11 April 2025, Devonport Flagstaff by Devonport Flagstaff

Rugby the winner in clash of the codes... p9

April 11, 2025

Waterfront villas present a conundrum... p18-19

Interview: 75 Squadron story told by local author... p22-23

Kāinga Ora offloads local houses to spend elsewhere

A boutique cluster of state houses in the heart of Devonport is being sold off by Crown housing agency Kāinga Ora as it says it can no longer afford to maintain them.

The tenants, some of whom have lived in the homes for decades, have been given 90 days’ notice to leave.

Most of the six Kerr St homes for sale are more than 90 years old “and no longer economical for Kāinga Ora to maintain”, said Jody Jackson-Va’asiliifiti, acting regional director for North and West Auckland.

The sell-off was part “of a wider programme of work to improve the quality of

Hole lotta fun at Hauraki

our housing portfolio and make sure we have the right homes in the right locations for those that need them”.

“We have decided the best approach is to sell the homes, which sit on a total land area of 2006sqm, and reinvest the money from

To page 2

Peekaboo… Matilda Clarke (6) at Hauraki School’s Electric Picnic last Saturday. More photos, page 11.

PICTURE: KATHRYN NOBBS

Tenant must leave Devonport ‘good life’ behind

When Olga Danilova first saw her state house in Kerr St 16 years ago, “I thought I had been given a present from God.”

She had been given notice from a home in Victoria Rd. “I was so happy – they said we have got a good house for you. I said, this is super good... I cried.”

Danilova (75) moved to New Zealand from Ukraine 28 years ago and settled in Devonport, where her eldest daughter, actress Elena Stejko, was living.

An engineer for 25 years in Ukraine, when Danilova first arrived in New Zealand she got a job at the Esplanade Hotel as a housekeeper and set about improving her English. She also delivered newspapers and then worked as a housekeeper and supervisor at the Stamford Plaza Hotel.

She lived in Kiev but was keen to leave behind the pain caused by the Chernobyl disaster, 100km to the north. Her parents both died young, her mother at 51 and her father at 57.

Danilova has come to love Devonport village: the friendly people, sense of community, the closeness to the beach and shops.

Three weeks ago her world was shattered with the news that Kāinga Ora was selling her home and those around it. She and the other tenants were given three months to find somewhere else.

Danilova has had health issues recently, including kidney and foot operations and heart problems.

The end of her tenancy has been a huge shock. “I’ve been stressed and not sleeping.

“I’m 75. I have no car... and now I must change for a different place.

“When people think about old people they want them to have a good life. I am living a good life here.”

She’s five minutes from the sea, has trees next to her small tidy house, a small

balcony to sit outside with guests, a bus stop nearby, friends and a sense of purpose in the community: she bakes and knits socks she donates to other people in need. “I am happy here.”

Kāinga Ora ’s decision to sell was “change for money”.

Other nearby tenants were equally shocked and stressed, Danilova said.

Ideally, she would like to stay in Devonport but knows this is unlikely. She’s been offered a Kāinga Ora home in Milford near Shakespeare Rd but it did not feel like home for her. “It was very busy with traffic.”

Danilova wanted to meet local MP Simon Watts or Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to tell her story, so they could see the human face of a government agency decision.

Dismayed… Olga Danilova, pictured outside the Kerr St house she has lived in for 16 years. Below: The property includes valuable vacant land.

World War I casualty finally named on memorial

The name of a soldier from Devonport who fought and died in WWI has been added to the Victoria Rd war memorial plaque, joining that of his brother, after lobbying by a family member.

Alan Wallace, who grew up in Devonport, served as a sergeant in the New Zealand Engineers and died in action in Gallipoli, but his name was left off the memorial because he joined the army from England, while he was studying there, rather than in New Zealand.

Alastair Dray, whose great-grandfather was Wallace’s brother, first contacted the Devonport RSA in the late 1990s seeking to have Wallace’s name added to the memorial, but was told that wasn’t permitted as he didn’t enlist in New Zealand or embark from its shores. He felt this was unfair.

The Napier resident was in Devonport visiting the memorial in 2023 when he decided to renew his request.

Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett began to investigate. The organisation concluded Wallace’s name should be on the memorial after all, so applied for the relevant consents last year, winning approval in January.

“It was a pity that he wasn’t added originally,” Kennett said. The name was engraved on the memorial on 27 March.

Alan’s name has joined that of his brother Bertram Wallace.

Bertram served as a gunner and died in 1916 after seeing action in France in the Battle of the Somme.

Dray said it made him emotional and “very pleased” that Wallace’s service was now officially recognised on the memorial.

The name will be officially acknowledged during the Anzac Day service this year, which Dray and other descendants of Bertram and Alan’s brothers plan to attend.

Alan Wallace grew up on Lake Rd. His father was the first manager of the Devonport Gas Works.

Wallace attended Auckland Grammar then Auckland University College, from

Better late than never... Devonport RSA president Muzz Kennett investigated the case of Alan Wallace, whose name was missing from the war memorial in Victoria Rd

which he graduated with a Master of Arts in 1912. He won a Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled him to study mathematics at Balliol College, Oxford.

At just 20 years old, he was the youngest Rhodes Scholar chosen from New Zealand.

He was in Oxford when the war broke out, leading him to enlist in London.

He joined the British section of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, which arrived in Egypt on Christmas Eve in 1914.

Wallace became an engineer in the newly-formed 1st Field Company of the New Zealand Engineers, and was promoted to sergeant.

For his efforts rescuing wounded soldiers in Gallipoli on 2 and 3 May, 1915, he was recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

On 9 May, while discussing plans with Major Hugh Quinn, Wallace was shot in the head by a Turkish sniper.

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No practice makes perfect for father-and-son champs

Father-and-son combo Andre and 13-yearold Neve Upston swept through four matches to become Ngataringa club doubles champions – without even a practice match in the lead-up.

However, the title victory was not without some anxious moments for 58-year-old Andre, who calls himself “very much the junior partner” of the team.

