This photograph was taken during a very cold morning in June 2022 by local photographer Jacob Brookie. It was taken in the Easton Park sportsgrounds at the back of the Foxton Pools, looking towards state highway one. 

Jacob used a 1990s Seagull 4A camera to take this photograph. The Seagull was a copy of the Rolleiflex camera and was basically unchanged since the 1960s and was made well into the 21st century. During the Cultural Revolution, having one of these cameras in China meant that you were a trusted state photographer (very few owned cameras in China at the time). However, Jacob bought his used online for $90.....

Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this picture in September of 2022- local election season! This scene is of the Seaview Gardens, at the base of the Foxton water tower on Main Street. The signs seen here belonged to candidates for Mayor, Council and the Te Awahou Foxton Community Board. Some of these faces were successful in their bid for office, others less so.

Jacob used a 1956 Lipca Rollop Automatic camera to take this picture.

A feature of Foxton for many years, the 'Foxton Trading Post' second hand shop closed in Winter 2022. Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this photo of the shop's front entrance just before it closed down for good in an effort to preserve this part of the Main Street.

Jacob used a 1934 Rolleicord to take this photograph. The Rolleicord was the budget version of the Rolleiflex camera and was made for amateur photographers. Nonetheless, it was well built and had a quality lens and shutter. 

Taken with the East German Reflekta camera. 

This image was taken with a 1956 Lipca Rollop Automatic- One of Jacob's personal cameras. When using an untested MAVtech camera for a story Jacob always brings along a proven vintage camera as a backup! 

Taken with the Reflekta Camera. Black and white film was used in this series. In part, this was for a 'retro' effect but many vintage cameras have early lenses which struggle to take photos outside without lens flare. The effect of flaring is most noticeable in colour! 

Foxton photographer and MAVtech volunteer Jacob Brookie uses vintage cameras from the museum's collection to take photographs of local volunteers in the community. The results are published in the Horowhenua Chronicle.

This article, the first in the series, looks at the work of the Wildlife Foxton Trust. It was published in the Horowhenua Chronicle on the 23rd of June, 2023. Some of the photos here differ to those in the print article- but all were taken on the same day and with the same cameras.

Foxton's New World Supermarket was in the midst of renovations when this photograph was taken. The scaffolding, road cones and construction workers quickly became a part of the town's Main Street. 

Local photographer Jacob Brookie took this photograph in June of 2022, looking down the footpath and towards the police station end of the street (towards Himatangi). Jacob used a 1953 Agfa Billy 1 folding camera to make this photograph on Ilford FP4 film.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in one case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in this case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

Advertising certainly has changed! Homecraft Furnishers has a range of cinema slides uploaded on Kete and most of them have some rather offensive (and in one case sexist) depictions of Native Americans.

Homecraft furnishings had a store in Foxton in 1987, located on Main Street a few doors down from Clyde Street. The store was not present in 1985, so this is one of the 'newest' cinema advertising slides in MAVtech's collection. 

The company's Levin branch seems to have been present in 1981.

By the time this slide was made, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased to function as a cinema and wouldn't be re-established until it became home to the MAVtech Museum. It is almost certain that this slide was screened in Levin only.

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappering in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version.

The style of this slide shows that this was the earlier, 1970s 'Home Craft'. The later slides can be distinguished by their printing and were made in the late 1980s. Unlike the simple interior scene shown here, the later Home Craft slides have some very different designs which wouldn't meet standards today! They too can be seen on Kete. 

A.W. Allen made a strong claim to have 'Foxton's Busiest Store'- although I am sure that the grocery shop would have challenged that statement! A.W. Allen Ltd still would have been very busy- it survived on the same Main Street location (right by Clyde Street) for decades. Kete records show it there in 1955 and still there in 1987. Company records suggest it was dissolved in 1991.

A.W. Allen Ltd also had a store in Levin, with newspaper records showing that it was trading as early as 1937. Those ads also proclaimed that it was 'Levin's Busiest Store!'  Did A.W. Allen retire and hand the business over? Or did he just like being very, very busy!

Foxton's Main Street has been trading for well over one hundred and fifty years. During that time businesses have come and gone, with most known today only through saved newspaper clippings and public records. Chung Wah is not one of those businesses. Its name is still boldly displayed on the front of it's original 1905 premises in Main Street (even though the business itself has long since closed).

Records show the greengrocers were in Foxton's Main Street from 1905 and they were still trading in 1960. Kete records do not show them trading after that date- but another greengrocer called 'Soo's' was located in the same shop in 1985.

