Pt Chevalier History Group site

Ian Elsom of the Linking Local History site asked about a site for the Pt Chevalier History Group, so ... here it is. Very basic, Google sites based (my sincere thanks to my friend Liz from Mad Bush Farm for the heads up on that) but it'll do (mainly 'cause it's free).

Linking Local history

I woke up this morning to an interesting email from the compiler of a new internet directory for those with a local history bent, Ian Elsom. His Linking Local History page mainly shows NZ and UK links at the moment.

Richard Quinn

I've just seen in the Western Leader (17 November) that Richard Quinn of Avondale passed away on 11 September this year, aged 63. The obituary the paper published was brief, but quite good. Quinn "fought to preserve an important part of West Auckland's history" as he was on "the committee that helped restore and preseve a brickmaking kiln fromm the old Crown Lynn Potteries site in New Lynn during the 1980s," (they associate Quinn with the Ambrico kiln which was on the other side of Rankin Ave from the main Crown Lynn works) "spent nine months" looking for Crown Lynn artefacts, and was also involved with restoration at Limeburners Bay. Mayor Bob Harvey of Waitakere City referred to Quinn as a "champion".

Not exactly what Bob Harvey may have been calling Quinn nine years ago, according to old Brian Rudman articles in the Herald, like this one, and this.

"A year ago the council had all 2300 items photographed and catalogued. Then, with a security guard at the door, they were packed and secreted away in containers to hidden storage.

Mr Quinn was outraged. Offered a catalogue to identify his treasures, he refused. The mayor waded in with a letter calling for "an end to this emotional blackmail and nonsense which gives you both pleasure and pain."

The slanging continues. Mr Quinn says the council is demanding receipts to prove ownership. The council's manager of public affairs, Wally Thomas, denies this, saying that other than items known to have been donated by others, Mr Quinn can "tell us what is his and take it away."

The reality is, Mr Quinn has nowhere to take them. Not that that seems to be the issue any more. The issue now is self-esteem.

"I'm unemployed. They thought they could do what they liked. I don't count."

Mr Harvey is similarly spitting the dummy. "I have been terrorised by experts and I refuse to be intimidated for one more month by Mr Quinn of New Lynn."

Says Mr Quinn: "I'm from Avondale."

(NZ Herald, 15 May 2000)

Quinn eventually received a $130,000 payout from Waitakere City Council in July 2002 at the end of the  seven year dispute.

Time heals all wounds, I guess. Pity that it has taken Waitakere City so long to recognise Quinn's passing, though.

Street Stories 13: Jomac Place

Last month, the Avondale Community Board endorsed the naming of a new street through the development of the old Connell Brothers property on Rosebank as "Jomac Place". I did offer four alternatives to better reflect Avondale's heritage and the nearby geography (when I found out by reading the agenda a few days before the meeting), but these were turned down. Deputy Mayor David Hay felt that the developers were entitled to name the street after themselves, and that was that. The majority of the Board went along with that. (Board Chairman Duncan Macdonald liked the idea of the first two options I suggested, though).

The alternatives suggested were:

Motu Manawa Place (as the Motu Manawa/Pollen Island reserve is right alongside);

Hayward Wright Place (we have yet to see any part of Avondale named after our pioneer nurseryman)

Daniel Connell Place (first of the Connell family to own the property. This option was an outside chance, as there is already a Connell Street in Blockhouse Bay -- no relation);

Robert Chisholm Place (the 19th century owner. Again, an outsider of a chance).

In terms of local street naming, historical societies are rarely consulted. Which is a pity, as then they'd have some local feedback. We are the ones who will live with this street name far longer than the developers will. Ngati Whatua o Orakei were consulted -- and they didn't mind Jomac Place. A pity.

To be fair to Jomac Construction Ltd, they did suggest early on a name linked to Robert Connell, the member of the family who sold the just over 10 hectare property for a reported $12.5 million, but ran into the Blockhouse Bay street name conflict.

So, we're stuck with Jomac Place. At least, this post will tell you why, and who Jomac is. I'd say give it about 10 years or so, and Jomac will become just like Honan Place, also onn Rosebank -- a case of "Who was that?"

