Notes on Island Bay History 1950-2013

One important source of information has been the minute books of the Island Bay Residents' Association. This group was established around 1911 and was known as  the Municipal Electors' Association until 1948. It then became the Island Bay Progressive Association, and finally changed to the Island Bay Residents' Association in 1978. In the late 50s it was an important and flourishing group, with a beautifying subcommittee, and a works subcommittee to sift and pass on to the council residents' complaints and requests on many topics. The committee met monthly in the Island Bay Plunket Rooms, behind the Library, for which use it made an annual donation of three guineas, increased to five guineas in 1965, and its annual subscription per household was half a crown. 

What topics interested residents in the 50s and 60s? Tidiness and the beautification of the suburb were  hot issues, and when the Wellington City Council rejected a plan to place the Rongotai exhibition fountain in front of its new civic block in 1955, the Progressive Association asked for it to be placed in Shorland Park. However, the Council preferred Kelburn Park  and Island Bay missed out. Tidiness  took a number of forms, including never-ending efforts to tidy up the foreshore and suburb generally. Untidiness at the eastern end of the beach, especially around the Bait House caused much angst and owners of untidy residential properties were asked to clean-up their act ( Number 33 The Parade and the area around the Masonic Lodge are specifically named). The growth of gorse and other weeds was monitored, partly for tidiness and partly because of the high fire danger in Island Bay at that time. House and Garden Competitions were held in 1963 and 1967; there may have been others. It is interesting that in October 1983 a House and Garden competition was planned, and again in November 1996, as part of the 1997 Island Bay Festival, but these never eventuated. Annual collections of large rubbish items often involved the Scouts, as a money-raising event.

Beautification  included planting. In 1960 the Association asked the Council for  geraniums for  Parade householders to plant in front of their properties. In February 1964 it is recorded that new members were needed for the beautification sub-committee: “Select younger men if possible”.  In March we find out why. The beautification sub-committee had plans for concrete-enclosed flowerbeds around the pohutukawa trees along The Parade, with the council supplying the flowers – geraniums, begonias and calendulas - and the surrounds were constructed by voluntary labour.  The work on these continued throughout 1964 and early 1965. Parts of some still survive, but today they are flowerless. In addition there were  plans for the erection of potted shrubs outside shops, but no evidence that  these eventuated. The Association also arranged the supply of free Council trees and shrubs to householders prepared to plant them. 1964 saw around 150 plants requested, 1965 250 plants, and by the end of 1966 it was estimated over 1000 in total had been distributed.

In the 80s beautification groups changed to conservation groups throughout NZ, and Island Bay has had its share of these, almost all of which are associated with the name Robert Logan. The Save the Skyline group operated in the 90's, the Southern Environmental Association is still planting Prestons Gully, now the Tawa Tawa Reserve. The works of the Island Bay Dunes conservation group, Save the Point, the Paekawakawa Reserve in Ribble St, Manawa Karioi and other similar local groups make the efforts of the 50s and 60s now seem a little chocolate boxy. The Council's pillaging of sand from Princess Bay in the 1950s and again in 1961, and the wholesale removal of red rocks in the 60s seem incomprehensible now, just as then it would not have been believable that the quarry at the Runaround would ever be closed, and that extensive plantings would be made to help restore the scarred coast. As late as March 1987 quarrying near Red Rocks was set to continue for at least 50 more years; by October 1997 the quarry was closed.  “Greening the Bay” was a major theme for the 1995 and 1996 Festivals. Many are familiar with the Southern Walkway which goes from Shorland Park to Oriental Bay via Houghton Bay, opened in 1979, and the City to Sea Walkway linking the Botanic Garden to Island Bay. Stage 1 opened in 1996 and Stage 2 in 1998. 

