NZ Memories - Issue 136

A PPET I SER

The Buzzy Bee Credit: New Zealand Post

“Described as an intriguing concoction of clackety-clack sound, quivering antennae, spinning wings and bold colours, the Buzzy Bee is today New Zealand’s most famous children’s toy.”

Christopher Moor explores the history and the growth in popularity of this New Zealand icon in the article on page 18.

Credit: Ref: EP1957/4120-F, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ.

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Dear Readers, In the leading feature, author David Relph asks if readers have ever wondered how English birds were introduced to New Zealand? It struck me that I had never considered this point and was astounded to read that birds were gathered in nets from the streets of London in the 1860s and transported to New Zealand. Whatever, I wonder, did those unsuspecting feathered immigrants make of their new surroundings and the native bird population upon their arrival in Dunedin?

Other key features in Issue 136 include the history of our iconic Buzzy Bee, written

by Christopher Moor, and Claire Duncan’s excellent profile of Richard John Seddon, New Zealand’s longest serving Prime Minister. Both contributions are accompanied by superb illustrations gathered from a variety of sources.

Grace Cheung brought back memories of my teenage years. Late night shopping in Auckland’s Karangahape Road to choose a Butterick pattern (Vogue was always a bit pricey) and fabric at Barker and Pollock to sew an outfit for Saturday night dancing. Mary Quant and Twiggy fashion designs were all the rage then and eagerly copied. If there was any time – and money – left over, the evening concluded with bargain hunting around Rendells and George Courts; I have vague memories of a uniformed elevator attendant at the latter. Of course nothing ever beat The Farmers’ basement for bargains if you caught the free bus to the bottom end of town!

Enough of nostalgia… we need some help in identifying the occasion depicted in the undated photograph on the cover.

The event, seemingly of a military nature, was of significant importance to entice attendees out onto Whangarei’s Bank Street on a cold rainy day. I hope to publish a full explanation in the next issue.

I take this opportunity to wish each of our readers a healthy and happy 2019. We aim to fill the pages throughout 2019 with a balance of enlightening topics and warm-hearted stories to both stimulate the intellect and prompt reflections of bygone days. Contributors to this first issue for the year have set the standard high.

Wendy Rhodes, Editor

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CONT EN TS

Editor Wendy Rhodes Graphic Design Icon Design Administration David Rhodes Distributed by Gordon and Gotch Subscriptions & Enquiries Phone tollfree: 0800 696 366 Mail: Freepost 91641, PO Box 17288, Green Lane, Auckland 1546 email: admin@memories.co.nz www.memories.co.nz Annual Subscription $79 for six issues (Price includes postage within NZ) For overseas postage: Add $59.00 for Australia Add $79.00 for Rest of the World Contributors Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ. Atkins, Rae Cheung, Grace Clover, Ken Dargaville Museum de Graaf, Cuni Densem, Graham Dragecevich, Kaye Duncan, Claire Leonard, Joan Lowe, G.J. Moor, Christopher Nelson Provincial Museum, Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao NZ Post Paeroa and Districts Historical Society Peka, June Perry, G. Pickmere, Alan Relph, David Reynolds, Bob Russell, Tony Smith, Noel Southland Museum Stothart, Bob Tauranga City Libraries Turley, Alan Waipu Museum Walker, Wallis Wellington City Archives Wheaten, I. Worsnop, John Opinions: Expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of New Zealand Memories.

Accuracy: While every effort has been made to present accurate information, the publishers take no responsibility for errors or omissions.

Copyright: All material as presented in New Zealand Memories is copyright to the publishers or the individual contributors as credited.

Contents Birds and the Bills

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English birds species to New Zealand, an article by David Relph.

Waterlogged

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The Stout family in knitted swimsuits.

Reflections of a Sojourner at White Swan Road

10

The Bell Lap

15

Homesick

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The Buzz in Buzzy Bee

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From the Regions: Northland

21

Confessions of a CMT Army Cook

30

Uncle Jack’s Scrapbook

34

Centrefold: Riding High

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King Dick

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Gold Star Mothers

46

Snow the Hermit

48

The times they are a-changin’…

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The First Wave

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From the Regions: Bay of Plenty / Coromandel

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Grace Cheung remembers Auckland in the 1960s.

From Alan Turley’s collection of sporting memorabilia.

Joan Leonard recalls the US Marines in Wanganui.

Christopher Moor’s account of an iconic New Zealand toy.

Noel Smith’s recollections of compulsory military training.

Nostalgia from Tony Russell.

A Nelson Provincial Museum photograph of crossing the Buller.

Claire Duncan profiles Richard John Seddon.

June Peka’s grandmother belonged to an almost forgotten group.

A Moturekareka Island inhabitant is remembered by Rae Atkins.

Household appliances of yesteryear.

Coffee bars in Wellington in the 1950s by Bob Stothart.

Reader’s Response: Caroline Bay

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Index and Genealogy List

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Editor’s Choice: Gone Fishing

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Christchurch fishermen: a contributeion from Pam Mugford.

