Mansion House Opening Labour Day 1979
The above photos of Mansion House, Kawa Island were sent in by Juliana Cooke.
Quite an impressive turnout but a lot of plastic floating in the bay, and also the tenders tied at the wharf are predominately plastic.
Still I can spy some well done Woodys at anchor.
These days you wouldn’t see the ferries rafted up like that – Fullers far too precious to do that, but these days on a peek holiday period – one would have broken down, one would be out for annual maintaince and the remaining ferry would be running 1hr late 🙂
06-09-2019 Input from Neil Chalmers – see below, souvenir cover bought on the day at Kawau. Neil recalls Sir Keith H (Governor General) arriving in the SeaBee widgeon (or was it a goose) and giving a speech at the opening.
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By coincidence mum turned up today with a bunch of photos from this day, where my grandparents were ironically relaxing in a raft up of fibreglass speed boats along the shoreline
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2 x round engines so the plane is Grumman Goose ZK-DFC, it also appeared in the ads for cold water surf (taking off towing a line of washing from memory ) and for many years flew with Cold Water Surf painted allover the tail and wing upper surface. A most amazing plane I chartered it many times and filled it with other aviation nuts for a quick trip around city and gulf taking off from Mechanics Bay.
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Those big boats are the Ngaroma and a Navy Fairmile. Dad’s boat is in the back with her davits photo bombing. The Governor General of the time was there too.
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Some notable woodies -the Woolacott in the foreground and a nice 9′ Mosquito craft, you can tell its the seventies by all the trailer sailors -whats happened to them?
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I was wondering if the coconut palms were still in the corner of Mansion House Bay
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Photo added. Alan H
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Makes me sad to see the Gulf Air seaplane. Soon to be asset stripped as I recall by Ron Brierly. I might have been there on that occasion. A navy patrol boat steamed in and knocked the end off the warf during the afternoon..
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