Cyril Austin Hardy - "Handini"

The photo above is believed to be Cyril at around age 21.

Cyril was one of Charles Lingham Hardy's sons. He was born 7th May 1909 and died 12th August 1986.

I believe I first came across Cyril when I was a very young primary school pupil. At the time

( 1950s) Cyril was visiting schools with his magic shows as Handini. I recall coming home and talking about this magician to my mother who then pointed out that this was her uncle Cyril.

Cyril's middle name Austin arises from his mother Jane Ann ("Annie) Riley's family. One of Annie's brothers was named Sydney Austin Riley. This is coincidentally similar to my father's family name of Austen. My father's brother was called Sydney Austen.

Another interesting coincidence is that Cyril and my grandfather Arthur Austen shared the stage as entertainers on at least one occasion. Arthur was a clown, song and dance man and comedian. In the photo below Arthur is in his clown costume which featured an orange wig.

Cyril's first appearance on stage which was at the West End Theatre on Ponsonby Road occurred in March 1926. He was age 17 at the time.

Cyril remained a single man throughout his life and he pursued a career in the entertainment business as "Artist Handini- Hardy".

Cyril specialised in building and playing unusual musical instruments such as the Glassaphone- this is a number of glasses filled with water to varying depths with musical notes produced by passing a finger along the rims of the glasses. One review of a performance refers to Cyril as having "....showed wonderful skill in producing music from a kerosine tin, also on bottles and a saw. Mr Hardy had to respond to encores, and played on the Flaxatone, one string violin and the Swanee Whistle."

For many years Cyril appeared as a member of Neville Carsen's Revue Company. Neville Carsen ran this revue company for some 50 years. A review of a performance in January 1938 at the Auckland Mental Hospital gives insight into the range of skills shown by Cyril as follows;

"Handini (Mr Cyril Hardy) proved to be an entertainer of exceptional versatility, keeping the audience thoroughly interested with juggling, balancing feats, trick piano playing and magic using only plain sheets of paper to produce remarkable results."

In another review Cyril is referred to as Professor Handini providing "modern magic".

By the 1940s Cyril had become involved in state school entertainment as an entertainment organiser.

Conscientious Objector Appeal

Cyril appealed against being asked to serve in the armed forces in World War 2. His appeal is recorded in detail in a number of newspaper reports published in both New Zealand and Australia. Cyril's personal belief in "the stars" attracted newspaper headlines as in the example below.

Cyril is recorded as having enlisted as a private in the Army Medical Corp (no. 48464) and embarking New Zealand from Wellington in 1941. A newspaper report in the NZ Herald dated 2 October 1942 included Cyril amongst the returned men arriving from the war.

Cyril moved around New Zealand and Australia during his lifetime. Electoral roles show the following addresses;

1935 at 50 Seaview Tce, Mount Albert ( his father Charles Lingham Hardy and Charles L's second wife Hannah also at this address);

1938 at 6 Weld St, Wadestown Wellington;

1946 at 32 Mt Albert Rd with Hannah Hardy (Charles L had died in March 1945);

1949 at 32 Mt Albert Rd (Hannah at this time living in Remuera);

1954 at 36 Park St, Monee Ponds, Victoria, Australia;

1963 at 190 Forest Rd, Hurstville, NSW, Australia;

1963 at 450 Evans Bay Rd, Wellington;

1978 at 56 Merivale Lane, Christchurch.

In March 1982 Cyril wrote a postcard to his brother Mervyn Hardy from his then address of Meadow Park Motor Camp at 39 Meadow St, Papanui, Christchurch. In this card he wished Merv a Happy Birthday and asked after several of the members of the Hardy family in particular his sister Hilda's children Christine and Heather Smith. The motor camp is Cyril's last recorded address prior to his death in 1986.