Avondale Historical Journal 89

8/16/2019 Avondale Historical Journal 89

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The Avondale

Historical Journal

May — June 2016

Official Publication of the Avondale-Waterview Historical Society Incorporated

(Above) One of a number of photographs from the Zwart family collection kindly provided by Darian Zam (see page 2 for article): this is captioned Oma !herie work"ing at #ayen $askets in %osebank %oad& Avondale'

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The Society and AHJ editorial staff thank

Avondale Business

Association for their continued support and sponsorship of this

publication.

Next meeting o the

Avondale-Watervie! "istorical #ociety$

at #t Ninians, #t %eorges Road

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The Avondale Historical Journal

They loved that country and the culture so it did not de-ter the and they stayed for any years afterwards eventhou!h they had been throu!h terrible thin!s and thenthe civil war strai!ht afterwards" fro which they wereevacuated on a hospital troop ship. However they did

decide to ove to Aotearoa" # think y !randfather wasoffered a solid contract there. They had tried to coehere in $%&% before the war" but it was ade very diffi-cult for people fro the continent to ii!rate at thattie as they were not preferential. 'y other recallsy !randfather desi!nin! boats for a 'r Carl Au!ustinwho had a West Auckland- based business in Sabulite(oad" )elston. *ollowin! that he worked for *letcherConstruction.

*or a tie they lived in an apartent on the +niversitycapus but soon they purchased a hoe at ,&(osebank (oad near the corner of atiki/ the street has

now been renubered. As far as # reeber it was a bun!alow/ a nice lookin!" sall house that had beenconstructed entirely fro kauri in $%,0. There was a

0emories o Rose1ankRoad

Darian Zam

'y faily arrived fro New 1uinea to New 2ealandin $%3%. *or two !enerations they lived between#ndonesia and 4urope" firstly because y !reat-!randfather was in the oil industry/ the faily probably had interests. He opened and ana!ed pro5ects.'y !randfather was a arine architect and he workedon ship and ri! pro5ects.

They went to Jakarta when they realised that 1eranywas !oin! to invade the Netherlands. They took a blacked out train to the port at 'arseille and thensailed for #ndonesia. 'y other was born in that city

5ust after they arrived. Soon of course the Japaneseinvaded. So thinkin! they would be safe far away"they ended up in e6actly the sae situation theyfeared – and were interred in 7W caps. This iswhat y other saw of the world for the first three orore years of her life.

(elow) Oma at #ayen $askets in %osebank %oad& Avondale' #rovided by Darian Zam& from Zwart *amilycollection'




in the nei!hbourhood" e6cept the Astrid!es" John and4thel" who were friends of the faily. A few doors backalon! (osebank (oad fro the house in the direction ofthe hi!hway to the city there was a dairy" one of thosehouses that had the front turned into a business. # think

it was crea coloured" a wooden buildin!. # can8t recalluch else about the street.

'y !randother went to work in the local area/ thisay have been the first tie she had worked in her lifeas she was descended fro a very wealthy Asterdafaily who had ade a fortune in shippin!" and theythen lost a lot of it in the 1reat 9epression. A lot" butnot all. Then she arried y !randfather" had the war todeal with" and they oved around a lot whilst she wasrearin! her children. So as they were thinkin! abouttheir retireent" in her fifties she went to work in theany anufactories that had sprun! up alon! (osebank

(oad.

*irst she was eployed at the ayen !asket factory. Sheworked there at the achines keepin! the fact she was

leafy" cool !arden at the back with ature fruit trees anda lot of !rapefruit. 'y other recalls that when theycae to live in (osebank (oad it was covered inorchards and arket !ardens" as it was very fertile redvolcanic soil. The land had probably been part of acarved down block which #8 told was a citrus orchard but this was obviously not the ori!inal hoestead sowould have been built after the property wassubdivided.

*elte6 bou!ht the land on the left and as a result the !ar-den was subse:uently built in with hi!h cinderblockwalls by that copany. 'y !randother was very an!rywhen they disturbed her ;Chinese 1ooseberry8 vineswhich were :uite hard to coe by and e6pensive at thetie. However this actually afforded soe protectionand privacy fro the surroundin! factories that werecrowdin! it in. The hi!h walls !ave it a stran!e air like asecret !arden in the iddle of a hive of activity.

