Devonport in the 1920s, as seen by the 'Devonport / North Shore Gazette'

The weekly 'Devonport Gazette', renamed the 'North Shore Gazette' from 13 November 1924, is now available online. There are only two missing issues from 3 November 1921 to 1 August 1930, with the original hard copies held at Auckland Libraries. However, they have only 21 further issues after 1 August 1930 until 1948.

The 'Gazette' provides a wonderful local perspective on Devonport in the 1920s, and also to a lesser extent Takapuna and at times Northcote and Birkenhead. By 1930, there were just over 20,000 residents across both urban and rural North Shore. The 'Gazette' reached Devonport, Belmont, Bayswater, Takapuna, Milford, Glenfield, Northcote, Birkenhead, Birkdale and Chelsea.

Big issues at the time were transport (trams, buses and ferries, and a possible harbour bridge), water (at that time drawn from Lake Pupuke) and developing the electricity supply. The North Shore was already covered by newspaper reporters at the daily 'Auckland Star' and 'New Zealand Herald', along with those at the daily Auckland 'Sun' from 23 March 1927 to 20 September 1930 and the weekly 'New Zealand Truth'. Nevertheless, the 'Gazette' was still able to at times provide an additional local focus regarding sporting teams, Devonport and Takapuna Borough Council activities, obituaries for local Devonport residents (such as Alexander Alison of the Devonport Steam Ferry Co. in 1923) and general events in the area. It was also free of charge, as opposed to the other newspapers.

The issue for 2 October 1924 had just four pages, with the front page taken up with details of films at Devonport's Victoria cinema, next door to the office of the 'Gazette'. There were also three obituaries for Devonport locals, information from the Devonport-based Waitemata Chamber of Commerce, a report from the last fortnightly meeting of the Devonport Borough Council, a report from the Devonport Orphans' Club, details of a dance organised by the Devonport Yacht Club and events at the Devonport Bowling Club. Note that at this time, the 'Gazette' was called the 'Devonport Gazette and Greater North Shore Advocate'.

The 'Gazette' relied on copy provided by the public and local organisations, as well as their own reporters, along with stories accessed from other newspapers. I had a closer look at the 12 June 1930 issue, and found the front-page article relating to the Takapuna Borough Council being sued over a failure to make a road was in fact taken exactly from the 'Sun' of 5 June 1930 (page 12). Similarly, the obituary for Louisa Ann Williamson (wife of Charles Williamson) was taken from the 'Sun' of 6 June 1930 (page 6).

What is of note is the number of advertisements for consumer goods and services offered on the city side, emphasising the shopping and employment connection by ferry between Devonport and the city. Most of the North Shore based advertisers were in Devonport. Advertisements for items of clothing, phonographs and radios, gas and electric stoves, motorbikes, cars (and related tyres and petrol) loom large in the 'Gazette'. On the other hand, advertisements for jobs, land sales and housing for either rent or sale featured instead in the daily newspapers.

The digitisation and online hosting were done by The Preserving Local History and Educational Trust at: preservinglocalhistory.recollectcms.com/

Originally written for Channel Mag By David Verran