Monday, July 24, 2006
Monday, July 10, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Inia Te Wiata
The triumphant tour of Inia Te Wiata through New Zealand is in its last stages. The Maori people, proud of their new world celebrity, flocked to his concerts and although the arias in the first half of his programme were strange to many, all could appreciate his superb versions of the West Indian songs, the Negro spirituals, many short popular numbers—and of course the Maori items performed at each of his concerts.
There was little in Inia Te Wiata's early background to lead him to world fame or the life of a professional artist. His father, Watene Te Wiata, died early, after which Inia was brought up by Pairoroku and Rakete Rikihana in Otaki. He went to live in the Waikato. Here he became interested in Maori carving and was employed at Ngaruawahia for three years on the carving of Turongo, the house of the Maori King, which was opened in 1936. Afterwards, he worked at the Horotiu Freezing Works, near Hamilton.
During all these years, although his musical talents remained undeveloped, singing was an important part of his life. He first performed on the stage at the age of seven. ‘This first concert’ says Te Wiata, ‘still stands out as one of the great days in my life’.
The concert took place at the Old Otaki Lyric Theatre, which was situated about a hundred yards from the Telegraph Hotel, in the direction of the town.
His music teacher, Miss Edith Miller taught him at the Otaki State School and it was from her that he received his first music lessons. He remembers that the song he sang was “Margie” and that when the audience acclaimed him he was very mystified and did not know what to do next. His teacher told him to return to the stage and take a how, but he was still not sure about what was expected of him, so he sang “Margie” again. Again the clapping came and with a quick look at the pianist he started up and again sang “Margie”. It was here that he began to understand the meaning of being an artist and he began to enjoy it immensely. He had to be carried off the stage before he was tempted to again sing “Margie”.
At the age of 13 ½ his voice broke and almost overnight he became a bass-baritone. When this happened he joined his cousins quartette which included Wi Nicholls, Henry Tahiwi, and Dan Rikihana. All these people were adults except the young Te Wiata.
http://teaohou.natlib.govt.nz/teaohou/issue/Mao23TeA/c9.html
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Town Hall Auckland - at Dawn 24 June
Auckland Town Hall was opened in 1911 and, after a $33 million restoration in 1997, it has been maintained in its original Italian Renaissance design and Edwardian elegance.
The original organ was built for the (then) brand-new Town Hall in England in 1910. It was shipped out and installed in the specially-prepared chamber the following year. It was gifted by Sir Henry Brett, a prominent councillor, to the city. The specification was:
Pedal: Dbles 32 (wood), 32 (metal), Open Dps 16(wood), 16(metal), Violone 16, Bdn 16, Echo Bass 16, Oct Dp 8, Prin 8, Bass Flt 8, Contra Pos 32, Tromb 16, Trpt 8Great: Dps 16, 8(large), 8(medium), 8(small), Claribel Flt 8, Corno Flt 8, Prin 4, Harm Flt 4, 12th, 15th, Mix (IV), Tromb 16, Tromba 8, Harm Clarion 4Swell: Bdn 16, Diaphonic Dp 8, Geigen Dp 8, Lieb Ged 8, Sal 8, Vox Ang 8, Prin 4, Lieb Flt 4, 15th, Mix (III), Contra Pos 16, Horn 8, Oboe 8, Vox Hum 8, Harm Pos 4, TremChoir: Lieb Ged 8, Echo Dul 8, Dolce 8, Viol d'orch 8, Voix Cel (II), Unda Maris 8, Flauto trav 4, Harm Picc 2, Schalmei 16, Orch Clt 8, Orch Oboe 8, TremSolo: Harm Claribel 8, Concert Flt 4, Orch Trpt 8, Bombarde 16, Tuba Mirabilis 8, Tuba Carion 4, Trem
Regular concerts were promoted by the City every year (and during the War years, too), it being a condition of the gift that the instrument be used for the pleasure and recreation of Aucklander a certain number of times each year.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
SOCIAL COHESION: LESSONS FROM THE PAST
Many imports were simply banned. It was against the law to make carpets from anything other than wool. To buy margarine you had to get a doctor's prescription. Until 1967, hotel bars closed at 6 o'clock. You weren't allowed to truck goods more than 40 miles. To buy Australian shares you had to apply to the Reserve Bank. You bought 5 shilling British postal notes to subscribe to overseas magazines.