# still reeber the cheical fues fro autootive paint floatin! over - the <ritish aints =New 2ealand>

?td anufactory was close by. # recall the sells dis-tinctly. # reeber it already bein! heavily industrialthen" in the very early $%@s" and doestic propertieswere on the way out – # don8t reeber a lot of people

(Above) +taff at #ayen $askets in %osebank %oad& Avondale' Zwart family collection& courtesy Darian Zam'




blind in one eye a secret/ she had lost half her si!ht in aschool science e6perient !one wron! when she wasthirteen. When they found out" they wouldnt allow herto be on the floor anyore" so she ran the canteen.

She would ake a special curry" or another #ndonesianeal" three ties a week and brin! it in to sell for stafflunches/ that way she would earn the oney for her andy !randfather to put oney towards their retireent property in Northland.

There was a op-akin! factory ri!ht ne6t doorthrou!h the tall hed!e" that ade the out of flat discsof cotton all sewn to!ether in layers. They ust have been soe kind of industrial op or polisher for aachine of soe type" probably for floorin!. So afterayen" she worked in the op factory. # reeber bein!taken in on a few occasions and seein! y !randother

sewin! away at an industrial achine in a coat and hair-net. # reeber a Christas party there" and the fealestaff akin! a real fuss over e.

'aybe # pointed the out" or aybe of her own volition=we both liked pretty thin!s>" she cut all the labels offthe 4!yptian cotton bales as they cae in to the factory.# can ia!ine # probably went investi!atin!" and tore alabel off a bale that had cau!ht y eye" and brou!ht it back to show y 7a =what we call !randa in 9utch>.# know yself well and nothin! uch has chan!edBThey were very colourful and e6trava!ant desi!ns" stillvery old-fashioned - and she stuck the all in a scrap

book for e. # still have it tucked away soewhere because it eans a lot to e.

# also reeber the bulk tins that were used for stora!ein y !randparents8 hall cupboard - bi! etal s:uareones with colourful paper labels that were delivered to!roceries for the counters with twelve packs or ore inthe/ Hudson" 1riffins and Huntley aler fro the$%Ds. # also recently flashed back to that tie a!ain/the ladies fro the op factory used to !o to buy sec-onds fro the Cadbury Schweppes Hudson factory"where they concentrated on enrobed biscuit product forthe Hudson brand. They would coe back with bi! tins

of seconds.

7ccasionally y other would di! soe artefact out ofthe !arden there on (osebank (oad" the early days ofher collectin! bu!. She kept a china ornaent of a baby bawlin!" pink" !lossy and an!ry. #t was :uite !rotes:ueactually/ a stran!e lookin! thin! - probably a noveltythat was eant to be coedic.

*aily le!end describes the tie when y 7pa cut hisfin!er off workin! on that hed!e that bordered the lefthand ;op factory8 side of the property down behind the!ara!e. He was on a stepladder usin! a trier when he

slipped and cut his thub off at the first 5oint withitB As the story !oes the piece could not be found and itwasnt until soe si6 onths later that it was rediscov-ered" all wiEened up" and far too late of course.

# was actually thinkin! it is aaEin! # can reeberanythin! at all" because this is all before # was four yearsold" but # reeber so any details down to the furni-ture and plants in the house. #t ust have been the tailend of an era. The Astrid!e faily were bou!ht out byCadbury" then in $%@3 y !randparents saw throu!htheir plan and retired to their new hoe

- and the (ose-

bank (oad property was sold. The house is !one - thereis a health centre there now. <ut it still e6ists – it waslow-loaded out to (iverhead and restored.