“Neve suggested we play together – he thought it would be fun,” Andre says.

“I was really nervous [in the final]. I didn’t want to let him down. They were hitting to me as the weaker player and because I was nervous I wasn’t playing that well either.”

The Upston duo surprised second seeds Chris White and Josh Wilson in the first round, and took out top seeds Allister Irving and Angus Craighead 6-3 6-2 in the final.

“But it was much closer than it seemed on the scoreboard,” Andre says. “All the games went to deuce and they were up 3-1 in the first set.”

Neve and Andre are poles apart in tennis terms. Neve is a nationally ranked junior, recently selected to represent New Zealand, winner of a junior invitation tournament at the ASB classic in January and recently Ngataringa men’s singles champion.

Playing in the club doubles champs was Andre’s first competitive tennis in decades.

He played as a junior in Wellington, reaching regional rep level as a teenager but giving up at 17.

“I was at a much lower level than Neve is playing at now,” he says.

Andre didn’t play for 30 years – until Neve was given a tennis racquet at about 6.

Father and son began hitting at the council court at Narrow Neck and Neve got the tennis bug, winning a couple of under-10 regional tennis competitions in Napier and Rotorua.

The father-and-son practice has continued, with the pair still rallying with each other for around four hours a week, most often early in the morning at the Ngataringa Club.

“It’s really quiet and peaceful down at Ngataringa in the mornings,” Andre says.

Mixed-doubles champs Chris White and Claudia Pearce (left) with runners-up: Allister Irving and Natalie McKay

Finalists... Ngataringa Tennis Club’s men’s doubles champions Andre and Neve Upston (left) with runners-up Allister Irving and Angus Craighead.

Below: Women’s doubles winners (from left) Leigh Steckler and Lisa Chaddock with runners-up Lisa McCloskey and Trudie von Huben.

Family day and cricket mark new rugby season – and era

Hundreds turned out to a North Shore Rugby Club family day last Saturday which featured matches between junior teams, a 34-0 win for North Shore under-21s over Northcote, then a ‘Shore Smash’ invitational cricket match between the club and North Shore Cricket Club.

With the number of female players at the clubs growing quickly, the day marked something of a new era: bar profits from the day will go towards a joint venture between the two clubs to redevelop the nearby Devonport Bowling Club into a girls and women’s changing facility.

Big day... (clockwise from top left) Shore under-21s fullback Jackson Hayde in action against Northcote; under-13 girls (from left) Charlotte Avery, Jaime Smith, Ruby Stewart and Milla Holland ran a cake stall to raise money for their end-of-year leavers tour; the Lumsden family from left Terri, Corban (9) Matt and Blake (2); J2 players sing club song Pride of the Union; and action from a junior game.

Howzat? Rugby side beats cricketers at their own game

Clash of the codes… (clockwise from above) rugby’s Ben Stewart showed his bowling skills; cricketer Anna Browning hits a four; and former Black Cap Richard Jones, who led the rugby side to victory

Team Rugby claimed the inaugural Shore Smash title at the Vauxhall Rd sports fields last Saturday.

Batting first in the T20 exhibition match between North Shore Cricket Club and North Shore Rugby Club, Team Cricket scored 150. Team Rugby passed the score in the 17th over to win.

Rugby could call on some pretty handy cricketers. Ben Stewart, who had played more than 100 premiership games for both the rugby and cricket sides, spearheaded rugby’s bowling attack, which accounted for current cricket premiers Will Clarke and Riley Mudford at the top of the order.

Former Black Cap Richard Jones, who is also a former North Shore premiers rugby player, captained the rugby side.

Shore guns return for big derby and Coleman’s 100th game

Star first five-eighth Oscar Koller is set to return to the North Shore Rugby Club side for its local derby clash against Takapuna this weekend, which is also captain Donald Coleman’s 100th game for the premiers.

Koller was in the Chiefs Super Rugby wider training squad, but will make a welcome return to club duty having stamped his mark on the premiers in 2023’s title-winning season.

The match will also see the return of experienced Shore forwards Rex Pollock (more than 100 games for the premiers) and James Fiebig (70-plus games) along with midfielder Tyler Beary and outside back Rory Taylor.

Injured starting halfback Brad McNaughten’s place is taken by Jackson Rice, whose brother Hunter, Shore’s regular fullback, is back training after a knee injury but remains several weeks away from playing, says Shore coach James Hinchco.

Coleman reaches the 100-game milestone having come through Shore’s junior ranks and Takapuna Grammar.

“The boys will be highly motivated for Donald but that is only part of it – there is no love lost in matches against Takapuna,” Hinchco said. “The matches are always close and highly competitive… they are the games

we train for.” Shore is aiming for its sixth victory in a row over the Takapuna premiers.

Takapuna has been the dominant side in North Harbour, winning 13 titles and being runners-up 11 times. Shore, though, is closing in with nine titles and having been runners-up 11 times.

The last time it lost to Takapuna was in the 2022 grand final.

Hinchco said some of the current side had experienced winning results against Takapuna but in his era as a player Takapuna had been well ahead. “You really have to make the most of the time when you are on top.”

The green and whites are attempting a club first this season– three championships in a row. In their first match of 2025 two weeks ago, Shore beat Kumeu 59-3. They had a bye last weekend.

• North Shore vs Takapuna kicks off at Onewa Domain at 2.4 pm.

Back on deck... Oscar Koller in action in 2023

Electric Picnic fundraiser lights up Hauraki

Enjoying

Around 700 people attended Hauraki School’s third annual Electric Picnic last Saturday. More than $20,000 was raised. Organiser Adam Bennett said it was now an established annual occasion at the school “but we will continue to fine-tune things and enhance the family focus of it all”.

Power-packed...

the Electric Picnic were (clockwise from top left) Hauraki PTA helpers Sarah Annan, Emi and Melissa Kinghan and Alex Samotoi on gate duty; bouncing duo Jeremy Chang (7) with sister Erica Chang (5) of Belmont; and Jeena Ajin-Baker and Ajin Baker with son Liam Ajin-Baker (7)

ANZAC DAY SERVICE 2025

We look forward to seeing the people of Devonport attending this service to commemorate the fallen in all wars and conflict.

