Memories of Primary School During WW2 A wet afternoon and a box of old photos needing labelling and sorting, but soon I found myself remembering back to the 1940s. One memory led to another and though the photos are still largely unsorted, I had a fascinating afternoon, even going right back to commencing school during the early days of WWII. Miss French on chair with flowers. Miss French at her farwell from Blockhouse Bay School in 1943.
Notes on some features of the Manukau coastline, from Green Bay to Onehunga A.W.Glen, November 2006 Green Bay Green Bay is at the western end of the Blockhouse Bay Historical Society’s bailiwick. The bay is a small indentation in the coastline on the inner channel. This bay was the southern exit of the old Maori portage from the Waitemata to the Manukau, via the Whau River. The route was a direct path from the Kaipara Harbour through the portage to the Waitemata, and then inshore to the entrance to the Whau river between the Te Atatu and Rosebank Peninsulas.
Camping at the Bay Around the beginning of the 20th century, families began making the arduous journey over unformed roads, to camp at Blockhouse Bay beach reserve. They camped at both Blockhouse Bay and Sandy Bay and many came back year after year to the same site, where they had built a fireplace and dug ditches for drainage. There was a real community spirit among the campers, and when fishermen returned with large catches, the extra was shared so that all the families had some.
Sandy Bay Almost at the beach end of Blockhouse Bay Road, just on the edge of the beach Reserve, is the pathway to Sandy Bay. There is no car access which adds to the charm of this beautiful little bay. The path cuts back and down on an angle from the main road, bounded on the road side by a stone wall, ending in a stone seat. This was once keenly sought after by courting couples.
At the December meeting, Vice-President Bill Glen invited members to take part in a short story competition. The subject was to be either a historical incident regarding the Blockhouse Bay area, or an incident pertinent to the beach and Yacht Club. Several anecdotes had already been related at the meeting, many very humorous, and the narrators of these were urged to “put it down on paper” and enter the contest. It was felt that all the members would almost certainly have something to contribute, and all the entries would be preserved in the archives.
The Blockhouse Bay Grocery and Tearooms Alfred (Fred) and Margarette (Daisy) Thom lived in Folke Street, New Lynn, with their family and Daisy’s widowed mother. The children attended New Lynn Primary School and the whole family participated in the New Lynn community life, with Fred serving on the New Lynn Town Board. However, they spent every free minute over at Blockhouse Bay, fishing, swimming, picnicking and camping in the summer holidays and on long weekends when the weather permitted.
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