The History of ASME

This article was written in 1983 for the Clubs 25th Jubilee aniversary

Acknowlegments
Grateful thanks to: Dave Watts, Phil Isaac, Basil Wilson, Alec Holmes and Jack Hocking for compiling the text and to: Murray Lane, Graeme Wilkinson and Basil Wilson who supplied photographs.

The Beginning
On Tuesday the 5th of November 1959, a meeting was convened by Mr. Alex Pealing at his workshop in Princess St, Onehunga, with the object of forming a Model Engineering Society. Some fourteen people were in attendance, these forming the nucleus of a club destined to be one of the largest in the country.

It is fitting that the founder members of the new club be named, and as our memories serve they included: BASIL WILSON, DAVE WATTS, ARTHUR PERRYMAN, PHIL ISACC, W.F. PEARSON, B.K. WILSON, GIB. GANE, JACK HOCKING, HARRY FROST, L.F. DOUGLASS, J.I. DAVIS, JACK RENNIE, L.K. MEEK, and our youngest member, GUY HOCKING, age 15 years. Finally the man who started it all, ALEX PEALING, named as PRESIDENT by a unanimous vote.

At this meeting a resolution was passed that this club should be called the Auckland Society of Model and Experimental Engineers, a title which was to remain unaltered for many years until the word ‘Experimental’ was deleted. A committee was formed from the above members of this fledgling society, namely Mr. P.N. Isacc, Mr. Basil Wilson, Mr. L.F. Douglas, Mr. N..J. Frost, Mr. B.K. Wilson and Mr. A..L. Perryman with the Secretary Mr. Watts and President Alex Pealing.

The first committee meeting on the 19th November 1959 produced a set of rules to govern the Society, these being finally adopted at the General meeting on the 8th March 1960, as also was the decision to apply for Incorporation.

The 8th of February 1960 saw the first General meeting of the Auckland Society of Model and Experimental Engineers, with an attendance of some 40 or more prospective members, proof of the interest that the project had engendered in the district. A small exhibition of members work was on show, but the highlight of the evening was the arrival of our Patron, none other than Sir John Allum, and vice Patron Captain Charles Palmer, both men being very prominent in the business life of Auckland at this time. There does not appear to have been an official Treasurer appointed, at this time. Committee meetings were to be held at the various residences of the above members, with club meetings at the workshop of the President, an arrangement which continued for approximately one year until a move to the Happiness Club rooms, Onehunga, eventuated,, with more room available to accommodate the expanding membership.

Although we were small fish in a large pond of world model makers, it was fitting that our efforts should attract a wider field of interest, and as these notes are being penned we have before us a copy of a letter sent to the ‘Model Engineer’ in London, informing them of our first meeting, and our intention to keep them posted on matters of mutual interest. This letter was dated 22nd November 1959, roughly a fortnight from first meeting, illustrating the go ahead attitude that prevailed at this time. Mr. Arthur Perryman, assistant Secretary, was responsible for this action, and we note that 25 years later the ‘Model Engineer’ still prints news of our activities. By March 1960 we had found a Treasurer, Mr. P.N. Isaac (Phil) who with tongue in cheek, states that this position, in charge of finance, led to the purchase of his first ‘MINI’! Little has been said so far of actual modeling but the possible manufacture of a club loco prompted those members present at the meeting to vote funds for the purchase of castings from England.

Dave Watts undertook to make this loco which in due course eventuated, it being the well known 5" gauge ‘Great Western’ type 0-6-0, nicknamed ‘Speedy’. This engine did not in fact, become a club loco, the members unanimously deciding to present this to Dave in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the club by the use of his 3½" gauge "BRITANNIA’ engine in fund raising at the many Easter Shows that we attended at a later date. Mention must also be made of the sterling work of ‘Betty’, a 3½" gauge ‘Southern’ 2-6-2, owned and made by Arthur Perryman which also did considerable work at the above shows. However, all this was in the future, the more pressing matter at this time was to find a suitable venue for the installation of a track, and, with luck, a permanent home, so great interest was aroused when our President intimated that a club headquarters and track facilities might become available in Jellicoe Park, Onehunga.

The various members began to know each other and by the general meeting of April 5th 1960, the first organised talk took place, being given by Jack Hocking and his father on the latter’s experiences as a locomotive driver in England. Also of note was the setting up of a ‘Bits and Pieces’ table at the same meeting, both of these functions surviving to this day.

