Ted Quill’s talent was mightier than the sword

Edward Henry (Eddie, Ted) Quill 1904 - 1985

Anyone who thinks accountants are fusty and boring clearly has never heard of Ted Quill. His photographs show a man with a twinkle in his eyes and a smiling mouth, and from the accounts of his life he was clearly out-of-the-ordinary, an extrovert.

Ted Quill was born at the very end of 1904 to Edward Joseph and Annie Veronica Quill.

His father worked for the Post and Telegraph Office as a lineman, and was based at various towns before being transferred to Hamilton in the early 1920s.

Ted Quill joined the staff of the Waikato Times in 1924, as a junior in the advertising department but as one of only four office staff he had to be versatile, sometimes reporting as well.

On one occasion, he was required to catch the train to Taumarunui with several hundred copies of a special Winter Show edition of the Times, unload them in freezing temperatures and catch the train back to Hamilton, distributing the papers to passengers − “For his efforts he received not a penny in overtime”.

At that time the Waikato Times was based in a new building, built in 1923 (but now demolished), just 100m north of the newspaper’s purpose-built 1908 building at 254 Victoria St. The 1908

Times building is one of the two historic scheduled buildings that are destined for demolition to make way for “open spaces” and a multi-storey hotel. The Waikato

Times building and Victoria Buildings erected in 1915 stand as reminders of Hamilton’s development in the early 20th century. Quill became widely known as an actor, singer, instrumentalist (he was an accomplished flautist) and comedian. He even starred in two films set in Hamilton. The first was a silent film, “Hamilton’s Hectic Husbands” filmed in 1928 by Rudall Hayward − the chief censor felt the title would cast suspicion upon all husbands in the town so it was released as “Military Defaulters and Others”. In 1934 Quill performed in one of New Zealand’s early sound films, “Hamilton Talks”− Hamilton Libraries holds a leaflet advertising the film: “It’s more than a whisper − It’s the Talk of the Town”. The Waikato Times noted in its obituary for Quill:

“This was memorable for Mr Quill as he was called upon to jump a fence, but in doing so broke his arm”.

With a strong baritone voice, Quill performed at many concerts around the Waikato in the 1920s, and was a member of the Harmonic Four, which in its heyday won the New Zealand championship for vocal quartets. The Waikato Times’ obituary for Quill noted that during the Depression, Quill was “one of two leaders of the popular weekly community singing activities held in the Theatre Royal and broadcast by local radio − free entertainment for a depressed population, but in those days newspaper employers saw little merit in their staff helping the community, so Mr Quill received no time off for this activity, foregoing his lunch as well”.

Quill had many leading roles in Hamilton Operatic Society productions. “His ebullient nature, combined with his outstanding ability as an entertainer, made Mr Quill a household name”.

Quill joined up in WWII and became a member of the Kiwi Concert Party, “one of those chosen to tour and cheer the armed forces scattered in many countries”. He sang and played the flute, sometimes within the one musical number.

An article in the Waikato Times, titled

“The Times has had three homes in Hamilton” (there had been four at that stage) states: “[Quill] lightened many an hour for the staff and for the public in general, and gave his services liberally to a large number of organisations”.

Quill continued to work for the

Waikato Times before and after the war. According to the obituary, “his talents brought promotion through the ranks to accountant and his final appointment as company secretary in 1960, a position he held until his retirement 10 years later”.

Eddie Quill married Bryona Mary Beechey in 1936. They had one daughter, Lesley, who became the owner and editor of The Cambridge Edition. Eddie Quill died in 1985 aged 80. He was buried at Hamilton Park Cemetery beside Bryona who had died in 1973. The Waikato Times ran a long obituary with a photo of Ted Quill on his retirement day.

WAIKATO TIMES MAY 2 1972 Waikato Times staff in 1921 outside the 1908 building (District Plan H91) currently Mexico Restaurant, Victoria Buildings (H74) is at far left.

HCL_07592 NA Quill worked in the 1923 Waikato Times building (at left, since demolished); the 1908 Times building is at far right beside Victoria Buildings.

ALEXANDER TURNBULL LIBRARY DA-05765. GEORGE FREDERICK KAYE Ted Quill, dressed in old time costume, sings and plays the flute alternately at an appearance by the Kiwi Concert Party in the Volturno Valley area, Italy, during World War II. Photograph taken on May 12, 1944 by George Frederick Kaye.

Four members of The Times office staff in 1930 photographed during a lunch break. From left they are Marg Moodie, Colin Wilson. Mabek Cameron and Ted Quill. Messrs Wilson and Quill, now both retired, were two of the newspaper’s best known staff members.