Dr. Thomas Moore Philson

While I was having a bit of a look around part of Symonds Street Cemetery last month, I came upon Dr. Philson's gravestone -- a column with cloth draped over it (see below). The name I recognised instantly. Thomas Moore Philson was one of Auckland's leading medical practitioners, if not the leading one, for most of the colonial period of the 19th century, especially in his position as medical superintendent for the developing Auckland Hospital. Even the Cyclopedia of New Zealand, published after his death, honoured him.

I was delighted to realise last night that I also share my birthday with him.

 

 

Kauri and Kaitaka

In October this year, Brian Rudman of the NZ Herald wrote:

" ... you only have to wander past the sad kauri prison at the bottom of Queen St to know that what the city considers "healthy" is not necessarily the same as the rest of us.


If the Britomart Square kauri were cows, the SPCA would be dragging the city through the courts on charges of malnutrition and cruel and unnatural imprisonment. Has no one at the council noticed that the trees closest to the sea breezes are either dead, or giving a very good impression of it."

Well, I grant that the kauri garden at Queen Elizabeth Square is as artificial as anything conceived by mankind and Council planners, but ... the trees live. I spotted some female kauri cones today.

According to Te Ara, kauri grow both male and female cones (male ones are long and thin). I've never seen kauri cones before -- might be a sign that the trees live after all.

The "kaitaka" part of this post is to do with the late Molly Macalister's sculpture, looking out toward Queen's Wharf and the harbour, "A Maori Figure in a Kaitaka Cloak" (1964-1965). More on her work here.

The art of Caroline Robinson

Image from Western Leader, 20 April 2001.

The image to the left is Caroline Robinson, a gifted sculptor who, I'm delighted to say, now and then crosses paths with me on my journey. Here she is with her steel waka sculpture which today takes pride of place outside New Lynn Community Centre. The list of her work, though, is long, and usually incorporates, somewhere along the line, an artistic reflection of heritage as oner of the threads of a place's story.

Recently, I received an email from Caroline regarding her latest project, and her new website. More info on Caroline and her work here.

Wharf Memories

The following was written by Peter Hjorring, a good friend of mine and ardent family historian. He found this blog, I invited him to contribute -- and here is the result: a glimpse into life on Auckland's wharves. In the course of looking for ways to illustrate his article, I found an online version of the 1922 Auckland City Municipal Handbook. The King's Wharf generators image comes from that.

The Auckland City Council burnt rubbish near the city centre at their destructor facility, saving transporting to a 'tip' in the suburbs. This facility led to what is now the Victoria Park Markets. The idea of using the energy produced to power the ever growing need for electricity for trams, water pumping, street lighting etc. eventually lead to the construction of the King’s Wharf power station, opened in 1913.

My grandfather was an engineer from Glasgow. He worked in the late 1920s in Newmarket at an engineering firm somewhere then obtained a position in the King’s Wharf power station and then shifted the family to Devonport. There was a good ferry service for him and the children to the city. The extended family home was where I spent the first year or so of my life. In fact being born nearby in Pentlands Hospital in Buchanan Street below the Victoria picture theatre. Dad was with the RNZAF in the Pacific then. Later he became unwittingly involved with the Wharves. He was part of Sid Holland’s defence force personnel to break the 1951 strike. They barged them down from Hobsonville.

We moved after the war for a short period to the city, to the Council’s old motor camp in Motions Rd which was a transit camp by the Zoo waiting for a state house. Then in 1947 to 56 Fir Street in Waterview. My elder brother Brian served part (6 months) of his electrical apprenticeship with the Auckland Electric Power Board at the wharf in the late 1950s in the station. It also powered the wharf's freezing storage handling warehouse etc. for AFFCO. This was an ammonia based refrigeration unit during WW2 and before. My father in law Jack Robertson worked as an engineer there during and after the war.

Some memories I had on the waterfront are next. There was a large number of employees of the Auckland Harbour Board. Those used to repair mainly damaged wooden pallets crates etc were called “chippies”. My Uncle Alex William’s son was one. Those concerned with electrical lighting, power winches etc. were called “sparkies”. There were also many tally clerks inside the sheds and at the gates/entrances in little wooden boxes/offices by the red wrought iron fences. Many of these fences are still there -- and possibly will be preserved?

