the God. Secondly, Francis engaged with the wolf that others both feared and excluded. Risky behaviour. Thirdly, he brokered a deal that was of mutual benefit to both the wolf and the townsfolk, and built a lasting connection between them.
There was another solution available to the citizens of Gubbio: hire a hunter to kill the wolf. Time and again this has been what humans have done. Rather than befriend our fears we have killed that which has threatened us. It has led to the depletion and extinction of many animal species. It has led to many wars and generations weaned on hatred. The story of the Wolf of Gubbio, on the other hand, invites us into building relationships of trust and mutuality with those we fear.
There are similar Francis stories around poverty and sickness – like when he hugged a leper; and around enemies and Islam – like when he visited the Sultan of Babylon. Each of these stories is about Francis being pushed by God beyond the limits of safety to embrace humans or animals others were frightened of and wished to exclude or destroy.
Our actions towards animals, or towards those who are labelled as deviant or different, or towards those with little status or power, or towards those of other religions or none… is the measure of our faith. This is not an easy or comfortable faith. Frequently you will find yourself consigned to the theological dog house. By siding with outsiders you become an outsider yourself. Then beware everything changes. Ask James K. Baxter. Ask Francis. Ask Jesus. Ask God.

Bond Street Auckland

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Fruit Shop Window - Yesteryear - Ponsonby Road

Hobsonville ChildCare - where our kids went in 1982

Wiseley Road - from the shops in Clark Road

Hobsonville - Lack of funding threat to Hobsonville bypass
20.04.05by Mathew Dearnaley
Spiralling road costs threaten to delay a link in the proposed western ring motorway route around Auckland - a 5km bypass of Hobsonville - and have raised jitters further away. Although Transit NZ hoped to start building the $141 million road next summer, the agency told the Auckland Regional Land Transport Committee yesterday that there may not be enough Government money available. This is despite good progress on two other parts of a four-lane Upper Harbour Motorway, a duplicate bridge and a 5km stretch through Greenhithe to the Albany Highway. Transit regional manager Richard Hancy also acknowledged a risk that possible cost increases on the planned Southwestern Motorway extension through Mt Roskill may spell trouble for linking that road to the Southern Motorway at Manukau.