am old enough to have lived through the period that some look back to with nostalgia. I grew up in a farming community during the depression years. Large numbers of people were wandering about the country looking for work, and there was often a swagger in our woodshed. However, my parents never locked the door of the house, because neighbours might have wanted to pop in to use the phone or make a cup of tea. Despite unemployment and hardship, the crime rate was far lower than it is today.
I can just remember the first Labour government which was elected in 1935 and the social security measures of 1938. Some people today seem to regard the government of Michael Joseph Savage as one that launched New Zealand into big government and large scale welfare. Nothing could be further from the truth. In an editorial last year, the Evening Post correctly observed:
It's an unpopular view, but the Welfare State founded by the First Labour Government of Michael Joseph Savage is more in tune with the current philosophies of the National and Act parties than those of Labour and the Alliance.
Even though Savage's government boosted government spending, it still amounted to only 16.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1938. Savage and Nash were fiscal and moral conservatives. Welfare was seen as a temporary hand-up, not an open-ended handout. Savage insisted that pensions should be means-tested, not paid on a universal basis regardless of wealth. His government was very conscious of the risks of state welfare undermining the role of the churches and charities. Many of its members had grave misgivings about introducing compulsory unionism in 1936, fearing that it would make unions domineering and unaccountable. By the late 1940s these fears were proving to be well founded.
The 1950s were often seen as the high point of the 'good old days' for New Zealand. Export prices were high and the adverse effects of Fortress New Zealand policies were only just starting to bite. It was a time of full employment when firms were free to hire and fire people provided they observed ordinary contracts.
The New Zealand economy was already starting to seize up by the 1950s with lower productivity growth rates than our trading partners, for reasons that include things like the introduction of import licensing and exchange controls in 1938. Some of the social legislation of the time was unduly harsh. Some children did not get good educational chances. There was a certain grey conformity and repressiveness in the national culture. As late as 1961 there were only three licensed restaurants in Auckland. BYOs were illegal everywhere. The film of James Joyce's Ulysses could only be shown to segregated audiences. Many practices held women back: for example, they often had to get their husband's permission to open bank accounts
SIR RONALD TROTTER
http://www.nzbr.org.nz/documents/speeches/speeches-2000/social_cohesion.doc.htm
am old enough to have lived through the period that some look back to with nostalgia. I grew up in a farming community during the depression years. Large numbers of people were wandering about the country looking for work, and there was often a swagger in our woodshed. However, my parents never locked the door of the house, because neighbours might have wanted to pop in to use the phone or make a cup of tea. Despite unemployment and hardship, the crime rate was far lower than it is today.
I can just remember the first Labour government which was elected in 1935 and the social security measures of 1938. Some people today seem to regard the government of Michael Joseph Savage as one that launched New Zealand into big government and large scale welfare. Nothing could be further from the truth. In an editorial last year, the Evening Post correctly observed:
It's an unpopular view, but the Welfare State founded by the First Labour Government of Michael Joseph Savage is more in tune with the current philosophies of the National and Act parties than those of Labour and the Alliance.
Even though Savage's government boosted government spending, it still amounted to only 16.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 1938. Savage and Nash were fiscal and moral conservatives. Welfare was seen as a temporary hand-up, not an open-ended handout. Savage insisted that pensions should be means-tested, not paid on a universal basis regardless of wealth. His government was very conscious of the risks of state welfare undermining the role of the churches and charities. Many of its members had grave misgivings about introducing compulsory unionism in 1936, fearing that it would make unions domineering and unaccountable. By the late 1940s these fears were proving to be well founded.
The 1950s were often seen as the high point of the 'good old days' for New Zealand. Export prices were high and the adverse effects of Fortress New Zealand policies were only just starting to bite. It was a time of full employment when firms were free to hire and fire people provided they observed ordinary contracts.
