Bay Harbour: December 15, 2021

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Bay Harbour News Wednesday December 15 2021 12 NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Inside the beloved ‘man’ cave: A spark plug • By Chris Barclay GEORGE LOCKYER seems surprised to be asked to leave the kitchen and wander down the brick pathway to his garage, which the part-time author admits, is nothing to write home about. And the Londoner is wellplaced to downplay the appeal of the building at the foot of his Governors Bay property, a standard structure that houses the usual conglomeration of tools, gym equipment and machinery, including two motorbikes. After all, the 62-year-old has travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand, often on his Kawasaki, to document some of the country’s most eclectic garages for his fifth book: Kiwi Garages - Inside New Zealanders’ happy places. A brickie and stonemason by trade, Lockyer grew up in a twoup two-down Borough of Hounslow council estate in Isleworth, so garaging was a foreign concept until he moved to Newtown in Sydney’s inner west in 1988. It still took another dozen years until he had one at his disposal. Back home, garages were reserved for the privileged – those up the Twickenham Rd in leafy, well-heeled Richmond. “You walk from the council estate in Isleworth into Richmond GARAGE PROJECT: George Lockyer downplays his own garage after travelling throughout the country to document others’. PHOTO: CHRIS BARCLAY and suddenly you’re in a different world. I didn’t know anyone who had a garage.” He certainly does now. About a year ago Lockyer, who moved to New Zealand with his Invercargill-born wife Karen in 2003, was encouraged by publisher Bateman Books to access garages not designed for car storage – unless we’re talking about Gavin Bain’s Bugatti collection on Banks Peninsula. The avid motorcyclist relied on friends, mates of a mate and internet search engines to source material for 28 chapters, including images. “I took all the photographs apart from two, the dominatrix sent them to me. She wasn’t in her full regalia when I interviewed her,” Lockyer explained. ‘Red Fox’ was an anomaly among the interviewees; she was the only one who requested her details stay under wraps, other than to reveal the “unassuming” garage/dungeon is at the top of the South Island. SOIL AND HARDFILL DUMPING PRIZED POSSESSION: The focal point of Gavin Bain’s Bugatti collection. PHOTO: GEORGE LOCKYER TOOLS OF THE TRADE: Dominatrix ‘Red Fox’ in her garage at an undisclosed South Island location. PHOTO: RED FOX WE NOW HIRE LANDSCAPING AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT DIGGERS, TRUCKS, WOOD CHIPPERS, POLE SAWS, BREAKERS, WATER BLASTERS, ETC. PLUS WE SUPPLY THE BEST LANDSCAPE & GARDEN SUPPLIES •BARKS •COMPOSTS •AGGREGATES - CHIP, ROUND & BASECOURSE •SCHIST PRODUCTS •PUNGAS •DECORATIVE STONE & LANDSCAPING ROCKS •TRAILER HIRE - FIRST HOUR FREE WITH PURCHASE •BAG & BULK - PICK UP OR DELIVERED DYERS ROAD LANDSCAPE & HIRE PHONE: 03 384 6540 183 DYERS RD, BROMLEY ● OPEN 7 DAYS Weekdays 7.30am-5pm. Weekends 8.30am-3pm www.dyersroadlandscape.co.nz Petronelli and Still - if you want to sell with the perfect property partnership Ask Marilyn. Marilyn Still, Bayleys Real Estate 027 229 8769 | marilyn.still@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Wednesday December 15 2021 Bay Harbour News NEWS 13 collector, a dominatrix and an electric chair There is also a lack of specifics about how Lockyer found the former aquarium worker, walking track guide and veterinary nurse. “It was a relation-of-a-relation, of a friend-of-a-friend, she made all these phone calls and put me in contact with her,” Lockyer said cryptically. “I texted her, she sent me her email address and she was all for it.” Each chapter was vetted by the subject, mainly for security reasons as the collections are not just valuable from a personal perspective. “There’s a very expensive bottle collection, you wouldn’t believe some of them are so expensive, some of them are 20 grand each. I said to the guy (who was reticent about his location being publicised) ‘How about I just put you live in rural Canterbury?’ I always ask about names as well,” Lockyer said. One name stood out for Lockyer: Raoul Lealand, the ‘mad’ inventor from Taupo. “He was just fascinating, he’s a genius really, the stuff he made in his garage . . . everything he made was from junk, just rubbish, he made three steampunk motorcycles and they all go. It was unbelievable, the talent of that guy. “Right at the end he showed me his electric chair. He put the crown on, started pedalling and he said it puts 30,000 volts through you (at a low amperage). He said school-kids love to have a go.” A fellow motorcyclist helped link Lockyer up with Lealand. Google was another useful ally. “I found vintage car clubs, doll clubs, sculptors, there’s pages for artists. There’s always a president of this or that so I email them,” he said. While that tactic worked to track down David Smith’s radio room in Havelock North, the model railways community weren’t exactly on the same wavelength. “The train collectors were very cagey. I did speak to a few clubs, they said ‘We’ll put it out on our newsletter but don’t expect any response because our guys are very secretive’. They were right.” The surprises were not limited to Red Fox’s paraphernalia or the shock factor to Lealand’s minimally powered contraption. Take Dennis Gooch’s garage in Linwood, home to around 2500 spark plugs, the oldest is a rare Boiron plug from 1899. “It was amazing because a) why? and b) you had no idea about the complexity of spark plugs, how many there are. Every one had a story. He’d pick one up and say ‘This is from the first Mercedes Benz’,” Lockyer said. He was mindful of including women in the collection, though it was a challenge, prompting a disclaimer in his introduction. “I have tried to include as many women as possible in this project, but the fact is garages seem to be, for the most part, the domain of a male,” he wrote. Other than ‘Red Fox’, Nelson sculptor Fiona Sutherland and potter Many Garguilo provide the female perspective. There was another touchy subject for Lockyer to explore: What happens to these collections when the owners pass on? “I like to think I establish a bit of a rapport after an hour of talking. At the end you’d say ‘What happens when you SPARKY: Dennis Gooch has more than 2500 spark plugs in his collection, while inventor Raoul Leyland has built an electric chair. PHOTOS: GEORGE LOCKYER pop your clogs?’ “I think most of them have sons who want to carry it on. It’s 50:50 probably. Half of them, their sons and daughters will inherit it and they’re keen to maintain it, the other half are just going to flog it. “With some of them, you just get that vibe that you’re a bit too personal by asking that question.” Kiwi Garages - Inside New Zealanders’ happy places, Bateman Books, 248 pages, $45. Are you ready for ‘A Better Everyday’? At Heritage Lifecare, you’ll find lovely people bringing compassion and joy to our residents in warm and homely environments all over New Zealand. We offer a range of care options from Respite Care to Hospital Care in an easy going, home away from home atmosphere. Let’s catch up for a cuppa. Call Edith Cavell Lifecare & Village (03) 326 6608 40 Head Street, Sumner heritagelifecare.co.nz
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Bay Harbour: December 15, 2021

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