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The bottom magazine in Sturge St that was turned into a house in the 50`s
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DescriptionTony Williams.." Heard that gun broke windows on a test fire".
Chris Munn.." The trial gun firing noise killed a bunch of chickens at my Grandparents place on Cobden beach."Map[1] ContributorHeather Newby
Chris Munn.." The trial gun firing noise killed a bunch of chickens at my Grandparents place on Cobden beach."Map[1] ContributorHeather Newby
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Location (city or town)Cobden Landmark (Place)Gun defence emplacement
Category Information
Category TagWar
From Facebook
LinkfacebookDate Created15th April 2016CommentsLinzi Woods Never knew there was one of these
April 15 at 8:52pm · Like · 2
John Rosanowski Long forgotten now, but there was a very active Home Guard on the West Coast - in the face of the very real threat of invasion during WWII. 1800 men from Hokitika and Greymouth, and 600 in Westport enrolled in the Home Guard. All of the smaller town...See More
April 15 at 9:11pm · Like · 5
Carol Lamb Gosh i can remember this.. late 50's and 1960's... my first experience amongst native bush. Went on to do Routeburn, Hollyford, Milford, Kaikoura Coastal Walk plus many in North Island. So i have had and shared memories of this little trek.. plus the old house nearby we called the MauMau house.. sad as now that we are grown up.. kids!!
April 15 at 9:14pm · Like · 4
Anna Baird Up on the hill ...... Used to go up there all the time, in my teens.
Colin Waterman Wonder what gun it was and where it ended up.
Trevor Taylor I x 5inch gun and 4x 40mm bofors anti aircraft...the same was on south spit in Westport. Were there from 1942 to 1944
Heather Newby Colin Waterman Trevor Taylor https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/12493
Kirsty Dittmer Tania is this the one you meant?
Tania Gibson Kirsty Dittmer yes this is about as much there is on it.
Colin Waterman Yeah check that out. English made and imported ammo i would guess i dont know if nz had workshops to produced those. Maybe we did?
Cathy Howat Colin Waterman Probably imported the ammo from Australia. When I moved to Melbourne in 1982, the government Ammunition Factory was still going strong
Gregor B Campbell Don't know if this was one but I've read that a number of 5 inch guns salvaged from Pearl Harbour ships were mounted in NZ.
Heather Newby Cobden--42°26′15″S 171°12′45″E 5in Mk 7 gun (USA)
4x40mm Bofors--1942–
1944--- At Greymouth. Establishment: 2 Officers, 1 WO, 3 Sergeants and 26 ORs. Grey District Council destroyed part of this site, without consultation, in 2007 to make way for a sewer line [61]https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Coastal_fortifications_of...
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
Rob Uddstrom The lower gun emplacement was converted into a home by a Dutch family who lived up there for a number of years when they immigrated from Holland.
Heather Newby there was a movie about it wasnt there?
Rob Uddstrom Heather Newby I can’t remember that but he had the nightcart run at Cobden,sneaked up one night with a mate with a starting pistol while he was emptying the can at my Grandmothers.
Kathy Marshall That sounds like John Bakker. He had a nightcart !!
Chris Munn Rob Uddstrom that was the night cart guy. He also had a music trailer thingy that he took to the industries fair.
Bruce Keddie Heather Newby Yes the Movie was called something like "Bride Flight" and featured a number of war brides who came out on a Dutch Airlines DC6 as part of a race that ended at Harewood, Christchurch. It wasn't the main story line but a secondary one about the couple who came to Cobden and lived in the old gun emplacement. There were some scenes filmed in Cobden.
Brian McIntyre Kathy Marshall yes Kathy. Johannes Maria Bakker. I worked with him when he was a contractor transporting mail from the goodshed to the mailroom
Mike Minehan Our dear old Auntie Con Minehan owned the gun site back then when the Bakker family lived there in the 50s, up above the old Catholic Church. Must have been a rather uncomfortable domicile, but migrants back then were probably glad of any roof over their heads. Jon Bakker did run the night cart, as well as his own transport business later on. They worked hard and did well.
