CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR AN EXPANDED VIEW
ISSUE 92 (July 2011)
Inside Cover
Page 1
New Zealand Postcard Society (Inc) Directory
| Patron | Geoff Potts | pottsfamily00@hotmail.com |
| President | Jeff Long | jefflong@xtra.co.nz |
| Vice-Presidents | Laurence Eagle | lfeagle@clear.net.nz |
| Diane McKoy | diane.brian@xtra.co.nz | |
| Secretary | Jenny Long | jenny-long@clear.net.nz |
| Treasurer | Ross Alexander | rossalexander@xtra.co.nz |
| Sales Mgr/Auctioneer | Chris Rabey | ships.pubs@paradise.net.nz |
| Editors | Jeff Long & Laurence Eagle | |
| 'Annual' Editor | Bill Main | wmain@paradise.net.nz |
| Committee | Geoff Pots | pottsfamily00@hotmail.com |
| John Eccles | john.eccles@xtra.co.nz | |
| Donal Duthie | donalduthie@paradise.net.nz | |
| Bruce Isted | cartophilic@xtra.co.nz | |
| Leo Haks | grredx@hotmail.com |
Life Members: Yvonne Coles, William Main, Geoff Potts, Chris Rabey, Doug South, Evie South
The Postcard Pillar News & Views is produced three times a year under the editorship of Jeff Long and Laurence Eagle. Contributions are very welcome at any time; please email or post to Jeff Long (details above).
Membership of the Society can be obtained by sending a cheque payable to N.Z. Postcard Society Inc to the Secretary, with your name, address, telephone number, email address and collecting interests. The subscription for an individual or family member is $35, or $30 if paid by 30 September, and $45 for an overseas member, or $40 if paid by 30 September.
Editorial: This is the ninth edition of the Postcard Pillar News & Views. Number 8 had a few minor errors due to poorer-than-usual proof reading; between homes being damaged and our printer’s workshop being wrecked, it wasn’t too easy to focus, but we managed ! To compensate, this issue has been extended to thirty pages plus an auction list and info about our Convention! Well done to all of you who have sent in contributions. Remember to keep them coming, preferably in electronic format, but it is perfectly fine if this is not possible. The main aim is to get your words and pictures and ideas out to our membership. This issue we have a tribute to Chas Lilley, Alan Jackson’s full Muir & Moodie article summarized in the 2010 Postcard Annual, as well as other significant contributions from Laurence Eagle and Geoff Potts.
News: A postcard ‘special interest’ group has been formed in Christchurch, under the auspices of the Christchurch Philatelic Society. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of alternate months, with the next meeting to be held on September 20, then November 15. Come along !
Cover illustration
This edition’s cover picture is our great friend and mentor, Chas Lilley, who passed away recently. For more, see pages 5 – 7.
Inside Cover
A front cover from the New Zealand Woman magazine of April 1967. For more on why we have illustrated this item, see pages 18 – 19
Page 2
Postcard Society News
NZ Postcard Society Award to honour Chas Lilley
The July meeting of the Society executive created an award to honour Chas Lilley, the late Patron of the Society. The Chas Lilley Annual Memorial Award will be made for the best contribution to the Postcard Pillar for the preceding year. This can be the best researched article, the most interesting article, or a group of articles from a single member. It will be judged preferably by a non-Society member, and will be made at the Society’s AGM. The first award will made this year in Tauranga. Derek Pocock from Australia has agreed to judge the first group of issues.
Nominations for NZ Philatelic Federation Awards.
The NZ Philatelic Federation makes awards each year for philatelists/postcard collectors.
The award of Philatelist of the Year, or Postcarder of the Year, is made to one person only for an exceptional contribution to their hobby. Bill Main won Postcarder of the Year last year ahead of all New Zealand philatelists.
The award of Deserving Philatelist, or Deserving Postcarder, recognises people for their contribution to their hobby. Five awards can be made each year. Last year Doug South and Evie South received this award.
Nominations for these awards are to be decided at the AGM and forwarded to the NZ Philatelic Federation for their decision. So please think about who deserves nomination.
2011 NZ Postcard Society Convention
This year’s convention will be held on 24th and 25th September at the Baycourt Community and Arts Centre, 38 Durham St, Tauranga. Look forward to seeing you there! Details enclosed.
2012 NZ Postcard Society Convention
Next year the convention will be held in Richmond (near Nelson) on 6th and 7th October 2012, the week before the Blenpex exhibition on 12th to 14th October. An excellent opportunity to attend both events! Blenpex will have postcard classes and we expect a large number of exhibits, so it will be worth your while to attend.
