can you help us?

Puke Ariki cares for more than 110,000 images taken by Swainson’s Studios and Bernard Woods Studio in New Plymouth between 1923 and 1997. Many of the photographs are still unidentified. You can access all our heritage collections, including these images, online at https://collection.pukeariki.com/explore. If you can help identify this week’s photo, please email PAHeritageEnquiries@npdc.govt.nz or call the Taranaki Research Centre on (06) 759 5684.

Our mystery hunt club lady pictured in riding uniform last Saturday has been identified as Melva Enid Cole (1923-2011), daughter of John and Emily Cole who farmed in Motunui. Melva married Abner Northcott in 1944.

This curly-haired serviceman sat for his portrait just a few weeks after VE Day in 1945 – his surname was Hatley and we would love to know his story.