Nealie book a fascinating trip back in time

"A tribute meaning no offence

To men of worth and commonsense

Though you mayhap are not inside

Some friend will be, so you're implied" - FJ Nealie, 1948

Several readers have contacted me regarding a letter in last Thursday's paper about a caricature by the cartoonist Nealie.

Correspondent Don MacLeod found an old sketch of his grandfather Alexander MacLeod which had appeared in The Daily Post. MacLeod snr had been involved in the Justice Department in Rotorua and Mr MacLeod wondered when the cartoon had been printed.

Many readers rang or wrote in to say they had a copy of a book featuring several of Mr Nealie's cartoons.

The book - Rotorua Personalities in Line, Verse and Story, subtitled Post Personalities - was published by The Daily Post in 1948.

It features an introduction by CHC Worthington, and drawings by Nealie, each accompanied by verse by Lawson Smith.

It's a fascinating insight into Rotorua's past and some of the city's more colourful characters (albeit in black & white). It should be noted that nearly all the subjects in the book are male, though one page feature a sketch including Guides Ellen, Lena, Rangi, Rosie and Kiri, entitled 'Good Guides Never Die'.

Many of the subjects' sketches and verses are accompanied by small ads for their businesses while other snippets look back at the city's history.

The Daily Post published a feature article on the book on its 50th anniversary. Our reporter Rory Hewson, a cartoonist himself, tracked down one of the book's subjects, former dental technicial Mark Chadwick, who said the book received a great response when it came out.

Another man, Goff Beale, told Mr Hewson he was "a bit miffed" at the time to have been left out of the book, especially considering the first advertisement in the book was for his panelbeating business. Mr Hewson included his own caricature of Mr Beale with the feature.

You can read the 1998 feature here. And I strongly encourage you to look up the book in the New Zealand History section at the Rotorua Public Library. There is also a copy in the library's Don Stafford Room.

Thanks to everyone who got in touch about Nealie - much appreciated.