Home and away

Almost 90 years ago, Dennis Nathan survived a fire that destroyed his family's homestead. He is returning to its elegant replacement for a very special occasion. Sharu Delilkan takes up a highly entertaining piece of Manurewa history.
Eighty-five years have passed since Nathan Homestead was built in Manurewa. Dennis Nathan is the only surviving member of the original household.
Days before his 98th birthday, he is pleased to represent the family as the guest of honour at the homestead's birthday celebrations in conjunction with Nathan Homestead's Community Arts Open Day.
The icing on the cake is that he will see his 14-year-old grand-nephew, Isaac Barukh, in action for the first time.
The Manurewa teenager will be involved in the entertainment; juggling and doing magic tricks while riding a unicycle. His mother, Wendy, is the daughter of Dennis' late younger brother, Frank.
The historic Nathan Homestead was built in 1925 to replace the original timber house which was destroyed in an electrical fire in 1923. The fire destroyed many rare antiques, including two paintings by New Zealand artist Charles Goldie.
"My mother, who was from Paris, went on a trip to Europe with my father in 1918 after the war and bought lovely antique furniture and Persian carpets," recalls Dennis. "The antique furniture and carpets were installed in the Manurewa house 10 days before the house burned down."
The fire's destruction was extensive because there was no local fire brigade and the water pressure in those days was too weak to douse the flames.
The then 10-year-old Dennis was woken by his older brother, Lawrence, to escape the fire. But, being a child and not realising the urgency and implication of the fire, Dennis went straight to the bathroom for his daily cold shower before dressing and leaving the house.
What started off as a summer house for the Nathans - who initially spent winters at St Kevins on the corner of Karangahape Rd and Pitt St in the city - became their permanent residence. The land the homestead stood on was also a working farm of around 121ha.
Dennis' father, David Lawrence Nathan, built a second storey on the original little house to accommodate his growing family.
"At the time, the trip between K Rd and our summer house, known as 'The Hill', took an hour and 20 minutes, which was longer during the winter when the road surface deteriorated."
Isaac, a student in the performing arts classes at Nathan Homestead since he was 8 years old, says he feels at home whenever he goes to the homestead.
"I remember when my mother used to take me there and tell me the stories about what it was like when she was growing up. She says she particularly loved sliding down the banister whenever she visited her uncle's house."
Dennis' mother, Simone, lived at the homestead for a further 11 years after her husband's sudden death in 1944. The family home was eventually turned into Manurewa's Art Centre in 1978, not long after the Southern Motorway divided the farm on the boundary between the old Manurewa Borough and Manukau County.
"We are very pleased with the way the council has used our home to foster cultural and educational programmes," says Dennis. "I'm sure if my father were alive, who was an avid gardener, he'd be overjoyed to see the magnificent Botanical Gardens which the Auckland Regional Council has developed on his farm."
Nathan Homestead Community Arts Open Day, Manurewa Arts Centre, 70 Hill Rd, Manurewa, Oct 30, 10am. Free entry. Contact: ph 267 0180.