The Hardy Girls

In an earlier post about the Hardy girls I focused on Florence Hardy. This post will focus on Alice Hardy.

Firstly looking at the photos we currently have of Alice, Ada and Helena Hardy, it is worthwhile considering whether we have correctly identified these three Hardy girls. They are shown in the photo above.

We believe this photo was taken in 1898. Helena was born on 1st January 1882, Ada was born 27 June 1880 and Alice was born 15 April 1878. Their respective ages at the time of the photo were therefore 16 for Helena, 18 for Ada and 20 for Alice. Standing in the back is believed to be Ada, seated on the left with her hair up is Alice and on the right Helena.

We have an earlier photo as shown below. In this photo we believe Alice is in the centre. We are a little uncertain between Ada and Helena. Up to now I have thought that Ada being the second eldest would be the girl with her hands on Alice's shoulders. I based this on the fact she seems taller than the girl holding the book.

Having now made a closer comparison between three photos below I have changed my mind. I now think that Ada is the girl holding a book and Helena is the girl with her hands on Alice's shoulders. This photo is believed to date from 1890 at which time the three girls ages were Alice 12, Ada 10 and Helena 8.

The photo below is Helena on her wedding day 7 July 1909 age 27.

Here is the image of Helena at age 16 - if our guesswork is correct!

Here is the image of Helena at age 8 - again based on our guesswork.

Similar comparisons for Alice and Ada are below.

Ada at age 18

Ada at age 10

Alice at age 20

Alice at age 12

I am totally confident we have correctly identified Alice. I am less certain about Ada and Helena. My view between these two is based on the dark eyes in the series of photos I consider to be Helena. The other two girls appear to have lighter coloured eyes and lighter coloured hair.

Alice Maud Hardy

Alice was still living at home with her parents when they moved from the Horseshoe Bush to Helensville around 1898.

According to the notes compiled by Helena's daughter Dulcie McClure, Alice worked as a dressmaker and had a business called Fifth Avenue at Helensville where she advertised as a "Fashionable Dressmaker". Alice also worked at a draper Rushbrook & Co located in Queen St. Given this firm's location it is likely Alice took up work here following the family's move to Mount Albert.

The electoral roll of 1900 for Waitemata District records Alice Maud Hardy as being in Waiwera with the occupation of Domestic Duties. The same roll shows her father Charles as located at Helensville with occupation "farmer".

We believe that the initial residence called Montana and located at 30 Mount Albert Road was built during the time the Hardy family lived at Helensville. It seems likely that Charles sold the Horseshoe Bush property in order to provide the funds for his purchase of the land at Mount Albert. The move to Mount Albert is believed to have occurred at some time in 1900. Achieving a totally accurate picture of who was living with Charles and Alice at Mount Albert from 1900 has proved difficult.

The electoral roll dated 1905-06 has Charles, his wife Alice Frances and their daughter Ada Susannah at Mount Albert Rd. Florence was possibly away teaching as she had started teacher training around 1897. Florence probably had time at home in Mount Albert prior to leaving on her overseas trip in April 1901. She was away until June 1906.

Helena was also doing teacher training and had teacher postings from early 1900 through to 1909. She married Teddy Death in July 1909. It is thought that she met him during her time as a teacher at Taotaoroa School at Karapiro.

Ada married Edmund Spencer on 29 May 1912. It seems likely she lived at 30 Mount Albert Road until her marriage. Ada was gifted a house in Lloyd Ave by Charles just prior to her marriage.

During their married lives Alice, Helena and Ada generally lived in or near their parents houses in Mount Albert Rd. The map below shows the area in Mount Albert that includes the streets in which they lived.The red marker is the location of 30 Mount Albert Rd.

The unlabelled street running from Mount Albert Rd to Lloyd Ave is Kitenui Rd. Alexis Ave is the new name for Alexandra Rd. Summit Drive is a new name for Mountain Rd. The three acres of land purchased by Charles ran all the way down from Mount Albert Rd along the length of Kitenui Rd to Lloyd Ave and across about a third of the way to Alberton Ave.

Ada's house was on the corner of Kitenui Rd and Lloyd Ave. Ranleigh Rd is in the next block up from Kitenui.

On the left side of the map you can see Mark Rd, Springleigh Ave and Fairleigh Ave just off Woodward Rd. This is the area of the Springleigh estate mentioned later in this blog.

An "Alice Maud Hardy" is listed at the address of Brixton Rd with the occupation of home duties in the 1905 electoral roll. Alice Maud Hardy is still listed at Brixton Rd in the 1911 Electoral Roll. Alice married Albert Beazley on 12 March 1903. The Electoral Rolls for 1908 and 1911 tell us that Alice and Albert lived at Royal Tce, Kingsland on those dates. Something is not right in these records!

Albert Beazley was born in Corowa, NSW, Australia on 16 October 1879. At this time we do not have any information on when or how he came to be in New Zealand or how he met Alice. It appears he must have come to New Zealand on his own as his parents William and Mary Ann lived and died in Australia. His mother died in 1886 and his father remarried in 1889. William died in Australia in 1919.

Albert's trade was as a builder. His achievements in the business of house building, residential subdivision and commercial building are very impressive.

Alice and Albert's first child Charles Henry was born 28 December 1903. Sadly Charles died 2 February 1904.

