It's been raining steadily for 18 hours which is great for the rainforest and my vege garden. Yesterday, the mud puddles on the drive had dried up and I could walk my boundary without sinking into mud; today I almost have to swim round! I've been taking advantage of the dry weather to get the grass cut so with that done, I can now blog about my new job.
Stewart Island's only general store/supermarket is the Ship to Shore Four Square on Halfmoon Bay, Oban, and Sam recently became its owner-operator. I'm the newest staff member with three weeks service under my belt and I'm enjoying the challenge of working in this busy and fun environment.
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| Ship to Shore Four Square, Oban, Stewart Island |
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| View of the Four Square (right) and Glowing Sky (left) |
The nationwide Four Square family with over 280 stores celebrated its 90th birthday this year. Its founder, Mr J. Heaton Barker called a meeting in 1922 to discuss the formation of a co-operative group of independent grocers. Whilst talking to one of the members on the phone, Mr Barker drew a square around 4 July 1924 and realised he had the perfect name for the group - a store that would stand 'four square to all the winds that blew'. The Four Square stores have stood the test of time by living up to their catchphrases of 'Where all Kiwis love to shop', 'Always welcome. Always local. Always Four Squre', 'Providers of Kiwi essentials since 1924'.
The Four Square stores are locally owned and operated with a commitment to grocery tradition, personal customer service and supporting the local community. Nationally, Four Square support CanTeen, Crimestoppers, St John and VSA; locally, our store gives back to the community in numerous ways including funding traps, holding raffles, watching over the locals, especially our elders of excellence, and going out of their way to accommodate the needs of locals and visitors alike. For over 60 years, Four Square have welcomed babies born on 4 July with gifts; in 1961 it was a bear for every baby and the parents of triplets received a new car. The
Four Square website has plenty of news, recipes and competitions - check it out!
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| Smiling Sam - owner-operator of Ship to Shore |
New Zealand's first self-service grocery store was opened in Onehunga in February 1948 by Phil Barker (the Four Square founder's son) and Ray McGregor. Over the years these local stores have had to compete with the mega supermarkets but cheaper pricing often comes at the expense of personal service and community values. I'm proud to be part of a hard-working and supportive team that look after the Stewart Island community.
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| View of Halfmoon Bay from the shop door |
Summer opening hours are 7.30am to 7pm and every day I've worked has been different in some way. Tuesday and Wednesday are main delivery days; pallets and ferry bins get delivered by forklift, manually unloaded and then it's a rush to get the shelves restocked and chilled/frozen goods put in the freezers or cool store. Magazine orders need to be processed, produce checked over and orders packed and delivered. The kitchen makes a selection of sandwiches, savouries and slices, along with a batch of freshly-cooked bread loaves each morning.
Our busy store is jam-packed with stock and even after 4 years of looking, I'm still discovering new items!
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| Entrance to store at right - there are four aisles plus the produce area |
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| Shelves stocked with a wide variety of goods |
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| Chillers and drinks cabinet line the back wall |
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| Amelie putting up Christmas decorations on one of the produce cabinets |
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| Jules decorating the aisle sign - photo taken from between the two checkouts |
Charlie Four Square, or Cheeky Charlie, is a Kiwiana icon along with buzzy bees and jandals. He was developed by the Foodstuffs advertising department in the 1950s and has gone through several makeovers (his hair isn't parted now and the pencil behind his ear has disappeared). A number of artists, including Dick Frizzell, have used Mr Four Square in their artwork - check out
this website (opens in new window).
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| Summer surfing with Charlie Four Square |
There is also a
Mr Four Square Car (link opens in a new window); a Model T Ford with a 20hp engine that was built in Canada in 1924, the same year that Four Square started. It has been rebuilt and restored by Bob Herron of Mosgiel - wouldn't it be neat to have on the island! Another eye-catching car was captured in a photo which became a popular artwork and makes me think of my friend up north that has it hanging on her wall.
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| Canvas print of Ship to Shore |
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| The same view in December 2014 - but with no car! |
With Christmas just 5 sleeps away, it's going to be a busy but exciting week with the opportunity to spread Christmas cheer and goodwill to locals and visitors. Merry Christmas everyone!
