_**THE MEN’S SHED STORY**_ The shed holds an important place in Kiwi culture. The backyard shed is often a place of refuge where men can dream dreams, build something practical or create something fanciful. For some it provides a reservoir of memories, for others, it’s a meeting place where family or special mates swap stories and share skills with each other. So often, though, when families have grown, the house is sold, and parents retire and move into a smaller space—a unit, flat or retirement village—the first thing that seems to go is dad’s shed! This can cause quite a bit of stress for some men. Not only do they lose their workshop where they have been so skilled, creative and handy, — they also lose that little piece of personal space where many a problem has been quietly sorted out or strategies hatched which can save the day. The loss of a shed has created a feeling of frustration for many men, as well as contributing to a sense of isolation from their own special space, their skills and interests, and even from their mates. With these things in mind, the idea of a Community Shed was created. Here, men could come and use their skills, chat with mates, share some stories, use the tools and materials provided, and still be creative and useful. Men could bring their personal projects to work on. They might also participate in some community work if they wished - making toys for kids with disabilities, or mending or making bits and pieces for older folk in retirement villages or nursing homes. Social contacts and being useful are two of the major contributors to good health and well-being. The Levin Menz Shed has been set up to meet these needs. **Shed located at:** 131 Makomako Road, Levin **Shed is open:** Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9am-12pm Closed: Public holidays _**ALL ARE WELCOME!**_ THE MENZ SHED is a fully equipped workshop where skilled and unskilled men can share time with each other, swap yarns & work together on community projects. _**Membership & materials:**_ In the Shed members can make and repair small items of furniture, toys craft items, community projects and do their own personal projects. Many items are donated to community outreaches and some items are sold, so that new tools and materials can be bought for the Shed. Never used power tools? No problem! - Skilled members can show you how to use them! Many interesting activities to do! Assembly, painting, sanding, decorating, template making — _just try your hand!_ The Shed is a place for men to be social. Learn new skills and hone old ones. Share company & have a project to work on whilst contributing to the Community! Great tools, interesting projects! Making gifts, Pursuing hobbies pastimes & interests! Feel productive and contribute to the community - and have fun! **For more information:** 06 367 3517 / levinshed@gmail.com Chairperson: Paul Russell Secretary: Ron Gibbard Treasurer: Pat Bennett

In the 1950s cinema advertising was extremely popular for small New Zealand businesses. The average New Zealander made seventeen trips to the cinema by the end of the decade. Forty million cinema tickets were sold in 1960 alone!  Cinema slides were inexpensive to make so local businesses could afford to advertise in a handful of local cinemas. This ad would probably cause a stir if screened today- corporal punishment was outlawed in schools in 1990! In 1950 Johnson's Bakery was on Main Street, between the intersections of Whyte Street and Clyde Street. More information can be found on the following Kete page https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/3f2158a5-57a3-4441-8486-116931202d7c

Foxton Fizz has been a Horowhenua icon since 1918. Founded at a time when many New Zealand towns had their own soda drink, it is now one of the last brands surviving.  Keeping local support would have been crucial, and this slide was shown around the Foxton cinemas in the 1950s/1960s.  Cinema slides were only shown for a few seconds- otherwise the heat from the projector lamp would crack the glass! The photograph was hand coloured and may have been a stock  photo- 'Foxton Fizz' does not appear on the bottle the model is holding....

This slide would have been shown as part of a national campaign from the 1970s (approximately). In the early years of Civil Defence some print media outlets, angered by government refusal to include them in emergency planning sessions, were reluctant to support Civil Defence's non-emergency press releases. As a result, direct messages like this one in cinemas would have been very valuable. The slide shown here was screened during intermission in the wider Manawatu/Horowhenua area. 

Cinema advertising slides were usually shown in theatres at the end of the intermission ('God Save The Queen', a newsreel and a sports feature were often featured before the film). But 'advertising' wasn't just for local businesses- local clubs and groups had messages screened alongside official government messages and ads for upcoming features the theatre was screening. This slide is advertising an athletics day in Foxton's Victoria Park. It dates to around the 1950s/early 1960s and is now a glimpse into what early evening entertainment looked like before television.....

Just as we sit through ads before watching videos on YouTube, audiences were viewing advertising slides in the cinema over fifty years ago. Each slide lasted for only a few seconds and were shown at the end of intermission as the audience waited for the second half of their picture to begin. Nobody goes to the cinema to see advertising and W.A. Coleman must have known this thanks to their slide's witty pun.  Each slide was shown for only a few seconds so the best of them had an eye catching design and a quick, memorable message. On those criteria this is one of the most effective slides held at MAVtech! The Companies Offices shows W.A. Coleman was registered in 1956 but are no longer trading. Thanks to cinema advertising slides many local businesses live on in the archives of many museums.

