I have been visiting my Grandmother again with a handy flip camera, and while she insists that she was only 6-9 years old during the time she lived in Lopdell house, she has gauged the years correctly.
I have some photos too!! and will post them here for your perusal.
Reg and Vera took the building on when it stood closed as a 'White Elephant' in 1934, and worked hard to run it extremely successfully as a hotel together with local employees.Business families from Auckland would sometimes stay for the whole summer period while the gentlemen would commute to town for work. There were some full time occupants in the hotel too, and then the buses arriving for afternoon tea. Levy and Reg Nicolas wee friendly and sometimes would go fishing together. The Levys would frequent the building for stays, with their son, and later Levy employed Reg to manage a business with him. My Nana was six when they arrived and nine when they left, so from her child's perspective it's a lovely homely account. She kept a horse, and remembers a lot about attending the Titirangi School. She fondly remembers the cook, who would apparently give notice every Christmas eve.Percy Levy owned the building but didn't work with Reg on it, he had invited him to run it for him which is what happened. It was sold to the Shrubsalls in 1937, and the Shrubsalls owned it for just a few weeks or months at the end of the Nicolas' lease. The Shrubsalls wanted to turn the Hotel into a 'night club' says my Nana, and Reg wasn't interested in doing that.Reg and Vera had done well from the business, and bought a property in School road where the family lived for another few years, and where they had two sons, Reg and David. The two older sisters Jeanette (Kayes), Ruth (McClean)-my Grandmother, and David Nicolas -the youngest have survived their brother Reg and live in East Auckland variously.I'm looking forward to making these histories available to the historical society, and Bruce and Trixie can no doubt advise as to how they should be stored and kept.Most wonderfully, I have photos from the whole period, including three wonderful shots: two of the roof top as it was open to visitors, and one a view of the neighboring houses taken at the same time. We can't date them exactly but guessing by Ruths age, - 1936.
Also, my Nana has presented me with a box of cassette tapes made by my Great Grandmother Vera Nicolas, assisted by my Uncle Reg. No one alive has listened to them yet!I'm in the process of transferring them to digital media, and it's pretty exciting.