Over the years the Progressive Association and its works subcommittee did an enormous amount of work on mundane essentials, like pressing for repairs to footpaths, streets and street lighting, improving public transport and public amenities, lobbying for pedestrian crossings and public notices, and co-ordinating public complaints on issues like flooding. It also did a  lot of vetting of new businesses opening up in the Bay. In 1960 it opposed a permit being granted to a proposed bakery opposite numbers 150-154 The Parade, as it was next to a “cultural centre” and the increased traffic would be a danger to children. In the same year, however, the owner of a shop at 364 The Parade reported that a coal yard was to commence business next door. “The proprietor is an excellent type and no objection is raised” he is recorded as saying, with what would be considered insufferable condescension today. In 1961 the Association had considerable local backing when it opposed an application for a “bottling plant for explosive materials” somewhere on the Esplanade near Brighton Street, and in 1963 it opposed a proposed fish processing factory building on the beach. In 1968 it objected to “Mrs Maybury's Reception Centre”. In 1978 a proposed pet shop in Humber Street met with no objection although noise would have to be monitored, and in 1980 a Goodwill shop on the corner of Tamar St and the Parade likewise met with no objection.

In 1959 there was a courtesy campaign, “to make Island Bay the most courteous and friendly of all Wellington suburbs”.  Unfortunately there are no details about its degree of success. In 1961 there was an anti-litter campaign, especially with regard to inadequately covered rubbish trucks.  It took a long while to make much progress here; until the recent itroduction of the green recycling bags  Island Bay still had its problems every windy Thursday.

Two small items concerned the EPS, or Emergency Precautionary Scheme, an organisation dating back to WWII. In 1961 the warden, Mr O'Brien of Medway St, had EPS equipment stored at his home. By 1962 he had resigned and there was discussion about a new warden and the establishment of a Civil Defence Corps.  Southern Suburbs residents are probably far more conscious today of the importance of Civil Defence. The tsunami lines painted on our streets are a constant reminder of our proximity to Cook Strait and the possibility of a tsunami, an earthquake, or major southerly storms.

The early 60s saw the changeover from trams to trolley buses. The future No 1 route through town was discussed, and turning areas were constructed at Dover St and the Terminus. The last tram ran on 4/5/63. Sodium lighting on the Parade was not fully installed until 1963, after the trolley-bus wires were completed. The local newspapers  seem a part of weekly living, but the Southern Sentinel is first mentioned on 6/3/63, when it covered an Association meeting. By 1974 the Association would be advertising in the Sentinel for residents' complaints. One thing, however, never changes; at the 1963 AGM of the Island Bay Progressive Association Mayor Frank Kitts spoke on how ever increasing demand for services and improvements must cause a continuous upward trend in rates.

The Municipal Electors' Association was an exclusively male club and so was the Progressive Association for several years. In the 1960s women start to appear on the committee, but they are still referred to as “ladies”. “Wives of members” are to supply the AGM supper in 1964. The Association fell on lean times in the late 60s, and again in 1980,  and has recently gone into recess. 

Providing suitable amenities and organised functions to fully occupy adolescent youth became a priority in the 50s, probably at least in part because of the Hutt Valley scandals and the Mazengarb Report. Support was given to building the Scouts' Hall, completed in August 1956. In 1959 Constable Gilmour was running an Island Bay Youth Club, and in 1960 there is mention of a recently formed group of St John's Ambulance cadets.  Girl Guides were functioning in the Bay in the 70's. The Island Bay Churches were also running  youth groups, to instruct and entertain young people, keep them off the streets, and of course to provide a suitable background for courting rituals. 

The Island Bay Lifesaving and Surf Club, established in 1911, was also doing its bit. In 1956 it announced it was about to build a new pavilion with changing rooms, conveniences and a social hall, and requested help with fundraising. The Association supported a “Queen” at a Queen Carnival in 1957 and raised over ₤600. No details are given about how the money was raised but at some stage the Association's committee felt constrained to ask that the money-raising activities be kept on a high level and within the law as much as possible. In 1957 the Association talked of removing all unsightly buildings from the beach, including the old unroofed changing sheds; at some stage the women's changing shed had been badly damaged by fire. The new pavilion opened November 1959 as a consequence of “the fastest fundraising ever”. The Association donated ₤100 for a specific item eg a piano, and in 1961 its 50th AGM was held  in the Surf Club Hall – one hour business followed by supper and entertainment, attended by over 80 people. The new building needed constant maintenance, however; by May 1963 it is reported that action would be taken to replace the doors at the Surf Club by some which would withstand a southerly. Since its  recent winding up its premises have been taken over, along with the old Bait shed, by the Marine Education Centre which has had a presence in Island Bay under a variety of names since 1996.  

