Clark House 25-59 Clark Rd. Hobsonville

[oj]

I stumbled upon this yesterday in a newspaper parcel-wrapping that arrived at my work:

homes.co.nz/address/auckland/hobsonville/25-clark-road/AzjJqn

Someone needs to tell us more about it.
Looks like it could have been a great place for Hobsonville parties? Dave?

Significant points are:
1. Owned by NZ Defence at time of this sale.
2. A tunnel once leading to Limeburners bay factory. Please tell us more about this ...
3. A huge annexe built by the RNZAF in 1969. What was that used for?
4. At the end of the 45 photos there is a good You Tube video that shows quite a bit more.

[Dave Homewood]

That was the home of the Defence Aviation Medical Unit for years. The decompression chamber was there.

Before that it was used as an Officer's Married Quarters for two couples, one of the couples being Rex and Dee de Bettencor. Rex later returned there as the CO of the medical unit now in his old home, he told me.

This house was still used up till recent years but the medical unit moved to Whenuapai when due to quake regulations.

[oj]

Thanks Dave, but you missed out item 2.

[Dave Homewood]

I do not know why, but the Clark family who owned the house before Defence took it over owned the brickworks there. Bruce Cooke knows more about it, There is at least one thread on the forum about Clark House somewhere.

[Dave Homewood]

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/21344/hobsonville-history-destroyed-week?page=3

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22244/base-auckland-aviation-medicine-unit

[Andrew Hamilton]

We were taken to the entrance of the tunnel when we were shown around the facility as part of a tour for Scouts that used to be held at the old church just down the road in the late 80’s. I would have been 8 or 9 at the time, we lived on Sunderland Ave at Hobsonville at the time and spent a lot of time with other local Air Force Brats playing war games in the bush behind the house down into Limeburners bay and all over the air base.