Thomson, Michael John (Mick) and Pamela Judith Interview

Recording the life and times of Michael and Pam Thomson of Havelock North. Today is the 20th of July ’15, and Michael will now move through and tell us something about the train of his family’s life. Thank you Michael.

Thank you Frank. My father’s side – they came from Wexford in Ireland and Dalkeith, Scotland. My mother’s parents came from over there too. They settled in – apparently settled in Dunedin and my grandfather, Harry Knight Thomson, came up from Dunedin and married my Nana who was a Hewetson and yeah. Anyway what I remember from that is that they lived in Haumoana. They lived in a big house, I think it was the old Wattie homestead, and unfortunately for Pop … he had a shoe shop where Mills’ is, or was, in Hastings and he went broke in the depression.

So he sold the big house and lived in their beach house at Haumoana. And my father – Dad was a child of nine and as far as I can recall he went to Haumoana School and was basically looked after by his sister, Kit. And they used to walk from Haumoana to the Haumoana School up the hill. He then went to Boys’ High … got the bus to Boys’ High … first of all biked to Boys’ High.

That’s Hastings?

Hastings. And then he started work – I’m going a bit quick perhaps – then he started work in Blackmore’s when he was fourteen. It was the only job he ever wanted. And my mother worked in Bestall’s in Napier and that’s where Dad met Mum. Then unfortunately the war came so they wouldn’t get married until after the War, and they got married in 1936.

Right.

Pam: The war finished in ’45.

Michael: Oh, sorry – yeah – 1945. Soon as he got home they got married.

Just going back to your father – one of the people who also walked to school from Haumoana to the Haumoana School with your father was Rona …

McCarthy. That’s right.

I interviewed her and she said she remembered it vividly. [Chuckle] Righto – your father started working at Blackmore’s.

Yeah, that’s all he ever wanted to do. He was 14 and used to get the bus from Haumoana to work and then bussed home, and if he couldn’t get the bus he’d bike all the way from Haumoana. He loved it, loved working there and unfortunately as time went on Mr Blackmore’s son became involved in the business so he decided that Mick wouldn’t be manager any more and he gave it to his son, Colin. So that’s when Dad threw the toys and decided he wasn’t going to stay there.

This was after the War was it?

Just after the War – sorry.

Oh, well just going back to the wartime – where did your father serve? Was he overseas for the whole period of the war?

Entire.

OK. If you could just give us something about that Michael?

He served in the 19^th Battalion, tank division in Egypt. And he didn’t talk much about it – he did tell me once, the only time he ever talked about it – was a guy who was his Sergeant, his Commander, was looking out through the top of the turret of the tank and fell down – he didn’t have a head. That’s the only thing that he ever talked about him, he didn’t want to talk anything more about it.

He was there for five years. He did say that he went … someone called … taking some people up to – skiing over in Italy and his name – a name was called out – Thomson. So – he couldn’t ski but he decided it was him so he went over and went to Italy for six months … twelve months, and was taught to ski. Got out of the limelight of the fighting. So he did the whole five years in the war.

So it was after that he came back and he joined Blackmore’s, or rejoined Blackmores’?

Rejoined Blackmore’s. Started work – he was … 1914, so 1928 he must have started at Blackmore’s until the War started and then came back and the job was still there for him. So he worked for Blackmore’s for … ’til 1957 when this happened and Mr Joe Howard saw Mick and a friend of Mick, and he said “I’ve got a shop for you down the road”. And so that’s how Thomson’s Suits started. He found a shop which was at the west end of town and he was always taught that if you want to succeed you ‘go west young man’. It was way out of the actual middle of the town, so May 1957 he started Thomson’s Suits. And the first day – I was eight I think at the time – I remember him coming home with a satchel – with a bag full of money, and my sister and I threw the money up in the air, down on the floor and we counted it and it was £790, and they’d budgeted for £400.

Fantastic day. And Dad also told me that a guy came in, he wanted a suit, a shirt and a tie and a hat and Mick said “you don’t need that – I’ve just sold you one before I left Blackmore’s”. He said “I do want it – you need the money more than me”. And that’s how Thomson’s Suits started. Fantastic. The support that he got … the number of people that came down from the other store and supported him … was fantastic, it really was.