Lorraine O'Donoghue Rob Uddstrom yes some of the McIntyre boys in Ward Street Cobden sat up on the roof one night with bows and arrows and fired it John Bakker on his way out to the cart so he just tipped the bucket up threw it down and kept walking.
Not very happy boys next morning having to clean up mess.
Rob Uddstrom Lorraine O'Donoghue Looking back pretty stupid things we did when we were young,can’t imagine anyone nowadays working at that sort of job to get ahead in a strange Country.
Lorraine O'Donoghue Rob Uddstrom probably would if you were desperate.
Brian McIntyre TaniaCotidis see above
ania Gibson Would love to see some interpretation panels up there one day.
Colin Waterman Tania Gibson top idea.
George Gardner Well Tania, raise it at Council.
Maureen Spencer I was intrigued by the movie connection, Bride Flight, so I googled...and there's the gun emplacement in the trailer and I even spotted Greymouth Railway Station...I want to watch the whole thing now, it looks good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maureen Spencer I was intrigued by the movie connection, Bride Flight, so I googled...and there's the gun emplacement in the trailer and I even spotted Greymouth Railway Station...I want to watch the whole thing now, it looks good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL_jdO7FLvM
Manage
Bride Flight
YOUTUBE.COM
Bride Flight
Bride Flight
Daniel Lowe Maureen Spencer part of it was filmed at the Cobden bunker. I worked on the film set, we had to create a lawn, garden and vege garden on the site then they fitted out the bunker with windows and furniture etc.
Maureen Spencer Oh wow, that's amazing, I spotted the bunker in the trailer. I keep meaning to have a walk up there.
Robyn Langridge Maureen Spencer it's actually an awesome wee film. You'll need the subtitles on unless you know Dutch but it's well worth watching. I got to be an extra in the film along with my Dad which was a lot of fun. Some famous Dutch actors are in it.
Maureen Spencer That would have been fun! I don't mind subtitles...I'm definitely putting it on my 'to watch' list.
Malcolm Howell Dave Howell David Knipe
Rob Uddstrom Wasn’t there another bunker further up the hill,never went up there but I remember friends talking about it.
Marshall Moka Yeh the other one is above the far side footy field that use to reside there and it had a council made track that you can walk up to it unlike the bottom bunker..
VW Yarrum Top one is more of a Pill box.
Chris Munn I remember 2 Dutch families moved into Domett Esplanade in the early 60s. Harry Van Curigen a brick layer ( not spelt right) his wife and a 4 year old called Irma. There was another couple. They got permission to send Irma to the Convent because she was the only one who could sort of speak English. A struggle and they gave up and went home. Sad really.
Wayne Leckie A lot of history in them for us Cobden kids Kathy Duthie
if walls could talk
Kathy Duthie lololol
Allan Robinson
Where about is it
Allan Robinson on the Cobden hill
Martin Griffin
Great view from on top of there.
We used to run up there for league practice.
Catching tadpoles and frogs from the pond near no.2 field.
Lyn Whittle
Is it still accessible?? I used to live below it
Mike Minehan
In the 50s it was owned/leased? by our aunt Connie Minehan and rented out to the Bakker family who had just arrd from Holland. So I believe, all heard a long time ago. The story about the dead chooks as a result of a test firing was also popular back then.
Dianne Smith
Connie Minehan was the plunket nurse for our son who is now 55. Lovely lady and a good friend of my Aunty Bub.
Kathy Duthie
lovely lovely lady, always made me feel good
Don McIntyre
Lorraine O'Donoghue i wonder which McIntyre boys that could of been lol
Patrick Kenny
Don McIntyre I hope Brian was not one
James Codyre
Does that mean the McIntyre boys were ratbags.Would never have thought that???
Heather Gaulter
Dear Connie Minehan, loved her, plunket nurse visits at home with new bubs, she was soooo beautiful
Kaye Marilyn Power
Connie was such a legend.
