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Old Meat Safe.ca.1950`s - 60`s.
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DescriptionMum and Dad had one of these hanging in the back porch of our house in Blaketown. It was always full of food.I think most people had one in those days.Date of Photo1950`s and 60`sMap[1] ContributorHeather Newby
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Location (city or town)GreymouthEventOld Meat Safe.ca.1950`s - 60`s.
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Category TagHousehold
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Date Created29th May 2021CommentsShona Ratana
Yes we had one in Dobson Think I was in late teens before a fridge appeared.
Jan Meagher
Our grandparents had one in the 50's when we lived with them. You could access it from the kitchen and the bulk of it was under a porch.
Jane Orchard
They were hung up off the ground a breeze could cool the contents. It was a simple fridge in days when there were no fridges. I'm sure they had been used for hundreds of years. Ours had woiden slats on the sides and was lined with wire mesh to keep the flies out. We survived without getting food poisoning ever.
Tania Lee Somervail Beynon
Jane Orchard probably because your food wasn't pumped full of chemicals like it all is today
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Yes .I do .horrible
Lynda Mary Graham
Ours was colder than a fridge. We lived in Otira
Bronwyn Thompson
Lynda Mary Graham yes it was Otira was the fridge.
Jillian Johnson
Ours was wooden with slats, plus a mesh lining, built on outside of kitchen access from inside kitchen...
Sue Beatrice
We had a 'safe' cupboard inside too with a mesh screen that let the breeze in from outside. I remember when our first fridge arrived and Mum could load it up with 3 'pounds' of butter every week.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Sue Beatrice lol.. 3 pounds of butter!?!
Sue Beatrice
Heather Newby yes, for baking. We always had the cake tins full and Ma made pastry too
Kay Bruce
Our's hung in the lilac bush.
Tony Warner
Nana had one built into her kitchen wall next to the cubboards always had a bottle of sarsaparilla in it nice drink
John Stuart
When Dad had our family home built in 50s he had a safe built in,House was Huntly brick,safe in kitchen on Southern side,fine mesh on top and bottom,you could feel the air movement. Put cold roasts in,butter never hard.meat never went off.
Margaret Malloch
We had one of those for years then when we had our new farm house built dad had wooden shelves put inside one lot of cupboards from top to bottom then years it was a fridge interesting times
Alan N Barb Cochrane
We had one in Cobden, when first married
Jenny Sutton
We had one at the back of the house in the Bay of Islands. Always held the milk that had been mixed up, butter, cheese bread and other foods.
Gill McNeil
Yes - remember it well. ... hanging o
Gill McNeil
From the rafters on the back verandah
Trish Rennie
Attached to the outside wall of our kitchen ...had another door over it
Cheryll Edwards
Saw one recently for sale $250
Maureen Burnett
Ours was a wee distance from the back door by a wisteria bush!!!
Robin Spillane
..ours was under the tank stand
JaniceMike Bonner
Yes my Nana in Reefton had one
Lana Vargas
Nana in Dunollie had one in her kitchen
Arlene Hutcheon
My grandmother had one built into the kitchen, next to the cupboards. She had a little fridge too, but still used the safe.
Esther Edwards
My parents had one in Greymouth
Lorraine Wilton
Our family had one years ago. Dad bought home a roll of bacon. I was in the kitchen when mum slicing some. I told her it had worms. She told me all bacon has worms. Years later I said to mum that bacon had maggots. she said well it didnt hurt you did … See More
Helen Brennan
Makes us old them and steam trains
Selwyn Leitch
Yes. We had a meat safe. It was a cupboard vented through the outside wall of the kitchen. The vent was covered by a fine wre mesh to stop flies or vermin from entering the safe. Mum kept preserved eggs, cold meet, lard, bacon and ham in it too
Geoffrey Bell
We had one as well. Same colour too. Built through the outside wall.
Elaine Rainey
We had one during my childhood when we lived in my great grandparents house at Camerons
Les Bryce
Elaine Rainey I think every house in Camerons had one at some time Elaine.
Joy Beveridge
Sure did....
Helen Argyle
We all had them no fridges in those days
Sandy Shadbolt
Nana in Kaiata had one in Washhouse
Glenys McNee
We had one in our house in Greymouth. It was always used before we got a fridge.
Norma Anthony
Had one them hung outside window xxxxx
Debbie Hocking
Took these camping.
Wayne Cannan
Over here it’s called a Coolgardie safe
Raewyn Louttit
We had one as well
Dave Lankshear
We had one as well only thing was you could only get in green and yellow.
Robert Wilson
i can remember ours well,,dad made it bigger about three times,,pukako,ducks,swan ,pigs heads it looked discusting at times then he made one you could put a sheep in as we were out in the country,hated going to it sometimes but then i was just a little bloke,
Linda King
Les Bryce yes they did at least all the houses I have been in including ours.