The New Zealand economy was already starting to seize up by the 1950s with lower productivity growth rates than our trading partners, for reasons that include things like the introduction of import licensing and exchange controls in 1938. Some of the social legislation of the time was unduly harsh. Some children did not get good educational chances. There was a certain grey conformity and repressiveness in the national culture. As late as 1961 there were only three licensed restaurants in Auckland. BYOs were illegal everywhere. The film of James Joyce's Ulysses could only be shown to segregated audiences. Many practices held women back: for example, they often had to get their husband's permission to open bank accounts
SIR RONALD TROTTER
http://www.nzbr.org.nz/documents/speeches/speeches-2000/social_cohesion.doc.htm
Monday, June 12, 2006
Power restored to Auckland after blackout
UPDATED 6.55pm Monday June 12, 2006
Power has been restored to most of Auckland after a blackout - thought to be caused by a storm sweeping the country - brought the city to a standstill.
More than 700,000 people were affected as power was cut to thousands of homes on top of the hundreds of businesses in the CBD forced to close.
Police described some of Auckland's intersections as "lunacy" as around 300 traffic lights went out just after 8.30am.
Power began to return to parts of the city from 12.40pm.
The city council activated its emergency operations centre and Auckland City Police mobilised its district emergency management plan, something not done since 1998's power crisis.
All but two of the city's police stations lost power and closed down.
A spokeswoman for power company Vector said the cause of the Auckland blackout was a fault on the Transpower network. She said: "An earth wire has snapped and fallen across the 110 kv feeder from the Otahuhu substation."
Power has been restored to most of Auckland after a blackout - thought to be caused by a storm sweeping the country - brought the city to a standstill.
More than 700,000 people were affected as power was cut to thousands of homes on top of the hundreds of businesses in the CBD forced to close.
Police described some of Auckland's intersections as "lunacy" as around 300 traffic lights went out just after 8.30am.
Power began to return to parts of the city from 12.40pm.
The city council activated its emergency operations centre and Auckland City Police mobilised its district emergency management plan, something not done since 1998's power crisis.
All but two of the city's police stations lost power and closed down.
A spokeswoman for power company Vector said the cause of the Auckland blackout was a fault on the Transpower network. She said: "An earth wire has snapped and fallen across the 110 kv feeder from the Otahuhu substation."
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Morning Tea Shout
Club Sandwich
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
4 hardboiled eggs, finely chopped
1 loaf thin-sliced white bread
lettuce leaves
tomatoes, sliced
Mix mayonnaise, herbs and eggs together. Layer up double-decker sandwiches in the following order: egg mayonnaise, lettuce, egg mayonnaise, bread, egg mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, bread. Slice crusts off sandwiches and cut in half.
Smokers Hang Outside
From December 2004, all indoor workplaces became 100 percent smokefree. This included:
warehouses, offices, factories and shops
work cafeterias, dedicated smoking rooms and ‘smoko’ rooms, corridors, lifts, lobbies, stairwells, toilets and wash rooms or other shared internal areas
hospitality venues (including licensed clubs, restaurants, casinos and gaming machine venues)
working taxis, trains, aircraft, passenger lounges and indoor parts of ships
schools and early childhood centres.
Sky City at Dawn
IN THE HEART OF THE CITY
Along with the advantages of staying in a Qualmark rated four-plus star hotel you'll find a vast array of entertainment options literally at your door.
From our two casinos, to dining in one of our 10 restaurants and bars, to free live entertainment, SKYCITY Hotel has something for everyone.