Chris Munn
I think everyone in Cobden loved Connie. I remember her driving a brown A40.
Josephine Wesley
Bakker family moved to Fitzgerald Street Cobden both were very hard workers.
3 children 2 girls 1 boy.... think Stella an Jon not sure of other girls names...lovely family.
Shona Duthie
Cody Cooper
Mike Roberts
We used to call it 'The Second Bunker'....and had a mud slide going from the top one down to it
Gavin Liz Cochrane
Yes great memories
Colleen Cochrane
Yes we all use to walk up there a hard wjorking family the Bakkers
Val Whittaker
Could see it from our family home in Peel street
Lance Wakefield
I always thought this was the base and the US had army staff placed there and the actual gun bunker was further down (I used to go to that as well and you can see where the gun once was) only what I was told as a kid in the 1970's so I am probably wrong.
Tones Avic Derek
I remember getting told by someone to watch out for the leaches in the trees and would stick to you and suck your blood. so we would be running the track and trying not to touch the branches lol
Wayne Leckie
Spend a bit of time up there back in the day lol
Anne Mcmillan Miller
Wayne Leckie And
Gary Hood
There was another gun emplacement up the hill above Cobden a track lead to it..back 1967-68 went up there as a kid... presume it's still there
Brian Wheatley
Gary Hood Sure is
May be an image of nature
Albie Rose
Thats the bottom magazine in Sturge St that was turned into a house in the 50s not the gun emplacement which is higher up on the hill.
Gregory Ross
The Japanese would have met some resistance if they'd landed on the coast just there during WW II..
Alan Beck
Gregory Ross
Count von would have been right out of Luch (ner).
Stephen Lucas
Dutch War refugees John and Kobie Barker used to live in the gun emplacement house had a daughter Stella and a son who I can't remember
John drove for my farther and used to deliver parcels for the post office.
John also drove the night cart emptying those disgusting toilet buckets.
They later build a house in Fitzgerald St Cobden
This does not look like the house I remember
Kerry Keating
Stephen Lucas He was Jann Bakker.
Alan Beck
Kerry Keating Jann helped Dad build the last Beck bach, Punakaiki, 1980's.
Kerry Keating
Alan Beck I remember when he had a decorated trolley thingy and his little reindeer pulled it around giving kids a ride.
Chris Munn
There was a trial firing. The chickens and my grandparents place all died of fright. Jann Bakker had a barrel organ thingy that he used to take to the industries fair.
Chris Munn
Further to scaring enemies in Cobden, there is a tank proof fence on the back road to Raglan. If nasty people landed in Raglan with dastardly intentions, a steel section could be slid into the slots and the baddies would be stopped...and give up...and go home. Yep
Joshua Kilkelly
Did you go up the gun tower Richmond st cobden
Anne Honey
When the family arrived our teacher taught us how to help the children learn nz english.
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Anne Honey Kobi arrived out from Holland as a War Bride and married Jann here so they must have brought their family up speaking Dutch if they had to be coached at school.
Rob Absalom
Had many a trek up to the house and then on to the "Gun" further up the hill behind the Cob-Kohinoor Rugby League grounds. Used to go up from Sturge St. Went up recently from Richmond St while on holiday. Was good to sit on top of the "gun" again and remember my younger days. It really doesn't seem that long ago. Unfortunately, the body says it was.
Alan Ware
I'm sure Jann started his carrying business with a bath tub on the back of a cut down car - a Morris or Austin I think but the memory is like a lot of other bits these days.
Wendy Joy
Charmaine Tukua-Pouwhare this is the lower gun emplacement in Cobden, we went to the one above it
Linda Griffin
It was just above our house in sturge street. They had a pulley tram thingy to get up there then moved down into our village. Went to sacred heart school with us
Stephen Lucas
Linda Griffin you must of been Linda Briggs I sometimes wonder what happened to you and John Wells
Linda Griffin
Stephen Lucas I am. Live in chch. John in Wanganui. Hope you are well also.