CPS 100 Exhibition
As a full national exhibition, this event has been officially been cancelled. However, the Christchurch Philatelic Society has decided to hold a non-national exhibition, the CPS Centennial and Postcard Exhibition, on 14th and 15th January 2012 as part of their centennial year celebrations. There will be postcard classes, and all entries in the competitive classes will receive full national recognition. If you don’t want to enter a competitive class, there will be a separate display class.
National Stamp Show W.A. 17th to 20th May 2012 – Picture Postcard Challenge
Do you want to be part of the Society’s team? Contact the editor at jefflong@xtra.co.nz
The Challenge involves each Australian State/Territory, and New Zealand, entering four standard exhibits. Each individual participant receives a medal for their exhibit, and the total of the four scores for each team will determine the winner of the Challenge. Each team submits four exhibits, made up of two exhibits of five frames each, and two single frame entries. The cost per frame is A$40 per frame, or A$480 per Challenge entry.
Page 3
Derailment at Koputaroa - by Trevor Terry
This card shows the Wellington-New Plymouth mail train derailed at Koputaroa Station on 24th June 1910. The cause of the accident was reported as being a defect in the rails. The train was proceeding slowly, preparatory to the engine taking water, a fact which probably resulted in the passengers escaping serious injury. A temporary line was laid so that passenger and goods traffic would not be delayed.
The locomotive was Ud465. It had been built for the Wellington & Manawatu Railway Company by the Baldwin Locomotive Works Philadelphia U S A in 1904. It entered service on 7-12-1904 and was allocated number 20. When the WMR was taken over by the NZR on 7-12-1908 the locomotive was classified as a Ud and allocated number 465. It was written off on 24-3-1931.
I remember as a 9 year old standing beside the 4 foot 10 inch driving wheels of the locomotive in its last days at Frankton Junction. These driving wheels were the largest diameter of any locomotive on the NZR 3ft 6inch lines. Behind the locomotive is the postal van.
(Ed: Robin Startup’s book New Zealand Post Offices, notes that Koputaroa is a farming district on the Manawatu railway line 6 km east of Levin. It was known as Koputarua before its current name. It enjoyed the status of having a Post Office between 22.3.1899 and 1.4.1909 as Koputarua, and then until 2.4.1985 as Koputaroa, when the store housing the Post Office closed.)
Page 4
OBITUARY - CHAS LILLEY
Greetings fellow members
It is with great sadness that I record the passing of our long-serving Patron, Charles Harry William Lilley – Chas to everyone.
As the co-founder of our Society, I can vividly recall Charlie being at our first meeting in Wanganui in 1983. I describe him as the ‘Grandfather’ of this great hobby. We were both accorded life membership at the 2005 Hastings Convention, along with the late Don Overend.
Here are some facts about Charlie as published on his TradeMe profile: I have been collecting since 1935 and have had the stamp shop in New Plymouth for 33 years, travelled with world with stamps and postcards for 40 years. Have been collecting postcards for over 50 years, many of my 85,000 card collection cost me 10 cents or less. Ah, those were the days! Our profile name Tanchas is derived from Tanya (my daughter) and me (the ancient one) who likes to be known as Chas, but often called much worse. Born in London, Wall Street crash year 1929, and lived in New Zealand since I left London in 1951.
Life member of the Taranaki Philatelic Society (35 years), Patron of the New Zealand Postcard Society, and I have been a Judge at countless exhibitions in New Zealand and overseas.
Charlie was a renowned talker and loved meeting new people; he would talk to them for hours. At the last Wanganui annual stamp & coin fair I spent the whole day with him as he was doing fairs by himself in recent years, so I always made sure he had a cup of tea and something to eat on those occasions.
In the 1970’s & 1980’s when I worked for the Government and occasionally visited the Ministry of Works office in New Plymouth, my lunch times were always spent in The Stamp Shop in Egmont Street, trawling through as many shoe boxes of new postcards as I could fit in during my lunch hour. There was always plenty to buy, as Charlie had over the years been to over 300 fairs & exhibitions, New Zealand and worldwide, and travelled anywhere for stock. His biggest purchase was half a million postcards from Stanley Gibbons, London - their entire stock !!
At Charlie’s funeral it was announced that the Stamp Shop New Plymouth will be continuing business as usual and that Brian, Spencer and Tanya, Charlie’s Family, will be retaining the London Life, New Zealand Maori & Taranaki postcard collections. The Maori collection is the largest in the world.
His passing will surely be felt throughout our society. Charlie, I know you are at peace with Ruby and that the world is a better place for you having been here. On behalf of the New Zealand Postcard Society may you rest in peace; we will remember you.