There were a few mishaps in all those years of trading. A fire in 1912 gutted the shop but it was restored and carried on. In 1934 there was an earthquake and Chung Wah's window was broken and their wares spread around the ground!

For much of the 20th century there was always a specialist greengrocer or grocery shop in the Main Street.

R.N. Speirs must have been the town's proudest Pinex promoter- this is the second slide of theirs which shares the virtues of this timber. Slides from this firm also promote electric heaters and ovens (presumably- the spelling of 'Speirs' is different in the latter slide). This slide dates from around the 1950s/1960s. The text below is from their first 'Pinex' slide which can be found on Kete.

 R.N Speirs had a long history in Foxton- Kete Horowhenua records show them on the town's Main Street as far back as 1905. They were still in Main Street in 1960 with their premises between Cook and Union Streets. Records do not show them there in 1965 so this cinema slide must have been made before then. R.N Speirs were timber merchants and this slide was made in the middle of the 1950s/1960s building boom. Advertising Pinex (made in New Zealand since 1941) would have been important in the 1950s- exotic pine was replacing native timbers as the preferred building material of choice due to pine being fast growing. Native forests were becoming depleted and pines were being planted in more accessible areas. This cinema slide showed the new wood as safe, cheap and easy to build with. This slide was shown locally but similar slides wouldn't have been shown down South- amble supplies of native timber there meant that the pine did not take over until the 1960s. 

Like the rest of New Zealand, Foxton entered a series of Level Four 'lockdowns' during the COVID-19 pandemic. And just like the rest of New Zealand this experience dominated community affairs. 

The Foxton Little Theatre boasted in 2022 that their new production was 'comedy for the COVID era'. 

This photograph was taken outside the Foxton Little Theatre during winter 2022 by local photographer Jacob Brookie. Jacob used a 1958 Yashica 44 camera to take this photograph. This camera was a small 'twin lens reflex' marketed towards families who wanted to take slides for a 'slide show' displayed with a projector.

One of the selling points of this camera was it's automatic film transport- it wasn't motorised, but if you wound the crank handle the film would stop in the right place. Half a century later it doesn't work as well (note the next frame of film intruding into the bottom of the photo!)

 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). 

For those who think 'back to school sales' are a recent development this slide proves otherwise! The school uniform dates this ad to the 1950s (as does the satchel- no 'school bags' here...). Up until 1952 the Foxton District High School was located near the end of Main Street next to Ihakara Gardens. These buildings were still used for some secondary and primary classes for the rest of the decade. 

The students would not have had to walk far to get new shoes or see a film- Coronation Hall Cinema was located just a minute's walk from the school gates.

There is some uncertainty about the location of this business- but we do know something about a 'S.Mattar'. Kete records show an 'S. Mattar' trading on Main Street as a draper in 1930. In 1945 an 'S. Matter' was trading as a hairdresser alongside tobacconist 'L. Matter' on Foxton's Main Street (near the intersection with Whyte Street). By 1950 'L. Matter' was carrying on business as a hairdresser and tobacconist alone.

In the  MANAWATU TIMES, VOLUME LVI, ISSUE 5588, 28 FEBRUARY 1931, PAGE 2  an 'S. Mattar' was part of a team who retained a bowling title.

Did 'S. Mattar' have a shop of his own? Or was this watch part of a family business? At this stage that is uncertain. 

While the notion of a watch which can wind itself 'better than you can' may seem somewhat insulting at first, you cannot deny the convenience! There have been references to self winding watches dating back to the 1770s- wrist watches had this innovation from the late 1920s. 

Given the uncertainty around the business, the date for this cinema slide is very approximate.  

 There is some uncertainty about the location of this business- but we do know something about  'S.Mattar'. Kete records show an 'S. Mattar' trading on Main Street as a draper in 1930 (in 1932 identified as the 'Kosy Cash Drapery'). 1937 saw him selling golfing supplies on Foxton's Main Street. In 1945 an 'S. Matter' was trading as a hairdresser alongside tobacconist 'L. Matter' on Foxton's Main Street (near the intersection with Whyte Street). 

By 1950 'L. Matter' was carrying on business as a hairdresser and tobacconist alone. In the  MANAWATU TIMES, VOLUME LVI, ISSUE 5588, 28 FEBRUARY 1931, PAGE 2  an 'S. Mattar' was part of a team who retained a bowling title. Did 'S. Mattar' have a shop of his own? Or was he part of a broader family business? 

This is one of multiple slides from this business searchable on Kete. This one advertises Gillette razors. The 'Blue Blade' razor was introduced in the early 1930s- however this slide looks to be a lot later than this. The date is only a vague estimation on this one!