The committee meeting which followed a few days later saw Mr. Jack Rennie being invited to join this governing body in place of Mr B.K. Wilson, the main discussion being the committee’s visit to Jellicoe Park to survey its possibilities as a track venue. Enthusiasm greeted the information that a demonstration at ‘Tintacks Corner’, Onehunga for the benefit of the local council members, was to take place at 11.00 a.m. Saturday 14th 1960. Basil Wilson and Dave Watts arrived at the selected spot, Basil with his own portable track and Dave with ‘BRITANNIA’. So far as we are aware this was the first public running of a 3½" gauge passenger hauling locomotive in Auckland and we are fortunate to have a newspaper photograph which depicts Mr. Manning, Onehunga’s Mayor and Sir John Allum, our Patron, at the controls of this engine. A suitable description of this event accompanies the photograph.

Things looked bright indeed for our occupancy of Jellicoe Park, with council approval of an 800ft miniature railway and a further approval by the Minister of Lands, Mr. Skinner, but a wasp was in the jampot in the shape of the Borough Engineer, who, to quote the newspaper report stated that a "Very real danger to the public in the proposal to construct the railway using track 16" above ground level" and asked that this be re-considered. A further objection was that the ‘Blockhouse’ we intended to use as clubrooms would cost nearly £3,000 to restore. The July meeting was the first mention of Western Springs as a possible home in conjunction with a group of people, one of whom was our own George Bolt (of aircraft fame) who had conceived the idea of a museum of Transport & Technology, and felt we would be an asset. George Bolt, of blessed memory, took over our August meeting and delighted us with his many clocks collected world wide on his travels, some of antiquity, some new, and a few made by George himself, no mean craftsman! As we all know a road in his honour is named George Bolt Drive, a fitting tribute to one of New Zealand’s foremost aviators. Our President had left the bloody tea cups at his home in Ellerslie and was dispatched hot foot to get them, otherwise no tea or cakes at the meeting conclusion!!

Local people now offered some resistance to our proposed occupation of a part of Jellicoe Park, so early in November 1960, 50 or so members gathered at Western Springs and viewed possible track layouts in that domain.

Meanwhile our President had moved house to Ellerslie, but had retained the use of his Princess St workshop for the time being, so at our September meeting, Harry Frost gave an informative talk on his experiences as our instrument maker and repairer, later to make this a full time career with the local hospitals in the prosthetic and medical machine fields. Also noteworthy was the fact that the Annual General Meeting took place on the 6th of December 1960, one year and one month from our first get-together and saw the President and committee re-elected ‘en bloc’. Our Treasurer even reported a favourable balance sheet, but we were still without a home and track.

Easter Show
A move from our President’s workshop to the Happiness Club Rooms, Onehunga (Rent 10/- a month) now took place, with our first meeting in the new venue taking place on February 7th 1961. There was an important announcement at this meeting as the Society had been invited to contribute to the forthcoming Easter Show at the Epsom Showgrounds. Committee member Arthur Perryman was appointed show organiser. Although we were unaware of it at this time, these shows were to be our main source of finance for nearly 10 years. As may be expected, much discussion, and not a little waffling took place, as we had been granted the use of a complete pavilion, and so we obviously needed outside assistance, this being forthcoming from various trade firms and other branches of the modeling fraternity.

On Saturday, March 4th 1961 Basil Wilson’s portable track was installed in the Show pavilion that had been provided for our use, this operation proceeding without any problems, so a further rendezvous was arranged for the following Monday night. These evenings always provided considerable fun as just about every, yes every, member turned up with paint brushes, brooms, turps etc; and the complete pavilion was given a good workover, being completely renovated by the Wednesday night.
Thursday saw some exhibits arrive, these being put on display on the shelves provided. An ML7 Myford lathe was unpacked, this being loaned for the shows duration by messers John Chambers in conjunction with Adco Tools Ltd. Our friends and trade exhibitors were arranged in bays along one wall and comprised Mr Forster’s architectural models with the model aircraft stand adjoining that of Jacksons Meccano exhibit, (our present Championship Cup was donated by this same Mr Jackson).

