19 thoughts on “Lady Dianna”

1. In reply to Mike Maguire, Lady Dianna is currently at the Thames yacht club. If you’d like to come down and say hi, my email is Helen.r.heath@outlook.com

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2. I’ve recently been seeing info stating that Colin Lannam built Fantasy but clearly stated by Tom this is NOT the case. From what I understand Granddad built Fantasy FOR Colin Lannam and Colin fitted the interior/furnishings and did a most beautiful job which still shows to this day.

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3. I have some pics of FANTASY I have sent to Alan. — KEN RICKETTS

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4. The pic added today was sent to me by Karen Moren is taken on a mooring in Okahu Bay, & the boat behind her is the HAUNUI.

   This image has to be taken before 1958 because there is no sign of the harbour Bridge in the background & that was built in 1958, & since Syd Wallath bought her in 1953, & he actually lived in Okahu Bay, he would have been able to see her on a mooring in that position from his house. There is no doubt in my mind, he owned her when Karen’s pic was taken, & that would be between 1953, & as I said before, 1958.
   BTW even though Syd. W. had a daughter called Dianna, this had nothing to do with the name of the boat, as suggested above, as the boat was named when launched by Colin Lannam

   As we can see, the coamings were partly painted by the time Karen’s pic was taken, & as Colin did not keep her very long, it would have been after he sold her, because he would never have painted the coamings. Note they are fully varnished in the pic taken by me in 1949. — KEN RICKETTS

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5. Mike, I knew Dianna, & met her quite a few times in the Mountain Rd house era, — 1951/54. If she remembers me at all by any chance, please give her my regards. KEN RICKETTS — email; kenpat@ihug.co.nz

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6. Bob Wallath still has Omana a large Alan Mummery designed motorsailer built by Mcwing in alloy.
   Brian Bennett still makes some of the Stronglite / Bennett Marine products from home in Pakuranga and does a beautiful job — have a look at the wheel on Waikiore.

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7. How many times is this stuff going to be repeated on WW?
   Change the record.

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8. I knew both Tim Lees & Sid Wallath & Sid’s son Bob well, at that time, & OKAHU was definitely built by Tim L., for Sid W., & recall is, that Fantasy was a joint effort by Mc G & Colin L., with Colin doing the interior, as he did with the LADY DIANNA. As an aside, there seemed to be a propensity for the Wallath family to name their boats after the streets they lived in. Sid Lived on a R.O. W. site, the bend in Okahu St Orakei, when OKAHU was built, & his son Bob Wallath, later had an aluminium bridgedecker built, by Mc Mullen & Wing, called OMANA– He lived in Omana Ave., ( just off Mountain Rd), Epsom, at the time. — KEN RICKETTS

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9. Hello all,re Colin Lannam & Fantasy. Colin built Fantasy at Hope St Grey Lynn where he operated as a cabinet maker. Colin had sold his business to a friend of mine and I got to know him (Colin) very well.I worked with Colin at Hope St and at Ben Lomond Cres.Pakuranga. He showed me many photos of her building plus a home movie. Regards, Geoff Brebner

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10. Mike
    See todays(12/11/14) post.
    Alan H

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12. My neighbour is Sid wallath’s daughter,Dianna,who the boat is named after.She is now in her mid 70’s and has vivid fond memories of times on the boat and going to the boatyard with her Dad.I’m sure she would love to see any pictures or info you might have.Do you know where the boat is now? I’d love to take her to see it one more time.Many thanks for this I will be showing it to her.

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13. Oddly, the APYMBA records credit the build of FANTASY to Colin E. Lannam (which seems unlikely) in 1952. I think OKAHU was built for Sid Wallath by Tim Lees.

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14. Hi, just a short note re Colin Lannam, Uncle Mac (Mcgeady} built the sistership to Antares, in the 50,s for Colin Lannam, it was named Fantasy, and is moored at Half Moon Bay Marina. My parents and family spent many happy cruises in Antares in the company of Fantasy. Also, I am pretty sure, that Okahu was a mcGeady build. I do know that Mac built a boat for Sid Wallath, and this may be it.
    Regards, Tom Morris, launch Quetzal.

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15. Colin Lannam operated from a shed at 2 Hope St Grey Lynn specialising in gamefishing chairs,wooden steering wheels & other quality marine products. He sold his business in ??1976 to Brian Bennett who traded as Stronglite Accessories, later moving to Ben Lomond Cres Pakuranga.Colin by this time had moved and lived at Waller Ave Bucklands Beach and though retired still worked for Brian. Colin was a craftsman of the old school and a gentleman to boot.He had been manpowered to Percy Vos’s yard during WW2.

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16. PS Sid Wallath had lived in Mountain Road, Epsom between 1935 and c1955 but shifted to Okahu St, Orakei after he retired as a builder in the mid-1950s.

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17. Sid Wallath’s Lees-built boat was OKAHU, named after the street in which he lived.

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18. Thanks for the interesting info about where he lived Harold, – I never went to his house,– we always went to his factory in Pakuranga in respect of the furniture he made for us, & always met up with them away in the boat, I know she originally had the usual flathead Graymarine, Chrysler Crown, or Kermath when built,, & I have a feeling it was a c 90 hp Graymarine & the Ford Diesel was fitted in the 1950s or early 1960s, I also hadn’t realised he sold her to Syd Wallath, who at that time lived in Mountain Rd Epsom, & of course later had another sedan top similar, but with a straight sheer, built by Tim Lees at Sandspit, which I will check the name of. — KEN RICKETTS

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19. LADY DIANNA and LADY DIANA got thoroughly confused in yacht registers, club lists and so on.
    Colin Lannam was a cabinetmaker and lived in Lemington Road, Westmere. He finished the interior after McGeady built her. Lannam didn’t keep her long as she was owned by S.L. Wallath of Okahu St, Orakei by 1953. Later owners include H.C. Thomas of Inga Rd, Milford in 1973 when her dimensions were given as 36’x35’x11’x3’6″, her engine as a 100hp Ford diesel.and her build year as 1948 in her APYMBA record card.
    According to Capt. Barry Thompson’s book “Deeds Not Words” on the Coastguard service, Trevor Kelly owned LADY DIANNA around 1985, but that’s probably a typo for LADY DIANA.

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