Family History, Life at No.22, Musings

Hotel Buller and Uncle Bill

Suzanne

During the 1940s, my great Uncle Bill Kane (Nana Ballard’s brother) worked, visited or did both at the Hotel Buller in Westport.ā€‚Which burned down on the 31st of May, 1958.

Hotel Buller fire, 1958. – image courtesy of Westcoast Recollect – no one was hurt.

Luckily, I have kept a tiny bit of history related to that time via a small autograph book in which Bill’s friends wrote short poems for him. If we go by the words, it’s a glimpse into some youth-inspired fun in what seemed a hectic time in history.

Sailors, sailors, high and mighty,
I wish your pyjamas were beside my nightie,
Don’t be mistaken, don’t be misled,
I mean on the clothesline and not in bed. L.E. Cooper, Hotel Buller, 25.2.40

In your chain of friendship,
Please regard me as a link. – Takaka,1938
I wish you health,
I wish you wealth,
I wish you gold in store,
I wish you heaven after death,
and if I could, I’d wish you more. – Ken Kelly – 1940
Never trouble, trouble
until trouble troubles
you as, only double trouble
and trouble others to (too). – 1940
A detailed sketch of Mitre Peak (Milford Sounds area) – Tekapo 1938
Uncle Rich (back left) and Uncle Bill Kane (back middle) -1970s

From stories I know of, Uncle Bill was an adventurous lad, from working on ships as a steward to an assortment of other hospitality jobs, which enabled him to travel around New Zealand and abroad. It was mostly unheard of during those days. He never married and returned to Gisborne around his 30s. He resided with his brother Rich (Richard), who was a quieter lad. They lived in the house where their Aunty had brought up Rich and Nana, the youngest of the children; the rest of the siblings were taken to a Catholic orphanage in Auckland.

It’s impressive that the siblings were able to keep in touch. They were all very close, with my Uncles keeping in touch with Nana, who also lived in Gisborne. When the telephone, the old dial-up on the wall, used to ring around 3 pm, Nana would say that would be Dick, as she fondly called Rich or perhaps Bill. Twice a day, those calls came in unless, of course, they were visiting each other.ā€‚The warmth and support they gave each other were inspiring, considering the hard upbringing they endured.ā€‚This bond lasted until Bill and Rich passed.ā€‚

I have very fond memories of both my Uncles, Bill and Rich.ā€‚Our family welcomed their visits very much.ā€‚They never came empty-handed; they always had something to contribute to a morning tea or lunch, with many of their visits around Christmas time, so gifts were part of that contribution.ā€‚

When we visited Gisborne, there were visits to see the Uncles, a big spread laid out, even raw onion or chopped cabbage in our mashed potatoes, so exotic.ā€‚I think I mentioned more than once that Mum never did that with our mash, which was followed by a motherly glare that couldn’t be unseen, indicating that the food had to be eaten.

They were always well dressed and teased us kids with humour. They were generally quietly spoken and both very likeable gentlemen. When I think of them now, I think of the many stories and unfilled dreams that I never heard them share.ā€‚

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

26 thoughts on “Hotel Buller and Uncle Bill”

  4. I wish you shelter from the storm
    A cosy fire to keep you warm
    I wish you health, and more than wealth
    I wish you love.

    I think that fits with one of the keepsakes you quote. It sounds like he was loved. He certainly left warm memories behind.

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    1. Aww, thank Jo, that’s really lovely. I am not quite sure his life went the way he wanted, something tells me he would’ve led an unconventional life if things had been different. I missed one about the sailors, have now put it on the post šŸ™‚

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  6. What a cool autograph book! I think they were popular in the 1930s in particular. You did mention what happened to the siblingsā€™ parents. Such a shame some had to go to an orphanage. Like you said, good they could remain in touch and stay close in adulthood.

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  10. What a lovely post, Suzanne. It is so interesting. I love the little ‘trouble’ poem.

    Your post reminded me of the autograph book I had when I left school. Most of the class had them, and on our last day, we passed them around for everyone to write something. I’ve no idea what happened to mine.

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    1. Thanks Sue and I laughed at the sailor one. Over a lifetime it is impossible to keep everything, if that happened we wouldn’t have collectable items that are sort after. We also had a class book that class mates wrote in. Like yours, mine has gone with another of Dad’s cleanouts during his last few years.

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  11. Such fond memories. I remember the craze for autograph books in the 1950ā€™s and all my friends kept them. I wish I still had mine but sadly itā€™s long gone. So treasure that one you have.

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