Jeff Hopkins
Still there with a good track up to it .is a popular walk for families. Will have to walk down to the bottom gun as we used to call it and have a look..great run or walk for leauge training
April 15 at 8:52pm · Like · 2
John Rosanowski Long forgotten now, but there was a very active Home Guard on the West Coast - in the face of the very real threat of invasion during WWII. 1800 men from Hokitika and Greymouth, and 600 in Westport enrolled in the Home Guard. All of the smaller town...See More
April 15 at 9:11pm · Like · 5
Carol Lamb Gosh i can remember this.. late 50's and 1960's... my first experience amongst native bush. Went on to do Routeburn, Hollyford, Milford, Kaikoura Coastal Walk plus many in North Island. So i have had and shared memories of this little trek.. plus the old house nearby we called the MauMau house.. sad as now that we are grown up.. kids!!
April 15 at 9:14pm · Like · 4
Anna Baird Up on the hill ...... Used to go up there all the time, in my teens.
Colin Waterman Wonder what gun it was and where it ended up.
Trevor Taylor I x 5inch gun and 4x 40mm bofors anti aircraft...the same was on south spit in Westport. Were there from 1942 to 1944
Heather Newby Colin Waterman Trevor Taylor https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/12493
Kirsty Dittmer Tania is this the one you meant?
Tania Gibson Kirsty Dittmer yes this is about as much there is on it.
Colin Waterman Yeah check that out. English made and imported ammo i would guess i dont know if nz had workshops to produced those. Maybe we did?
Cathy Howat Colin Waterman Probably imported the ammo from Australia. When I moved to Melbourne in 1982, the government Ammunition Factory was still going strong
Gregor B Campbell Don't know if this was one but I've read that a number of 5 inch guns salvaged from Pearl Harbour ships were mounted in NZ.
Heather Newby Cobden--42°26′15″S 171°12′45″E 5in Mk 7 gun (USA)
4x40mm Bofors--1942–
1944--- At Greymouth. Establishment: 2 Officers, 1 WO, 3 Sergeants and 26 ORs. Grey District Council destroyed part of this site, without consultation, in 2007 to make way for a sewer line [61]https://en.wikipedia.org/.../Coastal_fortifications_of...
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
Coastal fortifications of New Zealand - Wikipedia
Rob Uddstrom The lower gun emplacement was converted into a home by a Dutch family who lived up there for a number of years when they immigrated from Holland.
Heather Newby there was a movie about it wasnt there?
Rob Uddstrom Heather Newby I can’t remember that but he had the nightcart run at Cobden,sneaked up one night with a mate with a starting pistol while he was emptying the can at my Grandmothers.
Kathy Marshall That sounds like John Bakker. He had a nightcart !!
Chris Munn Rob Uddstrom that was the night cart guy. He also had a music trailer thingy that he took to the industries fair.
Bruce Keddie Heather Newby Yes the Movie was called something like "Bride Flight" and featured a number of war brides who came out on a Dutch Airlines DC6 as part of a race that ended at Harewood, Christchurch. It wasn't the main story line but a secondary one about the couple who came to Cobden and lived in the old gun emplacement. There were some scenes filmed in Cobden.
Brian McIntyre Kathy Marshall yes Kathy. Johannes Maria Bakker. I worked with him when he was a contractor transporting mail from the goodshed to the mailroom
Mike Minehan Our dear old Auntie Con Minehan owned the gun site back then when the Bakker family lived there in the 50s, up above the old Catholic Church. Must have been a rather uncomfortable domicile, but migrants back then were probably glad of any roof over their heads. Jon Bakker did run the night cart, as well as his own transport business later on. They worked hard and did well.
Lorraine O'Donoghue Rob Uddstrom yes some of the McIntyre boys in Ward Street Cobden sat up on the roof one night with bows and arrows and fired it John Bakker on his way out to the cart so he just tipped the bucket up threw it down and kept walking.
Not very happy boys next morning having to clean up mess.