Cover image: Bank Street, Whangarei.

A postcard contributed by Alan Pickmere.

ISSN 1173-4159 February/March 2019

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F E AT UR E

Birds and the Bills David Relph

H

ave you ever wondered how all those English birds that you see every day got to New Zealand?

All those sparrows, those thrushes, starlings, blackbirds and even the half a dozen species of little finches that so often have replaced our native birds - what are they doing here?

The answer to this question is closely linked with two early arrivals to Dunedin, Richard Bills and his son Charles Bills.

The story begins within a few years of the arrival of the first settlers to Christchurch and particularly to Dunedin. The settlers missed the English birds of their homeland and set up Acclimatisation Societies in Dunedin and Christchurch in the 1860s with the purpose of arranging the importing of English birds. By the 1860s big prices were being offered to anyone who could supply English birds to the settlers. Although several attempts were made to ship birds to New Zealand, they had little success due to the problems of keeping them alive for the duration of the arduous three month journey through the tropics. Eventually the desire of the colonists for English birds reached the ears of Richard Bills.

Richard Bills was born in Lincoln, England, in 1827. At age thirty-eight, he was married to Elizabeth Harper, living in Brighton and working as a bricklayer’s labourer. But his real interest was in birdlife, and he was intrigued by the idea of taking English birds to the colonies to sell.

So Richard, with the help of his eldest son Charles, captured large numbers of birds from around London aided by large nets. With his birds carefully caged, he set out for Dunedin in 1865 on the clipper ship Warrior Queen taking Charles (then aged only thirteen) as his assistant. This was the first time they had been at sea and it was quite a challenge keeping the birds alive while dealing with seasickness, storms, the heat of the tropics and the cramped accommodation. However, after an arduous journey of about three months, they arrived in Dunedin on 28th January 1866 with most of the birds alive. When the Acclimatisation Society of Otago heard of the shipment they were impressed and the birds were quickly sold.

Richard was asked to bring out further shipments for them.

So this resulted in Richard and Charles Bills undertaking at least six exotic bird carrying voyages. The first four were to Dunedin on Warrior Queen (1865, 1867, 1869 and 1870) and two trips aboard Charlotte Gladstone to Christchurch (1871 and 1872). Cages were built on the deck and large quantities of various kinds of food, sand and other bird supplies were carried to care for the wide range of birds imported: sparrows, robins, linnets, blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, grouse, thrushes, partridges and several other species. While not all birds survived the journey, the Otago Acclimatisation Society had released 1098 birds by 1870. During this time Richard and Charles must have spent over three years at sea on return voyages between England and New Zealand.

It was clear that Richard and Charles Bills had become very knowledgeable in managing the birds and there is no doubt that they were the original main suppliers of the wide range of English birds living throughout the South Island and in parts of the North Island.

But exotic birds are only the beginning of the story of the Bills in Dunedin. On the third voyage, in 1869, Richard brought out his whole family to Dunedin - his wife Elizabeth and, by this time, eight children. Richard and Charles continued their shipments, including a voyage to Tasmania to collect magpies and mynahs, while the rest of the family remained in Dunedin. Richard and Charles had become well-known and liked in Dunedin; known as ‘rough diamonds’, but cheerful and respected for their integrity. Then, in 1873, Richard Bills immigrated with most of his family to Victoria. Charles, by now 21, stayed in Dunedin.

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F EAT U R E

Richard Bills was responsible for catching and caring for no fewer than six shipments of English birds to New Zealand between 1865 and 1872. This photograph was probably taken in the late 1860s when he was about forty.

Richard Bills (lower left) posing with stuffed birds and probably with members of the Otago Acclimatisation Society.

The Warrior Queen transported most of the exotic birds to New Zealand. It was a well known clipper ship that generally took about 100 days to make the journey.

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Charles Bills and his wife Elizabeth (nee Brown) taken at their wedding in 1877.

An advertisement in the Otago Daily Times in the 1889s which illustrates the diversity of Charles Bills’ entrepreneurial activities.

Charles Bills and his staff at his wire work factory.

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F EAT U R E

So it was left to Charles Hardy Bills to continue the Bills story in Dunedin. This he did very well and was widely known during the latter part the nineteenth century until his death in 1904. He was regarded as a man of high personal character and was popular with all levels of society as a businessman, entrepreneur and, not least, as an entertainer.

At first he worked for the Otago and Canterbury Acclimatisation Societies, then briefly for Crust & Crust, cartage contractors and customs agents.

Charles soon set himself up in his own business and is listed in the 1885/86 Post Office Directory as a ‘bird dealer, wire worker and cage maker’. Also listed as a taxidermist, he sold skins, skeletons, fossils and other natural history items and, in addition, Charles continued to ship birds to New Zealand (he imported grouse from Scotland) and there are reports of him taking birds to North Island locations for release by Acclimatisation Societies.