Changes to Shorland Park and beach development in general have been covered in other articles, but it is not generally known that as early as September 1961 the Progressive Association discussed the projected erection of an aquarium on the corner of Trent and Brighton Streets, and back in 1969 there was much discussion about the relative merits of a paddling pool  in the park (proposed 1965), and a Lido, a salt-water open-air swimming pool to be built among the rocks east of the bait shed (proposed 1967). The aquarium and the  Lido didn't happen but the paddling pool did, in 1970, only to be dismantled in 1997 as lack of fencing made it unsafe.

One change which was not well received came in 1969 when the local police station was closed and replaced by patrol cars. As late as 1980 came a strong plea for the return of a local constable, but to no avail. Island Bay, as you might expect, has not been spared the usual suburban crimes, ranging from the theft of milk tokens  before home deliveries ceased in the 1980s, to petty vandalism to arson (1990) to robbing the Post Office (1991) and  the New World (1992), and paua poaching in the 80s and 90s. Graffitti, first mentioned in 1991, has been a fact of life ever since. Another change which gained a very mixed reception was the establishment of the local tavern. Many objected when it was proposed in 1974, but it was pointed out that Island Bay went “wet” in 1969 and protest was largely futile. The tavern finally opened in November 1987.

Much more popular generally was the provision of a public toilet in the shopping area. It was first requested in 1944, and the topic crops up again and again in Association minutes. By 1980 a number of possible sites were being canvassed. In front of the library? Behind the library? Near the PO? In the new New World building? Finally to the relief of many it was completed on the corner of Medway St and the Parade in June 1985,  a mere 41 years after the first request. 

A very real alteration in our social habits in the last twenty-five years is reflected in a major change in the tenancy of Island Bay shops. Early Island Bay as a seaside resort had a hotel and a number of tearooms, but in post-war Island Bay  there were no places to eat out, no coffee shops and not even a place where you could get a cup of tea.  Three or four Fish and Chip shops were it. 

As recently as 1983 the Island Bay Residents' Association lamented the “dearth of amenities, including an absence of attractive eating and drinking places.” This was to change dramatically in the late 80s. First came the Tavern, in 1987. Then came Gnomes, on the corner of Medway and the Parade, first mentioned in 1988. It was followed by the Carvery also in 1988, subsequently renamed J & B, and the Piccolo Sorrento in 1989 . Fords Cafe at 155 the Parade is mentioned in November 1989, and 1990 saw Coffee Bay at 121 The Parade. The Brass Monkey, now the Bach, opened in December 1992, and gained its liquor licence in 1996. Scorpios, a Taste of Wales, opened at 163 The Parade in October 1993, and eventually moved to the Taj Mahal in Courtenay Place.163 The Parade has housed several restaurants since, including The Rocks and currently the Cheeky Pipi. The Original Thai opened in 1994, along with the Island Bay Cafe at 206 The Parade. 

By far the best known, however, was Zinos at the Terminus, which opened in 1989 and received an award as the best BYO in the Wellington Region in June 1990. It was a favourite of Wellington businessmen and in an infamous incident a helicopter landed in Shorland Park on the 19th of December 1991, to bring some self-styled VIPs to luncheon. This sparked numerous complaints, largely because of the potential danger to children playing in Shorland Park at the beginning of their school holidays, and was not repeated. The proprietor, Alick Shaw, sold the business in late 1995. In 1999 it was named the Paragon Cafeteria/Bar/Dining Room and in 2003  it became Kai in the Bay . Today the building is a sort of medical centre. More recent institutions include the Empire Theatre Coffee House and the Blue Belle Cafe. Today if you wish today to have a cup of coffee or tea by day, treat the family to take-aways of all kinds and ethnicities, or dine out at night, you have plenty of choice in the Bay. 

Back in the 60s would anyone have believed that there would be a flourishing Marae in Island Bay? In October 1976 Bruce Stewart of Danube St spoke to the Island Bay Progressive Association of his hopes to create a Marae, and of his aims to rescue wayward young men and revive Maori culture. Today, the Marae is an important feature of Island Bay life. And back in the 60s would you have believed that there would ever be a Buddhist Monastery in Island Bay? It operates quietly and probably many residents are unaware of its existence, but if you are walking on the Esplanade on the western side of Ōwhiro Bay and looking east the Stuppa has a very distinctive silhouette on the skyline.