Although magic lantern slides were most famously used professionally by schools, universities, churches and lobby groups they were also used by amateur photographers. The glass slides, 'masks' for displaying the image and fixing chemicals could be bought from local photography stores. Anyone with darkroom could have a go. What makes this slide unusual is that it is in colour- by this stage, most amateurs had abandoned magic lantern slides in favour of smaller, 35mm film. The car's number plates are pre-1964 which gives us an idea of the last date this slide could have been made. Regardless of how it was captured, this photograph is of a wonderful 'Kiwi' caravan holiday. Where it was taken remains a mystery. 

MAVtech has a broad collection of magic lantern slides- but none are more haunting than this one. We know very little about the person in this photograph. From his uniform we know  he was a lieutenant in the First World War. He is wearing a gas mask to protect against enemy chemical warfare attacks (or 'friendly' gas blowing back towards his own lines). His uniform is clean- it is unlikely he was photographed anywhere near 'The Front'. It may have been a snapshot. Private cameras on the Western Front were banned from 22nd of December, 1914. One soldier found with a camera was sentenced to three months imprisonment with hard labour. However, the rules were often disobeyed and were sometimes laxer with regards to 'Officers' like a lieutenant. Cameras were also allowed 'behind the lines'  or off-duty, when this picture may have been taken. But it is more likely that this was an official photograph taken to be displayed during magic lantern lectures at the home front. People were desperate for any news of the war and were eager for photographs. This soldier looks clean, well fed and comparatively relaxed for someone preparing for a chemical attack. He would have been a reassuring image for those back home.

Chemist shops often sold photographic equipment in the early 20th century- especially in small towns which couldn't support a specialist business. Given that photography meant darkrooms and darkrooms involved chemicals it was a perfect match! The fact that F&R Campbell were opticians made even more sense- snapshot cameras all had lenses after all..... This is a packet of masks for magic lantern slides. The masks were finely cut pieces of black paper in various shapes such as square, oval, thick boarder etc. The masks were pressed against the glass magic lantern slide to focus the viewer's eyes on the most important, central part of the picture. The lantern would project these images onto a wall. F&R Campbell were based in Feilding. They were advertising in the local paper in 1914 which would have been around the time these 'Primus' slide masks were made. 

This slide would have been briefly shown in local cinemas just after the lights dimmed. Some slides, like the one shown, were professionally made. Others were blank pieces of glass which could be written on with removable ink. Projectionists could then write messages on the slides, such as asking if a doctor was in the audience if a patron suffered a medical event. Someone showed this slide for a bit too long though- the heat from the projector has cracked the glass!

Almost from it's invention the cinema has played a role in war and morale. In the First World War the New Zealand Government even taxed expensive 'dress circle' theatre seats to raise money for the military. However, this slide was less direct, and comes from the Second World War. It implores cinema goers (from the comfort of civilian life) to subscribe for the latest war bonds drive. By now most New Zealanders knew the war was going well and victory was near- but the slide reminded people of the energy needed for 'the final push'. The slide would have been shown alongside newsreels of New Zealand forces overseas and maybe was in the intermission of a patriotic film. In fact, in early 1945 there was an undetected German U-Boat off the East Coast- the war was closer than many would have liked to admit.  Slides like this would have been shown in cinemas across New Zealand. 

 One of the smallest record labels in the country, TALA was set up in Levin in 1957. In the beginning it stood for 'To Assist Levin Artists' but, with few local acts coming forward, it was changed to 'To Assist Local Artists'. Either way, this label had around forty releases, each featuring New Zealand artists. The label's owner, Wally Clark, was quick to pick up on international trends in music and always found local bands who were playing the right tune. This particular tune is by the Warren Sisters who were one of Clark's original TALA talents. 'Lace Covered Windows' was released in around 1968 and was among the last TALA releases. Follow the link below for a picture of these artists on Kete  https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/b734f09f-9000-4f64-a332-7f4c1bb84990 Wally Clark was also a professional photographer who also cornered the Levin TV hire market- a very busy man! 

These boxes were sent to the managers of local theatres decades (in one case even around a century) ago! In them were slides promoting upcoming films which were projected onscreen during the intermission. From the 1910s big cinema chains began appearing in New Zealand and they competed for the rights to show overseas releases. At a time when a town Foxton's size had two cinemas this differentiation was important for business.  Some of these boxes bear the names of Aotearoa's big cinema names like 'Kerridge'. The 'Pacer-Kerridge' alliance was founded in 1987 making the upper left box the newest of the assortment seen here. By contrast, the Paramount logo seen here was phased out in 1967! 