It’s interesting though, when you look back … and it’s been carried on through personality and friendliness … were free at Thomson’s. Your father had a great personality that’s been passed down and you can never tell how much it’s worth. So carry on then – he started to become successful, and more successful?

Yep, and money was never an issue with him, it wasn’t about the money it was about the people. He loved the people, and that’s what he’s installed in the staff and hopefully I’ve installed it also – that the number one thing – the client’s always right, and the service. And that’s the only way you can survive in our sort of business.

And now at some stage or other you children were born, Michael and Judith.

Jude was born first. Jude was 1947, and that’s just the family. So from my mother who was a child of twelve and Dad who was a child of nine, to having just the two – quite interesting.

It is – down scaling.

Yes. [Chuckle]

So your life – you went to school, where did you do your primary, secondary and where did this lead to you starting to work?

I started in Mahora and my sister did too, then I was a first day pupil at Heretaunga Intermediate in 1960. So that’s been – they’ve been great, I’ve kept in touch with all the friends that we had there – and then went to Boys’ High in 1962 – or Akina Collegiate, as I call it. After school – I got to the 6^th form – my father told me that I had to go to school until I got school cert [certificate] which no one thought I’d get. And I had a history teacher that taught me very easy, so I learnt the history book off by heart and I got 72% in history for school cert, which got me through with 213 marks. It’s amazing. So I went back to the 6^th form and I didn’t want to be there, so after getting 16% or something in a term exam I said to Dad “not much point in me staying here”. So I went out and worked on a farm at Tautane Station for three months.

Did you really? That was Herricks’, was it?

Yes, absolutely loved it, it was brilliant. I always wanted to – Dad always wanted to be a farmer, or thoroughly enjoyed farming or the countryside … loved dog trials … so I think it was born in me as well, but I knew I wasn’t going to be a farmer. So I worked there for 3½ months and left there at Christmas time of 1966 and went down in January to Vance Vivian’s in Wellington and worked there for a year. And I was going to stay longer when Barry Bowman, a guy that worked for Dad since he opened, was killed in a car accident. That’s when I came back. So I started there in November 1966 … and been there ever since.

So then along came Pamela.

Then along came Pamela.

Would you like to develop this?

Yes, met my darling wife and we got married on the 19^th of April 1969. We were both very young. I think I was 20 and Pam was 19 and people didn’t think it would last but we’re still here after forty-six years. We have three children – Mark who is 45, Lizzie’s 43 and Angus is 40. They are all married and they’ve all got children. We’ve got five grandchildren, which is marvellous. We see Richie who’s Angus’ 4 ½ year old, every day basically. He just loves Pammie – doesn’t love me, but he loves Pammie. He teases me. Anyway, our eldest son Mark is in Auckland, and he’s married to Vickie. She’s got Taylor Boutique which is five shops now around the country, and he works with her. They’ve got two boys, Hugo and Zac. And then Lizzie married Jason Dark and they went to Patumahoe which is out of Pukekohe. Unfortunately Jason was killed tragically, and so Liz has got two girls, Lydia who’s just turned 17 and Abigail is 14.

Yes, so Abby’s 14. And luckily Liz married again and fell in love with Ben Lyons and they live in Taupo. And Angus who’s in the shop now also – he’s 40 and he’s got Richie who’s 4½ and his wife’s Marisa. And so Angus has been in the shop nineteen years, so he’s the third generation and we’re hoping Richie will be the fourth.

Now, sports … sports first and then community service. Sports initially – I do know you’ve had a passing interest in golf, but you can tell me about that.

[Chuckle] I played rugby right from when I was very young. My father pushed me into it – no he didn’t – but he was always on the sideline. And I remember when I was 9 or 10 I tackled a big guy and he sort of fell on my jaw, and I got up and cried. And my father told me to get back on the field, stop crying, and carry on, which I did because I was scared.

So I played rugby mainly and went – played rugby through High School, then played senior rugby for Hastings High School Old Boys, got in the Hastings rep team and the Hawke’s Bay B team. And unfortunately I sort of got knocked out and swallowed my tongue in an Easter tournament. And the year after that I went back playing but got knocked out a few times, so … retired when I was about 23, which was unfortunate, and played golf from the age of about 15 and loved it. Don’t like it now but loved it then and yes, I’ve been playing since I was 15.