In the 1960s and 70s there were many complaints about gorse and concern about gorse fires, as well as annoyance that Island Bay fire premiums were high for this reason. Guy Fawkes night in particular was a nightmare for many living on the hillsides. There are still growths of gorse, but the fire problem has dramatically eased, partly because of clearance for new subdivisions.  Southgate Stages 1, 2 and 3 were developed in the late 60s and early 70s, and Southgate Stage 1 was in the making when the Wahine storm hit in 1968; from the western side of the valley every house appeared damaged. Island Bay residents were not happy, however, with the ugly hillside scars left by these subdivisions and in 1976 demanded input into future development schemes. The late 1980s saw the Frobisher St development begin in Happy Valley, followed by further sections offered in the 1990s. 1991 saw 24 sections offered in Bay Lair Grove above Erskine College. A planned development off Oku St met well-organised opposition. It was argued that the streets in the area would be quite unable to cope with the increased traffic and that the land should be a reserve. Eventually the residents won, and the land was swapped for Council land off Murchison St. Residents also got up in arms when a developer began excavating the Knoll on the northern side, without public consultation. They won half this battle, saving the southern side. There have also been smaller developments, such as the housing around Erskine college in 1990 and more recently, in 2001,  Eden Grove was built on the site of the Fire Training College.  

As well as subdivisions, Island Bay has seen an enormous amount of infill housing. Few houses on the flat have large back sections anymore, and even hillsides are being filled in. Island Bay is now a very desirable suburb to live in, close to town and hospitals, with a bus service as good as any in Wellington, and lots of people who appreciate its access to the coast and its community spirit. But households nowdays have one, two, or more cars, causing real traffic problems. 

 The Tennis Courts at the northern end of the Parade were popular in the 50s and 60s, and in 1966 came a proposal to build Squash courts in the vicinity. Both institutions are still doing well.

The skateboard park opposite Wakefield Park, opened in 2001, is much used by the young. 

The Bowling Club was established in or around 1917, and was the first Wellington Bowling Club to admit women, in 1940. It has increased the size of both greens and clubrooms since 1960, though someone was unkind enough in July 1978 to refer to the frontage of the Clubrooms on to the Parade as the “Berlin Wall”.  

In 1968 the Progressive Association floated the idea of a Horticultural Society in Island Bay. It was dropped for lack of support but in 1969 a Garden Centre and Art Group was formed and affiliated to the Progressive Association. In April 1969 it was reported that there were only ten takers for the Art Group, but at least 70 for the garden group. Both the Garden Club and Arts and Craft Group are still  flourishing.

Sacred Heart College, renamed Erskine, closed as a school at the end of 1985 and for years a battle has been fought to preserve it, its trees, and in particular  its beautiful chapel. It was used as an art school during the last decade by the Learning Connexion, but earthquake risks made them seek new premises in 2009  and the Chapel was also closed in 2010 as an earthquake risk The Home of Compassion, perhaps our most famous institution, is still very much with us, though it is no longer an orphanage, and since 2002  no longer a hospital and rest home. 

Back in 1956 Island Bay had a Businessmen's Association and mention is made of the South Wellington Rotary Chapter. More recently, there has been the Lions' Club, well-known for its signs and sponsorship of the Festival Big Dig. Of these only Rotary survives

In 1961 Island Bay had two old peoples' homes, Eventide and Kilmarnock. The Eventide building is still there, but Kilmarnock has been replaced by  town houses. In 1989 it was proposed that an “old peoples' home” be built, on the corner of Avon St and Melbourne Rd, but it became housing, in 1990.  Such institutions are now called “retirement villages”; Irwell was  built 1998 overlooking Happy Valley, and Athletic Park, once the  sacred home of Wellington Rugby, is now the Village on the Park