It's also great to have a quiet soothing place to relax. SKYCITY Hotel's spacious rooms have all the facilities you would expect of a top-class hotel, and each one of our staff is absolutely committed to ensuring you have a memorable stay.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Calling Oldies 4
I remember the cheese of my childhood and the bread taht we cut with the knife, when chidren helped out with the housework and men went to work not the wife. the cheese never needed an ice chest. the bread was so crusty and hot, the children were seldom unhappy and the wife was content withher lot I remember the milk in the billy,with yummy thick cream on the top our dinners came hot from the oven and not from some fridge in some shop the kids were a lot more contented they didn't need moneyfor kicks but a game with some mates in the paddock and sometimes the satuday flicks I rembember the shop on the corner where a penn'worth of lollies was sold do you think i'm a bit nostalgis or is it I'm just getting old
I still have my teddy, golly and monkey that I had since I was one. (that means they are 58 years old) and they look it poor things getting a bit motheaten. My mother told me that we were outside a shop in England when I spotted this stuffed monkey and created a fuss wanting it until my mum's twin sister (who idolised me) went in and bought it.(and I thought I wasn't spoilt)I didn't want dolls, teddy was my favourite. Mum made clothes for him and knitted him a little suit in grey and red wool.(sob.. brings back happy memories)He even had a raincoat!Thanks for your explanation, Pussytux, it's cute.I did have a walkie talkie doll later on, her name was Annette. I liked watching the programme about the Queen I think she is just marvello
Ah, the blackberries! When we lived in Christchurch we would go out on the West Melton road and pick them on the roadside. Our kids would get prickles but the fruit made it all worth while. E's parents kept their own Jersey cow, and mil would scald a big pan of the rich milk. When cooled, it would leave for skimming, this thick clotted scalded cream, which we would spread over the blackberry pie, or on the BBJam. And when we moved to Dunedin, we found rich pickings on Three Mile Hill. And later in the year we returned to gather the pine cones from the plantations - they made a great winter fire. Sunday tea with open fire toast and marmalade! Can you taste it still?
Toast made on an open fire is to die for The long handled fork always hung by the fireside.Often had hot soup with toast made on open fire. Sometimes the bread would drop off the fork and go up in flames.You had to let the fire die down a bit so there were just hot coals. Oh my I can almost taste it now
Yes I can well remember the pot of vege soup on the coal range. Seemed to be there forever...but we never got food poisoning! Also, did anybody else pick peas, raspberries and strawberries for money to supplement the family budget? Remember being up very early in the morning to get on the job - like 10-11 years of age. And, of course, ended up with stomach ache at the end of the day. But up and away again the next morning. We also picked blackberries for home use! But I hated the pricks! Also roasted rabbits and rabbit stew.
We lived in the oldest house one could imagine-but every afternoon after us kids and my dad had been home for lunch, my mum would mop the floor and then change into her 'glad rags' and go and socialise with her lady friends and believe me the fine china was out in style! One savoury plate, one loaf plate and at least three sweet treats!! We met up with mum after school and had the crumbs. We headed home, mum put on her apron and got the tea (once again on the coal range) and we had to 'do' the coal bucket, feed chooks and collect eggs
Bread and butter pudding is still a favourite also golden syrup pudding ,My mum made a big steam pudding every Sunday for after the roast dinner.In a pudding bag. Or old flour bag ,I still have the big pot she cooked it in.Its aliminium so dont use it any more
405
I still have my teddy, golly and monkey that I had since I was one. (that means they are 58 years old) and they look it poor things getting a bit motheaten. My mother told me that we were outside a shop in England when I spotted this stuffed monkey and created a fuss wanting it until my mum's twin sister (who idolised me) went in and bought it.(and I thought I wasn't spoilt)I didn't want dolls, teddy was my favourite. Mum made clothes for him and knitted him a little suit in grey and red wool.(sob.. brings back happy memories)He even had a raincoat!Thanks for your explanation, Pussytux, it's cute.I did have a walkie talkie doll later on, her name was Annette. I liked watching the programme about the Queen I think she is just marvello
Ah, the blackberries! When we lived in Christchurch we would go out on the West Melton road and pick them on the roadside. Our kids would get prickles but the fruit made it all worth while. E's parents kept their own Jersey cow, and mil would scald a big pan of the rich milk. When cooled, it would leave for skimming, this thick clotted scalded cream, which we would spread over the blackberry pie, or on the BBJam. And when we moved to Dunedin, we found rich pickings on Three Mile Hill. And later in the year we returned to gather the pine cones from the plantations - they made a great winter fire. Sunday tea with open fire toast and marmalade! Can you taste it still?
