Morrie stories come out of the woodwork

By Bernard Egan November 30 2011

I always knew the Morris 1000 is a car lots of people can associate with.

So many people have either owned one, know someone who has or had one or has been in one.
Reaction to the last story has proved it.
Hardly a scientific poll, although given the events of last weekend one could be excused for wondering if any polls are, but the feedback has proved the Morris 1000 is an iconic, much liked car.
Reaction has come from wide and far, including a message from expat Ashburtonians Lawrence and Jude Moylan.
After living in Australia for several years Lawrence and Jude now live in Tauranga, where they operate a bed and breakfast business.
Lawrence has been in touch to say the story reminded him that his first car was a 1959 Morris 1000.
He kindly sent photos of a private museum in Havelock North which houses several "Morries" amongst a very impressive collection of vehicles.
When Lawrence asked the museum owner "how many cars do you have?" he was told "365, one for each day of the year".
Except of course leap year, an event the sheikh with a harem of 365 wives was quote as saying he looked forward to!
These days the Moylans have a restored Daimler V8 which is sometimes used to transport guests.
They have owned the Daimler for 18 years, since buying it here before they left Ashburton.
They are glad they made the decision to entrust it to several talented locals for restoration.
The skills of those craftspeople are now evident.
One reader reminded us that nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the fiancé of Arkwright the character made famous by Ronnie Barker in Open all Hours, drove a Morris 1000.
And that could be a hint about identity of the car which prompted the last story.
All this Morris 1000 talk and a recent trip to the West Coast reminded me again of my little green machine from years ago.
Along with Warwick Protheroe I once set off on an expedition to the West Coast in "Mervie".
We had a great trip and I recall overnight accommodation costing the princely sum of $6.
On a recent trip to the West Coast I couldn't help thinking just how much both the roads and our cars have changed since those days.
And just as I pondered on that lo and behold I saw some travellers obviously enjoying themselves as they motored along in a very nice Morris 1000.
They were on the road just out of Kumara, a town well known for its famous race meetings.
Kumara has other claims to fame, including being the launching place of the career of a legendary politician.
Richard or "King Dick" Seddon as he was affectionately known because of the size of his girth, his great ideas and his sometimes larger than life personality, arrived on the West Coast during the early gold rush days.
He had a store and a hotel, but was said to have been even busier in his capacity as an unqualified lawyer representing the needs of the miners with whom he identified.
In 1877 Richard Seddon became Mayor of Kumara, later becoming an M.P. and then between 1893 and 1906 Premier of New Zealand leading a Liberal Government.
He died on a return sea voyage from Australia.
It's likely Richard Seddon saw cars before he died, and most likely because of what it is the Morris 1000 would have appealed to him.
Richard Seddon was sometimes accused of nepotism and during an election campaign he was asked if he found jobs for his friends.
King Dick responded by saying yes that was true but in classic style he went on to say "but of course you are all my friends!"
Today a plaque marks the site of his home where some remnants of the walls and chimney remain.
It may not be a big town, but at one stage during the 1930s Kumara had the largest swimming pool complex in the country, and the outline of this very large rock lined pool which had dressing sheds and a diving board can still be seen.
Nowadays birdsong is about the only sound heard around what the locals called "frog pond" which is surrounded by native bush, but it's easy to imagine laughter in years gone by when people enjoyed the community pool created by volunteers.
Sluicings from a gold mine were used in the construction of the pool.
In those days water played a big part in gold mining and a high pressure jet of water unearthed a huge rock near Kumara.
Londonderry Rock so named because it was said to have been discovered by Irish gold miners is 14 metres long, nearly 12 metres wide and 8 metres high.
It is estimated to weigh between 3000 and 4000 tonnes.
When the powerful jet of water used by the miners toppled the rock the thud was not only felt in Kumara some kilometres away but it also stopped the Post Office clock.
These relics of our past are not far from the main highway and a reminder that we are close to our history and nowhere is this more evident that on the West Coast.
Getting back to the particular Morris 1000 we are going to talk about, well I've got a little bit sidetracked, so that will have to keep until next time.
But there is a hint about it in this story, and some readers who have speculated about who it belongs to and in fact spoken to owners of a special green Morris 1000 may be right.
Time will tell!

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