Parade Muster Fleet Street – 10.30am

Parade march off 10.45am

Service at the Devonport Memorial of the Untidy Soldier 11.00am

Veteran and children seating available in front of the memorial.

Guest speaker; CDR Richard Walker, RNZN, Bahrain Veteran.

Choir - Takapuna Grammar School – Chorale

Vocalists:

Lt Rebecca Nelson, RNZNR Milla Rodrigues-Birch, TGS Traffic management will be in place.

ARE YOU A VETERAN?

Are you a Veteran, Ex Serving (Military or Police) or still serving and living in the area the Devonport RSA would like to know who you are. We would like to keep you informed of what your RSA is up to and what support is available to you and your families. If you want to get on the RSA distribution list email the manager@devonportrsa.co.nz your email or postal address.

Earthworks for the planned Summerset retirement village planned on the Hillary block off Eversleigh Rd in Belmont won’t start before late 2027, the company says.

It would be five to seven years before the entire project on the nearly 5.8ha site was completed, a recent information evening on the development revealed.

The village would comprise around 300 to 350 units and feature one-to-two-storey villas around the perimeter of the site. Some three-storey unit configurations might be offered further into the site. The central administration block facing the road would include communal facilities and a care unit. It was likely to rise to four to five storeys as would a small apartment block lower down the site. Warren & Mahoney would be the site architects.

Locals told the Flagstaff at the meet-andgreet that they appreciated the chance to find out more about the major development. Most were near-neighbours who were particularly interested in timelines, building heights and site layout. Around half a dozen company representatives were on hand to answer questions and show site maps.

A company spokesman estimated around 200 people came along over several hours, with some leaving their details for updates, including a few prospective residents.

“We’ve intentionally gone for an early ap-

ANZAC DAY SERVICES

proach for our neighbours to be informed,” he said. Communications would continue as planning progressed for “a predominantly low-rise village, not an apartment-dominated village”.

The spokesman said while land-use consent applications had been lodged with Auckland Council, the scale of the project meant it would be many months before it was shovel-ready.

Design work was just beginning and needed separate building consents. Adjustments in approach might occur as design progressed and would also be subject to market conditions.

A public notification process is under way to seek revocation of reserve classification on a pathway through the site linking from what is now Hillary Cres to the public pathway on its northern coastal side.

The spokesman said Summerset was open to considering an idea from the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board of a potential “land swap”. Board members have suggested that instead of the remaining accessway from Hillary Cres, Summerset could provide one from its land on Lowe St, as a more direct public route through to Northboro Reserve. Both Hillary accessways could then be absorbed into Summerset’s site.

Summerset expects most buyers to be Milford, Takapuna and Devonport residents.

Devonport Parade and Service: Assemble 10.30am at 1 Fleet St. Service at cnr of Victoria St and King Edward Pde, Devonport. Contact: Auckland Council Customer Service Centre 09 301 0101 or civicevents@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz

Updates are possible so for a full list of services, parking and road closure information please visit ourauckland.nz/anzacday or phone 09 301 0101

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Narrow Neck club offers gateway for foilers

Windfoiling is sailing’s best pathway for attracting and keeping more youngsters on the water, believes the Devonport man helping drive the growth of the sport.

Gary Hill is national president of Windfoil New Zealand, coach to local teenagers and host to New Zealand representatives training out of the Wakatere Boating Club.

Six locals are in a squad of 25 who competed recently in a regatta in Palma, Spain. Olympian Verlee ten Have, who trains at Wakatere but hails from Tauranga won the women’s open event.

Three locals will be at another event at Italy’s Lake Garda in a fortnight, including Josh Tuck, a 15-year-old Takapuna Grammar student.

Hill says part of the sport’s appeal is that it is more affordable than many sailing classes, with the added thrill of speed – as seen in high-octane events such as the America’s Cup and Sail GP.

“Kids see it as fast and exciting.”

In February, this was in evidence in the waters off Cheltenham, when the New Zealand Windfoil National Championships were held. The event over three days attracted plenty of spectator interest, with competitors in the standardised iQFOiL class reaching speeds up to 25 knots.

The event, which drew 41 competitors, was won by Australian Grae Morris, silver medallist at the Paris Olympics. Josh Armit from Wakatere, who came fourth at the Olympics, was third. In Spain, he narrowly missed being in the medals.

Windfoiling being an Olympic class has given the sport a boost. “Other Olympic classes are very expensive,” Hill says.

The fact “one-design” sailing equipment is used creates a level-playing field for competitors in junior, open and masters grades.

“The iQ Class often turns Narrow Neck Beach into a vibrant sea of red sails that continues to inspire newcomers,” Hill says.

While traditional sailing pathways through Optimists and other classes will remain, Hill maintains there’s a difference between what kids want to do and what parents want them to do.

Dropout rates are an issue for yachting nationally, sometimes due to costs through the pathways.

“We can retain teenagers because we have windfoiling,” he says.

The life member at Wakatere says the club has been supportive of hosting his windfoiling programme appealing to girls and boys along with high-performance training. Hill has four sets of foiler boards and sails used to teach beginners for free in a “try before you buy” approach.

The adult standard iQFOiL is just over 2m long and 95mm wide, meaning they are relatively easy to transport.

Making a splash... the iQ windfoiling class often turns Narrow Neck Beach into a sea of red, says the sport’s national president, Gary Hill (below)

For those wanting their own gear, the cost is around $9000 new for the slightly smaller youth size, in which there is also a secondhand market.

Hill explains windfoiling as sailing, but not yachting. He says it is an evolution of windsurfing, in which New Zealand has a rich history, including international success stories Barbara and Bruce Kendall, Santha Patel and locals JB Tobin and Tom Ashley.

Tobin is now coach of China’s windfoilers.

Many emerging windfoilers have been through Wakatere. “I’ve had most of the kids since they were little,” Hill says. Others begin windfoiling on Lake Pupuke or off Bayswater.