Geoff Potts. Committee Member/Life Member
Page 5
 |
| Postcards advertising The Stamp Shop in New Plymouth run by Chas and Ruby Lilley |
Page 6
Page 7
Muir and Moodie Undivided Back Postcards of Canterbury - by Alan Jackson
The very earliest postcards published by Muir and Moodie (circa 1901 – 1903) carried small photographic vignettes (usually two) and blank backs. The photos were almost entirely of the southern lakes and fiords, plus some with a Maori theme. These very early cards included virtually no views of Canterbury.
The later type of card, with single views covering almost all of one side, and space for the address covering all of the other side, did, by comparison, include a considerable range of Canterbury views.
I have examined all the Muir and Moodie cards I have of Canterbury and can make the following observations:
(a) Of the earliest ‘vignette’ type with blank backs, I have only one example (Fig 1) relating to Canterbury. It has two vignettes (of Mount Cook, and of two climbers on the Tasman Glacier) and is postmarked 20 DE 02 at Dunedin.
 |
| Fig 1. Vignette with blank back - Mount Cook and Tasman Glacier |
(b) The second type of card has, on the picture side, a wide uncoloured frame around a single large vignette, with “photo by Muir and Moodie” and a caption (without a number) in red type, and on the back, an undivided format back printed in black. I have only two cards of this type.
(1) “Tasman Glacier”. (Fig 2) This is No 5526 from the catalogue and is the same view as in figure 1. It was posted at Gisborne on 26 AP 05, a late date.
(2) “Mt Stokes and Empress Glacier”. (Figs 3 & 4 showing both sides) This is No 5543 from the catalogue, and was posted by a stamp dealer at Dunedin on 14 JL 03 and addressed to Holland.
Page 8
 |
 |
| Fig 2. Tasman Glacier ( No 5526) | Fig 3. Mt Stokes and Empress Glacier (No 5543) |
 |
| Fig 4. Mt Stokes and Empress Glacier (No 5543) |
Page 9
(c) The third type is similar to the second, but the publishers imprint “Muir and Moodie’s New Zealand Postcard” is now on the back, in black type. Again I have only one Canterbury example, (Fig 5) “Mt De la Bêche” and was not posted despite the cancelled stamp, as there is no address.
 |
| Fig 5. Mt. De la Bêche |
Note that the scenes on the above types are all mountain views.
(d) Of the later standard ‘undivided backs’, (routinely with catalogue number before caption and all printing in black or sepia), there is a much wider variety including many city and town views.
These are mostly from the P series of views, a new catalogue of photographs Muir and Moodie which began around 1904 specifically for the new postcard market. The P series concentrated mainly on town views, rather than purely scenic views which did not need to be kept up to date.
There are also a few undivided back cards with views from the earlier main catalogue started by Burton Bros (which did not carry the suffix P or PC since the original views predated the postcard era), but these probably make up less than ten percent of the Canterbury views Muir and Moodie produced as postcards, i.e. the majority used views from the P series.
The undivided back postcards of Muir and Moodie were almost all printed in Germany or Austria, usually in monochrome by the phototype method. Some of the views were subsequently hand-coloured using stencils. One card I have, No 36P, (Fig 6) is exceptional in having high quality colour overlays added by the printer in Bavaria. This card bears the numbers O.2117 and 62517 which are probably the printer’s record numbers.
Virtually all the standard undivided back Muir and Moodie cards (unlike the very earliest ‘vignette types) carry the firm’s photographic catalogue numbers, although there are a few aberrations. As stated above, most of these (except for the mountain views) are from the P series. The earliest standard undivided back card I have of Canterbury is a Timaru card postmarked 22 NO 04 (see Fig 18). The highest P number I have on one of these cards is 1000 P “McLeans Mansions Christchurch”which . (Fig 7) This is from a series of Christchurch views taken circa 1905.
Page 10
 |
 |
| Fig 6. 36 P Christchurch from Cathedral | Fig 7. 1000 P McLeans Mansions Christchurch |
Page 11
From 1st July 1903 the New Zealand Post Office, following the British P. O. model, sanctioned divided backs on pictorial postcards for internal use. That is, the left-hand half of the address side could now be used for a message. This meant that the picture could cover all the other side of the card, whereas previously a narrow strip had been left for a brief message. Some time after this, around 1906, Muir and Moodie began producing divided back cards (rather later than many other publishers). All their new printings from then on were in this format, including printings of view cards which had appeared just a few months earlier with undivided backs. Divided back postcards were not sanctioned for transmission to Australia until January 1905. By the end of 1906 they were accepted for transmission to almost all countries. The earliest example I have of a divided back Muir and Moodie is postmarked 2 MY 06 and is a Waimate card.