,ote: As late as the end of the -../s !adbury!onfectionery 0td had a factory in Avondale at 1.1 %osebank %d& which was focused on udson3s chocolatebiscuit production and likely produced lines under the!adbury biscuit brand too' At some point the #ascallbrand of confectionery was also produced from this fac"tory' 4n -.5.& !adbury& *ry and +chweppes had merged

internationally' 6he ,ew Zealand company becameknown as !adbury +chweppes udson 0td' 4n -../ the ,Z company ac7uired the $riffins confectionerybusiness and sold the udson biscuit arm' 4n -..- itbecame known as !adbury !onfectionery 0td and todayremains the largest confectionery manufacturer in ,Z'

#n truth" the Archibald faily8s story is entwined byarria!e and early business partnerships with that of theHepburns who" like the Archibalds" also have failyebers buried at St Ninians ceetery in Avondale. <utit is the Archibalds # will focus on in this article.

Accordin! to faily trees published on the Ancestrywebsite" 9avid Ale6ander" born in 9erry" #reland" in$F$D" arrived in Sydney in $F&F" workin! for rations ona far there for a tie with his wife 'ar!aret and first- born son Jaes =$F&@-$%$>" until the faily ade theirway to Auckland in $F,$. Three ore children were born here. #n the sae year his father died" JaesArchibald arried A!nes Hepburn in $FD" foundin! hisown faily here of four sons and two dau!hters.

A!nes was a dau!hter of Ale6ander and CatherineHepburn/ Ale6ander Hepburn" born in #nverness"Scotland in $F&" brou!ht his new wife to Sydney in

$F&% where A!nes and her brother Jaes were born"then reached Auckland in $F,$. He and his brother9uncan were initially unsuccessful with soe early landclais datin! back to $F,," but fro the late $F,s at

2rom (erry to the Whau —

the Archi1ald amily o 1rick andpipe makers

Lisa J Truttman



least were involved with the tiber trade. 9uncan" asawyer" died in July $F3&/ Ale6ander retained the busi-ness" operatin! fro *reeans <ay" but succeedin! inobtainin! a crown !rant to FF acres of land beside theWhau (iver in $F3," the future site of Span *ar at theend of Hepburn (oad" 1lendene. =Coincidentally" thisarea was to have another connection with Avondale/naed Span *ar by Willia S 'iller who bou!ht theland in $%0F. 'iller and * 4 Sandford flew the 'iller -Sandford biplane at Avondale (acecourse in $%$&.>

We see 9avid Archibald workin! as a sawyer in WestGueen Street in the 5ury lists for $F,@ throu!h to $F3&/

towards the end of his life" he was a farer at *reean8s

<ay =with his eldest son Jaes>. #t would be durin! this period that the two failies connected and the pathade towards the arria!e between Jaes and A!nes.This relationship e6tended throu!h to Jaes and hisfaily takin! up residence in a dwellin! on his father -in-law8s 1lendene land soon after his arria!e to A!nes"and probably helpin! his in-laws start up the firstHepburn faily brickyard in that area.

Jaes Archibald retained an interest in the 1lendenefar" even at one point obtainin! co-title" until $F@F/ but fro $F@&" he be!an purchases of sites alon! what isnow Archibald (oad in )elston" his own brickyard therestartin! at soe point before $F@$. This was probablyon Allotent 0F" land that Jaes Archibald describedas occupyin! as at $F@D" but he never owned. Thiswould have been the ori!inal Archibald8s ?andin!I orArchibald8s WharfI as it was known to e6cursionists inthe early $%s – but today" thanks to a5or reclaationfro the $%3s" the site of Archibald8s ori!inal brick-yard" landin!" and the !overnent landin! beside it" arenow well inland" underneath part of a playin! field atthe end of Archibald (oad.

*ro $F@0" Jaes Archibald 5oined the Hepburns and

other Whau (iver brickakers in eetin!s to set astandard price for their bricks" in the wake of the e6pec-tation of a rise in deand for their product by the<ro!den copany who were workin! on the ain trunkrailway and the start of Auckland8s suburban rail lines.


