Our much loved Grey Lynn has near legendary status. Nicknamed The People’s Republic of Grey Lynn, history is everywhere despite its recent gentrification.
Now a comprehensive new book, written by local historian Tania Mace and published by Massey University Press in September, tells that history.
Tania Mace, who is a longtime member of GLRA and who has been very involved in many of its campaigns over the years, has lived in Grey Lynn for more than 30 years.
She tracks the story of our neighbourhood through time: eeling ground of mana whenua, the colonial carve-up into farmland, the gradual progression of residential development through Victorian and Edwardian times and beyond, early industry, the rough and tumble of left-wing politics, the wave of post war migrants from rural Māori communities and the Pacific, the boho scene of artists, filmmakers, writers, journalists, musicians, the students, the safe haven it has been for the queer community and so much more.
The book was a long time in the research. “Many sources can shed light on the history of a place but you have to understand that primary sources were not generally created with the historians of today in mind – and because common terms, place names, street names and numbers have often changed over time, there can be much to untangle,” Tania says of some of the challenges she encountered.
But there were also many surprises and breakthroughs. “One surprise was finding that George Baildon, who would later become Mayor of Grey Lynn Borough and Auckland City, lived in the same humble dwelling where artist Theo Schoon lived in the 1950s and 1960s – this gave me the idea of introducing the story of the area through the history of this house and the people who lived in it,” she says.
Although there has been much change there has also been continuity – as evidenced by the survival of the original housing stock, which is either approaching its first century or surpassed that milestone decades ago.
The 420 pages of The Near West are peppered with over 250 maps, photographs and art works. They cover geological and Māori history, farming, industry, local government, culture, sports and the arts, creating a fascinating read for anybody keen to know what makes these neighbourhoods tick.
The book will be launched at Dear Reader on Richmond Road on September 12 and there will be another event at the Grey Lynn Library on the afternoon of September 28.
You can buy a copy at our fabulous local booksellers – Dear Reader, The Women’s Bookshop on Ponsonby Road, and, in the city Unity Books.