And Pam where did your folks come from?

My mother’s family came from Scotland, from a place called Alloa and they came out to New Zealand when my mother was about five. The rest of the family were born [noise on recording] in Scotland and then my mother was born here. They moved to Taumarunui, and so my maternal grandfather was a tailor, and he was a pretty well, very proficient tailor in Taumarunui and had a good little business there. So my mother when it came time for her to go to work she moved to Napier and she worked in Blythe’s.

Yes, a well-known shop of the times.

Interesting that Michael’s mother worked in Bestalls. So Mum was working in Blythe’s and somewhere along the line she met up with my Dad, who we’ll go back to, where his people came from. And they married and had four children. So there were four of us – my brother’s the eldest. I’ve got two sisters so and I’m the youngest of the four.

So your schooling was done in Napier?

No, in Hastings.

Oh right, OK.

Yeah, so when Mum met Dad I think she must have moved over to Hastings.

Sporting-wise, did you play any sports as a young person?

Not really, no we weren’t terribly encouraged with sport – just the normal netball, nothing really.

So golf later on?

I had a go at golf later on, but golf really didn’t like me.

Michael: She hated it.

Oh, join the club. I can never think of anything that could depress me so quickly. [Chuckle] I didn’t need the exercise because I was a farmer, and all the people that were around me played golf – ones, twos, or three’s – some couldn’t count as well. Yeah – understood.

Pam: Just one little aside there to my mother’s family – she had two brothers and a sister, and one of those brothers was a tailor also, Jimmy Brown – I don’t know whether you knew him? He was in Hastings and he was a tailor as well, so it’s really interesting seeing that flow of the rag trade. And Mark and Vickie being in the rag trade in Auckland as well. And then, my father’s family came from – we think it’s Wales – and they landed in Pahiatua,.

Michael: Couldn’t have landed in Pahiatua.

Pam: No, no, I know – they … when they came to New Zealand they settled in Pahiatua. They were in Pahiatua, and then Dad shifted up to Hastings. And then he – then – well his Mum and Dad must have too of course, because that was the … the timber mill was here. And he worked with his Dad there in the timber mill.

Would you like to just name the timber mill?

F G Weir Ltd?  ‘Cause it was under Fred’s name. Fred, who was – you know … bit of a rift … as happens. As happens, yeah. [Speaking together]

This happens, it does indeed. Strong personalities, strong families.

So Dad went out on his own after all that, and Fred – he looked after the mill, but unfortunately his health wasn’t too good, and it went down. I think it just closed. And Dad bought the Havelock North milk round and he used to do the …

Yes, I remember the truck with the name on the side. ‘Cause we were town milk dairy farmers, so we used to produce the milk that they put in the trucks – they delivered to the milk boxes.

Oh, really? So that was it really for Dad. He then just carried on with the milk run until he retired.

Michael: The only problem with that was I had to get Pam home before he went on his milk run.

[Chuckle] Yes, now just getting back to community groups you have been interested in?

Just with – as a parent or as a mother, I got very involved with the children at school, kindy … kindy committee and then school, parent teacher associations – all those kinds of things.

Yes, sure. So once again your children went to Mahora too, didn’t they because you were just down the road?

Yes.

Michael: And Heretaunga Intermediate.

Pam: And I went to Frimley and Heretaunga, so I was second year at Heretaunga, after Michael started the first year, and then Hastings Girls’ High.

Coming back to you Michael – your community interests – one that of course we both know and that’s Rotary, but I’m sure there are others there.

I’m a foundation member of Karamu Rotary Club and also on the Retailers Association for many years, President of that. Yeah, Golf Club Committee, Hastings Old Boys’ Rugby Committee at one stage, but the community – would be Rotary was the main one I’ve been involved in.

And you are still an active member there aren’t you?

Yes, yes. So that’s been going forty six years so I’ve been a member forty six years.

And travellers, are you both avid travellers?

No.