Toast made on an open fire is to die for The long handled fork always hung by the fireside.Often had hot soup with toast made on open fire. Sometimes the bread would drop off the fork and go up in flames.You had to let the fire die down a bit so there were just hot coals. Oh my I can almost taste it now
Yes I can well remember the pot of vege soup on the coal range. Seemed to be there forever...but we never got food poisoning! Also, did anybody else pick peas, raspberries and strawberries for money to supplement the family budget? Remember being up very early in the morning to get on the job - like 10-11 years of age. And, of course, ended up with stomach ache at the end of the day. But up and away again the next morning. We also picked blackberries for home use! But I hated the pricks! Also roasted rabbits and rabbit stew.
We lived in the oldest house one could imagine-but every afternoon after us kids and my dad had been home for lunch, my mum would mop the floor and then change into her 'glad rags' and go and socialise with her lady friends and believe me the fine china was out in style! One savoury plate, one loaf plate and at least three sweet treats!! We met up with mum after school and had the crumbs. We headed home, mum put on her apron and got the tea (once again on the coal range) and we had to 'do' the coal bucket, feed chooks and collect eggs
Bread and butter pudding is still a favourite also golden syrup pudding ,My mum made a big steam pudding every Sunday for after the roast dinner.In a pudding bag. Or old flour bag ,I still have the big pot she cooked it in.Its aliminium so dont use it any more
405
Calling Oldies 3
how could I forget the cry of the Evening Post paperboys. My young brothers aspired to be paper boys and would practise for hours. It sounded like Ah-Eevnin peeo-oast and had a definite tune to it. I can still hear them now. I used to long for curls seahorse and occasionally had ringlets, but otherwise I would sit in class after swimming lessons and try to curl my hair up on my neckline, trying to look as athough I was just twiddling my hair while I was deep in thought. We had ribbons tied on top except for when we were allowed plaits for a while. My Mum got our hair permed when we were 12!! I can't believe it when I think back. It was in the early days of perming (1951) and it stank and took so long. It was so uncharacteristic of her. I think she just found doing our hair too much bother with my brothers being four year olds.
Speaking of Milk Deliveries ...Ours was delivered in Billies ... we paid with metal tokens (later replaced with plastic ones!! real flash!) This was delivered by milkcart that had wheels like a bicycle and was scooped into the billy from the vat on board this cart...lol. We thought it was real flash when we got our milk in Quart bottles with the cream on top as focuson mentioned. Like Seahorse I absolutely abhor porridge to this day. Gagged on the stuff from Day one and have never altered my opinion of the stuff since. Ugh!! I couldn't even cook the stuff for my kids (who loved it) unless I totally changed it with cocoa and vanilla essence and eggs and honey... ugh I cannot even stand the smell let alone the look and taste of it. To be offered Weetbix to me was like heaven because we were made to eat porridge every day too seahorse. Weetbix was only 2/6 a box then (750g box) and milk was (my first memory was 4d a pint) all relative though I guess.
Those Evening Post cries created a unique atmosphere in the afternoon city streets of Wellington. But some Wellington customs got me into trouble, especially in my early years of marriage. In all my young days growing up in Wellington, the "dustman" as we called the rubbish collectors, always came to the back door to empty our rubbish can into his own collection bin. It was still going on when I married in 1947 and brought my young bride to the capital. She thought it was great, never having to put the rubbish out as she had to do in Christchurch
Another wellington landmark I remember were the old swimming bath (on the site of the Freyberg Pool now) these were segregated, men in one pool and woman in the other with the water coming in from the sea. Seem to recall a sandy bottom to the pool also. Have photos of my mother there in the 30's. She worked at James Smiths in the clothing department and used to model for their fashion parades. Used to tell me they were not supposed to let a prospective customer excape without making a purchase
I remember the old pool down at Oriental Bay with the seawater oldbnz, and while at Wellington Girls' College we used the Thorndon Pool for lessons. That hasn't changed much, but I see a lot of young folk using Freyburg now to train. What about the two pylons on Mt Victoria. I've never felt the same since they removed one of them, although that was relatively recently one could argue. What about the old shops in Cuba Street - C. Smiths. Whitehead and Pears, Evans
I remember when we first arrived in NZ (1967)we bought a side of lamb from the meatworks for $7.50 - I remember writing home about it! And the rent of our first flat in Onehunga was $15 per week. The six o'clock swill ended when we arrived .....
we only changed to decimal currency in 1967 so that must have been just before you arrived. Our rent for a 3 bdrm, 2 living room house with large section was £12.50 which changed to $25 between five girls all flatting together.