This business is somewhat difficult to place in Foxton. Kete records show that 'Homecraft' was present on Foxton's Main Street in the 1970s before disappearing in the early 1980s. However, the business was at the same location in 1987 (with a coffee bar in the location in between times). It is unknown if this is the same business owned by the same people, new ownership or an entirely new firm altogether. Both 'versions' of the company advertise locations in Foxton and Levin. The name of the company is slightly different from the 1980s version. 

This slide has the later logo design but the earlier 'style' of slide- so could have been a transition between the two eras for the company. The lady in green looks to be showcasing a very striking 1970s design which would suit a racetrack quite nicely! Homecraft knew how to advertise- they have many slides in MAVtech's collection.

However, few of them would have been shown in Foxton. By the late 1970s, Foxton's Coronation Hall had ceased being a regularly used cinema so they most likely would have been seen in Levin.

 W. Stuart Donnelly was a stalwart of Foxton's medical services. He began his career in the town working for pharmacist  Thomas Crotty  before buying his business. For a time an optician called at his chemist shop once a week- the only optician service the town had. Kete records show Donnelly's shop on Foxton's Main Street from 1960-1970. Records do not  show where his shop was before that time (records show that Donnelly owned a shop in 1952). He also appears to have owned a pharmacy in Levin. W. Stuart Donnelly was also the Mayor of Foxton Borough from 1972-1978. A photograph exists of him standing in his shop (this can be found on Kete by searching 'W. Stuart Donnelly'). 

The 'Gala' range of cosmetics seems to have been a popular line for Donnelly's business. This is the second cinema advertising slide featuring their products!

R.N Spiers, who feature in other MAVtech cinema slides as a timber merchant, have been recorded on Foxton's Main Street as far back as 1905 and as recently as the early 1960s. It seems that they also sold ovens as well!

The 'Champion Commodore' was named after a senior navy rank (the former Holden car having the same background). A navy officer is seen, slightly out of focus, behind the women in this slide. 

'Radiation (N.Z.) Ltd' made whiteware goods  and a 'Champion' range of kitchen appliances  was in stores from the 1920s up until the 1970s according to online records. A price list for Champion stoves from 1961 has been recorded. 

The allure of automatic cooking was front and centre with this ad- 'just set it and forget it!'

Whites Radio Service was trading on Foxton's Main Street in 1960 and stayed in it's site as late as 1987 (and possibly later) according to Kete Horowhenua's Foxton Historical Society posts. 

There was an earlier radio shop, owned by a Mister R.Cull, on the same site in 1941. 

In 1960 there were just over 577,000 New Zealand radio licences in 1960 and this number was just under 700,000 a decade later so Foxton's radio shop must have been very busy indeed! Even when television arrived it was not portable so radio remained competitive. 

But this slide, played during cinema intermissions, was not advertising radios. Instead it was advertising records. With the very conservative stewardship of the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (later the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation) Kiwi airwaves didn't feature many of the most daring rock and pop tracks and none of the protest songs sung on university campuses. If you wanted to hear them you needed to buy a copy of your own!

Note the 'Disneyland' name on one of the pictured labels. Who said Foxton was missing out on overseas trends in music!

MAVtech, the keeper of this slide, is home to Radio Foxton which broadcasts on 105.4FM- FM radio wasn't an option in the 1960s.

Note: This slide has some damage- especially to it's top left hand corner.

In the middle of the 20th century the high streets of small town New Zealand were full of specialized businesses and crafts which today are only found in the main centres. Take D.A. Blackburn- a repairer of watches located on Foxton's Main Street. 

Before the arrival of cheaper watches which are easier to replace than repair, there were many such craftspeople in business. However- maybe Blackburn was too specialized for a town of Foxton's size. Kete records show him in business in 1960 but not in 1955 or 1965, so his shop didn't last as long as many others who took out cinema advertising in Foxton.

Blackburn also sold watches and clocks- all tested and guaranteed! 

Back when Foxton Beach had fewer residents (and far fewer phone numbers) it was possible to sell fruit and vegetables street by street twice a week. At least, that's what Mister Hitchings did! His cinema advertising slide would have been shown at local theatres for a few seconds at a time- otherwise the heat from the projector arc would crack the slide. 

Given that each slide was shown for such a short time, the best of them used eye-catching, simple designs like this one. 

However, MAVtech cannot find any references to Hitching's business in Kete or in other records, so it may not have survived in Main Street for long. Cinema advertising slides were a great source of promotion for local businesses due to their low cost and (in a time when going to the cinema was sometimes a weekly pleasure) a high reach. Today they are often the only trace of historical businesses which survive. 

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? 

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 

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!