He wants to spread the sport beyond its North Shore heartland to provide

opportunities for less-advantaged youngsters from areas not typically associated with sailing.

Sponsorship from the Takatai Trust of $50,000 has helped Windfoil New Zealand develop its programmes, but further growth will require attracting more sponsors.

At international level, Hill wants to work to create a Pacific circuit, because most serious competition is in Europe, which is a stretch for people to get to.

Cooperation with the Australians is step one, with a New Zealand team having travelled to Sail Melbourne last year and 14 Australians coming to our champs.

He hopes to expand this field of interest to include China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Americas.

Hill’s own passion for the sea started young. His first job was as a boat-building apprentice for Jack Brooks, a founding member of Wakatere. He went on to teach, run a business and is now retired. A side interest is playing in local covers band Speakeasy Exiles.

Fit and spry, Hill turned from windsurfing, including coaching, to windfoiling.

Two high-performance coaches work with him at Wakatere.

Those training come from the club and from others including Akarana, Tauranga and Orewa. “One girl travels from Maraetai. She mows lawns to help pay for it.”

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Around the houses: tight limits restrict options

Three council-owned Victorian villas along King Edward Parade provide tourists and other waterfront strollers with a snapshot of Devonport heritage. However their future use and maintenance are proving a major headache for authorities. Rob Drent reports.

One villa is empty awaiting a $550,000 upgrade, while the other two are tenanted by Auckland Council staff as it attempts to work out what to do with the properties long term.

The three villas at 52, 55 and 56 King Edward Pde are entangled in a variety of protections and land-use designations, some dating back 150 years, which prevent the houses from being sold and therefore out of the clutches of Panuku, council’s property arm.

Their too-hard-basket status has led to their fate being put in the hands of the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board, which last month debated the houses in secret.

Council officers agreed to supply workshop briefing documents after the Flagstaff applied for them under the Official Information Act.

In May 1886, a subdivision of part of the Devonport Domain Reserve created 10 residential lots orientated to the beach front. Six houses were built for the Devonport Borough Council (DBC). At various times during its 100-year history, the DBC searched for ways to increase its rates base. When once in control of Rangitoto Island it allowed baches to be built there to generate rates.

It’s also free for pregnant people and for many others with certain underlying health conditions, including diabetes, heart and lung diseases, and mental health conditions.

To book your ﬂu vaccine: • visit BookMyVaccine.nz

• call the Vaccination Healthline on 0800 28 29 26

• contact your doctor, pharmacy or healthcare provider.

Prime waterfront... The three council-owned villas on King Edward Pde

for old villas

The cash grab continued with the approval of the Devonpark high-rise block in the late 60s, the demolition of many historic and heritage homes in the 1970s, to be replaced by sausage flats, and the sell-off of Ngataringa Bay to a developer who wanted to build Pauanui waterway-style housing. (The Ngataringa sale was later overturned, with ratepayers having to fork out a special rates payment for years to fund compensation.)

The Devonport Domain houses were not immune to the trend: three were removed in 1959 with a view to create multi-storey housing. This created a furore at the time, with huge opposition from locals including the nearby North Shore Cricket Club.

The outcry went all the way to Parliament before the plan was ultimately canned.

Richard Tong, a deputy manager of the borough council in the 1980s, recalls the houses during his era were home to council workers: mechanics, assistant foremen and gardeners.

“To comply with the reserve status they had to be used for staff housing.”

He remembers a controversy erupted over the town clerk living in one of the homes, but concerns were mollified as his son – who was a council gardener – was living at the address as well.

As an interesting aside, land between the houses is home to a large underground sewage tank, installed in the 1970s to end the flow of raw sewage out from North Head, Tong said.

During North Shore City Council’s management of the houses, between 1989 and 2010, conditions on their use seemed to relax somewhat.

Artist Vaughan Clements was the tenant of number 55 for a time. Similarly, the former signalman’s cottage on Takarunga (now the Michael King Writers Centre) had periods of being rented out to the general public in the North Shore City era.

In recent years, the possibility of the Devonport Community Creche moving to one of the buildings was floated, but nothing came of the idea.

Heritage constraints and reserve status shackle development and use

The villas at 55 and 56 have a Category B heritage listing under the Auckland Unitary Plan. The home at 52 is not listed.

The two protected houses are examples of late-Victorian, centre-guttered bay villas.

Remaining from what was a row of six houses, they contributed “to an understanding of the history of the Devonport Domain and the role of Devonport Borough Council in its development”, its heritage listing says.

Briefing papers supplied to the local board said council generally had a policy of “avoiding relocation unless necessary to allow for significant public benefit that could not otherwise be achieved”.

To relocate the buildings would require a resource consent and public notification was likely to be required.

The underlying reserve classification restricted the use of a reserve for temporary or permanent accommodation except for council officers, staff or rangers.

The Reserves Act, RMA, zoning and heritage status all constrained the available options.

Options for commercial use of the buildings are constrained under the Reserves Act.

Leasing is restricted to “community building, playcentre, kindergarten, Plunket room, or other like purposes.”

If the houses were to be disposed of, a revocation of the reserve status of the plots would need to be granted by the Minister of Conservation – which would see the sites become Crown land.

What happens next

Number 55 is vacant, while 52 and 56 are occupied by council staff under periodic tenancies.

Later this year, council staff will hold another workshop with the board to seek its feedback.

“A formal decision is likely to be required as the work progresses. As the sole decision-makers on

their work programme, the board’s guidance is essential for moving forward with this project,” council area operations manager Eloi Fonseca said.

• Last year council approved a budget of more than $550,000 for maintenance to number 55 King Edward Pde.

The legal history

• 1841: the land is part of the 100,000-acre Mahurangi Block, which was comprised of a series of land purchases by the Crown from Marutuahu iwi (Ngāti Pāoa, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Maru, Ngaati Whanaunga), and others through to 1854.

• 1872: the land is set aside for primary education, though this is later changed to recreation.