Can't remember what toys I had as a kid. I loved reading and also just disappearing with my friend for the day. The kids are now into their 30's but have kept so many of their toys. The grandkids love playing with them and like to know whose dad 'this' belonged to. I make it us as I go along as I can't remember. There are match box cars, tonka toys, old books, old games, lego. And, a red plastic train set which seems to be the most popular
There was a hill where the present runway has been formed, and we would play up there, and sit there should there be aerobatic displays, or a big 3 engined plane visit. Our family sat up there one autumn day to watch a parachute jump by the famous parachutist, "Scotty" Fraser. We watched in disbelief when what looked like a sack left the aircraft and tumble down into Lyall Bay; "It couldn't be him" we all said. But when a speed boat left the sandy bay and headed out for where the splash had come, we realized it must have been him.
I had a cane dolls pram and stilts, a pedal car and trike and a few dolls and teddies. My favourite doll ( I still have her) was Patsy - a plastic one which you could remove the head arms and legs. She had short auburn curls with a short stump line along the front where I gave her a haircut once and it never grew back?
Rongatai was a small, grass airfield in those days The Cooks Stait Airways flew their de Havillnad biplanes to Blenheim and Nelson from that small field. And right next door was the Miramar Golf Links, which, over the years, was to lose land along its 2nd, 3rd and 4th holes to provide increasing space for the growing airport. I caddied on the links for several years, watching the de Havilland factory go up, and seeing the debris from a small 'plane that came down close to the Gold Club house. We boys salvaged bits of the fuselage as souvenirs, some of them carrying blood, but unhappy events followed in my life, and in supertitious belief that I had done the victims wrong, I threw the bits away.
We used to go blackberry picking behind the old catholic church in Wellsford. There where heaps of bushes there and mum used to make jams, pies etc, yummy. Also we used to go mushrooming in the stockyards behind our old house. Used to come home with bucketfulls.
Speaking of Milk Deliveries ...Ours was delivered in Billies ... we paid with metal tokens (later replaced with plastic ones!! real flash!) This was delivered by milkcart that had wheels like a bicycle and was scooped into the billy from the vat on board this cart...lol. We thought it was real flash when we got our milk in Quart bottles with the cream on top as focuson mentioned. Like Seahorse I absolutely abhor porridge to this day. Gagged on the stuff from Day one and have never altered my opinion of the stuff since. Ugh!! I couldn't even cook the stuff for my kids (who loved it) unless I totally changed it with cocoa and vanilla essence and eggs and honey... ugh I cannot even stand the smell let alone the look and taste of it. To be offered Weetbix to me was like heaven because we were made to eat porridge every day too seahorse. Weetbix was only 2/6 a box then (750g box) and milk was (my first memory was 4d a pint) all relative though I guess.
Those Evening Post cries created a unique atmosphere in the afternoon city streets of Wellington. But some Wellington customs got me into trouble, especially in my early years of marriage. In all my young days growing up in Wellington, the "dustman" as we called the rubbish collectors, always came to the back door to empty our rubbish can into his own collection bin. It was still going on when I married in 1947 and brought my young bride to the capital. She thought it was great, never having to put the rubbish out as she had to do in Christchurch
Another wellington landmark I remember were the old swimming bath (on the site of the Freyberg Pool now) these were segregated, men in one pool and woman in the other with the water coming in from the sea. Seem to recall a sandy bottom to the pool also. Have photos of my mother there in the 30's. She worked at James Smiths in the clothing department and used to model for their fashion parades. Used to tell me they were not supposed to let a prospective customer excape without making a purchase
I remember the old pool down at Oriental Bay with the seawater oldbnz, and while at Wellington Girls' College we used the Thorndon Pool for lessons. That hasn't changed much, but I see a lot of young folk using Freyburg now to train. What about the two pylons on Mt Victoria. I've never felt the same since they removed one of them, although that was relatively recently one could argue. What about the old shops in Cuba Street - C. Smiths. Whitehead and Pears, Evans
I remember when we first arrived in NZ (1967)we bought a side of lamb from the meatworks for $7.50 - I remember writing home about it! And the rent of our first flat in Onehunga was $15 per week. The six o'clock swill ended when we arrived .....
