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Post by hairy on May 12, 2008 22:16:40 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 12, 2008 23:00:21 GMT 12
Hmmm. The plot continues to thicken. You love stirring this sort of stuff up, don't ya Marcus. That Tauranga Harvard appears to be in the CFS colours that Tauranga-ites would have seen in their wartime skies. Neat to see. Does than one still survive now?
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 12, 2008 23:19:45 GMT 12
I thought an easy way to solve this would be to contact the local museums at Pahiatua and Methven. Someone there will have memories or photos. Both places have museums but neither have websites!
On one site I saw that the Methven I-site takes messages for their local museum so I looked up their site. It's very nice as a site, but has absolutely no contact info on it for contacting the I-site.
No wonder these small towns stay small. They don't like outsiders...
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Post by hairy on May 12, 2008 23:22:50 GMT 12
The Tauranga Harvard was scrapped in 1980 according to the adf serial site. The Adf-serial site also notes that the amount raised for the rennovation of the Pahiatua Harvard was $5000 in 2003, I don't think that would be enough for all the work required to turn the Harvard in the original pic to what you see now in Pahiatua (re-mounting, engine cowl, painting etc). Another posibility how about NZ1077 which was mounted in a back yard in Ashburton? Stir? Me? Never? Dave - Thought I might see you at Victoria park in Cambridge last Saturday, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to pop 'round to yours to say Hi.
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Post by fletcherfu24 on May 12, 2008 23:25:25 GMT 12
The building behind the harvard would appear to be a masonic lodge,judging by the sign on the building and the fact it has no windows.According to google maps there are no masonic lodges in Pahiatua,Methven or Takapau where Harvards were in playgrounds. Unless it isnt a masonic lodge and this post is a complete waste of space.
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Post by hairy on May 12, 2008 23:29:18 GMT 12
Methven has two pubs across the road from each other, one is painted brown and one is painted blue, they are named the Brown pub and the Blue pub...........yes really, it's true.
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Post by hairy on May 12, 2008 23:37:29 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 12, 2008 23:40:35 GMT 12
Marcus, I was at Hobsonville on Saturday. And I'm not a Young Farmer. Were you filming or competing?
It's not the Ashburton back yard Harvard, I've seen a photo of that in Wings and it's nothing like thgat. Plus it was painted in a wartime scheme from early on.
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Post by hairy on May 12, 2008 23:51:32 GMT 12
Fiming, editing, sound, screens, lights, scoring, two of us were there doing the AV, love your Town Hall (except the wall paper). Also, great lunch from Frans cafe' and GPO for din-dins. ;D I really must go to bed I have a 6am flight tomorrow to meet someone from Methven in Ashburton.........Seriously.
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Post by b10m on May 13, 2008 1:02:37 GMT 12
Is that sign for a Masonic hall or is it a scouts sign. Why does it have to have no windows to be a masonic lodge hall? Whew
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Post by Bruce on May 13, 2008 8:26:41 GMT 12
On one site I saw that the Methven I-site takes messages for their local museum so I looked up their site. It's very nice as a site, but has absolutely no contact info on it for contacting the I-site. No wonder these small towns stay small. They don't like outsiders... The Masonic Lodge run the I-site; you have to use the secret handshake to get info.... (apologies to any Masons )
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Post by fletcherfu24 on May 13, 2008 9:21:10 GMT 12
The longer you look at the roundel on that Harvard the more it looks like a maple leaf not a kiwi in the centre.....are we on a wild Canadian goose chase??...
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Post by Bruce on May 13, 2008 11:48:58 GMT 12
ADF serials provides a Clue - The remnant colour scheme is a 1960s-1970s style, although laking side numbers. The Pahiatua Harvard was disposed of in 1950, so wouldnt have been given that scheme in service. NZ946 at Methven was retired at a similar stage but was an instructional airframe at Wigram until disposed of in 1967. As instructional airframes are regularly repainted into what scheme is current, and serial codes are not always reapplied (as the INST numbers are different) the scenario fits the photo O.K. not conclusive, but a further step to solving the mystery....
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 13, 2008 15:07:55 GMT 12
I had already considered this. But I was thinking as the Pahiatua Harvard had sat in Bennett's yard from 1950 till 1964, it would have needed a repaint before being erected in a park surely. And perhaps they painted it in the current scheme? Maybe as Pahiatua is down the road from Ohakea, they had some help?
I surmise if it was remounted and perhaps repainted into yellow sometime between the 1964 erection and 2003 repaint? ie after this 1970's picture. It makes sense, it is a great icon of the town like Ohakune's carrot, Paeroa's bottle, Rakaia's salmon, etc. The local groups like Jaycees who erected it and Lions, the coucil etc may have done it up a few times so it doesn't get all tatty. Just a thought.
It's a wonder Transit hasn't made them remove it.
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 17, 2008 18:16:32 GMT 12
I've been scratching my head over this one. The following Harvards are recorded as public playground beasts: NZ918/INST135 - Sold by to Bennett Aviation Ltd, Te Kuiti. Sold to Jaycees, to playground at Pahiatua Nov63 NZ946/INST144 - Sold by tender to Horrell Company, Ashburton, to Jaycees for playground at Methven 1967 NZ980/INST136 - Sold by tender to Bennett Aviation Ltd, Te Kuiti. To Jaycees for playground at Tauranga Feb63 , removed 1979 NZ1100/INST149 - Sold by GSB tender number 7078 to Bennett Aviation Ltd., Te Kuiti. Purchased by Jaycees and installed in childrens playground at Takapau in August 1963 NZ1102/INST138 - Sold by tender from Hobsonville in August 1965 in unairworthy condition and used in childrens playground at Morrinsville. Purchased by R. Jowitt mid 1985 My photos of the Pahiatua one add nothing to the discussion. Strangely, I can clearly remember viewing both the Tauranga and Methven Harvards, yet I cannot track any photos I may have taken of those. Most unusual! I never saw the Takapu item, but I do have some photos of INST138 when it was at Waimaukau (just north of Auckland, on the Helensville road) It had been bought from the Stores Board by Dwen, and he had a lot of stuff at the old Waimaukau dairy factory. The Harvard was lying outside (photos dated 8Jan1966): This was prior to its sale to the Morrinsville interests, and I wonder if it would have been repainted for its use there?
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 17, 2008 19:08:23 GMT 12
Where exactly is Takapau?
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Post by fletcherfu24 on May 17, 2008 19:10:56 GMT 12
Hawkes Bay
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 17, 2008 19:18:07 GMT 12
Cheers
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jun 3, 2008 1:29:27 GMT 12
I really must go to bed I have a 6am flight tomorrow to meet someone from Methven in Ashburton.........Seriously. So, did you find anything out whilst in Ashburton with your Methven contact regarding the Harvards in those locales?
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Post by mumbles on Jun 10, 2008 17:29:19 GMT 12
Angle of the aircraft and position of hills in the background (Pahiatua would have the mountain range on the right) ...... ? Sleuth away Pahiatua lies on a wide with hills to the east and west.....Tararuas are closest to the west, which would be on the left of the google-earth pic . I was passing trough Paihiatua yesterday and got some new photos. Some more work appears to have been done on the aircraft. Interior. The 'floor' appears to be the upper surface of the wing centre section. If I had been more on to it I would have looked for a masonic hall or scout lodge.....the police station is at about 1 O'clock off the nose if that helps
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