‘8 Scott Ave - The Sequel’ brings memories flooding back for Bobby Cunningham and whānau

Bobby Cunningham (centre back) is one of the oldest surviving Scott Ave residents. He reminisces about the street with his son Rodger Cunningham (left) and daughter Kim Charles, along with '8 Scott Ave: The Sequel' writer and lead actor Jack Grace. Photo / Andrew Warner

When 8 Scott Ave - The Sequel opens in Rotorua next week, memories of growing up on the Ōwhata street in the 1970s will come flooding backfor Bobby Cunningham and his whānau. Rotorua Daily Post journalist Kelly Makiha, who is a cast member in next week’s show, meets one of the oldest living residents of Scott Ave and shares memories of what it was like.

Bobby Cunningham might be 90 and struggling with failing health, but his eyes light up when he thinks about his life raising his children on Scott Ave in Rotorua.

Children played gutter ball or marbles, everyone had a job, the lid on the boil-up pot on the stove could be lifted for anyone and happy parties and music filled the air.

The Cunninghams’ house was often a hive of activity for the kids because their driveway had tarseal, making it great for skateboarding.

The kids on the street - many of them Māori - may not have been deeply connected to their culture, but their address identified who they were and where they came from.

Bobby now has cancer, and two of his children and mokopuna have arrived in Rotorua this week to spend time with him - including son Rodger Cunningham, who has been in America for nearly seven years, and daughter Kim Charles, who has been in Perth for 15 years. They join youngest daughter Tanya Warren, from Rotorua.

United again, the whānau will warm the seats at the Sir Howard Morrison Centre next week to watch 8 Scott Ave: The Sequel.

Jack Grace is the creator of '8 Scott Ave: The Musical'. Photo / Stephen Parker

The musical is written by Rotorua artist and musician Jack Grace, who also grew up on Scott Ave.

The first show, 8 Scott Ave - The Musical, sold out in 2019 and prompted an encore performance in 2020.

Grace has again put pen to paper to come up with a new storyline for the sequel - a Māori family in Ōwhata who don’t have much money, but are rich when they come together to sing.

There are parties, guitars, singalongs, humour and a bit of raruraru [nonsense], but mostly, lots of love.

Some of the city’s top singers are among the cast including Grace, Krissie Knap, Rewa Ututaonga, Bobby Mihi Howard and Katarina Pihera.

'8 Scott Ave - The Musical' offers a take on Rotorua in the 1960s and '70s.

They team up with other cast members Tiana Hunter, Hunter Geary, Adrian Hurihanganui, Pareamio Turua-Pukepuke and Aliyah Stone-Taylor.

Grace said that with Bobby’s family coming together at this time, the “stars had aligned” with the opening of the show.

“This show is part of Bobby’s family. The story and songs are bigger than just us as performers and singers. When people go away from the show, I’m hoping what will linger is being able to remember those times, and [I’m] hoping they will connect and smile. Having Bobby there with his family is honestly going to be so special as we pay tribute to him and his time in that street.”

Bobby, who immigrated to New Zealand on April 17, 1953 from Scotland, was a former fitter and welder. His children and Grace described him at the time as a “handsome athletic man” admired for his soccer skills.

With his late wife, Tangi Cunningham, they had four children, including the late Robert Cunningham, Rodger, Kim and Tanya.

Bobby told the Rotorua Daily Post he was looking forward to the show and said no doubt, memories would come flooding back.

He rattled off how it only cost $11,000 to buy their home, how everyone had jobs at the nearby mills, how the pubs would close early and dinner was always at 5pm.

Kim said it was special having the whānau back together to reminisce.

“We are filling Dad with all our love, and we are so grateful for this time. Dad is such a strong person, and he gave us so much and was such a wonderful father.”

She said going to the show with him would help them go back in time and rekindle their memories.

Rodger, an accomplished musician who now runs the media and production department at a private school in America, said the musicality of Scott Ave helped make him the person he was today.

“You would hear music wafting in the air. It was magical ... [that] was [the] first time I ever thought, ‘Maybe I could have a go at this, if someone on my street could play like that’.”

For Rodger, the story of Scott Ave was unique.

“They weren’t transient families who lived there - we knew everyone, we knew what their mums and dads did, we knew whose kitchen you could go into and help yourself to the pot, it wasn’t unheard of for neighbours across the road to give you a growling ... It was about instilling values for manners. You got told off for littering.”

Rodger said there was lots of healthy competition in the street and sport was always played with the neighbours.

“When fads would come and go, like breakdancing, skateboarding, marbles, we all learned those things together. Because everybody’s parents knew everybody’s parents. There was a lot of aroha on the street for everyone.”

Rodger said they grew up a melting pot of different iwi, but they found their community in the street.

“Some of the families had a lot to do with the marae, but a lot didn’t ... That’s just my experience.”

He said there was the lingering trauma of colonisation following World War I and II, and many displaced Māori found themselves on streets like Scott Ave.

“I don’t want to say that in a negative way, because we worked through it and there was a huge sense of community. If you were from Reeves Rd, or Elliot Cres or Scott Ave, you were almost labelled in a way. But a good way.”

Rodger said the streets were filled with characters and personalities. Some were created for the 8 Scott Ave cast.

8 Scott Ave - The Sequel runs from April 11 to 16.

'8 Scott Ave: The Sequel' opens this month.