• 1880: it is set aside for recreation under Public Domains Act 1860.

• Powers related to it are delegated to the Devonport (Auckland) Domain Board.

• 1918 : the Crown appoints Devonport Borough Council to be the domain board.

• 1979: The domain is classified as recreation reserve under the Reserves Act 1977.

• After being vested for a time in the North Shore City Council, the land, which remains Crown-owned, is vested in trust to Auckland Council as a recreation reserve subject to the Reserves Act 1977.

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Uncle’s stories inspire book on famed squadron

Devonport’s Chris Newey has published a new work on the 75 Squadron of New Zealanders in World War II. Already well advanced on another wartime story, he talks to Helen Vause.

Chris Newey had always been impressed by his uncle Gerry and his wartime tales of the legendary 75 Squadron.

Uncle Gerry was a wireless operator and gunner with the bomber squadron of New Zealanders who became famous for their accomplishments during the Second World War.

Gerry may not have talked that much to his sons or his nephew about those terrifying flying missions out of the UK in Lancaster aircraft loaded with bombs, and he died in his 50s in the 1970s. But Chris became inspired to dig deeper into military history, to move out of his comfort zone after a long career in food technology.

He decided he wanted to write a book about the origins of the New Zealand bomber squadron, and to tell more about those brave young men on board the aircraft.

The 75 Squadron was the first Commonwealth squadron formed within the Royal Air Force.

From bases in the UK, it was continually engaged in battle against the Germans from 1940 until VE day.

With crew almost entirely made up of New Zealanders, the squadron reportedly flew more sorties than any other RAF heavy bomber unit. This was a source of great national pride back home, attracting regular attention.

One of the squadron’s Kiwi pilots, James Allen Ward, was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry after climbing out onto the wing of a Wellington bomber to extinguish an engine fire. He was killed two months later commanding another Wellington on a bombing mission.

In the introduction to his book The First

Rich pickings... Chris Newey’s uncle’s accounts fed into his book on a World War II bomber squadron of New Zealanders

Flight – the origins of the New Zealand Bomber Squadron, Newey writes that the story of how the squadron came into being has never previously been properly told. The details behind its development had been overshadowed by momentous events and often brushed over in official accounts.

“In some ways it is a story that mirrors what is happening in the world today. A story

of underfunding and being underprepared.”

Newey was already keenly interested in the subject and a regular participant in online forums before he rolled up his sleeves a couple of years ago and started work on the book, which he launched recently.

Gerry Newey had left behind a suitcase full of letters and writings about his experience in the bomber squadron and in among

ANZAC DAY COMMEMORATING

it all were his diary and his log book. His first-hand accounts and perspectives, coupled with the official records of 75 Squadron, provided rich pickings for his nephew in Auckland.

True to his science background, Chris Newey gathered all the material he could before working through it from beginning to end.

Weeks and months turned into years, with Newey happily glued to his screen at home in Roslyn Terrace, or poring over the research material that arrived, electronically or by post, some of it seemingly crossing the world to him on the slowest of ships.

His research connected Newey with the families of squadron crew all over New Zealand and the world, and often unearthed verbatim reports from the airmen who took part in countless flying raids, negotiating weather, searchlights and attack from the ground as they carried out their missions.

Making a high-speed dive one night in May 1940, pilot Cyrus Kay described his approach: “I threw the machine into a steep banking turn, both as a measure of evasion and in an endeavour to shower the 250-pound general purpose bombs and the crates of incendiaries in as wide an arc as possible.”

They were admired as a gutsy bunch by their British peers, but the colonials bought with them a more casual attitude that ruffled some. In response to being told to put his cap on, a young Kiwi corporal reportedly ran off, and made the day for his fellow airmen when he yelled back, “I didn’t travel 12,000 [expletive] miles to help fight a [expletive] war to put my cap on, so get stuffed.”

Many of those in the squadron were young country boys who had thought they were going on a huge adventure, says Newey.

Uncovering their stories and learning more about them has been a very satisfying exercise, he says. And he has become committed to delving further into other stories.

His own story brought him as a boy from

the Bay of Plenty to visit his aunty Alice in Devonport. “We loved coming up here to see her and we loved everything about the place and all the beaches.”

Alice Shaw lived in St Aubyn St. She was an avid supporter of the local rugby club and for 30 years she washed the jerseys of the senior team, Newey says.

“What were the chances of finding a picture of my uncle’s Lancaster in my local bookshop, within walking distance of our house, the day before his crewmate’s 90th birthday?”

Her father-in-law, James Edward Shaw, was the manager of the Devonport gas works in the 1880s, and his family were well represented in shipyards in the region.

Newey’s own history in Devonport took root when he and his wife, Sandra, moved here 30 years ago. They’ve raised two sons here, Steven and Robert.

Writing and promoting his book about the 75 Squadron, Newey continued to find more fascinating local connections.

He tells the story of visiting Bookmark secondhand book store in Devonport in 2015, just before attending the 90th birthday of a 75 75quadron veteran, Dougie Williamson. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a framed Avro Lancaster profile, high up on the back wall of the store.

The serial number on the side of the

aircraft revealed it to be the plane his Uncle Gerry had flown on.

“What were the chances of finding a picture of my uncle’s Lancaster in my local bookshop, within walking distance of our house, the day before his crewmate’s 90th birthday?”

When Newey repeated that story at a recent gathering of New Zealand Warbirds, another Devonport resident, Bill Rayner, chimed in with his own direct connection: his uncle Bill Wynyard was also in the crew with Gerry Newey.

The basis for Chris Newey’s next book arrived during a Covid lockdown. An email from a woman in Belgium was making an enquiry on behalf of her 93-year-old grandmother.

The old lady and her family had been in the Resistance in World War II, helping Allied servicemen escape the attention of the Germans. She had been sent to pick up a soldier whose language no one could understand from the cellar of a bombarded hospital in Antwerp and had helped him hide out. She had always wondered what had become of him and now, through her granddaughter, was trying to find out more.