If spending an afternoon at the cinema sounds like a relaxing way to spend the day, think about the times when you didn't even need to leave your seat to get your treats! 'Usherette Trays' were worn by cinema staff during the intermission and they were filled with tasty food and drink. Spend some coins, get well fed and stay seated to see the advertisements flash past on the screen! This tray was for 'Frosty Jack' ice cream- a Wellington brand which was sold from 1924 to 1967. Like many local companies it had a limited distribution- 'Frosty Jack' didn't even get to the South Island until the 1960s. However, this effort may have caused the company to loose money and they sold to a larger firm who then stopped making ice cream a few years later. As early as the 1930s 'Frosty Jack' trays were being used in cinemas during the weekend matinee screenings which were popular with children.  This 'usherette tray'' was most likely used in Horowhenua cinemas. 

'Columbus' was the 'house brand' of the Radio Corporation of New Zealand Limited- a New Zealand company. Just as radio travels over waves so did the company's logo. Signs like this one would have been displayed by all retailers of Columbus radios. This radio range was sold from 1937 until 1961. Radio Corporation of New Zealand Limited also founded TANZA- New Zealand's very first local record label in 1949. In fact, New Zealand made radios were popular right up until the late 1980s. But Columbus had set sail over the horizon by then. You can see this sign in person at MAVtech- a technology museum located in Foxton's Coronation Hall. You'll also see lots of Columbus radios as well!

From 1953 to 1993 the Himatangi Radio Transmitting Station was one of our links to the outside world. Before it opened we could only radio as far as Australia and relied on Sydney technicians to patch us through to other locations. The opening of the Himatangi Station changed all that. For much of it's life the station was a 24/7 operation with married staff living nearby in Post Office housing and single men living in hostels onsite. This duty logbook covers much of the 1980s and was the record of who was operating the station each shift. It is pictured with part of the station's control panel. By the 1980s much of the station was automated and the Warkworth Satellite Station (opened in 1971) had eclipsed Himatangi in importance. But keeping the station on air was still a big job.  Parts of Himatangi's control panel and transmitters can be seen at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton's Coronation Hall. 

This is a page from the last log book of the Himatangi Transmitting Station. The station started it's career in 1953 with an early highlight being the transmission of the Queen's Christmas Message during her 1953 New Zealand tour. By 1993 satellite stations were replacing radio as the main means of international communication and the station shut down only a few weeks after these entries were made. The station was government run and transmitted messages via radio- another station in Wellington acted as the receiver. Before undersea cables and satellites, these radio stations were our main link with the outside world. Attack submarine motors were used as backup generators in the 1960s to ensure Himatangi never ran out of power.  A control panel from the station, and many historical documents, can be viewed at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton's Coronation Hall.

A vintage gramophone from 'His Master's Voice' (The Gramophone Company Ltd) from around 1910. This model belonged to the Burr family and seldom left Foxton in over a century! It is now on display with many other vintage musical machines at MAVtech in Foxton's Coronation Hall.  This gramophone was made before electric amplifiers were invented so needed a large horn to make itself heard. There was no volume control- putting a sock (or cloth) into the horn was the only way of quietening down a gramophone!

With intermissions becoming less popular and automation taking over in cinemas around the world, projectionists needed a way of screening a whole movie without a break. The answer was the film platter- a giant motorised spool for a length of 35mm film.  This platter was made by Foxton local Colin Martin.  Projectionist Gavin Cowren (now the projectionist at MAVtech) remembers it being powered by a series of vacuum cleaner motors. Despite it's home-made appearance it had a long, useful life and could screen a three-hour movie in one go! You can see the platter at the MAVtech Museum in Foxton- and find out more about it's incredible story!

 A portable transistor radio bought on the 13th of April 1962 from Woolworths in Oxford Street, Levin. With original box, user manual, warranty and sales card. Transistor radios were smaller and more reliable than the old valve radios and did not need a 'warm up time'. They first became popular in the mid 1950s and were soon the latest and greatest thing to have. Autocrat made this model in New Zealand- but in the late 1950s these portable radios were hard to get. In fact, they were one of the most common items Customs found being smuggled into the country at the time! It wasn't the only illegal thing involving these little radios- teenagers would use them in their rooms to secretly listen to the 'pirate radio stations' of the 1960s.  