It may be helpful to provide a summary of the main ranges of catalogue numbers I have seen on undivided back cards. This does not imply that postcards exist with all the intervening numbers, just that I have seen several different cards between the highest and lowest numbers in the range.
Christchurch
17 P, 27 P – 46 P, 58 P – 64 P, 945 P – 1000 P. This last series continues to 1043 P then 1058 P – 1069 P, all views taken 1905-06, but all cards I have seen from 1003 P on have divided backs.
Timaru
2801 – 2838 A. Note: there is an unusual undivided back Timaru series with “Muir and Moodie Protected”, on the front top right hand corner. But the undivided back format must be a printing error as this is a later series, circa 1913. Numbers seen in this series are 2807, 2812, various 7599 – 7621 (which should be 7599 P – 7621 P as photos are known to have been taken circa 1912, 1913). All I have seen are unused. See Fig 8
 |
| Fig 8. Timaru Railway Station. 7600 Muir and Moodie Protected |
Southern Alps (Mt Cook area)
427, photo taken late 1870s! 5530 – 5589, photos taken in 1893
For more details regarding the company’s catalogue system, please refer to the 1985 monograph, Burton Bros, and Muir and Moodie of Dunedin: their Photographs and Postcards, published by Postal History Society of New Zealand Inc. It should be stressed that the summary listing in the Appendix is of the photographic negatives in the Burton Bros / Muir and Moodie catalogue, not a summary of the postcards views taken from the catalogue. Only some of the views in the photographic catalogue, especially the original pre-1904 catalogue would subsequently have been used for postcards.
Page 12
The following illustrations are a representative sample of Muir and Moodie’s Canterbury production in the undivided back era.
 |
 |
| Fig 9. No 4271. Hospital from Avon. Christchurch (photo late 1880s, postmarked 4 MR 05) | Fig 10. No 60 P. Colombo St., Christchurch (photo circa 1904, postmarked 27 JL 08) |
Page 13
Note the premises of “D. Craig & Co Booksellers and Stationers, Pictorial Postcard Depot” with the large placards for “Muir and Moodie’s celebrated postcards sold by D Craig and Co Christchurch” and “D. Craig and Co for Muir and Moodie’s renowned postcards” As well as holding a large range of Muir and Moodie cards, Craigs also published local view postcards on their own account.
It is interesting that the first trip George Moodie made to collect photographs for the new P series in 1904 was to Canterbury. In the new catalogue 1 P – 16 P, 24 P are Geraldine, 17 P – 19 P are Christchurch, 20 P – 23 P 25 P are Temuka, and 26 P – 67 P mainly Christchurch. Perhaps one of the main aims of the trip was to cement the relationship with Craig, including offering the prospect of a whole range of new and up to date Christchurch street scenes.
Though Fig 10 above is a street scene it is surely no coincidence that the most prominent shop in the foreground is D. Craig and Co selling Muir and Moodie stock!
 |
| Fig 11 No 1035. Riccarton Road Christchurch |
The same early motor car also featured in 1032 P and 1034 P both reproduced as postcards.
The shop in the background advertises “Nelson Moate & Co’s Indian, Ceylon Blended Teas / Coals: Newcastle, Brunner Nuts, Westport and Malvern / Flour, Oats, Chaff, Sharps Bran, Chickwheat, Crockeryware etc”
It is astonishing how empty the street is – today it is such a busy thoroughfare.