That supposed soldier was young New Zealander Ronald Clark, a new pilot in 75 Squadron who was shot down over Belgium in 1944 but survived the war and made it back home to New Zealand.

Finding Ron or his family became another fascinating project for Newey, and once again he was lucky. Once he tracked down Ron’s daughter, he discovered the pilot’s story had been kept carefully recorded, with great detail of his days on the run, evading the Germans, and his huge gratitude to his friends in the Resistance.

Newey will be excited to tell that story in a book he plans to publish early next year. Very soon he is flying out to Belgium to meet the two women who set him off on his latest journey of discovery.

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Rural Charm

The design of this kitchen needed to blend into a 1980s homestead sitting a lovely plot of land in a rural setting with a north-facing aspect. The homeowner wanted to build an extension incorporating new garage, laundry and a large open-plan living space to the north. The kitchen would be relocated to the new space creating an uninterrupted connection to the outdoor living space, pool, and native bush.

With the desire for the kitchen to be elegant yet rustic, Michelle Gillbanks of Kitchens By Design needed to fuse lived-in charm with a refined aesthetic. In addition to this, it was important to be able to incorporate a scullery so that all the small appliances and food preparation could remain out of sight.

The kitchen design has an open plan layout with a central island to provide additional workspace, plus seating for casual dining and a connection to the living space. Due to the rural location integrated solutions for waste management, including designated spaces for recycling, compost, and general waste needed to form an integral part of the design. The homeowner loves to bake, so wanted a balance of state-of-the-art appliances, but also stylish finishes, plus a blend of light and dark elements. Michelle’s design delivered warmth by focusing on organic tactile materials, balancing light counter surfaces with Resene Eagle on the cabinetry and darker accent elements blended throughout. It was important that the space did not feel too contemporary, so Michelle incorporated framed doors, with tongue and groove detail to ensure the design brief of rustic charm could be met.

The brushed-bronze metal painted rangehood, together with antique cup handles and tapware, complemented the Dekton Entzo benchtops and splashback. The lighting combines task and ambience around meal preparation and social areas. Pendants over the island create a cosy atmosphere, with the

metal detail tying nicely with other metal accents themed into the entire design.

The scullery is the playful powerhouse of the modern design, with the need to house a lifetime collection of cookbooks, easy access on the open shelves and a wall for all the small appliances. The materials used emulate those used in the kitchen, but with a twist of a textured green tile for a little fun, rather than a stone splashback.

Storage solutions have been considered throughout, with internal pull-outs in base pantries either side of the hob, basket storage in the open shelves for the scullery adding to the rustic feel. A design request was also to incorporate a designated pet-feeding area into the scullery along with storage specifically for pet supplies.

Overall, the design embraces a relaxed, rustic feel. Natural materials bring together a cosy retreat, while remaining functional and timeless. The result is a space that the homeowner loves, being casual yet refined enhancing both everyday living and the joy of rural life.

The experienced team at Kitchens By Design offer an integrated design-to-completion service.

If you’re looking for a new kitchen, please call (09) 379 3084 to make an appointment with one of their designers. Kitchens By Design’s showroom is located at 9 Melrose Street, Newmarket. For inspiration, look at some fabulous projects at www.kitchensbydesign.co.nz

North Shore Cricket Club junior prizegiving results

U10 Bears: Luc Evans MVP, Finlay Bera MIP. U10 Lions: Peter Rankin MVP, Finlay Robertson MIP. U10 Panthers: George Creelman MVP, Henry Hawes MIP. U11

Eagles: Tom Congdon MVP, Gus Francis MIP. U11 Tigers: Rocco Riggall and Woody Bell MVP, Charlie Christian MIP. U11 Craigs Investment Partners Panthers: Hugo Stebbing MVP, Luke Colhoun MIP. U11

Gold Girls: Jaime Chambers MVP, Martha Duncan MIP. U11 Lumini Skincare Girls: Tahlia Bates MVP, Mira Ataseven MIP. U11 Village Chiropractic Girls: Harriet Rankin MVP, Jasmine Wells MIP. U12 T20 Boys: Joshua Hanna MVP, Ben Gray MIP. U12 LO Boys: Louis Gordon MVP, Dominic Reed MIP. NSCC Good Viking U13 Girls: Olivia Chapman-Smith MVP, Emmelyn Barber MIP. NSCC Sills + Co U13 Girls: Isabelle Crawford MVP, Rose Taingahue MIP. NSCC RocketTags U13 Boys T20: Marcus Dozzi MVP, Soren Carnforth MIP. NSCC Fan Warehouse U13 Boys LO: Marcus Cutfield

MVP, Tom Pearce MIP. MVP: most valuable player MIP: most improved player LO: limited overs

Nettleton Memorial Trophy, Year 8 Most Promising Player: Oscar Jones. Clare Nicholson Trophy, Best Girl: Sophia Lawry. Fairplay Cup: Oscar Woodhead. Sydney Ireland Trophy, Best Honest Effort: Harrison Chandler. Chairman’s Trophy, Best Junior Player: Aqeel Hamza. Rennie Cox, Year

5 Most Promising Player: Luke Colhoun. Antiquarians Trophy, Year 6 Most Promising Player: Hugo Stebbing. Franklin Cup, Best All-Round Player Year 7: Aqeel Hamza. Best Emerging Girl, U11: Sophie Sickling. Most Promising Girl, U13 Hardball Player: Belle Newman.

Most Promising Player: Liam Hayward. Most Promising Girl: Emma Maritz. Fairplay Cup: Mack Insull.

Top North Shore Cricket Club juniors… Aqeel Hamza and Sophia Lawry

Lake Road

Myrtle rust scourge threat to historic pohutukawa

Devonport is beautifully edged with huge old pōhutukawa trees. It is also unfortunately filled with lillypilly/eugenia/syzygium hedges. They are all highly susceptible to the disease myrtle rust.

Myrtle rust is a serious fungal disease which affects all members of the myrtle family, including pōhutukawa and feijoa. It produces powder-like spores that are easily spread through direct contact or by the wind.