Lines Bros. had a fairly large model railroad layout in close proximity to the model railroad clubs’ static exhibit of ‘0’, ‘00’ and ‘TT’ locomotives, rolling stock and rails. Even a ship and boat display was in evidence and then our own exhibits were shown on a tiered stand which included finished and unfinished locomotives, drilled presses, dividing heads, beam engines, gas engines, triple expansion engines and a comprehensive number of small stationary engines driven by compressed air. One of the outstanding exhibits was a complete N.Z.R. 2½ gauge loco and rolling stock built by one of our very expert young men of that period, none other than Harold Joynt, who still exhibits examples of his craftsmanship at our current exhibitions held in the basement of our own clubrooms.

The 3½ gauge track was laid the full length of the hall, minus the ticket box area and fortunately was fully guarded by a safety fence, a strong one at that! This was to prove its worth in saving the track from the pressure of vast crowds that kept the pavilion packed from early morning till 10.30 p.m. at night. Ten o’clock on Saturday morning saw ‘BETTY’, Arthur Perryman’s locomotive in steam and from then on until Dave Watts took over with ‘BRITANNIA’ in the late afternoon, it was virtually non-stop till 10.30 p.m. Over 800 passengers were hauled at sixpence a time on this first day’s running. Those of us who were able to drive ‘spelled’ Arthur and Dave and as this type of thing was new to Auckland many of the public refused to believe that the loco’s were steam driven, and insisted that electric motors, motor mower engines and so forth were the means of propulsion. Opening the firebox door and displaying the glowing coals could not influence one old gentleman and he remained unconvinced until invited to rest his hand on the firebox top. His language nearly blistered the engine’s paintwork!

Because most of our members had to work during the day, no loco’s were run, but the pavilion was open and a couple of our elderly retired members kept a fatherly eye on things until the evening when the loco’s were steamed up once again with the Saturday’s providing some 1200 members of the public with rides.

Every member and many of their wives participated. The writer spent a busman’s holiday working the ‘Myford’ lathe, others explaining the workings of the many exhibits and our various wives using their natural talents taking the money in the ticket box!! The above is a very brief and shortened version of the first Easter Show, to be repeated annually for a number of years until the fairground people protested to the Show’s organisers that we were placing them in an invidious position with our low charge for rides, theirs being 4 to 5 times more than ours.

We were then placed in an awkward situation by the authorities offering us a venue close to the fairground people and of all things this to be in the open air! Obviously this was unsuitable, so we reluctantly folded our tents as it were, and departed into the sunset! However, for a number of years we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, the shows improving as we gained expertise in their management. Odd incidents stay in ones mind at the various shows such as Basil Wilson and Les Fitt tearing down the track at speed and disappearing into an apparent non existent tunnel that had been painted on the wall of a tiny room where we brewed a cup of tea. The problem was in extricating Les from the hole that appeared in the room’s wall, he being somewhat overweight at this period! One night we were short of a loco and with characteristic dash and nerve our President, Alex Pealing removed a nicely made engine from its shelf and decided to steam it up for a run, although no permission from the owner was obtained, in fact he was not present! This particular engine was a three cylinder type, the middle cylinder driving through a con-rod on to the crankshaft of the forward driving wheels. With a full head of steam, around about a l00lbs per square inch, he opened the throttle and hurtled down the track. An almighty crack rent the building as the middle con-rod disintegrated much to the consternation of all those members nearby. However, Dave Watts undertook the repairs which he executed in a faultless manner, but the owner of the engine, known to be the possessor of a very, very, short fuse, left the club in high dudgeon and departed for parts unknown and was never seen again. His language at the time was completely unrepeatable it being a wonder that our own President did not turn into a frog! No sense of humour of course! At a later date Les made an electric loco, with a trailing lead and a certain member noted for his pedantic methods of driving was demonstrating his ‘flair’ on the track, but on this particular day his ‘flair’ was on strike, as something went wrong and he sailed completely off the end of the track, suffering minor damage to unmentionable parts of his anatomy. Financially we showed a profit of £150, pounds not dollars at this, our first show, this we suppose being worth probably close to $1000 in our present debased currency.

First Auction
July 1961 marked the month of our first auction with the usual goodies plus the usual rubbish eagerly changing hands, all this being in the capable change of Harry Frost, assisted by the President. An odd impression is that some of that merchandise at that first auction is still changing hands at our present sophisticated ‘dos’? The calculation of profit for this evening was in the region of £5, yes, five pounds! Somewhere along the line there must be a moral in all this, although at the moment it escapes us, or does it?