we only changed to decimal currency in 1967 so that must have been just before you arrived. Our rent for a 3 bdrm, 2 living room house with large section was £12.50 which changed to $25 between five girls all flatting together.
Can't remember what toys I had as a kid. I loved reading and also just disappearing with my friend for the day. The kids are now into their 30's but have kept so many of their toys. The grandkids love playing with them and like to know whose dad 'this' belonged to. I make it us as I go along as I can't remember. There are match box cars, tonka toys, old books, old games, lego. And, a red plastic train set which seems to be the most popular
There was a hill where the present runway has been formed, and we would play up there, and sit there should there be aerobatic displays, or a big 3 engined plane visit. Our family sat up there one autumn day to watch a parachute jump by the famous parachutist, "Scotty" Fraser. We watched in disbelief when what looked like a sack left the aircraft and tumble down into Lyall Bay; "It couldn't be him" we all said. But when a speed boat left the sandy bay and headed out for where the splash had come, we realized it must have been him.
I had a cane dolls pram and stilts, a pedal car and trike and a few dolls and teddies. My favourite doll ( I still have her) was Patsy - a plastic one which you could remove the head arms and legs. She had short auburn curls with a short stump line along the front where I gave her a haircut once and it never grew back?
Rongatai was a small, grass airfield in those days The Cooks Stait Airways flew their de Havillnad biplanes to Blenheim and Nelson from that small field. And right next door was the Miramar Golf Links, which, over the years, was to lose land along its 2nd, 3rd and 4th holes to provide increasing space for the growing airport. I caddied on the links for several years, watching the de Havilland factory go up, and seeing the debris from a small 'plane that came down close to the Gold Club house. We boys salvaged bits of the fuselage as souvenirs, some of them carrying blood, but unhappy events followed in my life, and in supertitious belief that I had done the victims wrong, I threw the bits away.
We used to go blackberry picking behind the old catholic church in Wellsford. There where heaps of bushes there and mum used to make jams, pies etc, yummy. Also we used to go mushrooming in the stockyards behind our old house. Used to come home with bucketfulls.
Calling Oldies 2
Still remember milk being brought to the cheese factory by horse and cart and later on by tractors and trucks. My dad work in cheese factories around South Taranaki for years, starting at Kapuni dairy factory around 1950.
when I was a child living in Roseneath in Wellington we had milk delivered by horse and cart, the horses were great and knew the route so well they copuld be left to move and stop at will without the driver giving any signals. The trams in Wellington were great also, and used to love going to the winter show. Does any one remember the skeletons made of rubber you could pin on your jacket, they had a sqeezy bulb attached which made the arms and legs shoot out when you pressed on it.
Fish and chips would have been about the only take away, wrapped in newspaper in those days, pies would have been about the only other takeout. Eating out wasnt any to posh either, peas chips and a steak with perhaps a shrimp cocktail being the height of fashion
We never had Friday night fish and chips (or any other night for that matter) simply because we never had a chip shop. We only had a dairy, post office and a fire station. Use to love getting on the bus to go into "town" which took about an hour, and before we left to come home, Mum would let me get some fish and chips.
I loved the bluebell woods when we lived in Sheffield. We caught the tram as far as it would go and then it was a short walk into the woods - magic. Used to love the wild spring flowers coming up in the UK in the parks and odd borders and places too. Our neighbours did the local milk runn in Brooklyn in the days before it was proper roads. They had some stories to tell. It was sheep behind us and cows at the end of the cul de sac when we moved in in 1970.