It is believed that the wind carried spores here from Australia. The fungus has spread rapidly since the first case in New Zealand was identified in 2017.

Once established on a host tree or shrub, it destroys new growth and soft tissues, eventually killing the host. Auckland Council suggests replacing your lillypilly/eugeania/syzygium hedges with alternatives such as varieties of camellia, coprosma, corokia, griselinia, hebe,

muehlenbeckia or pittosporum. The full list can be found in the environment section of the council website. Coming into spring you will see the disease on the hedges. Are we also seeing the effects of it on our pōhutukawa? They barely flowered this summer. Will Devonport be the test case in the battle between myrtle rust and pōhutukawa? Imagine our waterfront without pōhutukawa. Now take a close look at your hedge. Miriam Beatson

WINDOW TREATMENTS FOR WINTER

Now is the time to update your window treatments before winter.

We offer a free in home measure and quote service for all drapes, blinds and shutters. We have a huge range of materials, colours and finishes to choose from and can guide you to what would work best. We can also offer full automation of all window treatments to work within your home.

To have your window treatments installed before the cold of winter sets in please get in touch now on 021 445 735 or visit islandinteriors.co.nz

In It Together: Precision Skin Cancer Care, Every Step of the Way

Dermatologist, Dr David Lim www.skintel.co.nz 0800 SKINTEL

Emily Cumming Harris

Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson

Groundwork: Writing of Cumming

Two teens arrested after Hauraki Corner beer theft

A group of young men dodged early evening traffic on Lake Rd to flee with alcohol allegedly stolen from the Hauraki Woolworths (formerly Countdown) supermarket.

Harris

Catherine Field-Dodgson

Emily Harris’s beautiful paintings occupy a liminal space between botanical illustration and art, so this book occupies a shifting ground biography and imagineered monograph. The result is often moving intriguing. Importantly, it restores to Aotearoa art history a figure almost disappeared.

A Flagstaff reporter saw one who was carrying a box of beer skip in front of cars north of the Hauraki intersection on the evening of Friday 28 March. He nearly stepped into the path of a bus heading south from Takapuna, before taking off towards Hauraki Rd.

Police were called to Takapuna Beach at 7.50pm after a report of disorder involving a group of males drinking at the southern end of the beach. When the officers arrived, the group ran off. Two remaining on the beach were arrested.

Groundwork:

arrested were aged 15 and 16. Both were taken home, with police saying they would be dealt with by Youth Aid. Enquiries into the shoplifting were ongoing.

The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris by Michele

occupy a liminal space between so this book occupies a shifting ground monograph. The result is often moving restores to Aotearoa art history a figure

“It has since been established the beer the group had been drinking was stolen from the nearby supermarket at 7.30pm,” a police spokesman said. The two males who were

The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris by

Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson

Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson

The Flagstaff understands from locals that a group has been regularly congregating at the bottom of Hauraki Rd to drink on Friday evenings.

Just as Emily Harris’s beautiful paintings occupy a liminal space between scientific botanical illustration and art, so this book occupies a shifting ground between biography and imagineered monograph. The result is often moving and always intriguing. Importantly, it restores to Aotearoa art history a figure who had almost disappeared.

Liquor has previously been stolen from the supermarket, locals say.

Groundwork:

The Art and Writing of

Groundwork:

Emily Cumming Harris

Groundwork:

The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris

by Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson

The

Groundwork: The Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris

Art and Writing of Emily Cumming Harris

by Michele Leggott and Catherine Field-Dodgson

THE NAVY COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER NAVAL BASE COMMANDER MOVES UP

The Commanding Officer of HMNZS Philomel has been promoted to Captain, in anticipation of her new posting as Base Commander Devonport.

The promotion ceremony took place at Devonport’s Navy Museum.

Captain Julie Simpkins, who became Philomel’s Commanding Officer in March 2022, will hand over Philomel’s command in late May.

The position of Base Commander Devonport is new. While Philomel’s Commanding Officer will handle Naval Base administration, people and discipline, Captain Simpkins will provide command, leadership and management of personnel and functions in the Navy’s defence areas in Auckland, including Kauri Point and the Tamaki Leadership Centre on Whangaparāoa Peninsula. She will provide oversight and integration of base operations and change programmes to ensure the base continues to operate effectively.

Devonport Naval Base security reminder – for the safety of the community, please take care and remain outside the 60-metre perimeter of the Naval Base at all times. This includes when swimming, diving, kayaking, fishing and sailing.

A statement of uncompromised elegance and contemporary refinement, this expansive north-west facing home celebrates its coveted position with breathtaking views of Hobson Bay and city

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Set Date of Sale

Closing 12:00pm Thursday 24 April (Unless Sold Prior)

View Saturday & Sunday 2:00 - 2:30pm or by appointment

Trumpet features in first DCO show of 2025

Award-winning North Shore trumpet player Liam Wright will be the guest soloist at the Devonport Chamber Orchestra’s first concert of the year on Sunday.

The North Shore Brass member will play Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat and be joined by Auckland soprano Henrietta Reid for a performance of Handel’s Eternal Source of Light Divine

Both have featured with the DCO previously: Wright in 2023, when he performed Haydn’s trumpet concerto; and Reid this time last year when she sang Canteloube’s Songs of the Auvergne and several Mozart arias. She also turns out regularly on viola.

The pair bring a strong track record as talented young musicians in their 20s.

Wright, who grew up in Forrest Hill and attended Westlake Boys High School

before going to university to study for a performance music degree, has been recognised a number of times at the National Brass Band Championships, including being named junior champion of champion three times in a row.

Reid is a member of national chamber choir Voices of New Zealand. She also sings with the Auckland Chamber Choir and is a member of the New Zealand Opera chorus.

The concert at Holy Trinity Church at 2pm on Sunday 13 April will conclude with the orchestra playing Haydn’s Symphony No 104 in D major, also known as London. They will be under the baton of conductor Esther Wu.

Tickets at the door (no eftpos): adults $20, students and seniors $15 and children under 12 free.

