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The Story of the Homer Tunnel Project - and of a Bedford Truck
The Eastern Portal of the Homer Tunnel 1935and showing what is most likely a Bedford Truck[Source : Invercargill Museum & Art Gallery, Ref 2004.936] While completing a large family history I...
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"Bunny is Getting it in the Neck" - Tackling The Rabbit Plague in Southland
Sign at Rabbiter's Residence, Otahuti, April 1964Photograph taken by William Dykes[From my own collection]Having been innocently introduced as a source of fur and meat it would now be hard to...
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The Heddon Bush School Riot of 1888
The Heddon Bush School Building and Pupils.The old Schoolhouse is to the rear.Taken circa 1939[Source : "Looking Back 100 Years"]The Heddon Bush School riot of 1888 is a story I have touched on before...
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Dalserf - a 17th Century Scottish Parish Church
Dalserf Church Today[Image Used with the Kind Permissionof Bob Hamilton Photography]Dalserf Parish Church in Lanarkshire, Scotland and originally built in 1655, is an interesting and very historic...
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"Missing in Action"
A not insignificant collection of slides and negatives[Held by the Writer]In case my readers have noticed a lull in posts I had better explain why I have been "missing in action"....I have now...
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The Earlier and Truly Original 1940's New Zealand Railways Cup & Saucer
The now "iconic" New Zealand Railways classicCup & Saucer produced from 1956 to 1970's.[From my own collection]Many of us will be aware of the now "iconic" and much sought after "Crown Lynn...
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The Iconic 1965 "Crown Lynn" Air New Zealand Dinnerware Set
The original full set of "Crown Lynn" dinnerwaremanufactured for Air New Zealand, 1965[From my own collection]This is the story of what has now become a classic New Zealand icon. In 1965, the newly...
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Royal Related Discoveries (Part One) - The Queen Mother's Chinaware
"Minton" Bone China Setwith a Royal provenance.[From my own collection]As a collector, it has always given me great pleasure to discover, with subsequent research or simply through being (I believe)...
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The Absurdity of Such a Device - An Unofficial History of the "Pocket Telephone"
A Satirical Cartoon lampooning the use of "Pocket Telephones", 1919April the 1st would perhaps be a more appropriate day to look at the history of what we now call the "mobile phone". Not only was the...
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Royal Related Discoveries (Part Two) - Queen Mary, Queen Victoria's Dinner, &...
H.R.H. Princess Victoria Mary of Tech, c.1896[From my own collection]HM Queen MaryContinuing my series of "Royal Discoveries" [Click Here to read the first instalment], sometimes, being very...
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Royal Related Discoveries (Part Three) - An 1858 Royal Wedding Order of...
Order of Service used at the Marriage of the Princess Royal and the Crown Prince of Prussia, 1858[From my own collection] Continuing my series of "Royal Discoveries" [click Here to read the First...
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ANZAC Day Remembrance 25 Apr 2024 - The Winton and District War Memorial Gates
The Winton & District War Memorial GateTaken Apr 2024[From my own collection]The 25th of April 2024, known as ANZAC Day, will again mark that rare day each year when the two sovereign nations of...
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A Significant Photographic Cataloguing Project
Fronticepiece from an Albumof Carte-de-visite Photographsfrom the Collection. Dated 1881My Blogs will be taking a break over the Winter months while I attempt to complete a significant photographic...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part One
Larnach Castle as it appeared in an Edwardian eratinted postcard printed in Saxony, Germany, circa 1910(From my own collection) The Year is 1927“It was a wreck. It had been neglected and vandalized....
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The "Industrial Exhibition" of 1862 - Dunedin's Forgotten Exhibition
"The Club House", Maclaggan street, Dunedin, taken 1861.Venue for the 1862 "Industrial Exhibition & Bazaar"[Source : Hocken Collections] The Forgotten "Industrial Exhibition" of 1862Most readers...
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A New Era of Train Travel - The 1970 New Zealand Railways “Crown Lynn”...
The Full "Crown Lynn" Designed Dinnerware Set Introduced by New Zealand Railways From Dec 1970My recent Blog from March 2024 featured the brilliantly designed and now highly collectible Air New Zealand...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Two
Christmas at the Castle, 1927[Credit : The Late Mrs Lorna Hormann / The Press]This Continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family ownership of Larnach Castle, having been compiled from a...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Three
Larnach Castle at it appeared pre-1935. Part of Mrs Purdie's Rock Garden appears in the foreground along with a small "German Dwarf". Note also the carving on a plinth behind.[Credit : Miss MTL Watson...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Four
Mrs Purdie's Antiques Gallery in the Castle Ballroom, Photo taken pre-1935[Credit : Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive]This Continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family ownership of...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Five
William Larnach's 1887 Ballroom and now to become a Cabaret Venue, taken pre-1935[Credit Miss MTL Watson / GenFram Image Archive]This Continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family ownership...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Six
The rear of Larnach Castle as it appeared pre-1935.The detatched building at far right is the original dairy.You can just make out the arched entrance to the "dungeon"(actually used for wood storage...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Seven
Larnach Castle as it appeared circa early 1940's andshowing the old wooden lath pergola in its new position[From my own collection] This continues my eight part Blog Series on the Purdie family and...
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Larnach Castle - The Purdie Years (1927 to 1940) - Part Eight
Mrs Laura M. Purdie as she appeared in anewspaper article dated 1st Sept 1950[Credit : Otago Daily Times &National Library of New Zealand] This concludes my eight part Blog Series on Mr John...
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"Best Christmas Wishes", 2024
"Best Christmas Wishes"A pre-1914 New Zealand Government "Tourist & Health Resorts" postcard sent to my Uncle by "Larry"[Source : GenFram Image Archive]Christmas Day 2024 is almost upon us and I...
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"Hey Google"
The Author at work with writing slope and ink pen, 2014"Hey Google"Unfortunately, and for reasons explained in this post, I have made the decision to discontinue posts for the foreseeable future. As...
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