For the September meeting another ‘first’ was the production of our first newsheet. This was the work of Peter Anderson, a member destined to be a future President, and as can be imagined was widely acclaimed. A quote by our President, Alex, bears repetition concerning this launching of our newsheet. "I call for the co-operation of all members in supplying news and materials to aid the editor". Regrettably we seem to hear this lament some 25 years later from those who try so hard to make our newsletters interesting and ‘newsy’. November the 7th, two years from our first tentative meeting, saw much discussion concerning the land available at Mt Roskill for a proposed home and track. The local council proposed that the land was available for a renewable lease of 10 years duration at £ 25.0.0. (pounds!) a year rent!! Needless to say 99.99% of our members needed a little brandy to bring them round, as £25 in the year of our Lord, 1961, was akin to winning the Golden Kiwi lottery or something similar.
In response quite a few ‘motions’ were put to the assembled club, quite a few being defeated and even the odd one adopted! Proposal and counter proposal between the local council and ourselves for the use of part of Walmsley Park continued sporadically until June 1962, but it seemed that things were stacked against our usage of the land in that area. The council wanted all fence work to be our responsibility and intimated that we should hold ourselves accountable for the condition of the whole park!! However, there was no suggestion that we had to go and paint the council’s offices or dig the Mayor’s garden, well, not quite!!

The June meeting, however, was probably the most significant meeting, apart from our formation meeting, that the club had seen, as a then unknown gentleman (unknown to most that is) took the floor and expounded the virtues of telescope manufacture. You may well ask what was the significance of this, the short answer being that this evening marked the debut of a man who was to have the most profound effect on our club. We speak of Les Fitt, a name not perhaps too well known to our newer members, but the writers of this ‘potted’ history unhesitatingly say that without Les Fitt we would still be looking for a home and track.

As you may have gathered the Walmsley Park adventure was, as they say on TV, a ‘No, No’, but the June meeting previously described saw, or rather heard, the first mention of Mt Wellington as a possible final resting place. And so it became! But this was for the future although not too long to wait, as it turned out.

By August the expected breakdown of the Mt Roskill negotiations was finalised, mainly due to the intractability of the council, but encouraging news from Mt Wellington offset this. Les had made contact with the Mt Wellington Borough Council in his capacity as Warden, and Mr Jack Fitzgerald, Borough Engineer, was deputised to lead a group of our members to evaluate various sites in the district. A site was offered at Lagoon Drive, this being a flat piece of land on the waters edge that our members considered suitable for our requirements at this time. However, it was made clear that this was a temporary measure only, as a ‘Swimmerama’ was to be erected on this site at a future date. No particularly restrictive measures were imposed on us, in fact the Borough Council was most supportive and we are happy to say that this help and assistance has been carried through to the present day. After all our disappointments in previous efforts to find a home this council’s attitude gave us a heady feeling of optimism, and the whole club set to work with a will.

October 1962 saw Les Fitt introduce the first mould for the track supports and a promise by the committee to have all the necessary track gear on the site by Christmas 1962. Les became project manager and accepted? volunteers (you, you and you principle?) for the Christmas work period on the track. Our members were still hard at work producing models, a completed 5" gauge chassis of the ‘Speedy’ type was exhibited by Arthur Perryman and was much admired. February 1963 saw the return of Basil Wilson from holiday, and his resumption of duty as project manager, Les Fitt meanwhile undertaking to get an l8ft x 30ft clubhouse building under way with the aid of a £200 grant from club funds. April 1963 saw the club members wielding paint brushes, saws, chisels, etc. as they prepared the Easter Show pavilion for the exhibition and track, this event operating on similar lines to the previously described first show. Again we thanked Arthur Perryman for his efforts in organising another successful display.
An interesting decision was taken by the club at the May meeting in 1963, this being the year that we decided to institute our "Life Member" institution, with Basil Wilson and Dave Watts being simultaneously honoured as our first recipients for the sterling work that they had performed on behalf of the club. The dynamic Les Fitt announced a decision to build an electric loco for use at the Easter Shows, this eventually being built by the indefatigable Les Fitt and operated by all and sundry at later shows.

A tentative date was now set for a club opening, this being the 9th November 1963. It was still September and the bits and pieces on this months table showed the first multi-cylinder petrol engine the club had seen, this being made by Alex Holmes, now our senior member. As with all his work, it was beautifully made, but later he also completed a 5" gauge ‘BRITANNIA’ illustrating the lure of steam, perhaps?

