Welcome to another post of events not likely to be seen again in New Brighton and Coastal area..
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The first photo reveals only one existing feature, the macrocarpa tree pre-library, but what you won’t see again is a big ciggies sign ‘Capstan’ encouraging smokers to puff (under the old pier) and according to the brand, “the best way to make friends”.
In second we see a group of women in a pancake race (to match the egg and spoon run in Parklands featured in the last post), only you had to toss the pancake in the air a couple of times as part of the conditions.
Photo number three will definitely never be seen again and features the NZ Surf Champs in New Brighton in 1938, the Sumner team in the foreground.
I believe the teams were uttering the Oath: “I swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to His Majesty King George VI, his heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.”
(So nothing to do with the Nazis who were prominent at that time).
With number five we see an early advert for Coca Cola and ideal brain tonic and cure for headaches.
These days the soft drink giants impact on the environment is the main talking point, producing some 3 million tons of plastic packaging globally each year – the equivalent of about 200,000 bottles a minute – and branded the world’s largest plastic polluter and therefore a big cause of headaches.
The final series of images features was an event lasting until the early 1970’s.
The first features a massive crowd, the sort of crowd the new Christchurch stadium backers would be praying to get every week to justify spending a lot of money on the build. This massive turnout is in New Brighton to see the annual beauty contest and part of the big January New Year Gala event.
These galas actually go back to 1895 so existed in one form or another for a long time. I believe some of the winners went on to take out Miss Canterbury placings.
There was actually a men’s division but less about swimsuit and beauty and more about muscles to be crowned Mr New Brighton, and also a Mr Puniverse, for people like myself. A former contestant told me they attracted more female attention than the muscle men.