A push to have North Shore ward electoral boundaries pushed further north into the more populous Albany ward has been knocked back.

Devonport-Takapuna and Kaipataki local boards took a case to the Local Government Representation Commission for a rejig of the ward they occupy, having failed to get Auckland Council to support an adjustment.

Growth in the north means this will be required in future, but the commission backed the status quo, opting to tolerate existing population disparity and citing communities of interest.

Holly Haines Landscapes - A World Apart

Over

Tempest Oil on Canvas

Guiding River Oil on Canvas

Mountain River Oil on Canvas

WHAT’S ON @ Devonport Library

Tēnā koutou katoa

As the days get shorter, we get busier with a rich cornucopia of events. You are very welcome at them all.

GROUNDWORK - DLA EVENT

Tuesday 15th April, 7pm

Michele Leggott and Catherine FieldDodgson will showcase their stunning new book about Emily Cumming Harris (1837-1925) Emily was a vibrant writer of poems, letters and diaries as well as a talented botanical artist. This longoverdue book sheds new light on a remarkable woman from Aotearoa’s art history. Doors open at 7pm. Speakers at 7:30pm. Koha appreciated. Books for sale.

PLANT-BASED LIVING TALK

Saturday 26th April, 11am

Join Amanda Sorrenson and Josh Howell of the Vegan Society to hear their experiences of plant- based living and great ways to move to this way of eating. Vegan snacks on offer too.

OUR DEVONPORT AT RSA

Wednesday 30th April, 6:30pm

Enjoy 8 fantastic presentations by local speakers over 60 minutes in a fast-paced PechaKucha format. Stories of our village in the past, present and future. A Devonport Library Associates event. Note the venue change. Doors open 6:30pm.

Speakers at 7:30pm. Entry by koha. Proceeds to the Victoria Theatre Trust.

DEADLY IN DEVONPORT

Wednesday 7th May, 6:30pm

Join 5 storytellers for a thrilling evening of criminally good conversation. Bestselling authors Rose Carlyle, Hannah Tunnicliffe, Dr Joanne Drayton, and an Auckland lawyer with his debut novel, Dermot Ross, all expertly chaired by Diane Robertson. Part of the Ngaio Marsh Mystery in the Library series. Free entry. Books for sale.

Ka kite āno ki a koutou

Former art teacher’s retirement

A lifetime of influences is distilled into Charles Bradley’s first solo exhibition, coming up this week on home ground in Devonport.

The former head of art at Glenfield College has tapped into his design background, a love of the outdoors and scenes from his own neighbourhood.

“It’s only in my retirement that I rediscovered the time and ability to do my own work.”

Aptly, his show opening at Satellite2 gallery on Saturday 12 April, is called Rediscovered Landscapes

It will comprise 30 to 35 pieces, divided into conventional landscape paintings and drawings and what he describes as more abstract “aerial landscapes”.

Local subjects are a painting of the boatyard on King Edward Pde and interpretations of military fortifications on Maungauika.

Bradley, now 74, says with teaching’s increasing administrative load, he was happy to retire nearly 10 years ago. “I’ve had so many things to do,” he tells the Flagstaff. “I’m at a stage in my life where I’ve never felt better – happy and content – very lucky to live here, in this environment.”

Although he grew up in Hawke’s Bay, his connections with this area go back well before building a family home in Narrow Neck 34 years ago.

“From the late 1950s and 1960s, as a kid, we used to come to Devonport for holidays.”

A regular house swap with family friends in Calliope Rd enabled the youngster to get to know the area, where later he and wife Penny brought up their two children.

“I spent my youth walking these streets, climbing up the maunga, looking at the boatyards and going out to Stanley Bay.” The beaches were a particular attraction.

For Penny, a keen ocean swimmer, they still are. Bradley, a former tramper, enjoys regular walks up the maunga.

Landmarks are equally a theme of his art and recollections. As a child in Havelock North he was often up Te Mata peak draw-

ing and making maps. The fascination with landforms seen from above was influenced by a book of aerial photographs he was once given. “If I’m ever in an aircraft I’m always the one by the window,” he says.

After graduating from the Ilam School of Fine Art at the University of Canterbury, majoring in graphic design, Bradley headed overseas. Seven years knocking about in various jobs followed, mostly in southern France and the United Kingdom, where he ended up working in commercial art. It was only on settling back into marriage and a family that he turned to teaching art, with much of that career at Glenfield College.

“I never imagined I would go teaching, but I loved it,” he says.

The demanding job put paid to doing much of his own artwork, however, and after “many, many years” he was ready to sign off.

Having rediscovered his own creativity, he draws on his early practice.

“It’s quite graphic. Even the paintings are that way,” he says.

In some works he has combined bird’seye views with the patterns of a computer motherboard. This taps back into his interest in the marks people make on the land and in playing with graphic sensibilities by manipulating computer componentry.

“The motherboard is there and deconstructed and painted over the top.”

The abstracted aerial works range from A4-sized – to match the size of a motherboard – to tiny frames.

Some of his other landscapes are much larger, including one that imagines a series of scenes Captain James Cook may have encountered on visiting New Zealand. For this, he drew on early lithographic prints and his own vision of vistas around the country, showing pa on headlands and the Endeavour at anchor.

Rugged landscapes he is familiar with from tramping in the deep south are also referenced.

As to how he feels about exhibiting on his home patch, he says: “I use the analogy

Luxurious family living

This beautifully renovated villa combines classic heritage charm with contemporary sophistication, offering families a luxurious retreat just a short stroll from Devonport village and Cheltenham Beach. Set on a generous 748sqm section, this impressive home boasts three spacious living areas, providing ample room for relaxation and entertainment, a designer kitchen with butler’s pantry, four well-appointed bedrooms, and four bathrooms. Seamless indoor-outdoor flow leads to a peaceful, private garden oasis, with its heated swimming pool, flat lawn and alfresco dining area creating the perfect space for every member of the family. A rumpus room downstairs and separate cottage provides options for flexible living. The home also comes with the bonus of a double carport. bayleys.co.nz/1470738

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