Page 14
 |
 |
| Fig 12 No 576. Ashburton. Old Men’s Home. (date of photo uncertain, unused.) This is a huge building. How many old men were there in Ashburton?? | Fig 13 No 14 P. Geraldine. Sale Day. (photo taken circa 1904, postmarked 8 SP 06). One of the first views in the P catalogue. Nos 1 P – 16 P are all Geraldine scenes. |
Page 15
 |
 |
| Fig 14. 1515. Bealey. West Coast Road. (photo taken 1880s, postmarked 27 OC 06.) This coaching stop was much enlarged by 1900, with a much bigger two storey building added to the left. It was the overnight stop for Coaches going over Arthur’s Pass. | Fig 15. 3 S. Lake Pukaki Hotel. (photo taken circa 1905.) This card has a non-standard number, reason unknown, “New Series” normally meant the P series. |
Page 16
 |
 |
| Fig 16. 5546. The Hermitage. Summer. (photo taken 1893, postmarked 22 AU 07.) This building was replaced by a larger one in 1913. There was a matching Winter postcard view. | Fig 17 5543. Mount Stokes and the Empress Ice Field Hooker Glacier. (photo taken 1893, unused) This is a standard undivided back version published circa 1904 -1905 of the vignette view shown in Fig 3. George Moodie was a competent mountaineer, and had to be to obtain a view like this. |
Page 17
 |
| Fig 18 No 2801. Stafford St. Timaru. (photo taken 1880s, postmarked 22 NO 04.) |
As a postscript, it could perhaps be mentioned that when Muir and Moodie later began producing “real photo” postcards from about 1909, they appear to have issued very few of the Christchurch area. I think this was largely because there was strong competition in Christchurch, notably from Fergusson and Taylor Ltd (also known as Fergusson Ltd) who were based in the city and produced at least as many pictorial postcards of New Zealand as Muir and Moodie. The two firms dominated the New Zealand postcard market in the years before World War One.
Christchurch Earthquakes from Earlier Times
Thanks to Steve McLachlan, we illustrate a card from the Commissioner of Crown Lands staff in 1929. There were two major quakes in this year. The best known is commonly known as the Murchison earthquake on 17 June. This was a 7.8 magnitude quake centred on Murchison. The worst damage was caused by landslides, which accounted for 14 of the 17 deaths, and created 38 new lakes, of which 21 still exist.
However, it was preceded by the Arthur’s Pass quake on 9 March. This was a 7.1 quake, and the area affected shook for almost four minutes. The west coast rail link was damaged and the road was closed for several months.
Page 18
Gladys Goodall and the Stitch Magazine - by Laurence Eagle
During the early 1950’s there was a scarcity of photographs of tourist locations and cities available to the general public. The National Publicity Studios, established in the late 1940’s attempted to fill part of this void with its series of black and white real photo cards and packets of small ‘snapshots’ of tourist areas. Later, many of these images were hand coloured and therefore were more keenly sought by the public at large.
There were, however, many areas not adequately covered by this national studio, and it was in this region, that photographers such as Gladys Goodall took up the challenge and entered the market. Operating from her base in Christchurch, Gladys travelled around the South Island capturing images and making copies for distribution in the areas where they originated. At times she travelled with her husband Stanley, who was a long-distance coach driver. It was during many of these journeys that Gladys met shop and café owners who stressed the need for quality images to be available for sale from their often isolated locations.
Gladys Goodall quickly gained a reputation for producing clear, distinctive and well-produced images which outshone other competitors that were currently on the market. Her distribution programme ran smoothly and she was well accepted by the local market. While concentrating on the South Island market, Gladys attempted one foray into the North Island. This coincided with the visit of Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh late in 1953. Gladys gained permission to photograph the royal visitors and her subsequent postcard photographs were well received and additionally appeared in several newspapers. Unfortunately it proved to be uneconomic to attempt to cover all of New Zealand, at this time, and therefore Gladys decided to concentrate her efforts and time solely in the South Island.
It was therefore with some surprise and alarm that images taken by Gladys Goodall began appearing in the women’s magazine, Stitch, a national monthly journal aimed at promoting knitting and sewing. These scenic images, taken by Gladys appeared on a diary page, called Notes and Notions which gave the reader a thought, a hint or an activity for each day of the month. The fact that these images had been used was not brought to Gladys’ attention for over a year as there was no acknowledgement as to the identity of the photographer. To confuse the issue further, there were several images that had been taken by other photographers. Always being proactive in these matters, particularly involving her own work, Gladys contacted the Stitch magazine and asked for an explanation. The magazine, at first denied the use of Gladys’ images but later admitted that the view of Champagne Pool, Wairakei in the February, 1957 issue of Stitch was indeed one of Gladys Goodall’s photographs which she had taken in her North Island tour and had been particularly successful in the Thermal District. While accepting no responsibility for the use of her images, the magazine sent a cheque of fifty pounds (a large sum in those days - worth probably as much as $1000 today).
During the early 1960’s the Stitch magazine was incorporated into New Zealand Woman magazine with its headquarters centred in Dunedin. From being a two colour journal it became fully coloured on many pages. It was at this time that Gladys was approached to provide articles with supporting photographs for the magazine. Although fully involved with her work for Whitcombe and Tombs, Gladys took up the challenge and produced several fine articles supported by her outstanding photography. Perhaps her finest was in the April, 1967 issue of New Zealand Woman in which she provided the lead article Cosmopolitan Women Of Auckland which ran for eight pages and included twenty-five images, of which the cover and seven others were in full colour.