The making of wire wove mattresses became a major

part of his business. His brothers in Australia developed machinery for making woven wire mattresses, a highly successful venture. Charles was given the patent for manufacturing these in New Zealand and set up a factory at Dunedin’s 72 Cumberland Street. At one stage the business employed ten staff and produced up to five hundred mattress per month. He also used the process to make other items such as shutters and cages.

By this time Charles aged twenty-five was wellestablished in Dunedin, and in 1877 had married Elizabeth Brown at Knox Church.

Charles was actively involved in the community.

He was a freemason and a member of the Caledonian society. As a businessman he regularly advertised in the Dunedin newspaper.

He was generous with money and spent it freely when he had it. So his fortunes fluctuated up and down.

When less affluent the family lived economically. After the New Zealand South Seas Exhibition in 1889, the

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WA R

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Homesick Joan P. Leonard

W

orld War Two seemed quite distant to us in New Zealand in 1942, until the US Marines came in their thousands to camps mainly in the North Island. They came here to have rest leave in between their duty in the Pacific. I lived in Whanganui and the American troops were sometimes billeted out to stay in local homes as part of this rest.

When I was 18 years old I worked in the middle of Whanganui city. I biked to work and on one day while I was riding home I hit a pothole and my bike chain fell off. I managed to stay upright but I was not a good bike mechanic. As I was trying to reattach the chain two American Marines approached me and asked if they could help. They introduced themselves as Jack and Jim and quickly repaired my bike. I thanked them for their help and they walked me home.

I invited the two Marines in to meet my family. My mother was always fond of meeting people, especially those from different countries as we were immigrants to New Zealand from Ireland and some of our family had ended up living in America. We quickly realised that these young men were very homesick and my mother’s baking appeared to be a good cure. We invited them to pop in anytime. They explained they were billeted to a married couple in Liverpool Street not very far from us. The young couple worked all day so they had discovered Whanganui by themselves. Eight days of their leave were left.

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The men returned to us the following day and every other day for the eight remaining days (with the exception of Sunday). They told me my home felt like their home and spent the days with my Mum and Dad who had a market garden. They loved eating the fruit and vegetables. They rested in the sun, played the gramophone and became exceptionally fond of my mother’s cooking especially her fruit cake. Each day they would meet me outside my work, walk me home with one of them pushing my bike, until they reached their billet where they returned for their dinner. My sister Bridie and I would accompany them to movies or dances to meet our friends. Both Americans were very witty and great fun to be with.

All too quickly their leave ended and they had to return to their duty, but it was the beginning of a great friendship. During that short acquaintance, we had no idea that these two young men had incredible talent and would carve out amazing careers when they returned to the United States after war’s end.

As the Second World War continued, my Mum packaged up her baking and sent it to them at their base camps. Shortly after they had received their parcels, letters began to arrive. Both of them were excellent correspondents but it was Jack’s letters that had us, and our postman, in awe. The envelope of Jack’s letters was always adorned with cartoons and comic drawings usually pertaining to something I had written to him about. His letters also included, within the writing, small drawings in such detail.

After the war Jack stopped writing but I continued correspondence with Jim well into the late 1960s. Jack became a cartoonist for Walt Disney and later became an animator for Hanna Barbera working on The Flintstones. Jim trained to be a monumental design worker and became quite well known in this field of work.

I am now 92½ years old. I remember that week well, trying to heal two very homesick young men with a bit of Kiwi hospitality.

I still have the letters they wrote to me and Jack’s drawings still make me laugh. I wonder did anyone else watch for the postman as much as I did during those war years? n

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Riding High

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Two passengers cross the Buller River in a chair worked by pulleys on 2 October 1911.

A degree of care would have been required when boarding and alighting this means of transport. Rocking the chair while on the wire was ill advised!

Nelson Provincial Museum, Pupuri Taonga o Te Tai Ao, Tyree Studio Collection 182282

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Centrefold Issue 136.indd 37

15/01/19 6:27 PM

F E AT UR E

The times they are a-changin’…

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ Ref: F-15780-1/1

52 Courtesy: John Worsnop

F EAT U R E

Household appliances markedly altered the daily drudgery of housework during the first half of the twentieth century; the apt title is from one of Bob Dylan’s ballads. The National Electrical & Engineering Company advertisement heralded in many new fangled appliances, this promotion being dated around 1915.

Of note are the items in the late 1940s refrigerator – plenty of vegetables, butter, eggs, and milk (for baking, no doubt) and a bottle of beer for the man of the house.

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, NZ Ref: Eph-B-HOUSEHOLD-1915-01

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E D I TO R ’ S

CHOICE

Gone Fishing Taken at the turn of the twentieth century, these four Christchurch fishermen are photographed with their day’s catch. From left: Donald Andrew Swanston junior; unknown; Don Swanston senior; unknown. Clearly there was a high dress standard for the sport in those days.

Question: There were four men fishing. The boat tipped, and every man fell into the water. Not a single man got wet. How is this possible?

Answer: They were all married men.

Courtesy: Pam Mugford

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