All Historic

In 1926, 16 year old Milan Babic Yozin came to New Zealand from the coastal village of Padgora in Dalmatia, a poverty-stricken area. An uncle with an orchard at Oratia paid his passage over; Milan worked for two years to repay him. After this he went to work on a dairy farm in the Waikato, preferring to find work with an English speaking family to help improve his English. By 1937 Milan put in a deposit on a property in Swanson, as well as leasing adjoining railway land. Initially, he grazed cows to generate income from milk and cream production. Read more [...]

The garage and house behind were built by Doug G Mattson in 1947 with the business called Mattson’s Garage. In the late 1950s Mr Linton took over the garage and house until 1962 when the property was split into two titles. The garage, renamed Swanson Motors, was bought by Clevan Holdings Ltd. During that time it was leased by Bill Simpson (1974), Jerry Gaskin (1981) and Les Fuller (1986). In 1988 Hans and Ruth Boere sub-leased the workshop from Les Fuller under the name of Candia Automotive. Hans was apprenticed to Bill Simpson and like the first owner Mr Mattson, Read more [...]

– Listed as Historic structure

John Beecher Guy built this shop in 1926 for his sister Charlotte (Lottie). It was called ‘Wendy’s Tea and Candy Kitchen’ and sold Peters ice-cream, soft drinks, aerated waters and tobacco and home-made confectionary (Lottie had taken a course in sweetmaking). Without refrigeration the ice-cream was chilled in a mixture of bought ice and salt. Lottie provided morning and afternoon teas with cooked pies and cakes. She was noted for her home-made Yorkshire pies, which cost 3d and 4d, and were popular with some of the Waitemata rugby team. Later she added a small lending library – her father had Read more [...]

The ‘Weekly News’ reported in February 1901 that James Wilkinson of Auckland, who owned a 24-acre block west of Church Street, “has given a piece of land at Swanson for the building of a place of worship, but it is conditional that the place be erected in twelve months, which is rather hard lines on Swanson… (in October 1901) busy preparations for the erection of a Congregational Church at Swanson is taking place.” The residents of Swanson must have kept to the condition imposed by James Wilkinson as it was reported: “on 29 December 1901 two lady missionaries from Samoa Read more [...]

Bill Calvert’s first butcher’s shop was originally on this site (part of the Calvert block). After the current butchery was built in 1935 his old shop was leased for Mrs Hintz’s Home Cookery and Cyril Morris’ Boot Shop until the building burned down in 1945. Many remembered Mrs Hintz’s hot mince pies for 6d. In 1962 Bill Calvert built the first two shops in the current block. The first shop was to house the Four Square business run by his sister and husband. This is now a dairy incorporating the post office business. The second shop, now a takeaway outlet, Read more [...]

In 1924 a butchery was established in Swanson by William (Bill) Calvert, who ran a farm on No 1 Road (now Coulter Road). A small shop was built where The Trusts retail shop, Swanson Village Wine and Spirits, is today. In 1935 the Calverts built a new shop on the site where it still is today. The Calverts initially had a slaugtherhouse on the farm and, with the shop, a sound business was established that continues to this day. Bill Calvert was assisted by his wife Julia (nee O’Meara) and was later joined by his son Bill (junior). Currently John Read more [...]

By 1923 an Anglican vicar gained enough support to build an Anglican church in Swanson and at the beginning of 1923, £300 was borrowed to pay for Mr Erickson’s ground (next to the school). The trustees who saw the project through were: Messrs T.M. Kay, G.H. Mills, E.S. Green, A. Christian, and the Rev A. Venables. Money was raised to pay for the church by a concert and donations. The 12 pews cost £22. Messrs F. Hills, F. Farley and A.C. Stansell were authorised to build the church but due to insufficient funds it remained unlined (but worshipped in) for Read more [...]