Nor'West News: February 13, 2018

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8 Tuesday February 13 2018 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi NOR’WEST NEWS Your Local Views History group revived St Albans History Group chairman David Spear writes about the regeneration of the group following the earthquakes The St Albans History Group grew out of a bus trip around the suburb in 1998 organised by the late Muriel Soanes. She had been a leader in the movement to oppose the planned motorway through the area and had an extensive knowledge of the history of the suburb. Mrs Soanes lived in St Albans all her life and, in fact, at that time was living in the house in which she was born some 100 years earlier. A number of those who enjoyed the bus trip and were interested in the history experience felt that there was a need to establish a history group in the area. A public meeting was called and from a considerable attendance, a small committee was formed and a group of interested members began meeting on a monthly basis. Initially these meetings were held in private homes, but once the St Albans Resource Centre at the former St Albans library came into being, we used this as a base. Of course members aged, they moved from the district and numbers declined. The earthquakes shook the life out of much of our work and regular meetings ceased. The remaining members kept in touch and did their best to not only record the history of the area, publish articles of general interest in the community news, and act as a point of reference for those wishing to preserve the history of the suburb. More recently, meetings have been revived and the group again meets monthly to discuss recent discoveries and share knowledge of the area. The book Swamp to Suburb TIME: The St Albans History Group meets monthly to share stories about the area. published in 1989 by the Federation of University Women provides a wealth of information and it has always been our aim to extend this information and record further topics not fully covered. Over the years topics researched have included notable identities, local natural features, prominent buildings and local industries.News sheets have been produced recording the information and they have provided the basis for articles in the community news. The group had hoped to obtain copies of photos of early St Albans but these have proved elusive. A collection of portraits of the mayors of the borough remains incomplete with two also eluding us. Archaeology is rather thin on, or rather under the ground, in St Albans. In general terms the area has been subjected to not much over 160 years of human activity. Unlike the United Kingdom, NOSTALGIA: Papanui Rd at St Albans in 1906. PHOTO: CHRISTCHURCH CITY LIBRARIES we don’t have layers of Stone Age, Iron Age, Roman, Medieval and Tudor occupation evident in excavations. However, the history of St Albans is rich in human affairs. The people who lived there and the many who still do, provide an insight into what was going on in our city. Recent natural disasters may have damaged and destroyed buildings and we may have lost forever the bricks and mortar but the history of St Albans remains intact. The history of the area is the story of the residents. •The history group can be reached through Sandra Wilson at the temporary Community Centre at the St Albans Tennis Club in Dover St or by email to briangspear@hotmail.com. Chairman of the Papanui Heritage Group Murray Williams writes about the establishment of the Papanui Primary School dental clinic The first official indicator of the sorry state of New Zealanders’ dental health was revealed when a significant number of men were turned down for military service in World War 1 because of the poor condition of their teeth. Eventually the Government realised that any improvement would have to start with better care of children’s teeth and in 1921 a commitment was made to provide for Government funding of the training of young women as dental nurses who then were deemed competent to care for primary school children’s teeth The Papanui School clinic was opened in May 1930 and the services of the dental nurse were to be shared with Waimairi School. Parents were obviously keen to have their children’s dental needs attended to but were not impressed when it was revealed that they were expected to pay some of the expenses. In October 1933, the Papanui School committee determined that parents would be charged 2/6 (25 cents) per child or five shillings (50 cents) per family as an annual levy. It was pointed out that this was still much cheaper that the cost of private dental care. Parents who could not afford MURDER HOUSE: A historical shot of what the Papanui Primary School dental clinic would have looked like. Murder house memories the school charge could apply to the school committee to have the fees waived but by 1935 even better-off parents were refusing to pay the charge. In 1934, the Waimairi County Council had offered to supply electric power to the clinic at no cost to the school, thus reducing running expenses. In August 1934, the Papanui school dental nurse offered an annual prize to the child with the cleanest teeth but even this inducement probably did little to change juvenile attitudes to attending the ‘murder house.’ It was not unknown for pupils summoned for their turn in the chair to take an unscheduled but speedy trip home. Instruments were sterilised with boiling water. Wall posters exhorted children to clean their teeth regularly. The chair was wooden with little scope for adjustment for patient comfort. However, the most feared feature was the drill operated by the nurse via a foot-operated treadle, thus the speed of the procedure was a direct function of the energy applied. By the end of the day a weary nurse could have inadvertently slowed the drill to create an even more painful experience for the young patient undergoing preparation for a filling. Reference: Transcript of the Papanui Primary School Committee minutes ex the Mollie Chalklen papers. Paul and the team at Somerfield Upholstery want to thank all their customers for their support and wish them a Very Happy Christmas and Prosperous 2018 BEFORE AFTER Closed 20th December 2017 Reopens 19th January 2018 30 YEARS EXCELLENT RANGE OF FABRICS EXPERIENCEFREE Recover your couches and chairs and save money! QUOTES Somerfield Upholstery Ltd FURNITURE RECOVERY SPECIALIST 10 Calgary Place, Hornby | Ph 021 251 6200 | 349 0456 VISIT OUR SHOWROOM | QUALITY WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEED www.somerfieldupholstery.co.nz Paul Tainui
NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday February 13 2018 9 SPARKS Sat 17 February 7.30–10pm North Hagley Park ccc.govt.nz/summertimes Major road works in the central city will be happening the weekend of Sparks. Please plan ahead and allow yourself extra time to get to and from Sparks. Use tfc.govt.nz to plan your journey.
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Nor'West News: February 13, 2018

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