Oh, the memories the milkman brings back My earliest memories of our milkman in Wellington's Miramar were of the horse's clip-clop, and the rattle of the bottles, at 4 in the morning. And our horse knew his route so that when the milkman reached a certain point, the horse would move the dray on to the next stop. The delivery time changed with the season, afternoon in winter, I seem to remember, and those early mornings in the summer - no daylight saving changes in those days. And we also had a local dairy farm that we used for a time. It lay in a spread behind Scots College, in Strathmore, and the Italian farmer, (Martelli?) would deliver from 10 gallon cans, staight into our s.steel billy. But during the war years, when cream was strictly rationed, we were back to the Municipal Milk Department, and we had to order ahead for Christmas, with a half pint limit on quantity. Of course, they needed the cream for butter-making, so cream was available only for special occasions, like Christmas
milk was always 4 pence a pint - put the bottle out with the pennies on top - they never fitted inside the bottle. We used to pour the cream off the top, and when we had enogh Mum would make a sponge and we'd have whipped cream...
any other ex wellingtonians remember the cry of the paper boys, eeevening oaaast used to ring out each evening and the old pubs with their 6 o'clock closing. Remember my mother sending me into the old Clye Quay Hotel (now very long gone) on Oriental Bay, I must have been about 3 at the time, to fetch my father out, recall being sat up on the bar and my skirt being filled with pennies.
when I was a child living in Roseneath in Wellington we had milk delivered by horse and cart, the horses were great and knew the route so well they copuld be left to move and stop at will without the driver giving any signals. The trams in Wellington were great also, and used to love going to the winter show. Does any one remember the skeletons made of rubber you could pin on your jacket, they had a sqeezy bulb attached which made the arms and legs shoot out when you pressed on it.
Fish and chips would have been about the only take away, wrapped in newspaper in those days, pies would have been about the only other takeout. Eating out wasnt any to posh either, peas chips and a steak with perhaps a shrimp cocktail being the height of fashion
We never had Friday night fish and chips (or any other night for that matter) simply because we never had a chip shop. We only had a dairy, post office and a fire station. Use to love getting on the bus to go into "town" which took about an hour, and before we left to come home, Mum would let me get some fish and chips.
I loved the bluebell woods when we lived in Sheffield. We caught the tram as far as it would go and then it was a short walk into the woods - magic. Used to love the wild spring flowers coming up in the UK in the parks and odd borders and places too. Our neighbours did the local milk runn in Brooklyn in the days before it was proper roads. They had some stories to tell. It was sheep behind us and cows at the end of the cul de sac when we moved in in 1970.
Oh, the memories the milkman brings back My earliest memories of our milkman in Wellington's Miramar were of the horse's clip-clop, and the rattle of the bottles, at 4 in the morning. And our horse knew his route so that when the milkman reached a certain point, the horse would move the dray on to the next stop. The delivery time changed with the season, afternoon in winter, I seem to remember, and those early mornings in the summer - no daylight saving changes in those days. And we also had a local dairy farm that we used for a time. It lay in a spread behind Scots College, in Strathmore, and the Italian farmer, (Martelli?) would deliver from 10 gallon cans, staight into our s.steel billy. But during the war years, when cream was strictly rationed, we were back to the Municipal Milk Department, and we had to order ahead for Christmas, with a half pint limit on quantity. Of course, they needed the cream for butter-making, so cream was available only for special occasions, like Christmas
milk was always 4 pence a pint - put the bottle out with the pennies on top - they never fitted inside the bottle. We used to pour the cream off the top, and when we had enogh Mum would make a sponge and we'd have whipped cream...
any other ex wellingtonians remember the cry of the paper boys, eeevening oaaast used to ring out each evening and the old pubs with their 6 o'clock closing. Remember my mother sending me into the old Clye Quay Hotel (now very long gone) on Oriental Bay, I must have been about 3 at the time, to fetch my father out, recall being sat up on the bar and my skirt being filled with pennies.
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