(Above) 8ames Archibald brick from the ,ew 0ynnbrickmakers memorial& $reat ,orth %oad& ,ew 0ynn'

#hotograph by the author'

elow: from Auckland +tar& 9 *ebruary -9./' 6he end of Archibald3s brief ,ew 0ynn brickyard'




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(6op) #ossibly two of the Archibald brotherswith one of their trucks at Avondale — -.-'

*rom ,Z ;otor < !ycle 8ournal of that year'

(0eft) Overlay of a cadastral map of the #arishof =aikomiti& showing (-) the epburn farm —

later +pan *arm> (2) the government landingreserve at the end of what is now Archibald

%oad& now inland since reclamation> () thelots 8ames Archibald gradually took over& ei"ther in occupation only (0ot 2/9& side the land"

ing reserve) or by title from the -9?/s> and (1)the site at the end of Avondale %oad whichbecame Archibald ros' #otteries from c'-.-/'




<y $F@%" when it appears he had a renewed brickakin! partnership with the Hepburns" Jaes Archibald eitherowned or occupied a considerable series of lots alon!the road to the Whau (iver landin! at )elston" a total of03 acres. #n $FF&" he e6panded the business briefly bysettin! up a sall brickyard on railway reserve land in New ?ynn

– this lasted until $F%" and possibly provid-

ed the foundations for the settin! up of the 1ardner fa-ily works fro the early $%s.

The faily8s connections with Avondale !o ri!ht backto the $FDs" with their associations with the resbyteri-an Church =later St Ninians>. #n $FF0" Jaes8 son 9avid briefly owned a sall part of the Chishol 4state saleof land/ fro $F% his youn!er brother Ale6ander 4rn-est appears in electoral rolls as an Avondale brickak-erI/ he ay have worked for those operatin! the Hunt-<ycroft-J J Crai! brickyard on St 1eor!es (oad at

Avondale =better known to ost in the 0

th

century as1lenburn>. Just over 3 acres at the end of Avondale(oad" frontin! the river" was purchased by the four brothers in $%& 9avid =$FD$-$%0D>" John =$FDD-$%,F>"Ale6ander 4rnest =$FD%-$%33> and *rank Ale6ander=$F@F-$%3$>. *ro $%$" the year their father Jaesdied" this land would becoe the Archibald pottery and pipe works.

A!nes Archibald died suddenly at N!aruawahia in$%&/ her body was conveyed back to Auckland" for burial beside Avondale8s resbyterian church. #n $%%"

Jaes Archibald" then @0" 5oined other brickakin!firs in tryin! to cope with arbitration awards for the brickakers they eployed. A year later" he passedaway" and was buried beside his dear A!nes in theAvondale churchyard.

The Archibald faily retained the )elston land until$%3" althou!h it is unlikely any further brickakin!occurred there after Jaes Archibald8s death. 7ver atAvondale" Jaes Ale6ander Archibald left the partner-ship with his brothers in $%$3. There is very little infor-ation on the Avondale works" e6cept for snippets nowand then fro the newspapers. John Archibald" in $%0$"was reported as sayin! that the Avondale fir obtainedits coal fro Waikato and Westport by rail" and hadtried saple bores on their site for coal seas at the(osebank eninsula. Jaes 'urray" the caretaker at the

=hat a difference a reclamation makes' ;uch of the path oftoday3s 6e =hau !ycleway through Archibald #ark underconstruction at the time of writing will actually be using thenew land which was once riverbed between the shore and amudbank& going nowhere near the original Archibald3s=harf or landing (outlined on 2/-/ image)& or the brickyard

site' Any traces of the historic site may well have been de" stroyed with the park was created'

4mage on the left is a -.1/ aerials& on the right an image from 2/-/& both from the Auckland !ouncil website'



&he Avondale "istorical +ournal

ublished bythe Avondale-Waterview Historical Society #nc. =since Septeber 0$>

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pottery works who lived in a hut onsite" died after hewas knocked down by a car at the (osebank -1reat North (oad intersection in $%&.

#n $%D&" the faily finally sold the land at Avondale to

<eaEley Hoes" endin! 5ust over $ years association by the Archibalds with the land on both sides on theWhau (iver.

(elow) 6he gravesite for 8ames and Agnes Archibald& at+t ,inians !emetery& +t $eorges %oad& Avondale'

Avondale Historical Journal 89

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Transcript of Avondale Historical Journal 89