Centenary photographs from Auckland Libraries Heritage Images

Women of the J D Richardson family. Sir George Grey Special Collections,  Auckland Libraries, 4-2419

Mr Cooper and family. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 7-A17229

Mr and Mrs Shaw with grandchildren. Sir George Grey Special Collections,  Auckland Libraries, 4-8903

Centenary photographs from Auckland Libraries Heritage Images

Kings College football team. Auckland Libraries, 31-WP7720.

Members of the Kiwi basketball team. Auckland Libraries, 31-WP7723.

Ponsonby 5th grade football team. Auckland Libraries, 31-WP7559.

Centenary photographs from Auckland Libraries Heritage Images

The Leith brothers, David and James, both served with the New Zealand Tunnelling Company. Auckland Libraries, 31-L688.

Private Cyril Gladwin Jonkers and family. Auckland Libraries, 31-J1890.

Trooper Thomas Robert Catton with his sisters. Auckland Libraries, 31-C1942.

Quackery Prevention
Pills & Potions at the Cotter Medical History Trust
By Claire Le Couteur
Otago University Press, 2014

This recent addition to the Central Auckland Research Centre's collection shares some of the bizarre and miraculous-sounding medicines sold in New Zealand before the 1942 Medical Advertisements Act restricted excessive advertising and false testimonials.

Medicine time in the Kindergarten, 1938  Sir George Grey Special Collections, AWNS-19381116-53-3.

Rather than gain a patent, manufacturers of the time trademarked their products in order to conceal their ingredients and method of production from competitors. When the 1904 government tried to curb their extravagant claims they were defeated by both the manufacturers and newspaper owners – who would have lost advertising revenue as a result.

Advertisement for Dr Ensor's Tamer Juice New Zealand Herald, 6 July 1911

Auckland Star, 1 April 1938

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 January 1907

Although the 1908 Quackery Prevention Act tried to restrict advertising, it too failed. It wasn’t until the 1942 Act that excessive claims had to be proved before being advertised, and fictitious endorsements ceased. Consequently, many remedies were taken off the market.

Fortunately, The Cotter Trust in Christchurch has a collection of these remedies whose history has been beautifully documented in this book.

Leanne

As students and teachers are all now back in the classroom it reminded me of the many resources we have in our family history collection relating to education. There are numerous school lists and registers of graduates and students for various schools around New Zealand as well as special publications focusing on jubilees and centenary celebrations.

Karioi School, c.1908 from Heritage Images

To browse our holdings search using the Auckland Libraries classic catalogue  by selecting Call Number in the drop down list and typing 2 NZL SCH into the text box. Alternatively, you may want to do a Keyword search with the name of the school.

Open-air classroom, c.1939 from Heritage Images

If you happen to have a teacher in your family and are interested in their career details, the CD-ROM 'New Zealand Teachers Examinations and Licenses 1880-1920'  includes '... the name of those who have passed the teachers examinations and the area they are from ... and who are licensed to teach, the area of their teaching engagement and their rank in the teaching profession.'  This information is also available from the New Zealand Gazette -- there is a dedicated computer in the Research Centre for accessing these records.

Nelson (Boys) College, building completed in 1859, from Heritage Images.

The Heritage images and photography eResources page lists all of the photography related databases such as Footprints, Heritage Images and Local History Online to search for visual treasures of school buildings, pupils and teachers.

Karen

The engagement of Mr Joseph Boyce Johnston, solicitor, to Miss Pauline Constance Doxey was announced in The NZ Observer's 'Social Sphere by Myra' column published 8 March 1913. Note the incorrect spelling of the bridegroom's surname in the newspaper clipping.

Mr and Mrs J B Johnston Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-WP314

The record for this image includes a detailed description of  the couple's wedding attire . . . . 'Mr Johnston wearing a dark coloured jacket and waistcoat, striped trousers, a white shirt with a stand-up collar and tie, flowers in the buttonhole, gloves and holding a hat; Mrs Johnston wearing a light coloured wedding gown with a train on the skirt, a long veil with flowers in her hair, holding a large bouquet.'

New Zealand Herald, 13 June 1913.