And then there were the “seagulls” (as well as the feathered variety). Around the wharves of course these were the casual wharfies on high hourly rates. They were on hourly notice to go with this! Picking up what work was left. The number depended on work to be done after the permanents; they were very good hourly pay rates especially for poor University students. All the wharfies received high rates of pay I think in those days. It was those first there at the Stevedore's offices in the morning that got the work.

However the reality was that those with permanent positions were taken on first, many ex war veterans. At that time often there was no work for our trucks. If there was no ship in port we mainly unloaded bananas, fruit and veges etc, from the Pacific Islands and other places. We were told to get 'lost' but still hung around as we were on call over the ‘RT.’ We were on a wage so we would park up on the end of a wharf, say at the end Princess Wharf reading a book with the steam ship tugs like the SS Daldy for company. The SS Daldy likewise was waiting for their services.

Alternatively, there was watching the draw bridge for the Viaduct basin being hoisted up and down for water fishing boats and road traffic. There was a cafeteria above Princess Wharf for Harbour employees mainly, now part of the Maritime Museum.

There was a fumigation station on Queens Wharf mainly for pineapples, grapes, mangoes, and other exotic fruit and veges from Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa,and Tahiti. The boats Matua and Tofua were frequent Island trading boats. Fumigating for mealy bug spiders and other nasties the fumigant Methyl Bromide (CH3Br) was used in the fumigation shed on the wharf (Queens). This was a carcinogenic substance frequently used then but now banned. They were subject to at least 24 hours exposure and resting periods.

 Left: the Tofua.

Another event on the wharves was the so called “Six O'Clock Call”. I think it worked like this: the wharfies worked in gangs, piece meal, being assigned say two or three gangs for a ship to unload a ship or part of it for that day. Turn around time for the ship was important, many pounds in berthage fees etc. which they would be paid for the full day so often in the heat of the day in the hold or wharf's siding shed things were done slowly. Time for a game of cards, reading or what ever. Hence the apparent lazy cushy number they apparently seemed to have. A misconception of them by the public in those days. Then when the day’s target was given, usually around or after meal time say 6.00 pm things speeded up very quickly so they could complete the day’s work and get home. Often we might also need a number more of say banana cases unloaded so we could finish up our day by getting a full load for the day as well. Then, within a short time by 8-9 o’clock I guess? We had all we needed.

One other thing: the truck drivers and other cars and pedestrians shared the wharf’s entrance on leaving where the trains in those days used or straddled Quay Street too (there were rail lines in the middle and along of the street blocking say from Queens Wharf to the Queen Street Ferry buildings!) Mainly goods wagons before being shunted to the nearby Inwards and Outwards covered terminal. We would get stuck not able to get across Quay Street back to our destination.

The ripening cellars for bananas were below the floor of the city markets and produce for the market floor. They used Ethylene CH2=CH2 gas to speed up the process, I understand from a vege buyer. I know they still do this.

By Peter Hjorring.

{Based on my experiences as an occasional flat top truck driver for Turners and Growers Auctioneers produce suppliers at the Auckland city markets in the1960s.}

Ironbank: future heritage?

There have been miles and miles of blurb about Ironbank in the local media just recently. Actually, since 2007-2008, even before completion. It's been described as resembling "haphazardly stacked, rusting shipping containers" and it isn't hard to see why.

That's the Cross Street side. The Karangahape Road side makes more of an effort to fit in with the older neighbours.

Well, almost ...

Ironbank has won awards, even international ones. I just wonder if I'll be alive long enough to see if the building becomes as much of a heritage icon for its architectural style as others in the history of this city. That for me would be the real test, over and above any awards it is earning now.

Personally, I think it's interesting. The near-jumbled look isn't something thrust into the eye each time you walk down Karanghape Road. This lady keeps all that neatly tucked away, with just a hint showing. You have to actively go looking for the full impact of that architectural dare-to-be-different view.  Still, it doesn't make me stop and wonder as much as the likes of this near 100-year-old relic from the past.

Yeah, yeah -- Edwardian mercantile. Lots of it around back in the day, still a fair amount of it around to be taken for granted. But what caught my eye are the two stone curls at the front. I think this building, quite utilitarian really, is also beautiful.

Heritage, and what it means for future generations, will be in the eyes of beholders to come.