Local Focus: Dave's Den in Dannevirke is a delight of model diecast cars

Dave Pawson admits something in him must have "snapped".

The former farmer from Dannevirke calls his passion a "bug" that he caught on a family trip to Norfolk Island 38 years ago.

"Something snapped over there," he said. "And I started buying up toys. I bought the biggest suitcase I could find over there and I was underway."

He decided to make his model-car obsession, of mainly Matchbox brand, self-supporting opening Dave's Den in 1996 on the northern approach to Dannevirke.

The collection has grown to an astounding 8000 model vehicles but Dave said he was in the process of "winding down".

"Mind you, I weaken occasionally."

Some of his cars were worth thousands of dollars, but Dave wasn't in it for money.

Neither was the mysterious gentleman he met seven years ago who liked model cars even more than Dave.

"He came in and said he had never been here before, and I knew damn well he had."

The man carefully chose 27 pieces, mostly emergency vehicles, which he wanted to purchase but then came came up short on payment.

"He said he didn't have enough money to pay for them and went to the money machine, and said he couldn't get it out.

"He came back a week later and said, 'I've lost my job – I'm moving home to Napier and I've decided to pick the models up on the way through'.

"So I went and got them out of the office... and he presented a firearm and left with them.

He was just obsessed with emergency vehicles.

"So I rang the cops. They had him in an hour and the police were very, very good. I'm full of praise for them."

Dave will soon turn 80 and has been spending more time tending to his wife, who was unwell.

"We went on a blind date and, 46 years later, we are still blind and together," he said.

He said anyone planning a special trip to Dave's Den should call ahead, so he could be sure to welcome them.

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