Takapuna Methodist Church

The Takapuna Methodist Church played an important part in the lives of Nancy's family. The church was originally in Huron St and she didn't remember very much about that- just a man with a big black beard, and wondering what was going on when the children were excluded from the church during communion (as they still were during our childhood.) Nancy was present at the laying of the foundation stone for the building on the corner of Lake Rd and Tennyson Ave in 1923 when she was 8 years old. Sundays meant church in the morning with the family, back home for Sunday roast dinner and out again in the afternoon for children's service. There were no games allowed on Sundays, the only entertainment was to look at illustrated Bible stories. Nancy remembers their father telling them to sit still and quietly for one minute and what a long time it seemed. When she was older she played the organ for the children's service.

Tom Arthur took the Young Men's Bible Class and would take them to their house in the Waitakere Ranges for social outings. He also opened his house and grounds to the Church for a fund rasing gala day on several occasions. Nancy and her cousing Hugh were in charge of giving rides on the boat swing, at a penny a ride.

The Arthur girls began the day with a warm wash and a cold shower, winter or summer. When she was old enough it was Nancy's job to go out to the gate in the morning and check where the steam tram was as she could see the smoke. She would then warn her father that it was time to leave to catch the tram at the top of Clifton Rd. to take him to the ferry. Before he left for work in the city he had already chopped firewood and worked in the vegetable garden. As the family had cows they made their own butter and had their own supply of milk. However others in the street had their milk delivered by horse and cart very early in the morning. Sometimes the horse would fall asleep instead of keeping up with the milkman and there would be much shouting and clattering of hooves.
Bread was delivered to the pantry window and coal to the coalhole just beyond the kitchen as they cooked on a coal fired stove. There was a copper in the wash-house to heat the water for the laundry and the water supply was from tanks.
The nearest shop was Duddings general store at Hauraki Corner which is still there today- it has had a number of identities and is currently the Lone Star restaurant and bar. It sold an assortment of household goods including potties, known to the girls as mimies, presumably short for jemima. Mum recalled Frank being terribly embarrassed when his little sister drew attention to these- "Ooh Frank, look at all the mimies!"

More childhood memories

Barbara's
birthday
1921.
Apart from
Nancy and
Barbara I
recognise
Hilda Winstone
front left






Below- Nancy and Barbara playing at sailors. 1920?
The little boy may be Hugh French.















There were several families with young children in Clifton
and Hauraki Roads and along Takapuna Beach
and Nancy remembers lovely birthday parties with fairy
bread and cakes and homemade sweets made by the aunts.
Parties aside, they were quite strictly brought up. We
were often told about how grandpa used to say "piece of
dry bread?" when the children said they were hungry, and
when they refused it- "Well, you can't be really hungry."
Nancy also remembers the day she complained that she
didn't have enough porridge and she was given her father's
large soup plate of cold porridge with salt, no sugar or milk,
and she had to eat every bit.
She also told us how grandpa wouldn't let them cry when
they were hurt- they were expected to be stoical and not cry
from the pain.
Tom's cousin Carpenter, his wife Ruby and their 4 children
lived at 10 Clifton Rd so there were cousins to play with- a bit
younger than Nancy I think. I remember Elaine, one of their
daughters, reminiscing with Aunty Barb about how they used
to pull up young carrots from the garden and use them to skim
the cream off the pans of milk in the dairy.
There were also the French boys, the 3 sons of gran's sister Rose
French, who died when the youngest was a baby. Jack, Hugh and
Graham came to live with the Arthur family for several years until
their father was able to care for them- presumably he remarried.
Another story mum used to tell us was how Graham, the youngest,
used to scoot around the upstairs hall on his potty and scooted
over the edge of the stairs where he hung precariously, wailing
"naughty potty, tip Graham over."
There was also a live-in maid and at some stage a man to help with
the heavy work, who had a room at the back of the woodshed,
and Mrs Joyce who lived with the family and did the sewing. She
may have been later on but it certainly must have been a very full
household.
Ethelwyn went as a boarder to Solway College (Masterton?) when
she reached secondary school as Takapuna Grammar had not yet
been built. However, cousin Kathleen Miles, the daughter of gran's
other sister Kate, came to stay with the family so that she could attend
Auckland Girl's Grammar.