Things were now hotting up for the event we had waited so long to see, our Raison d’etre’, as it were. We refer to the track opening, of course, but this month was the Annual General Meeting, the third in the clubs annals, being in October on this occasion and notable for a change of President. Les Fitt was to occupy this position for the first time and there were some changes in the composition of the committee, messers Goldberg, Gane, Pointon, and Penman (vice Pres.) replacing messers Pealing, Watt, Douglas and Rennie. On the last day of October the committee met and rounded out details of the clubs OPENING DAY, this opening, however, is not to be confused with the OFFICIAL OPENING, this event being set to take place at some future unspecified date.

Well do we original members recall the 9th of November 1963? Four years, almost to the day had passed since the inception of our club on 5th November 1959. This speaks volumes for the enthusiasm of those early members and their determination to bring the dream of track and clubhouse to fruition. Having said that, we will now attempt to re-create that momentous day in the club’s history.

Obviously we were in the Deity’s good books as the day was warm and calm, ideal for our purpose in providing the district with its first 3½" - 5" gauge miniature passenger hauling railway. Members and visitors were early in putting in an appearance, with George Sutherland, of New Plymouth, being in the vanguard, complete with his D.S.A. type loco, driven by a J.A.P. petrol engine. George, incidentally was the first visitor to drive a loco on our track and we are very happy to state that 25 years later George still brings an engine up to Auckland albeit, a steam driven one now.

A marquee, complete with table and chairs, was provided for us to eat and drink the very palatable meals that our ladies and helpers had prepared. Some 12 locos were in operation on the track during the inaugural line up, and were as fol1ows
Bill Hope-Johnson ………Hamilton…..with…..‘SNEEZY’3½"G
Vic Healey ………………Hamilton…………... ‘HUNSLET’ 5"G
Phil Chalk ………………Whangarei………….. ‘MAISIE’ 3½"G
Bill Enstone, Guy & Jack Hocking …………….‘QUEEN MAUD’ & ‘P.V. BAKER’ 3½"GS
Les Fitt………………………………………….‘MAIDOFKENT’ 5"G
Lyn (Pud) Douglas……………………………...‘BETTY’ 3½"G
Dave Watts…………………………………….. ‘BRITANNIA’ 3½"G
Charles Goldberg ……………………………….‘TICH’ 3½"G
Basil Wilson……………………………………‘TICH’ 3½"G
Arthur Perryman………………………………. ‘SPEEDY’ 5"G

By this time a large crowd had gathered and it was fitting that Alex Pealing had been invited to make a welcoming speech to all of those who had laboured and supported the club for so long, to make all of this viable. The honour of leading the parade was accorded to Basil Wilson who broke the traditional ribbon with his ‘TICH’ loco.

Space prevents an in-depth coverage of our track opening day as the ‘OFFICIAL’ opening was to be in the near future, but hard on the heels of the happy day outlined above there came another momentous piece of news! Les Fitt had done it again! The club house was finished, well, almost, and our next meeting was to be held there. This meeting was held on the 16th of January 1964 a notable day indeed, and one that we should not forget, as part of the building that we now occupy saw its birth pangs on that day. Trackwise we were making money, varying from 30/- to £6..0.0. for a full Sunday’s running.

To digress from the strictly historical progress of events for a few moments we would like to mention that things sometimes had their lighter side, and one of these occurred on that last night that the club used the Happiness Club rooms. We were being entertained by a gentleman showing us finer points of foundry work, this necessitating a large ladle, some chunks of aluminium and some polystyrene moulds. Helping this gentleman was our President, the redoubtable Les Fitt, acting in the capacity of ‘flame thrower in chief’. A very healthy and robust flame issued from the burner of the propane unit with Les waving it around as if it was the national flag, the other gentleman meanwhile holding the ladle and being delicately singed around the nether quarters. We were being lulled into a hypnotic trance by the gyrations of the flame and Les exhorting us to try all of this out in our lounges, as there was no problem as far as he could see. This, of course, was a remarkable understatement as the moment of truth was at hand. Les and his partner decided that the time was ripe and ready, but the table wasn’t.

With a flourish like a conjurer pulling a rabbit from a top hat, the red hot metal was poured into the mould. Events became a little hazy at this time but totally unreliable witnesses claimed that the red hot metal burnt through the mould. Other, equally unreliable, claimed that Les sneezed at the vital moment.

