Who was the Reminiscence Man? In the 1920s, over 50 articles appeared in The Star newspaper under the byline, The Reminiscence Man. The items were all interviews with old residents who talked about their memories of life in Christchurch in the early days of European settlement. One of these pieces was an interview with Mrs Ellen Murphy, who had been one of the early residents of Richmond — before it was called Richmond!? The article was included in the 5 November, 1927 issue of The Star.
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In the document below I have included a transcript of the Star article, with some notes and maps to expand on some points and illustrate others. And I have included information about The Reminiscence Man.

David Hollander
Richmond History Group

I have been on the lookout for a copy of the Shirley School 50th Jubilee Booklet for some time, but they are hard to come by. Thanks are due to John Hickling, who has loaned us his copy of the booklet for scanning and adding to our website — a PDF version is available for reading/downloading below.
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The booklet was published to accompany the school’s jubilee celebrations held in early 1966, and includes a brief account of the school’s history since opening in 1916, on its site on the south side of Shirley Road, between Chancellor and Slater streets — opposite the site of today’s Shirley Primary School.

The opening of a new school on this site in 1916 is evidence of a growing population in north Richmond and surrounding areas; in that first year the school roll was over 700!? The school moved from the old site to a larger space on the north side of Shirley Road, probably in the 1970s — does anyone know the exact year? The old brick school building became a community centre and the grounds a local park, until the Canterbury earthquakes, which destroyed the old building. The park is still a local gem and includes several fine mature trees. The CCC has plans to build a new community centre on the site in the future.

It’s good to be able to make this publication readily available. If anyone has photos or other information about the old Shirley School, we would love to hear from you — please contact Avebury House.

David Hollander
July 2023