Records on Kete Horowhenua show the Foxton Shoe Company located on Main Street in 1950 and 1955 (but it may have existed before and after those dates). They were located just to the right of the Whyte Street intersection (from the perspective of Whyte Street). In a time when many jobs required a suit, having a fine pair of shoes like this was a must. This slide would have been shown in Foxton cinemas in the 1950s (most likely during intermission). Cinema advertising was popular with local businesses due to it's low cost and with around forty million cinema tickets being sold per year at the time these ads had reach!  MAVtech's collection of advertising slides provide a glimpse into many businesses which have long disappeared. How many small towns today have a specialist shoe shop? 

Health stamps have an important place in New Zealand history. They worked like a regular stamp but cost ever so slightly more with the extra money going towards children's health camps. These camps were set up in 1919 to benefit children with minor physical disabilities and nutritional problems. Complete with fresh air, good food and fun activities they soon proved popular and necessary. The first health stamp was issued in 1929. This slide screened in cinemas to encourage patrons to buy the 1973 version of the health stamp. In 1996 $158,000 was raised through these stamps but e-mail proved to be their undoing- just $35,000 was raised in 2007. By 2017 the cost of designing and printing the stamps was far higher than the money they raised so New Zealand Post discontinued Health Stamps.

Tell everybody! This would have been one amazing deal when the cinema was at the heart of New Zealand entertainment. Sir Robert Kerridge began buying cinemas in 1926, picking up pace when solo operators folding during the Great Depression. By the late 1940s he controlled over 130 cinemas and sold a 50% stake in his company to the British 'J Arthur Rank Organisation' for just under one million pounds and a Rolls Royce car. Slides like this one were shown during intermission in Kerridge-Odeon theatres to drum up repeat business! 

Cinema advertising slides flashed up on the screen for only a few seconds before the projector heat forced them to be changed. Many local businesses took out advertising with the cinemas and MAVtech has a large collection of local slides. Some, like this one, seem a bit unsettling today!  Most of the Foxton businesses who took out these ads were just down the road from the town's cinemas- so ads like this one would have encouraged people to do some shopping on the way home or (for later screenings) next time they were in town. This Kete link shows the Co-Op Butchery in Main Street in 1950, across from the Clyde Street intersection. An early 'Co-Operative Butchery' was in existence as early as 1889 on Main Street, managed by John W Walsh (who later became a butchery owner) https://horowhenua.kete.net.nz/item/3f2158a5-57a3-4441-8486-116931202d7c 

This magazine was published at a very important time in New Zealand's entertainment history. Since it cost one shilling it must have come out before decimal currency (1967) but after the introduction of New Zealand TV (1960). At this time the cinema reigned supreme with the average person seeing around seventeen movies a year and around 30-40 million tickets being sold annually. However, with over quarter of a million sets by 1965 television was catching up. This slide would have been shown during the intermission of a film encouraging people to buy the magazine in the foyer so they could read all about the latest entertainment.  It was a New Zealand publication so there would have been lots of local theatre productions in there too! One of many cinema advertising slides at MAVtech Museum, this one would have been shown at a local cinema.

A new magazine with a trendy new movie- given that it is showcasing 'Saturday Night Fever' it is a good guess that this issue came out in 1977. But this magazine is doing more than just showing new features- it's introducing new words as well. 'Movies' is a recent term for New Zealand and it only became popular here in the 1980s. Before then a night out with the 'big screen' was known as going to the 'cinema' (or 'The Flicks') to see a 'film' or a 'picture'. 'Movies' was an American term and magazines like this helped bring it to the fore. All the American television programmes and films certainly had an impact too! Whatever you wanted to call them they were still a popular night out, with Kiwis seeing at least five films on average a year.  This slide was shown during intermission in local cinemas (or should that be 'movie theatre'?) 

A.E Corley was a Foxton building firm active around the 1950s. Kete Horowhenua records show that they built Foxton's 'Podmore Flats' at the base of Seaview Gardens in the 1950s and they were also responsible for 'The Rose Bowl' dining rooms. Cinema advertising slides were a cheap way for local businesses to advertise. Making it even cheaper were generic slides like this one- a drawing of a house represented all builders with the specific details printed on the window below. Most of these slides were shown during intermission

Kete Horowhenua records show that Scotts Drapery was in Foxton's Main Street in 1960 but that it had closed by 1970. When it traded it gave small town New Zealand the chance to buy fashions from Australia and even California! With memories of the US Marines from the World War Two still in many people's minds, American fashions were seen as very stylish indeed. Cinema advertising was cheap to utilise and a small business could target local theatres making it very effective. With colour film expensive to buy and process hand colouring was also in fashion!  Imagine audiences returning to their seats during the intermission of some exciting American film seeing their chance to buy the fashions that they saw onscreen. It's a wonder Scott's Drapery didn't last longer!

Loading full honey boxes. Field's Apiaries 1967-68

Russell Field  removing honey from  hive.