Others, not so charitable, hinted darkly that certain physical problems of a more intimate nature occurred, but sufficient to say that the unoffending table bore the brunt of this two pronged attack, as a fair sized hole suddenly appeared right through the woodwork. As stated previously we did hold our next meeting in our clubhouse much to the relief of the Happiness Clubrooms table! Other odd moments in the club’s chequered history occurred when on June 9th 1964 Alex Holmes stood up from the form on which he was sitting at a club meeting and announced to anybody that cared to listen that suitable chairs for the club could be obtained from Auckland Prison. We cannot verify if we had to pinch them at dead of night or whether you had to have somebody on the inside to help!

Another gem, sufficient to make the old eyes water a little, was the suggestion that a sandbag be provided to throw across the track to stop a runaway engine! Second thoughts suggest it would be better to sandbag the engine driver! The Mt Wellington district was due to hold a carnival over the period 25th -26th-27th January 1964. This period was considered by the club’s committee a suitable time to combine with the Official opening of our track. With the recent experience of the club’s own track opening behind us, no problems were experienced in the running of this event, again aided by the council in the shape of Mr MacCulloch, the Mt Wellington Mayor, who declared us officially ‘launched’, as it were. Our clubhouse, although not finally completed, housed the first exhibition of models to be held on our own premises. Small by today's standards, nevertheless this showing of our members mechanical abilities attracted considerable local interest, which, fortunately has been maintained up to the present time.

Two of our younger members, Cohn Jenner and Guy Hocking slept on the premises overnight to maintain a guard on the exhibits, although no problems in this direction eventuated. Somewhat different to the situation that exists at the present time, where recently two of our members suffered model losses due to the activities of an envious and covetous thief. Our President, Les Fitt, on behalf of the club, was able to present a Cheque for £50.00 to the Mayor of Mt Wellington during the opening ceremony, this money to be used for any ‘worthwhile’ local activity that the council considered appropriate. Some light loco’s did sterling work over this period in hauling good numbers of patrons, and from this period onward fairly regular track running took place on Sundays helping to supplement the club’s financial position.

No charge for rides was made, reliance being placed on a voluntary donation box placed in a prominent position, this system lasting for many years until rising costs forced us to make a small charge to cover expenses, unfortunately now rising rather rapidly.

The Move
Steady progress was maintained over the next few years until the Mt Wellington council informed us that we would be required to vacate our operating site so that their proposed expansion of the area could take place. As previously mentioned our tenancy was of a temporary nature only, but once again no problems were encountered in finding a new home, the council’s representative showing us about six sites for our consideration. One very wet Sunday morning a number of our members viewed the area on which we now operate. It would be impossible to re-create what those members actually viewed! It looked as if World War II had taken place, so derelict and forlorn was the picture presented. However, the steep terrain and the water’s close proximity showed possibilities of an unusual track configuration, bearing in mind that most miniature 3½" = 5" gauge railways at this time, both here and abroad, usually consisted of a more or less conventional oval, as flat as the proverbial pancake.

Peter Anderson undertook to prepare a provisional layout of track design to incorporate the physical aspects of the area, and much discussion on this point took place before we actually moved to our present home. It is not difficult to imagine the problems that beset the club in removing an existing clubhouse track and auxiliaries from one site to another situated about a mile away. The local council proved to be of great help to us once again, with assistance in the actual move of the clubhouse and preparation of the site that we now enjoy. Hand in hand with this assistance were the efforts of those club members who once again picked up shovels, spades etc and other dangerous weapons to prepare for the laying of the track in the new area. First a short length of our existing rail was laid and the writer recalls driving Alex Holmes recently completed ‘BRITANNIA’ loco, 5" gauge, on a to and from’ basis, prior to a small circuit of track being provided.

A concrete base for our clubhouse had been laid, with block walls, to encompass a basement that has since been used for exhibitions, with a portion set aside for materials storage. Later years saw an increase in the amount of specialised accessories such as nuts, bolts, rivets, stainless steel, etc! that were to be housed in this area for the use of ourselves and frequently other clubs, all this being under the control of Keith Mould.