Gladys’ success with this and other articles brought her to a cross-roads as the magazine editors were keen to extend her involvement with them, while her photographic work with Whitcombes was taking her around the country.
Page 19
Today, at the age of 103, Gladys admits that while she has forgotten many of the details about her decision to continue with Whitcombes, but it did come with the assurance that she could continue writing all the material for the backs of her postcards and as well to issue her books and the Panorama Series of booklets which were, at that time, becoming popular.
Listing of Gladys Goodall Images in the Stitch Magazine
May 1955 Fun in the snow on the Ball Glacier, Canterbury
August 1955 Kathryn Stirling, of Glentanner Station, MacKenzie County, fondles her pet lamb. What she lacks in schoolmates, she makes up for in pets
May 1956 Lake Matheson, South Westland. Mt Tasman (Left) and Cook
February 1957 Champagne Pool, Wairakei
March 1957 Lake Kaniere, one of the most picturesque lakes in the country
August 1957 Mt Cook Area
November 1957 A Day’s Catch
June 1958 A Snack in the Snow
January 1959 Buller Gorge, Koreri Valley, north of Glenhope in the Buller Gorge
February 1959 Lake Pukaki, with Mt. Cook, its sentinel
September 1959 Cattle Drive, South Westland. Setting off to muster in the Arawhata area
January 1960 Holiday fun on the beach
N.B. This is not a complete list, just the copies of Stitch I have obtained to date.
 |
 |
| Lake Matheson, South Westland. Mt Tasman (left) and Cook | Champagne Pool Wairakei. One of the thousands of natural outlets for the tremendous heat and energy stored beneath the earth’s crust. Scientists from the New Zealand Govt’s Geological Survey estimated that it required 70,000 watts of heat from the depths to keep this large pool in its present state |
Page 20
Port of Patea - by Geoff Potts
Patea Port would have to be one of New Zealand’s most complete maritime relics constructed during a past era of dreams, in existence today.
There are still relics of the railway, cheese grading and wool store wharves to be seen, all in decaying condition, as well as the strong eastern and western breakwaters. I visit Patea regularly as I have done so for the past 35 years trying to visualize how ships entered such a dangerous bar river entrance. When I visited the late Captain Jim Hancocks in Marjorybanks street, Wellington, many years ago, he described to me how he used to take a small iron coastal steamer into Patea. He said it wasn’t uncommon to scrape his vessel against the breakwater stone walls in big swells and watch the thousands of sparks sheer off!
Like many places Patea grew because of its river port. It was first used by British troops in February 1865 being the main access for supplies for both military and civilian purposes, until the railway was completed in 1883. There were several wrecks in the early years because of the shallow and changing entrance of the river mouth and the construction of a breakwater was the first task of the Patea Harbour Board which was established in 1877.
In 1878 the government approved a proposal to proceed with a 600 foot southern groyne at the river mouth. Tenders were called for its construction and while materials were being assembled on site the port received a visit from the eminent English marine engineer, Sir John Coode, in the course of his visit to several New Zealand ports, including those of Taranaki. Coode was favourably impressed after a six mile upstream trip by rowing boat, taking soundings and then inspection of both sides of the heads.
However he saw a necessity for modifications of the original plans, which the Harbour Board considered and duly approved. These modifications completely altered the character of the entrance to the river. They did away with the bar near the boulder bank and the 1200 ft dog leg channel. The rubble groin was to be relocated about half a mile upstream with a reclaimed area for a depot behind it and a pier was then to be extended seaward from it for a distance of 930 ft. On the west bank he recommended another pier of 870 ft being opposite the other and 220ft apart. The effect of this would be to divert the river into a straight channel seaward. He also recommended a guide pier 500 ft in length, and up river of this two half tide training walls.
Page 21
Sir John visited the port in May 1878, the board adopted his modifications in June and kept in touch with him after his return to London, but it was not until June 1879 that he wrote a full report of all suggested improvements (briefly outlined above) together with the estimated cost based on labour charges and cost of cement and other material applying in New Zealand at the time. Total costs amounted to £205,740 and he added a further £30,200 for the purchase of dredging plant and the dredging of a navigable channel of not less than 8 ft at low water and 14 ft at high water between the proposed wharf at the foot of Essex Street and the sea.
Attached to his report was a map of the river between the bridge and the coast, showing its former course, the site of the original proposed groins and its modifications, also his technical drawings on the construction of the east, west and guide piers. The time period for all construction work he estimated at eight years.
 |
 |
| Woolstore wharf, S.S. Mana moored on town side | Radcliffe real photo 3706.S.S. Mana and S.S. Kiripaka at berth at Railway Wharf |
Page 22
Mr Coode’s designs have most certainly stood the test of time and my observations suggest that his methods of marine engineering were effective in Patea’s case. There has certainly been no significant movement to the stonewall break waters.