Pam: Not avid. We enjoy a bit of travelling. We did an OE in – we did two lots in 2000. We had a wedding … family wedding to go to in South Africa. So that was Michael’s sister’s son got married over there. So we travelled over with a group of ten of us, which was wonderful, and stayed there for about five weeks and did quite a bit of touring around. Very interesting, fascinating place.

Michael: At that stage we had already booked with another couple to go on our OE experience to England and Europe in April of that year, so we went to South Africa for five weeks at the beginning of the year 2000, and went to England and Europe in April of that year. So we had a big old go. They told me at the shop I should have stayed at work, but yeah.

Pam: Since then we’ve had – not every year we haven’t gone overseas. But it’s been mainly either to Oz or the Pacific Islands, Fiji, Rarotonga.

So now, seeing you’re quietly being eased out of the shop by Thomson and Thomson Junior and Junior, I guess – what are your plans for the future? If you have this game that you say doesn’t like you over much, what are you going to do?

Michael: I’ve got a plan at the moment in my head, that I want to do one more year at the shop because I’ve been there 48½ years and I want it to be 50. So November next year I’ll have been there 50 years and I hope after Christmas then I’ll be able to retire. I would like to go back and help out in the shop because I’m young enough for that, and in my retirement I’d like to travel a bit more. We’ve got very good friends in Taranaki who we go away with each year basically, and I’d like to go and see them a bit more. Like to see our grand kids in Auckland, Taupo a bit more too, and then I’ll … when I’ve done sort of six months of that I’ll do something.

You’ll redraw the plan?

Yep. I’d like to go back to golf and practise and keep my body right for it. But yeah … nothing really great.

Michael there’s one thing we just need to acknowledge and emphasise and that’s that the length that Thomson’s Suits in Hastings has been going. Would you just like to give me those details please. As a celebration.

As I said before, Dad started in 1957 with three male staff and an office girl in a little wee shop. And in 1959 he got the next door shop and altered that so it became one bigger shop. I started as I said in 1966 and yeah since then its grown another threefold. We’ve taken another two shops over and now it’s a large shop on the corner in Heretaunga Street in Hastings. Its the longevity apparently – I’ll just mention this, that twenty-five years ago there were twenty-one menswear outlets in Hastings now there’s five, and that’s including the Farmer’s, The Warehouse and Hallenstein’s, so there’s only two owner/operators left and its happening right throughout the country. People ask us why are we still there after fifty-eight years and apparently its because – I know it’s because we give the service from the staff. The customer’s basically always right ,and that’s our attitude, and yes, so we’re still there, and even though it’s a bit tougher than what it was in the ’60s and ’70s, its still going strong.

Thank you Michael. Just one thing I often smile about especially in businesses like yours – where they started – and old Mr Blackmore must have been looked upon as the father of men’s retail in Hastings because I’ve interviewed the Poppelwell’s, I know Giorgi’s started there, and so many people have started working at the Blackmore’s shop.

Yeah.

And they all moved out.

It was a fantastic shop too. People came from all over the world really – all over the country anyway, and it had a great name. And just luckily that Dad did – when he did left, and people followed him. And now perhaps we are like the old Blackmore’s that – we get people from all over the country and a number of people say “don’t close – we can’t find a shop like this anywhere”. Anyway…

Well, in the village – and I’ll just close … finish by saying this – in the village at Havelock we used to have most of the time, at least two men’s outfitters. We had Bob Thorpe and then later on Bob Frater came in, then Michael Poppelwell came in. Now there’s nowhere in the Village you can buy a mature men’s underwear set. You’ve got to travel to … almost Stortford Lodge to get them. And its amazing in a little Village like Havelock that they’ve never lasted. There’s never been a delicatessen that’s lasted, a fishing shop, men’s outfitter. They all want to go obviously to Thomson’s. On that note …

One thing I forgot to say, John Darrow was a member of our staff for thirty-eight years. He came from Hugh Wright’s in Auckland which had a shop in Hastings and when Barry Bowman was killed I came back from Wellington and John Darrow also joined the staff, so that was in 1966 and he retired when he was sixty, came back when he was sixty-two, worked again until he was seventy and unfortunately he retired, and then unfortunately passed away from liver cancer. We had Bruce Giorgi from Miller & Giorgi’s, he’s just retired, he was with us for twenty something years. So we have longevity of staff as well.