As may be expected the small track became irksome to use, and work pushed rapidly ahead with the digging of cuttings and the hiring of an outside contractor to dig a tunnel. Problems arose as a layer of rock prevented the proposed depth being reached and an even bigger problem then reared its head in the shape of a financial crisis with the contractor, so we were compelled to complete the track using our own resources. This meant providing circular pipes which Peter Anderson obtained from Hume Pipes Ltd, and then modifying our original plans regarding the tunnel and converting this into a ‘cut and cover’ method of construction.

Work proceeded apace on the refurbishing of our original clubhouse until it reached a habitable conclusion, and club meetings again became the norm. At a later date we ceased operating at the Easter Shows for reasons previously explained, and now that we were in a position to use a l300ft track it became obvious that we ourselves could also run an Easter Show, but this time at Peterson Rd. And so we did, and still we do! Our decision to go it alone has been fully justified with track earnings helping to keep the club in a viable position.

But the inevitable question will be put to the authors, as it should be! WHEN DID WE MOVE TO PETERSON ROAD AND HOW DID WE MOVE? This question was a little tricky to answer as the move was spread over a week or two, but one of the authors, Basil Wilson, has in his possession some colour slides fortunately dated. The first one depicts an empty area, a little forlorn, as stated earlier, with the date marked as the 8th of September 1968. The next shows Les Fitt with a fork lift borrowed from his employers, bouncing along with the W.W.’s smoke box that now resides in our grounds. Also on the same date, the 2nd of November 1968, was a view of the earthworks, partially completed, that was to house the first part of our track, all 440ft as it was at that time. The ‘AND HOW DID WE MOVE’ part of the above question is considerably more difficult to answer!!

A conspiracy of silence seems to surround this apparently simple question. On a certain Saturday morning in December 1968 a number of members arrived at Peterson Road intent on working, or maybe just laying in the sun, and to their astonished eyes viewed our clubhouse already sitting in its present position on the block walls previously laid! It is on record that several members decided to take the pledge and never drink again!

It makes the ability to walk on water so much easier to believe but the secret of the arrival of the clubhouse and its positioning has been well kept. Rumour has it that a certain well known local character was seen sitting atop the clubhouse as it floated across the lagoon, singing in a cracked baritone a bawdy version of ‘Rule Britannia’. Maybe, maybe not, it has been tacitly agreed by all those concerned that no further mention of this strange event shall take place, which means in brief keep your mouth shut. So be it. The date again: DECEMBER 1968

Having got the above off our chests we will endeavour to bring our readers up to date by cutting quite a few corners, as much of our activities are well known and documented to something like 180 members but the early history of the club is only known to relatively few people hence our more detailed attention to those earlier times. The fact is that most of us only consider the present time, and our present members are probably no different in this respect, and possibly take our existing comfortable club and track amenities as having been deposited there by the fairies at the bottom of the garden! The fairies may have helped, for course, but we wish to stress the tremendous effort, real work, toil and sweat that originally took place to give us what we now enjoy.

Progress, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, continues and is very pleasing to note that expertise in our members abilities has kept pace with the material improvements that have taken place, such as well laid out steaming bags where we enjoy a ‘flatter’ when raising steam; a transporter that makes light work of the heavier loco’s, an engine and trolley shed conceived and drawn by Geth Creagh; sets of points manufactured by Alex Holmes and various keepers; colour light signals with Jack Creber and Alec playing a major part; a water softener now coupled to a mains supply; a three way bridge constructed by a group of dedicated workers; the planting and tending of trees, shrubs and plants so ably undertaken by Russell and Patricia Batt, those possessors of the ‘Green Fingers’, a remarkably good library including a full set of Model Engineers from volume 1 to the present day covering approximately 80 years, and most recently an extension to our clubhouse undertaken by our wood artist, Jim Greasly aided and abetted by that ‘workaholic’ Basil Oliver, whose name will never be forgotten, being engraved over an exit door which reads ‘BASIL’S BLUNDER’ commemorating his leap to fame, head first, as he tried to emulate the Wright Bros. but without the aid of engine or parachute. (He’s been heard to refer to the affair as a mere bagatelle, whatever that is). Even now carpet graces that area on which our current President Stan Locke, and Secretary Doug Leybourne, wipe their muddy boots each club night. A small claim to fame, or maybe notoriety lies in the fact that since its inception our club has boasted (or deplored?) that four generations of Hockings, Old Jack (deceased), Jack and son Guy and in recent years, Jeffery, Guy’s son. This trio have been recently joined by another well known family, also of three generations, our friends Keith, Brian, Lance and Warwick Mould. A record?