Although the entry for this wedding portrait does not refer to Mrs Robertson as the former Miss Doxey, there is no doubt of her identity  -- as there is another lovely image of her in the Schmidt collection from the same year that does provide us with her name.

Miss Doxey, 1913. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-74619

Perhaps this photo was taken to mark the occasion of their engagement?

Auckland city will be abuzz with excitement this weekend, February 15th and 16th as Eden Park plays host to 16 teams of athletic young men in the inaugural NRL Nines rugby league tournament . Eden Park is a sellout and no doubt for leaguies who can’t make the live event, it will be a case of getting in the beer and the pizza, and settling in for a weekend in front of the telly.

While rugby union is the number one game downunder,  League in fact has quite a heritage in Auckland and was given plenty of attention back in the day.  Flicking through our heritage database, the game was well covered in publications like the Auckland Weekly News, and a large part of that is due to what is affectionately called the “spiritual home of rugby league,” Carlaw Park.  Named for James Carlaw, the head of Auckland Rugby League, the land alongside the Domain was leased by the Auckland Rugby league from the hospital board until it was bought by the ARL in 1974.  It is currently a car park and all that remains for leaguies are the memories.

Judging from the photographs in our collection, it’s easy to see why Carlaw Park is held in such affection with events such as the 1929 test between the Kiwis and Great Britain where a whopping 28,000 fans turned up to watch the Kiwis win.

So if your old man was a leaguie back in the day, whether he played the game or was one of the thousands who travelled to Carlaw Park over its history, have a browse through our heritage images. Type in the keywords “rugby league” – and enjoy! In the meantime, here are some photographs of good times from Carlaw Park from our collection.

Carlaw Park, 1921. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

New Zealand's great football public at Carlaw Park, 1924. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

A brilliant exhibition of rugby league football, 1931. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

Watching the rugby league action at Carlaw Park, 1926. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries

Joanne

'Wedding Wednesday' highlights a wedding portrait from the Heritage Images photograph collection and this week we are featuring Mr and Mrs Robertson.

Photographed standing outside the front steps of a house and they are both elegantly attired for the occasion as would be expected. Mr Robertson wearing a dark coloured jacket, striped trousers, a white waistcoat, a fob watch chain draped across a white shirt with a rounded collar and tie, holding a top hat and gloves; Mrs Robertson wearing a light coloured wedding dress with lace on the bodice, a pendant necklace, a veil and holding a gorgeous large bouquet.

Mr and Mrs Robertson, 1914. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 31-WP597

'Wedding Wednesday' highlights a wedding portrait from the Heritage Images photograph collection and this week we are featuring Mr W Norman Heather and Miss Myrtle Chatfield of Auckland who were married in October of 1899.

This photograph of the bridal party was taken on the front steps of the Chatfield family home located in Bridgewater Road, Parnell.

Heather-Chatfield bridal party, 1899. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries.

The happy event was reported both in the Auckland Weekly News  27 October 1899 supplement as well as the 20 October 1899 edition of the New Zealand Herald which offers some lovely details about this special day.


Karen

If you have been travelling near Three Kings, Auckland, lately, at the intersection where Mt Eden Road meets Mt Albert Road, you would have noticed a vision of historic gorgeousness appearing  – the stunning, original, century-old 1903 Ranfurly Veterans Home which for decades has been hidden behind other far less attractive buildings.  Over the past few months, the demolition work has revealed the house that had remained virtually hidden to most commuters along Mt Albert Road.

Originally known as the Auckland Veteran’s Home, the facility was the initiative of Lord Ranfurly (the same Ranfurly who gave us the Shield) and was inspired by London’s Chelsea Home to honour those who fought in the Boer War.

Those residents in the early years also included returned servicemen who had fought in both the Crimean and New Zealand Wars, and as a correspondent wrote in the Evening Post in 1926, the home was regarded with much respect. “As a frequent visitor in bygone years to the Veteran’s Home at Three Kings, Auckland, this institution has always appealed to me as one of the finest and noblest works ever achieved by any Governor of New Zealand…. .  I had the privilege of being present when the late Lord Kitchener inspected the home and the resident veterans; it brings a lump to the throat now when I remember how smartly, yes smartly, though some of them were bowed with years,  those veterans paraded, how intently they listened to Lord Kitchener’s brief address, and how spruce were their quarters.”

