Bayswater In Its Prime
Not sure of the year but most likely when the Takapuna Boating Club used to haul members’ boats on the northern land that is now a park (of sorts). Russell Ward says it was a lovely little place to work on boats and he hauled a few there before the Bayswater Marina developer and Takapuna City Council conned TBC out of it.
Speaking of being conned, do not start me on the control TBC has over the building on the foreshore, that is a con job 😦
Harold Kidd Update
The building has an interesting history. The Takapuna Boating Club was formed in 1914 to promote mainly centre board sailing in Shoal Bay and, of course, made its mark on New Zealand yachting history by commissioning Bob Brown to produce the design of the “Takapuna” 12ft 6in monotype “flattie” for competition by boys and girls, which became the “Zeddie”. About 1920 the club’s members secured the lease of the site at Bayswater and bought a tannery building at Panmure which they transported by barge and rebuilt into a magnificent three-storeyed clubhouse.
Very popular dances were held on the street-level floor every Saturday night. During my youth Benny Levin was the bandleader but rock and roll wrecked the music/dancing scene in the late fifties. I did get to sub on string bass with the band from time to time and it was a swinging group, mainly using stock orchestrations.
Later the dancefloor was taken over by Shore Sails as a loft.
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Frank Warnock of Shore Sails is encyclopaedic on the place. Epi Shalfoon was replaced by Benny Levin when Epi’s band went to the City, the Civic Wintergardens I think.
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Well to start the ids off, Lady Bird is the ketch out on the waters side of the far trot of boats. Harold, I heard more about Efi Shalfoon and the band at the dances. They got quite boisterous apparently, but were always done and dusted by the time of the last ferry (for the city kids anyway) was that 10pm? A relative of Efi’s, Joe Shalfoon -the doyen of dental suppliers, told me of the dances and how remarkably little money a lad needed to woo his damsel or pick up a new one in the days of the dances -even adjusting it for inflation.
Last time I went into the sail loft, the stage was still set up and dressed for the last ever event. Whatever it was. Sad really. Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
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Yes Nath Yachting NZ should hang their heads in shame supporting ‘The National Sailing centre or whatever its latest title is, just a thinly disguised public land grab to benefit a ridiculously small number of Olympic yachties and provide offices with a view for the desk wallahs. They could be housed anywhere, in a previous proposal they wanted to build a multi story block on Milford reserve blocking clear views and safe navigation for the existing yachtsman who incidently pay their wages. One would have thought either Bayswater or the VCC building in Westhaven -no longer used by the club, would have been ideal waterside options.
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The building has an interesting history. The Takapuna Boating Club was formed in 1914 to promote mainly centreboard sailing in Shoal Bay and, of course, made its mark on New Zealand yachting history by commissioning Bob Brown to produce the design of the “Takapuna” 12ft 6in monotype “flattie” for competition by boys and girls, which became the “Zeddie”. About 1920 the club’s members secured the lease of the site at Bayswater and bought a tannery building at Panmure which they transported by barge and rebuilt into a magnificent three-storeyed clubhouse.
Very popular dances were held on the street-level floor every Saturday night. During my youth Benny Levin was the bandleader but rock and roll wrecked the music/dancing scene in the late fifties. I did get to sub on string bass with the band from time to time and it was a swinging group, mainly using stock orchestrations.
Later the dancefloor was taken over by Shore Sails as a loft.
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Wicked shot of somewhere I haven’t seen in old shots before. I can’t pick any of the boats either, which makes a nice change.
Yeah that poor old building… I was there the other day picturing myself with a nice drink on the balcony at a regatta day or some event. Funny how everyone ignored the Bayswater area when pushing for the watersports facilities at Takapuna beach. Dare I suggest that this is due to the lack of bars and cafes at Bayswater which are essential to today’s brand- clad recreational watersporters?
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