There’s no place quite like home
The Grace Darling was a shipshaped house on Stewart Island, built by Harry Rose. The Rakiura Museum has supplied the following information.
‘‘During the early 1950s a cabin cruiser came to Stewart Island.
Rose met Buddie Willa one day and asked what he thought of Alf Walmsley’s boat. ‘‘It would suit me nicely,’’ said Willa. ‘‘Too expensive to run,’’ said Rose. ‘‘I wouldn’t take it to sea,’’ said Willa, ‘‘but put it ashore on my section and live in it.’’
‘‘That has given me an idea,’’ said Rose, who was planning to build a house and retire there.
Some days later Rose came in and passed over a plan he had drawn – the ‘‘Grace Darling’’.
Rose named her after his wife, Grace Darling Kingsland, and the section was named ‘‘Roseland’’ from both their names.
The rooms were cabins – Fo’c’sle, Galley, After-cabin and Bridge.’’
The house changed hands a couple of times and unfortunately burnt down in 2004, having been a point of interest for visitors to Stewart Island for more than 50 years.
City famine
Invercargill’s famine occurred in December 1858 when supply vessels were unable to reach the town because of weather conditions.
The population then numbered about 40.
An account by pioneer settler Peter McQueen says, ‘‘One respected citizen, it is alleged, lived for a whole fortnight on dried apples and tea. Mr White had a few 25 pound bags of American flour which had got damp, and the contents were a solid mass, so hard as to be unbreakable. My wife scraped down some of the mouldy flour and we had scones for supper. They were not first-class, but the cooking evidently killed any stray microbes for we were none-the-worse after. Mr Ross was a good hand with the gun but had neither powder nor caps. We managed to buy some blasting powder instead, and went after pigeons next day in rather an extraordinary manner. It took two of us to manage one gun. The gun was charged with the rough powder and the nipple was filled with some of the same ground down to dust. My part was to hold a wax match on the top of the nipple when the aim was taken. Pigeons were numerous and we soon had a good supply of fat birds.’’
The arrival of the Star from Dunedin ended the famine.
Movie screening
The first Sunday movie screening in Invercargill was in February 1910 when there was a ‘‘cinematograph entertainment’’ on a Sunday to aid the hospital fund.
After lying low for many years the issue arose again in 1961. The arguments were predictable. Most churches waved their arms in horror at the thought that a day of rumination and self-flagellation should be polluted with entertainment, yet the dissolute youths of the town needing films of good character to stop them breaking bottles.
GC Tapper told the council committee investigating the question, ‘‘Although not enthusiastic about picture theatres being open on Sundays I now hold the view that something must be done about the idle youths wandering aimlessly about the streets on Sunday evenings and a six month trial with suitable films is now definitely called for.’’
The Baptist Union said, ‘‘We consider that it is a violation of the sacredness of the Lord’s Day upon which our Christian community is based. We do not believe that there is any evidence of a real need for this because, from observation, there has not been seen any large groups of young people aimlessly wandering our streets on a Sunday night.’’
The Catholic Church said, ‘‘There is no objection to the screening of films on Sundays. Once our people have fulfilled their obligation of worshipping God on Sundays, they may take part in any form of lawful recreation.’’
Another submitter said, ‘‘If the opening of cinemas on Sunday evenings would reduce monkey parading, why does it not do so on Saturday evenings or Bank holidays when they are open? Furthermore, increasing facilities for Sunday sports, and the official recognition and sanction of them, have already drawn thousands of young people from the church services and robbed the Sunday Schools of their teachers.’’
The Master of Ballantrae, a movie of an improving nature, was screened on Sunday, March 12, 1961.
The Master of Ballantrae was a 1953 British Technicolorfilm starring Errol Flynn.
It was an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel of the same name.