In the 1960’s Patea was the world’s largest cheese exporting port. How on earth could this be with only small coastal ships frequenting the port? It happened like this. Eventually the South Taranaki Shipping Company overcame all competion to the port and entered into a contract with the Grader that was to last almost 50 years and so became the sole cheese carrier from Patea. This cheese was transshipped to Harbour Board cool stores in Wellington to await consignment to overseas ships. Naturally this involved considerable handling, wharfage dues and many other administrative charges and paper shuffling that seems to attach to the movement of export goods, which added considerably to the cost.
In the early 1920’s however the South Taranaki Shipping Co gained an agreement with the overseas shipping lines that enabled export cargoes consigned from Patea to pay the same rate as those shipped from Wellington. The cargo from Patea destined for export became essentially en route to distant destinations as soon as it was loaded. The Patea ships now berthed directly alongside overseas ships in Wellington whenever possible, and unloaded their cheese directly into the big ships’ holds. The Wellington Harbour Board cool store was only used when direct transshipment was not possible but the cheese shored there was officially regarded as transit cargo no longer situated in New Zealand..
So Patea became the largest cheese exporting port in the world by contrivance rather than design but nevertheless was entitled to assume that mantle.
Postcard images of Patea Shipping are relatively rare, especially Real Photo cards, and the postcards shown here have taken 30 years to accumulate.
 |
| S.S. Hawera.First registered on 1/4/1912 the S.S. Hawera was built in Auckland, and served in Patea until it was sold to the New Zealand Government in 1941. |
Page 23
 |
 |
| The S.S. Kapuni entering Patea over a calm bar. Three crew on the forecastle prepare to berth the ship | The S.S. Mana departs Patea.Note the spectators on the western breakwater. |
 |
| S.S. Waitangi leaves Patea. Note the breakwater construction gear in background, and pilot station and mast on hill to left of steamer |
Page 24
More on L W Wilson
Following a query in the July 2010 Postcard Pillar News & Views, Steve McLachlan, a fan of Papers Past, has found some more information about this postcard artist.
Laurence William Wilson, born c 1855, was a member of the Ellerman Wilson shipping family from Dover. In England, he studied under N E Green before emigrating to Auckland in 1877. He travelled extensively throughout the country, at one time working as an artist in Oamaru, and later purchasing a farm in Canterbury. He eventually settled in Dunedin in 1884. He painted in oils, pastels and watercolours, sharing a studio with Girolami Nerli. He was often a painting companion of George O’Brien. He taught painting, including to Alfred O ‘Keefe. He gained a reputation of being able to dash off charming miniature pastel landscapes which he called ‘petite studies.’
In 1888, the Otago Daily Times records Wilson as running his own ‘Art Union’ lottery.
On Jan 12, 1891, he is reported as having recently returned from a year-long visit to the ‘old country.’ He brought back a goodly number of sketches of English and Scottish scenery which he had for sale in Lower York Place.
On April 6, 1891 he and his wife opened the Bijou Art Depot at 75 Princess St, and the following advertisement (at left) appeared for a few weeks thereafter in the Otago Daily Times newspaper. The editorial (at right) gave some support to this venture, but it did not prove a success, and the stock of the Art Depot was sold by auction on November 5, 1891 by Dunedin auctioneers James A Park & Co.
On February 14, 1894 the advertisement below appeared in the Otago Daily Times, announcing the opening of the Otago Art Academy. This involved L W Wilson, together with Grace Joel, Alfred O’Keefe, Jane Wimperis and Girolami Nerli.
Page 25
This group also formed the ‘Easel Club’ in 1895, a breakaway from the Dunedin art establishment, and offered a programme of special classes, including the introduction of a professional lady model for life drawing.
Wilson exhibited with the Canterbury Society of Arts in 1882, and the Otago Art Society between 1894 and 1904. His work was included in the NZ & South Seas Exhibition in Dunedin 1889-90, and at the St Louis Exposition in 1904.
In 1904, Wilson left Dunedin for Melbourne, where he spent five months on a commissioned painting of the city before he set out for England, eventually returning to NZ via India and Africa. He dies in 1912.
Wilson is represented in the collections of all the major public galleries in NZ. His images shown on postcards are listed in the Postcard Pillar News & Views issue of July 2010. His cards are very collectible. Most views are not uncommon; a search for ‘Wilson’ on TradeMe usually brings up five or six images for sale.