In Humber St the Masonic Hall and the very old shop next door are still there. In the early 80s Silvio Famularo wanted to make the Masonic hall a Music Hall but could not gain permission; objections were largely on account of potential noise and traffic. His proposal in 1984 to turn it into six apartments was also unsuccessful, and  so was the proposal to lease it as a childcare centre. In 1985 he sold it to Jo Bleakley, the current owner. The “Old Town Hall” also survives in Humber St. Built in 1906-7 as an Assembly Hall, it was purchased by the Island Bay Catholic Church in 1920, and  used as a cinema for 10 years, when it was known as the New Quality Picture Theatre. It was also used as a skating rink, and a billiard saloon, with the Salvation Army making use of it for Sunday Services and for cadet training. In 1931 it was renovated and re-opened as a Catholic Church, but when it was damaged by the 1942 earthquake it was leased for storage to Rotowax who bought it in 1952. It has changed hands several times and is currently used as a commercial film studio. Both the Masonic Hall and the Humber St Hall are earthquake risks.

The Empire Theatre, built in 1924, was an early victim of television, closing in 1961, just when it was being debated whether or not the English National Anthem should be played, and should people stand up for it. For years the theatre was used for storage, as an art studio and as a hardware shop. It re-opened in 2005 as a Boutique Cinema with a coffee bar and gelati, and “Handy to Cinema” has been added to the list of desirable features in Island Bay Real Estate advertisements. The Island Bay Post Office closed in 1988, but postal services are offered in our local video and lotto shop.  Although the demand for postal services is steadily decreasing in this electronic age, this shop is still well patronised, ironically for offering products  quite unknown in 1960.

Back in 1960 the shopping centre alone had three grocery stores (Jansens, Sharples and Self-Help),  four dairies and two fruit shops. Each intersection on the Parade seemed to have a dairy, there were at least three butcher's shops down its length, seven fruiterers in total, two chemist shops, and the Terminus had its own small collection of shops. Household deliveries were the norm. Today the advent of the supermarket in general, (the New World opened in its current position in May 1987), and the use of the refrigerator and freezer and car, not to mention the proliferation of working mothers with little time, has greatly changed the way we shop. Is online shopping, with its return to deliveries, about to change things again?  The advent of the tavern and bottle store in 1987 and the sale of wine in the supermarket from 1998 have coincided with changes in our drinking habits. So far most of the old character buildings along the eastern Parade have been preserved, but the shopping centre has been the subject of much discussion for years. In October 1976 Progressive Association minutes record there was discussion on town planning, but nothing constructive. “Some members think the rundown and unsafe shopping area are all Island Bay needs.” Parking and speeding have been perennial problems, and the last decade has seen numerous “Traffic Calmers” introduced in the Bay, perticularly in the shopping centre and on routes walked by children to school. The latest development has been the 30 km/hr speed limit.

The community centre opened April 1988 with limited activities operating out of a bedsit, Flat 1, 63 The Parade. It shifted to the current site was as recently as 1992, with additions opened in 2003, and it is hard to imagine Island Bay functioning without it now.  The U3A use it every Thursday, and the Wellington Southern Bays Historical Society every Friday.

Some things have improved. Once there were sewage outflows each side of Island Bay, and if tides and wind were right, or rather wrong,  raw sewage washed up on the beach? Moa Point was developed in the early 90s, and 1994 saw headlines “ Coast Clean Again after 90 years” and “Island Bay Sewer ends 89 year service”. 

More controversial was the establishment of the Marine Reserve off the South Coast. Talks started in 1989, and sides were taken early, between conservationists and some residents on the one hand, and fishermen, both commercial and recreational, and some residents on the other. The issues were much debated in the press throughout the 90s, and the 7th of May 2001 saw a vehicle parade from Island Bay to Town in opposition. Eventually the Taputeranga Reserve was Gazetted and opened in 2008.

No general account of Island Bay can omit the February Festival, held every year since 1985, and since 1988 incorporating the Blessing of the Fleet. There were earlier spasmodic festivals; galas back in the 30's and 40s, carnivals in the 50's (the royal visit early 1954 saw an open air concert and dancing in Reef St), co-operation with Wellington Festivals such as that held in 1959, and the occasional local festival as in 1961 and 1976. But keeping it up for nearly 30 years is pretty good going, and reading through the Festival programmes since 1985 provides us with valuable snapshots each year of the people, the institutions and the activities enjoyed and valued in the Bay.