A bit of history and nostalgia concerning the Vauxhall shop. My parents leased 89, as a grocery shop, I would think in 1939/40 until 1942 from "Pop" Christie who I would think would have been the original owner, as he was well in his 70s and lived alone inthe villa immediately to the rear of the shop. My parents had moved from Browns Store which was a dairy/grocery on the corner of Cheltenham Rd and Oxford Terrace with living quarters above, which is now apartments (sounds familiar). I attended Vauxhall Primary School at that time and had my jobs to do after school and Saturday mornings including breaking up dates which came in blocks and had to be watered and broken up by hand, weighed and bagged, as did potatoes and carbonettes. All the dirty jobs! Saturday mornings was push bike deliveries and believe it this wouldn't happen today, a primary schoolboy biking to Devonport to the Bank of New Zealand to do the banking. I will naturally be disappointed to see the premises disappear and I appreciate Merv's efforts and trust this bit of nostalgia may help to piece together the shops history. I am now living in Milford, always wanting to return to the Shore after retirement and enjoy an occasional visit to my old stamping ground. I enjoyed your article and trust this may be of some use. Don Gillespie Milford