Although it has been mentioned several times previously we think one of the greatest achievements in the club has been the improvement in the quality of workmanship over the years, this being a matter of great moment to the writer, and dare it be said that much of this is owed to the example and standards of craftsmanship set by our senior members.

Today our interests are very wide and varied with increasing membership bringing with it such individuals as Jim Ellis, a professional clockmaker whose expertise never fails to impress; Murray Lane has had a love affair with a ‘Heisler’ locomotive which we know he will finally bring to the altar; Brian Mould currently involved with a remarkable model steam crane notable for its clean lines and what appears to be millions of rivets; Basil Wilson with his magnum Opus, the New Zealand Beyer - Garett locomotive now known world wide; Dave Watts for his beautiful milling machine, gas and triple -expansion engines, now being topped off by a superb example of ‘Evening Star’ a 5" gauge loco, Derek Symonds lured into the field of machine, tool and jig making; Phil Isaac with his steam boat, traction engine and myriads of other beautifully executed pieces of craftsmanship; Brian Beale with his locomotives and his novelty ‘Knight’ clock, a crowd stealer if ever there was one; our senior member, Alec Holmes for a very wide spread of interests embracing clocks, loco’s, steamboats, petrol engines, tools, etc; Peter Swager, a retired tug engineer who does not model boats but prefers exhibition class traction engines, locomotives, etc; Lou Wyman whose American type loco’s do such sterling work on the track; Graeme Wilkinson, our quiet man, with his old timer ‘Washington’ plus an immense capacity for work and club organisation; and perhaps the actual writer (Jack) may just creep in amongst this august body. The sober truth is that this list is endless, as evidenced by the bits and pieces tabled each club night. Obviously space does not permit us to include all those people who surprise everybody on these club nights with their abilities, but they are appreciated.

Occasional open weekends are held throughout the year, the most notable being our Easter meeting, where, with the aid of various kindred clubs we staged a four day get together in which the general public supports our efforts by attendances running to thousands. An exhibition in the club’s basement attracts considerable interest with favourable comments regarding the quality of exhibits on display. A friendly competition exists in which members vie for various cups, medals, shields etc; with the judges being Alec Holmes, Gerry Gerrard from New Plymouth and Jack Hocking, who so far have not been beaten up, bribed or been the recipients of poison pen letters. Well not yet! All in all a weekend that brings the members closer together, these gatherings improving as the years go by.
An important landmark that must be mentioned was instituted by Geth Creagh when he introduced the ‘BEEJAX’ nights. This has turned out to be a very successful attempt to teach and encourage a fair number of our members to take a positive interest in the building of 5" gauge locomotives. So successful has been this project that we now see good numbers of these machines operating on various tracks around the country.

We are grateful to other kindred clubs throughout New Zealand for their assistance and support during the last 25 years, with further acknowledgement to the various club secretaries for the material from which this history has been compiled, with special reference to Arthur Perryman, a foundation member, whose private notes of our club’s early history have proved invaluable. This brief record would not be complete without mention of the help and support that we have received from our wives and other ladies, over the years. Further thanks go to those members, past and present, who have given so much of their time and expertise in making this a club which we can be justly proud but now it is up to our current membership to carry the torch and make the next 25 years even better!!!

Footnote:
The combined ages of the five persons compiling this brief record is approaching 400 years. Makes you think and gives food for thought!!

LIFE MEMBERS
DAVE WATTS……………… 1963
ALEX PEALING……………1978
BASIL WILSON……………1963
BASIL OLIVER……………1982
LES FITT…………………… 1967
GETH GREAGH………… 1983
PETER ANDERSON………1971
JACK HOCKING………… 1983
ALEX HOLMES…………… 1975
GIB GANE………………… 1984
PETER BAKER…………… 1977
GRAEME WILKINSON…1984

PRESIDENTS
ALEX PEALING ………… 1959-61
ALAN GASTEEN……… 1974
LES FITT ………………… 1962-65
ALEX HOLMES……… 1975-76
GORDON PENMAN……… 1966-67
GETH GREAGH……… 1977-78
LES FITT………………… 1968-69
BASIL OLIVER……… 1979-81
PETER ANDERSON……… 1970-72
BRIAN MOULD……… 1982-83
LES FITT………………… 1973