Alice and Albert had another three sons. They were Herbert (Bert or H.H.) Hardy born 7 March 1905, Frederick Charles born 6 April 1909 and Roy Benjamin born 24 April 1912. All three sons followed their father and went into the building business. This started a "building dynasty". More to follow on that later in this blog.

The Electoral Roll records tell us that Alice and Albert lived at the following addresses:

1908 and 1911; Royal Terrace, Kingsland

1919; Mountain Road, Mount Albert.

1922, 1925, 1928, 1935; 19 Alexandra Ave, Mount Albert. Alexandra later became Alexis Ave.

1938, 1943; 8 Ranleigh Road. Alice was still at that address after Albert died in 1944.

Below is a current image of 19 Alexis Ave

Below is a current image of 8 Ranleigh Rd, Mount Albert.

Below is a current image of Ada's house at 59 Lloyd Ave.

I have set out below examples of newspaper advertisements placed by Albert over the period from 1919 to around 1930. The first advertisement for some carpenters to do cottage work in Te Puke illustrates that Albert was then employing some extra hands to assist with carpentry on cottages.

By 1926 he is developing commercial shops and a large subdivision called Springleigh Estate. He has also gone into a partnership with Raetihi based sawmiller John Punch as Beazley and Punch Builders and Timber Merchants.

Springleigh Estate was developed from land that was part of the large historic Woodward family farm. Included in the subdivision is Mark Rd. My grandfather owned a house in this road and it is where my mother grew up. I do not know if my grandfather bought the house from Albert Beazley. It would seem likely to be the case.

In 1929 Albert and his partner opened the Ambassador Picture Theatre in Point Chevalier. Some details of this are set out below.

As mentioned earlier Albert's sons followed him into the building business. Some examples of their advertising follow. Things to note in these advertisements are:

Roy Beazley usually advertised his contact address as in the Colonial Mutual Building at 202 Queen St. In one of these advertisements you will see he uses an address of 31a Mount Albert Rd. This address is almost directly opposite Ranleigh Road where his parents lived from 1938.

Herbert advertises as H. H Hardy. An advertisement he posts in 1938 shows he is then in Wellington looking for carpenters to work on government housing contracts.

Fred is advertising in May of 1936 for carpenters to work on a Technical School project.

The following images of Fred, his son Barry and brother Roy Beazley are from Dulcie McClure's records. My apologies for the poor quality. They were taken from very small originals.

Fred Beazley

Fred's son Barry

Fred's brother Roy

Beazley Homes

I mentioned earlier that the Beazley family of builders became something of a building dynasty. Fred Beazley, often referred to as "Radiata Fred" as a reference to extensive use of radiata pine, founded the company Beazley Homes which grew into one of New Zealand's largest builders of homes and expanded into Australia.

The following history of Beazley Homes was published in the New Zealand Herald 11 July 2009 following the death of Fred's son Barry Beazley.

With its catchy advertising jingle - "Easily a Beazley Home" - and distinctive L-shaped styling, Beazley Homes were a favourite with first-home buyers in New Zealand from the 50s to the 70s.

Barry's late father Fred, known as "Radiata Fred'' founded Beazley Homes in Tauranga and began expanding its operations throughout the North Island. Barry was based

at Mount Maunganui. By 1961 they were operating nationwide and in 1962 father and son merged to form a single company, Beazley Homes, with their headquarters in Macville Rd and then in Hull Rd, Mount Maunganui.

Barry was best known for pioneering the idea of pre-cutting timber framework for wood homes. The idea quickly took off and housing kits were produced in Mount Maunganui with more than 40 units being sent out each week by truck, rail or ship around New Zealand and overseas.

By the late 1960s he was building 1600 houses a year. He saw "kit homes" as a solution for mass housing demand in post-war New Zealand.

In 1972, Beazley Homes and PTY Homes (Putaruru) formed Waitemata Properties to specialise in home building in Auckland. Merritt-Beazley Homes, a Christchurch-based joint venture company, covered the South Island.

In 1973 Beazley Homes was awarded the New Zealand Export Award of the Year. By this time the company had constructed well over 16,000 houses in New Zealand.

Barry had reached the pinnacle of his achievements when he sold Beazley Homes to Fletcher Holdings, later to became part of Fletcher Residential. This was managed by the late Jim Fletcher and Doug Hitchcock.

He then moved to Australia and, with his son Mark, developed a steel modular home system which became known as Force 10.

There have been four generations of Beazley builders, with Barry's grandfather, Albert, building homes throughout Auckland with his son Fred. Barry has also worked closely with his own builder son Mark. His wife Doreen brought her artistic flair to decorating many show homes in New Zealand and around the world.

The photo below of Barry Beazley signing the sale agreement for his business was sourced from the extensive archives of Fletcher Building. It is clear to me that Barry Beazley is descended from the Hardy family! Look at the first photo below of my grandfather Merv Hardy taken at a similar age and you may see what I mean.

Merv Hardy

Alice Maud died on 8 August 1960 at the age of 82. She was still at 8 Ranleigh Rd on the 1957 Electoral Roll. I assume she was at that address at the time of her death. Albert died 1 April 1944 age 69.

Their son Bert died 10 November 1978 in Wellington. Fred died 16 January 1975 in Tauranga. Roy died 11 January 1981.