Sunny side up and sometimes serious by Rhonda Bunyan | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

Fifteen years ago.....

? A Salvation Army Mercy Jenkins Boys' Home reunion was held in Eltham. About 100 ex-boys attended. The home, which occupied the site of the present Mercy Jenkins Rest Home, Mangawhero Rd, was run by the Salvation Army from 1909 to 1954. It was set up for orphans or boys from broken homes or homes where sickness or poverty was taking a toll. Many of the 'boys' who lived at the home remembered 'some pretty rough times'.

The home was presented to the Salvation Army by Thomas Jenkins who had it built and named it after his deceased wife, Mercy. It operated for 45 years and was destroyed by fire in 1971. Scotty McGrath and Howard Wilson of New Plymouth were compiling a book of ex-residents. Titled 'The Inside Story' the authors said it told of 'many sad and funny times'. The stories were told 'warts and all'. Life in institutions during those times could be tough. Ex-residents spoke of being hungry a lot of the time and remembered being the victims of strict discipline. An excerpt from the article: 'There were good times and bad times. Several boys spoke of the 1920s when breakfast was bread and treacle, lunch was bread and sometimes rotten dripping garnished with beetroot and dinner was 'stew' made from cattle carrots and swedes. There was sometimes porridge for breakfast, often containing weevils and when a boy had a birthday he would get a boiled egg for a treat. 'Burnt tripe and silverbeet was a change and when the boys attended Eltham Primary School the lunches were so ill appreciated they were fed to the eels (which apparently thought they were gourmet treats) on the way to school. Few orchards near the home bore fruit long enough for the owners to enjoy it. One of the 'boys' told of saying grace at mealtimes. 'The food was atrocious. We had to say grace - what for I don't know. There was nothing to be thankful for.'

During the 20s the headmaster of the Primary School wrote to parents asking for them to send extra food with their children for the Mercy Jenkins' boys.

Dave Turkington of Dalziell Rd, 84, recalled, 'We weren't fed right, there were no boots and there were a lot of runaways.

Things improved after a while but I was pleased to get out when I was 15. It must have been hard looking after so many boys, many with problems. I was taught principles in life and got used to hard work though.'

While some spoke bitterly of treatment at the home others remembered good times and said their stay at the home helped 'build character'.

One spoke of being there through the 'golden years' of the late 30s when the boys ate the same food as the staff. A Major Williams was fondly remembered for swapping his food with one of the boys every meal time to ensure an equal quality of food was dished out by the staff.

The home was renowned for its gymnastic displays. In 1911 a gymnasium was built and every Christmas a gymnastic display was performed to raise funds.

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The English language often gets mixed up when foreign language speakers try to translate:

? A sign in a lift in Belgrade, 'to move the cabin, push button for wishing floor. If the cabin should enter more persons, each should press a number of wishing floors. Driving is then going alphabetically by national order'.

? A sign in an Acapulco hotel, 'The manager has personally passed all the water here.'

? A Tokyo hotel advises on 'perfect' air conditioning that cools and heats. 'If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself.'

? From a doctor's surgery in Rome, 'specialists in women and other diseases.'

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Two flies are playing football in a saucer. One said to the other, 'We'll have to do better than this. We're playing in the cup next week!'

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Edward Lear, the 19th century English landscape painter, wrote affectionately of a favourite farting duchess who gave enormous dinner parties attended by the cream of society. One night she let out a ripper and quick as a flash she turned her gaze to her stoic butler, standing, as always, behind her. 'Hawkins!' she cried. 'Hawkins, stop that!''Certainly, your Grace,' he replied with unhurried dignity. 'Which way did it go?'

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Enjoyment is not found in stopping and observing, but also in action, in doing. 'This is the true joy of life,' wrote George Bernard Shaw, 'to be used by a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one; to be thoroughly worn out before being thrown on the scrap heap; to be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that life will not devote itself to making you happy.'

Have a great week!