P & K, Past and Present, at Probus.

David Kershaw, retiring ‘boss’ of Pain and Kershaw, recently entertained the members of the South Wairarapa Probus Club with tales from the history and the present at the ‘shop’. David explained the history of the firm and the early roles of his great grandfather and his associate George Pain.

Those were the days when the roads were dusty and visits to town by the more remote farmers and their staff were infrequent events. Customers’ needs were met mainly by orders taken by a salesman who travelled the district by horse. Later the new telephones shortened the process.

Stocking the store also had its challenges. Dates packed in large boxes would need to be broken down and repacked. More importantly the weevils that had hitched a ride from the Middle East with the dates had to be separated out. P & K had a unique and novel way of solving this problem and the resulting dates were highly regarded by the customers. First flush out the weevils with water and then coat the dried dates with golden syrup!

David explained how his son Connor was taking over the leadership of the P K complex, including Mitre 10, at a time when the business was in good heart and with a sound future.
The South Wairarapa Probus Club meets monthly in Greytown. Contact: Jan Jenner, 304 8580.