James Hutchings Kinnear
Kinnear was born in 1877 and died in 1946. He was born in Auckland, but grew up in New South Wales where he moved with his family in 1882. He returned to NZ in 1896, and established a popular dentistry practice in Darby St, Auckland. He was an enthusiast for anything to do with sailing ships, and documented many of the comings and goings of sailing ships, often heading out on the Harbour Board’s tug or a private launch to photograph a ship coming into port before the sails were taken in.
Although he aspired to take professional-level photographs, he maintained a strictly amateur status, and was rewarded with a gold medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915. Keen stamp collectors will know that the USA issued a set of four stamps to commemorate the Exposition.
His photographs can be dated from before the First World War, and some of his photographs were marketed as Tourist Series postcards. Eventually, his images were in such demand that Herman Schmidt of Schmidt Studios acted as his distribution agent.
James Kinnear died on 3 August 1946, and was buried at Hillsborough Cemetery. In 1949 his widow donated 3,627 of his negatives to the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington. A collection of his maritime prints, and a series of Kinnear family photographs are held at Special Collections in the Auckland City Library.
The postcards opposite were kindly provide by Steve McLachlan. Do any other members have postcards of Kinnear images, especially of the Tourist Series ? The Editor would be very pleased to record and perhaps publish any which come to light.
Page 26
 |
 |
| Alexa.J. H. Kinnear Photo.Tourist Series 1685.Frank Duncan & Co. | SenoritaJ. H. Kinnear Photo.Tourist Series 1686.Frank Duncan & Co. |
 |
| ManurewaJ. H. Kinnear Photo.Tourist Series 1689.Frank Duncan & Co |
Page 27
Exhibition of Work by Photographer
Material sourced by Don Mee
“A special exhibition is planned for the September to November period to celebrate the work of a very special Akaroa woman.
Jessie Buckland was a noted photographer who lived in Akaroa and the exhibition in the Akaroa Museum is being timed to coincide with Women’s Suffrage Year.
An application has been made for special funding, but the Akaroa Museum curator, Steve Lowndes is confident the show will go ahead whether the funding is received or not.
The exhibition is being curated by Lisa Potts and Sue Morrow who are seeking photographs and other relevant items and information.
It is hoped that the planned extensions of the museum will be completed so that it can be shown in the new space.
Jessie Lillian Buckland was born in 1878 and was the youngest daughter of John Channing Buckland and Caroline – nee Fairburn.
She grew up at Taieri Lake Station in Central Otago and in 1902 moved with her parents to “the Glen” Akaroa. Her interest in photography began when she lived at Taieri Lake Station.
Many of her studies, still preserved, show the quality of her photography in the use of the older type of plate and the final positioning of the picture.
The originality and charm of some of her earlier ideas won Australasian prizes. In most cases her pictures told a clear story, e.g. “Why the Mailbag was Late”, “Coming through the Rye” or “He Cometh Not”
Jessie and her friend Miss McKenzie went to London in 1939. Jessie found her health not too good so was determined to return to New Zealand. She left Britain on May 12th in the S.S. Tararoa and was buried at sea on June 8th.
She was well known and liked around the Peninsula where she had carried on her photographic business for many years. She won many prizes for her photography.”
 |
| Page 10, The Akaroa Mail, Friday March 12 1993 |
Is this Jessie Buckland and if so, who is the man with her? This photograph is believed to have been taken in a conservatory at The Glen in Akaroa.
Page 28
More on the Holloway Royalty advertising die-cut cards
Thanks to Laurence Eagle, we can now illustrate two more of these fabulous cards, this time in full colour.
The two upper cards were illustrated in reduced size black-and-white images on page 4 of the May 2011 issue of the Postcard Pillar News & Views. They showed King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.
The two lower cards, show King George V born June 3 1865, married July 6 1893, ascended the throne May 6 1910, crowned June 22 1911, and Her Majesty Queen Mary born May 26 1867.
The advertisements refer to Holloway’s ointment “as especially useful where there are large families, for Burns, Cuts, Scalds, Bruises, Chapped Hands, Chilblains, etc. It quickly cures Bad Legs, Wounds, Piles, Sores, Eczema and all skin affections.”
Holloway’s Pills “strengthen the nerves, rid the system of all impurities and stimulate to natural activity the Liver, Bowels and Kidneys. They promptly cure Indigestion, Loss of Appetite, Biliousness, Sick Headache, and kindred ailments. Females find them of the greatest value.”
Page 29
Back Cover
