Community Contributed
William Hamer (1861 - 1942), Foxton
Kete Horowhenua2020-03-23T16:47:08+00:00| Date of birth | 1861 |
| Date of death | 1942 |
His father, Joseph, was a humble stonemason and his mother was Alice (nee Hall). He was educated at the local grammar school and studied for the medical profession before being apprenticed to Dr. William Court of Bolton. Subsequently he went into the chemists' supplies trade in Manchester and for some years was manager of various businesses in different parts of England.
In 1880, he married Marie Thomas at Palgrave, England. With his wife and three children, he emigrated to Australia in 1890 on the ship "Oratava" disembarking at Sydney. His next move was to Auckland by ship, then to Wanganui where for seven months he was employed as a drug dispenser by Messrs. Williamson and Company.
In 1891, he moved to Foxton where he had purchased a branch of the pharmaceutical business of Mr. R. Leary, Palmerston North. The shop was located on the east side of Main Street between Loveday's Drapery and the Presbyterian Church.
At one o'clock on Friday morning, 9 February, 1894, the first major fire in Foxton's Main Street destroyed the block of shops containing his chemist shop, Joe Tos a greengrocer and general store, Loveday's Drapery and a billiard saloon owned by Mrs. Whyte and leased to C.R. Shortt. Mr. Hamer was not insured and lost 250 pounds worth of goods.
Following the fire, he re-opened for business on the other side of the street on the northern corner of Main Street and Clyde Street. He called his shop the "Medical Hall". Eventually he owned the whole corner block of four shops which came to be known as the Hamer Block.
As well as supplying chemists' lines, William Hamer also pulled teeth, carried out minor medical work and attended accidents. For some years he was the only chemist in Foxton. An advertisement in the "Manawatu Farmer and Foxton Telegraph" of 1894 asks:
"Why pay heavy doctor's bills? When you can have ADVICE FREE. In all cases of sickness consult W. Hamer, successor to R. Leary, Chemist, Foxton. If during the day, at his business premises in Main Street, Foxton; if after business hours at his residence, corner of Russell Street and Norbiton Road. My long experience extending over a period of 16 years, seven of which have been with English Medical Men, enables me to treat almost All Cases Successfully. TEETH PAINLESSLY EXTRACTED. "
A further advertisement in 1898 states:
"PLEASE NOTE!
TO MEET the times I have reduced the price for extracting Teeth to 2s 6d FOR CASH ONLY. SPECIAL TERMS Will be made where a quantity are to be removed for the purpose of having Artificial Teeth.
I have been extracting Teeth for nearly twenty years, and wherever I have been I have made a name for quick and painless (sic) work N.B. Local Anaesthetics used if required. "
It would seem from my boyhood recollections and local folklore that anaesthetics were seldom used however! It was possibly flippantly rumoured that screams emanating from my grandmother's restaurant were not the result of eating her food, but William 'painlessly" extracting teeth in a back room!
A sideline of my grandfather's chemist business was the making of cordials and "aerated waters". The New Zealand Cyclopedia of 1897 stated that he had "a capital aerated water plant including a machine by Tyler. The writer can speak from experience of the splendid qualify of these lines.” The "writer" was Mr. Hamer himself as the Cyclopedia was a commercial venture with items supplied by shopkeepers themselves. However, as a young lad, I too delighted in the superb taste of his lemonade, especially from those large personalised stone jars. Are any of these still around? In the early 1930s he was still making cordials from a room at the back of the Theatre Royal.
In 1900 Mr. Hamer purchased the Victoria Theatre in Clyde Street just around the corner from the “Hamer Block”. He renamed it the Theatre Royal and for many years he showed, first silent, then sound movies. Facilities were also provided for travelling variety shows which were so popular in those pre-TV days. Some artists I recall performing at the Royal in my youth were Vincent O'Ryan, Australian comedian, Senia Chostiakoff, Russian tenor, Margherita Zelanda, soprano. The theatre was also used at various times for Saturday afternoon roller skating and other sports, and evening dances.
In 1903, William Hamer sold his chemist business to Ernest Healy who operated from the Hamer Block location. About this time Mr. Hamer entered partnership with Dr. T. Bennett to purchase the Toko Flax Mill near the present Shannon bridge, Once again fire plagued his life when the mill was burnt out in 1905.
In 1908, Healy moved to new premises in Main Street opposite Whyte Street and Hamer must have resumed his chemist shop in the Hamer Block shortly after. The rows of glass jars on the shelves of his shop carrying strange Latin labels were always a fascination to me in my youth in the early 1930s.
In 1911, the Coronation Town Hall was built by the Council, and started up in opposition to the Theatre Royal. There was a protracted court case when Mr. Hamer challenged to right of the Borough Council to enter the entertainment business. The result of the action is not known to me, but both theatres were still showing movies into the 1930s, amid continued acrimony between the two managements.
The Theatre Royal was burnt out in 1929, but was refurbished and once again resumed its entertainment functions until the mid 1930s. William's son Harold was the projectionist, William was the Manager, Marie his wife sold confectionery and looked after the box office, and the writer in his school days swept out the theatre for five shillings a week. I also operated a cigarette machine (one penny a cigarette, which I bought in packets of ten for sixpence, thus making a 40% profit!). In addition I sold sweets and ice creams from a tray which was carried around in the theatre during interval. It was also my duty to collect and deliver heavy cans of film from the nearby railway station. My introduction to a life-long passion for 78 r.p.m. gramophone records was kindled at the theatre when I was allowed to operate the machine which played popular pieces through the sound system before and after the show and during interval. The fine Westinghouse system gave good sound.
Though he was a stern disciplinarian, or so it seemed to us youngsters, he was also publicspirited, as shown by the fact that he was a Borough Councillor, being elected in September, 1893. He was also involved in the Foxton Rifle Cadet Volunteers, being appointed acting Captain in 1902.
The "Hamer Block" was burnt to the ground in yet another of Foxton's many fires. The year was 1938. The theatre, being of brick, survived but its movie days were over. For a while it was used as a temporary Post Office in 1942 while the existing one was modified. Later, the Woolpack and Textile Company used it for storage. The site of the theatre and Hamer Block is now occupied by the War Memorial Hall and its grounds.
The Hamer Block housed a variety of businesses over the years. Some of the Hamer ventures included Marie Hamer's Rendezvous tea-rooms on the comer, William's chemist shop, a billiard saloon and Harold Hamer's bicycle and radio business. Earlier Marie Hamer operated an "Economic Drapery" which closed in 1912. Marie died in 1937 and William vacated the living quarters behind the chemist shop to live with his daughter Gertrude Hunt in Johnston Street. When the Hunts moved to Wellington William went with them, and he died there in 1942. He was buried in Foxton Cemetery beside Marie.
William and Marie's children were:
Gertrude 1881-1961: Married Thomas Hunt, builder. He built much of Foxton, including the burnt-out Whytes Hotel in 1918.
Madge 1887-1894: Died of burns received when her nightdress caught fire in front of an open fire.
William 1888-1916: Unable to go to war owing to having had rheumatic fever. Drowned in Manawatu River on fishing trip.
Harold 1892-1967: Married Kate Phillips. He was a prominent Foxton carpenter, shop-keeper (radios, cycles) and Scoutmaster. Member of Foxton Volunteer Fire Brigade. Gassed in First World War. Kate had a bookshop in Main Street in late 30s - early 40s.
Written by Bill Hamer (Grandson), 187 Seatoun Heights Road, Miramar, Wellington 3. April, 1991.