Lord Ranfurly himself was also viewed with great affection by the residents as this 1924 report says, “The Earl of Ranfurly who was governor of New Zealand from 1897 to 1904 was remembered with gratitude by the older inmates of the Veterans home on account of the keen interest which, during his residence in this country he displayed in their welfare. Last Christmas 20 inmates of the home sent  to the Earl an original Christmas card  designed by one of their outside friends Mr Payne  and bearing the signature of each of the senders...”

If you suspect an ancestor may have been a resident of the home, there are records held by the Ranfurly Trust, including a list of those buried at Waikaraka cemetery, but these records have not been maintained over the years and are sparse. Your best bet is to contact the voluntary archivist at the Trust for further information at admin@ranfurly.org.nz

In the meantime, if you can’t get along for a glimpse of the house in person, enjoy these glorious photos of this historic building. It appears that views of Lord Ranfurly’s most excellent vision may well be obscured again from street level once construction begins on the apartments of the new retirement complex.

House with bare ground around it, 1905.  Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1241.

House from a distance with trees around it, 1924.  Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1826.

Photo of war memorial inside the Ranfurly Veteran's home, 1924. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1833.

Photo showing interior view of the library and reading room, 1905. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1503.

Photo of residents sitting on the steps of the building, 1924. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 1-W1828.

Joanne

If he was – yay, you!  You’re one of a very select few who can make that claim because, according to the Bateman Rugby Facts book,  as recently  as ten years ago only 1037 men had ever worn the black jersey for New Zealand. Current estimates put the figure around 1130.

Lighter side of the All Blacks rugby tour of Great Britain. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19351030-52-5

Just as they are today, these gorgeous photos from the early years of All Black history show  the men in black were absolute superstars, with the folk back home getting a taste of their overseas tours via the Auckland Weekly News.

The first of the "All Blacks" leaving the mail steamer Sonoma. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19060315-7-2

The crowd round the ferry company's wharf waiting to welcome the "All Blacks." 1906 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19060315-6-2

All Blacks entertained by famous London comedian. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19250101-46-3

The King shakes hands with New Zealand's "All Blacks". Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19250129-48-5

The effects weren't just financial, though. Lady Verna Meads recalled in The A-Z of Meads book that back in the day Sir Colin was on tour, players were allowed only one phone call a month, “and when they did come home, wives told heart-wrenching tales of children not recognising their fathers or screaming when dad went to pick them up.”

Bon voyage: 1934 "All Blacks" team departing for Australia. Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19340801-50-1

Joanne

Heritage Images database  'Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC282'

Showing the grave and tombstone of Edward Rickerby in Symonds Street Cemetery.

The tombstone reads:

In memory of Edward Rickerby who died at New Plymouth 23rd Jan 1897 aged 61 years.

Mark the perfect man and behold him upright, for the end of that man is peace

Heritage Images database Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC265

Showing the grave and tombstone of Michael Gallagher in Symonds Street Cemetery.

The inscription reads:

In affectionate remembrance of Michael Gallagher who died May 26 1894 aged 38 years.

Erected by his widow, H K Gallagher.

In charity with all men.

The grave and headstone of his mother Mary Gallagher is partly visible to the left.

Heritage Images database Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 4-RIC252'

Showing the grave and tombstone of Reverend James McDonald in St Patrick's Cemetery, Panmure.

The inscription, in English reads: Of your charity pray for the repose of the soul of the Very Reverend James McDonald Vicar General who for 38 years laboured in the Diocese of Auckland and was devoted to the Maoris who raised this monument to his memory.

He died at Purakau Hokianga July 6th 1890 aged 63 years. May he rest in peace.

The inscription in Maori reads:
I runga I ngakau aroha inoi atu ki tu atua kia takoto pai te wairua o Hakopa Meketanara Wikario Henerari 38 nga tau i mahi ai ia i tana mahi karakia i roto i te tiehehi o akarana me tana aroha nui ano hoki ki nga Maori. Na ratou nei tenei kohutu i whakaara hei tohu whakamaharatanga ki a ia. I mate ia ki Purakau i Hokianga i te 6 o nga ra o Hurei 63 o nga tau. Kiaokioki ia i runga i te rangimarie