Rob Uddstrom Lorraine O'Donoghue Looking back pretty stupid things we did when we were young,can’t imagine anyone nowadays working at that sort of job to get ahead in a strange Country.
Lorraine O'Donoghue Rob Uddstrom probably would if you were desperate.
Brian McIntyre TaniaCotidis see above
ania Gibson Would love to see some interpretation panels up there one day.
Colin Waterman Tania Gibson top idea.
George Gardner Well Tania, raise it at Council.
Maureen Spencer I was intrigued by the movie connection, Bride Flight, so I googled...and there's the gun emplacement in the trailer and I even spotted Greymouth Railway Station...I want to watch the whole thing now, it looks good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Maureen Spencer I was intrigued by the movie connection, Bride Flight, so I googled...and there's the gun emplacement in the trailer and I even spotted Greymouth Railway Station...I want to watch the whole thing now, it looks good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL_jdO7FLvM
Manage
Bride Flight
YOUTUBE.COM
Bride Flight
Bride Flight
Daniel Lowe Maureen Spencer part of it was filmed at the Cobden bunker. I worked on the film set, we had to create a lawn, garden and vege garden on the site then they fitted out the bunker with windows and furniture etc.
Maureen Spencer Oh wow, that's amazing, I spotted the bunker in the trailer. I keep meaning to have a walk up there.
Robyn Langridge Maureen Spencer it's actually an awesome wee film. You'll need the subtitles on unless you know Dutch but it's well worth watching. I got to be an extra in the film along with my Dad which was a lot of fun. Some famous Dutch actors are in it.
Maureen Spencer That would have been fun! I don't mind subtitles...I'm definitely putting it on my 'to watch' list.
Malcolm Howell Dave Howell David Knipe
Rob Uddstrom Wasn’t there another bunker further up the hill,never went up there but I remember friends talking about it.
Marshall Moka Yeh the other one is above the far side footy field that use to reside there and it had a council made track that you can walk up to it unlike the bottom bunker..
VW Yarrum Top one is more of a Pill box.
Chris Munn I remember 2 Dutch families moved into Domett Esplanade in the early 60s. Harry Van Curigen a brick layer ( not spelt right) his wife and a 4 year old called Irma. There was another couple. They got permission to send Irma to the Convent because she was the only one who could sort of speak English. A struggle and they gave up and went home. Sad really.
Wayne Leckie A lot of history in them for us Cobden kids Kathy Duthie
if walls could talk
Kathy Duthie lololol
Allan Robinson
Where about is it
Allan Robinson on the Cobden hill
Martin Griffin
Great view from on top of there.
We used to run up there for league practice.
Catching tadpoles and frogs from the pond near no.2 field.
Lyn Whittle
Is it still accessible?? I used to live below it
Mike Minehan
In the 50s it was owned/leased? by our aunt Connie Minehan and rented out to the Bakker family who had just arrd from Holland. So I believe, all heard a long time ago. The story about the dead chooks as a result of a test firing was also popular back then.
Dianne Smith
Connie Minehan was the plunket nurse for our son who is now 55. Lovely lady and a good friend of my Aunty Bub.
Kathy Duthie
lovely lovely lady, always made me feel good
Don McIntyre
Lorraine O'Donoghue i wonder which McIntyre boys that could of been lol
Patrick Kenny
Don McIntyre I hope Brian was not one
James Codyre
Does that mean the McIntyre boys were ratbags.Would never have thought that???
Heather Gaulter
Dear Connie Minehan, loved her, plunket nurse visits at home with new bubs, she was soooo beautiful
Kaye Marilyn Power
Connie was such a legend.
Chris Munn
I think everyone in Cobden loved Connie. I remember her driving a brown A40.
Josephine Wesley
Bakker family moved to Fitzgerald Street Cobden both were very hard workers.
3 children 2 girls 1 boy.... think Stella an Jon not sure of other girls names...lovely family.
