Family History 1.121

Gaze History: NSG Memoir

Out of the Depression

 

One celebration which the whole community enjoyed at this time was the Coronation of King George VI on 12 May 1937. Noel and Mary and the children spent the day with Fred and Julia and Doris driving around looking at the decorations of flags which had been hung everywhere. This was in the new car which Fred had recently bought, a black, square De Soto, straight out of a gangster movie! 

After the school holidays in September of 1938, Franklin went to school.  Mary heaved a sigh of relief; in those days there was no Kindergarten in the area and few families sent their children anyway.  There was plenty of space at the local Owairaka School, in fact they were crying out for more pupils. So two months before his fifth birthday Franklin was enrolled.  Owairaka School was a modern building with recently trained teachers and modern attitudes.  From the first days at school Franklin enjoyed his schooldays. 

Noel’s office in Queen Street was handy to the shops.  In his lunch-hours Noel would browse the sales, especially Whitcombe and Tombs’ annual sale next door.  This year he brought home from the sale Francis and Day’s Popular and Community Song Book, original price 3/6d (35c), which is still used regularly, although battered and dog-eared. Another year, he came home with a huge Atlas of the world, which was a favourite with the family on wet days. 

Noel (35), Franklin (4), Fred (70)

On his shelves from this period were three books of jokes, one about lawyers, one about doctors and one more general book.  Whenever he had to speak in public these books would come out and a well-worn joke would be added to the speech. Punch was always a favourite with him: especially the jokes which depended on a play on words.  This was an interest he learned from his father; Fred had several witty recitations he had learned by heart as a boy and which he loved to trot out for family and friends.  One of Noel’s favourite jokes concerned a diner who asked the waiter for “Steak and Kidley Pie”.  “Don’t you mean ‘Steak and Kidney Pie’?” asked the waiter. Back came the reply: “I said ‘Kidley’ diddle I?”

Meanwhile Noel’s business was beginning to make progress, with the improving economic situation. And the church in which they were so involved was also making strides in providing for the religious education of a slice of the population of a suburb which was beginning to grow again. 

The Labour Government introduced the forty-hour week, so instead of getting up and going to work every Saturday morning, Noel was able to stay in bed and play with the children, or read the Supplements to the Saturday Herald with all the coloured cartoon strips like “Katzenjammer Kids” or “Bringing up Father”.