Know your town

Higginson’s Store circa 1971

In the early 1970s Martinborough had three grocery shops plus Pain and Kershaw’s and WFCA Dept stores – which sold everything. There was a baker’s shop and dairy in each of the two main streets, one dairy sold Tip Top ice cream the other Frosty Jack – threepence a cone, plus one had a Juke Box at a shilling a time.

Jellicoe Street was a busy retail hub with Terry Boyd’s menswear, and Olive Madsen’s Ladies wear. Moore’s sports goods, an Electrical shop and a Shoe repairs which later became a tea and coffee shop run by Noelene Thomas between 1965 and 1971.
Plus the Star restaurant where the menu was either steak, eggs and chips of Fish eggs and chips ( served by a gentleman dressed in a bush shirt saddle tweed trousers and boots)

Meanwhile Kitchener Street had Lake’s Bookshop, Edward’s tea rooms, Cotter and Steven’s electrical shop, Hardie’s jewellers and fancy goods, and even a car sales yard.

Martinborough supported two hotels, three garages and two banks. When the Club Hotel and Star restaurants closed there was nowhere in town to stay or buy a meal. The Martinborough Hotel had a few boarders but no casual accommodation and there were no motels or homestays. During the weekends the two main streets were deserted.

The late 1980s downturn sounded the death knell for local industries which had provided quite a bit of employment: the STD telephone factory managed by David Paton, Bouzaid’s clothing factory, Darcy Packwood’s wholesale cake kitchen producing crème puffs and eclairs, the Associate Farmers Aerial Work operating top dresser planes, and the telephone exchange, which had closed a bit earlier. Carter’s saw mill burnt to the ground as did Butler’s joinery factory.

Reason’s why the town was in the doldrums included it being off the main road system so no through traffic. Then as cars became available people chose to work and shop in larger towns. Also several building which had been burnt were not replaces

But to look on the bright side: Butter was only two shilling a pound (450 gms), Bread sixpence a loaf, cats’ meat was threepence and soup bones were free a pint of milk (1.75 litre) was fourpence – and delivered to you gate milk box in time for breakfast. Petrol was two shilling and sixpence a gallon ( 4.5 litres)
Mate Higginson