Shona Duthie
Cody Cooper
Mike Roberts
We used to call it 'The Second Bunker'....and had a mud slide going from the top one down to it
Gavin Liz Cochrane
Yes great memories
Colleen Cochrane
Yes we all use to walk up there a hard wjorking family the Bakkers
Val Whittaker
Could see it from our family home in Peel street
Lance Wakefield
I always thought this was the base and the US had army staff placed there and the actual gun bunker was further down (I used to go to that as well and you can see where the gun once was) only what I was told as a kid in the 1970's so I am probably wrong.
Tones Avic Derek
I remember getting told by someone to watch out for the leaches in the trees and would stick to you and suck your blood. so we would be running the track and trying not to touch the branches lol
Wayne Leckie
Spend a bit of time up there back in the day lol
Anne Mcmillan Miller
Wayne Leckie And
Gary Hood
There was another gun emplacement up the hill above Cobden a track lead to it..back 1967-68 went up there as a kid... presume it's still there
Brian Wheatley
Gary Hood Sure is
May be an image of nature
Albie Rose
Thats the bottom magazine in Sturge St that was turned into a house in the 50s not the gun emplacement which is higher up on the hill.
Gregory Ross
The Japanese would have met some resistance if they'd landed on the coast just there during WW II..
Alan Beck
Gregory Ross
Count von would have been right out of Luch (ner).
Stephen Lucas
Dutch War refugees John and Kobie Barker used to live in the gun emplacement house had a daughter Stella and a son who I can't remember
John drove for my farther and used to deliver parcels for the post office.
John also drove the night cart emptying those disgusting toilet buckets.
They later build a house in Fitzgerald St Cobden
This does not look like the house I remember
Kerry Keating
Stephen Lucas He was Jann Bakker.
Alan Beck
Kerry Keating Jann helped Dad build the last Beck bach, Punakaiki, 1980's.
Kerry Keating
Alan Beck I remember when he had a decorated trolley thingy and his little reindeer pulled it around giving kids a ride.
Chris Munn
There was a trial firing. The chickens and my grandparents place all died of fright. Jann Bakker had a barrel organ thingy that he used to take to the industries fair.
Chris Munn
Further to scaring enemies in Cobden, there is a tank proof fence on the back road to Raglan. If nasty people landed in Raglan with dastardly intentions, a steel section could be slid into the slots and the baddies would be stopped...and give up...and go home. Yep
Joshua Kilkelly
Did you go up the gun tower Richmond st cobden
Anne Honey
When the family arrived our teacher taught us how to help the children learn nz english.
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Anne Honey Kobi arrived out from Holland as a War Bride and married Jann here so they must have brought their family up speaking Dutch if they had to be coached at school.
Rob Absalom
Had many a trek up to the house and then on to the "Gun" further up the hill behind the Cob-Kohinoor Rugby League grounds. Used to go up from Sturge St. Went up recently from Richmond St while on holiday. Was good to sit on top of the "gun" again and remember my younger days. It really doesn't seem that long ago. Unfortunately, the body says it was.
Alan Ware
I'm sure Jann started his carrying business with a bath tub on the back of a cut down car - a Morris or Austin I think but the memory is like a lot of other bits these days.
Wendy Joy
Charmaine Tukua-Pouwhare this is the lower gun emplacement in Cobden, we went to the one above it
Linda Griffin
It was just above our house in sturge street. They had a pulley tram thingy to get up there then moved down into our village. Went to sacred heart school with us
Stephen Lucas
Linda Griffin you must of been Linda Briggs I sometimes wonder what happened to you and John Wells
Linda Griffin
Stephen Lucas I am. Live in chch. John in Wanganui. Hope you are well also.
Jeff Hopkins
Still there with a good track up to it .is a popular walk for families. Will have to walk down to the bottom gun as we used to call it and have a look..great run or walk for leauge training
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West Coast New Zealand History (25th Mar 2023). The bottom magazine in Sturge St that was turned into a house in the 50`s. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 7th May 2026 03:29, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/12044