In November 2024, North Shore Heritage was contacted by a woman who was packing up her mother’s house and wanted to donate “house plans”. The next thing we knew, we were in possession of the Forest Hills development brochure, a 36-page, cirlox-bound booklet with an amazing choice of 31 designs, a stark contrast to the cookie-cutter developments of today! The booklet, while primarily a marketing and advertising vehicle at the time, is now a fantastic piece of history and art, documenting architectural styles and social norms of the mid 1950’s.

The hot days of Summer are with us and, no doubt, you’re reaching for a chilled beer or cold glass of milk from the fridge to cool the effects of the heat. Spare a thought then for our predecessors back in the day. The early pioneers of the North Shore had no easily available fridges to chill their much-needed drinks or keep even the most basic of foodstuffs fresh. Instead, they had to use their wits, making use of what nature could afford.