Reaching out from the other side of the world
THERE’S a bit of an international touch to the column today, with notes from the United States’ steamy south and from scorching Cambridgeshire. It really is amazing how far afield from Dunedin and Otago the ODT is read.
Smelly Dunedin
The first email is from Anon, currently on an annual 90day break in Ocean Springs, Mississippi but otherwise a resident of Wanaka during the warmer months.
‘‘Your coverage of Dunedin’s smells, the perfumed visitor of last week, and the recorded pleasantries emanating from the Cadbury factory, set my thinking to other aromas of Dunedin’s earlier days and the memories they evoked.
‘‘The strong smell emanating from Cadbury’s Cumberland St neighbour, the McLeod’s soap works, has already been recorded, while a mile or so towards the northeast we had the delightful smell from Gregg’s weekly coffee processing, which bought smiles to those in the lower Leith area.
‘‘The weekly Tuesday brewing of the next batch at the Speight’s brewery in lower Rattray St always brought premature thoughts of knockoff time, while up over the hill, the wonderful smells of freshly baked bread from the Holsum bakery, and the Wright’ bakery in Union St, brought fond thoughts of a fresh sandwich for lunch.
‘‘South Dunedin did not escape from this menagerie of odours, with the strong industrial smells emanating from the Hillside Road railway workshops and from the weekly metal castings of their foundry.
‘‘Driving towards Kaikorai Valley past the Burnside freezing works and it was always the processing smells which made you feel a bit despondent about the goingson within.
‘‘Looking back, it is noteworthy that nearly all these industrial aromas emanated from companies that no longer operate from our fair city. That is an aspect of modernday life that can almost bring tears to the eyes.
‘‘However, this reminiscing of smells from years gone by can be neutralised by engaging in a quiet walk in the Dunedin Botanic Garden, taking in the wonderful seasonal aroma of the rhododendron dell, and enjoying the enhancing view over our city and the University of Otago.’’
Thanks for your scent summation, Anon. Your mention of Gregg’s reminded me of that distinctive odour of coffee and spices in that corner of town. On first sniff, it often smelt like someone in the university halls had come perilously close to burning their toast.
Old friends
I had a nice letter from Mrs Eleanor Monk of Sutton, Ely, Cambridgeshire who is looking for a friend, known as ‘‘Terry’’, who emigrated to New Zealand in about 196263.
‘‘She and I trained as nurses at St Helier Hospital, Carshalton, Surrey, starting our training in October 1958.
‘‘We are trying to organise a gettogether of our set and would love to hear news of her. I know she married and settled in Dunedin, but we have lost touch.
‘‘If any of your readers recognise the above details of ‘Terry’, I would be really thrilled,’’ Eleanor says.
Can anyone help? Feel free to drop me a line and I will pass on any information to Eleanor.
Central Otago
Have a great weekend and don’t forget to get back to me on Central Otago 2050. I don’t want to be the only one with opinions on this topic!