· Reply · 16h
Les Bryce
And the very early days we had a long drop
· Reply · 15h
Rob Stoddart
Ive got one the same
· Reply · 16h
Jason Lorde
Yeah thay are called a meat safe
· Reply · 16h
Keith Douthett
My folks had one outside the kitchen on the shady side of the house
· Reply · 15h
Helen Burns
Remember them
· Reply · 15h
Gordon Dixon
We had one of those
· Reply · 15h
John Sara
I'm sure that we had one that Mum and Dad would bring away to Nelson on out Xmas holidays. There was also one built on the back wall of our kitchen.
· Reply · 15h
Yvonne Lawson
No freezers then. Went to work on steam trains. I must be old
· Reply · 15h
Bruce Anderson
Yes we had one
· Reply · 14h
Pauleen Knowles
Yes, we had one when we were ist married!
· Reply · 14h
Margaret Harris
We had one too
· Reply · 13h
Betty Tindale
Had one hung high in the trees. To keep the possums out when mining in the back country
· Reply · 13h
Garth Swale
Yes remember that it was by the back door at 2swift street and had a fridge with a small freezer box at top
Caught to much white bait at Blake town No where to freeze so dad put in vegetable garden we had good food
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Garth Swale same.. i remember dad putting whitebait on the garden too.
Terence John Eyles
CAN REMEMBER NANAS ONE BLACKBALL.
Margaret Newton Alley
Yes I remember, we had one in our kitchen.
Bill Day
We had one in Vanguard st as part of the kitchen and then came the small Leonard refrigerator about 1953/4
Christine Peacock
Bill Day us too , allways a safe, not sure when we got fridge but late 50’s I would imagine
Susan Barlow
I remember them well. Always on the cold side of the house.
Anthony John Albertson
Susan Barlow pretty sure we had one of them in Patk Street.
Susan Barlow
Anthony John Albertson Yep! So am I! In the laundry area wasn't it?
Cathy Hale
Ours was built into the wall
Patricia August
Yep.
Sharyn Duncan
How cool, an old safe brings back memories
Yvonne Jean
remember these
Denis-Pat Pilkington
I remember this. I can remember getting our first fridge, I think I was about 10. We got a Leonard 2 door one
Justine Warren Pearce
Diane Chesmar wonder what happened to the one at Stoneleigh
Diane Chesmar
Justine Warren Pearce not sure
Karen Vincent
I still have one.
Eve Holley
We had one in the wall in our kitchen in richmond
Eve Holley
Delia Morris-Zindel
Called a food safe.
Venetia Hill
Use two hanging on veranda to age cheeses
John Griffin
We had one
George Brown
Us too !No fridge in those days .
Brian James Kenny
I remember Auntie May and Uncle Jack Kennedy having on in William St when I was staying with them on school holidays
Noel Marie Batty
We had a similar one but you opened from the kitchen and it was on the outside so air circulated. What about preserving eggs by coating them with an ointment type stuff.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Noel Marie Batty yes,, Mum did that too
Dennis Gibbs
I remember those.
Justine Warren Pearce
Remember mums one. Diane Chesmar
Reply2h
Diane Chesmar
Justine Warren Pearce sure do
Sandy Brears
We all had one of those
Pam Englefield-Absolum
my mother used one of these.
Reply1h
Lorraine O'Donoghue
We had one when first married and after baby arrived and wanted a bottle at 3am and I found her milk and karilac had soured. Had a coal range and hubby had to get up and light the fire to remake a new mix and be up at 5am for work. Guess who got a fridge that afternoon?
Arlene Hutcheon
My grandmother had a meat safe
Carol Hackett
In the kitchen
Geoffrey Bell
My parents had one the same, colour and all.
Margaret Harris
We had one of those
Debbie Hocking
Great for taking camping too
Ray Chinn
I lived through the time of these box,s until a fridge arrived via craddocks garage,,
Vern Pattinson
We did as well in Dobson and my brother did as well when he lived in Wallsend
Margaret Mulloy
Vern Pattinson we had one as well
Vern Pattinson
Margaret Mulloy yes Marg
Brian McMahon
Yea we had one when I was growing up at home until we got a fridge
Yvonne Lawson
Had one in Runanga
Sandra Rooney
Remember those.
Rob Lunn
Made Grandmas roasts in the coal range that much better Vern
Christine Nijdam
We had an outside safe in Kumara. The milk was kept in there too.
Helen O'Dea
My Grandma had one of these.
Margaret Malloch
My parents had one until we got the power
Roger Gardiner
We didn’t own a refrigerator until 1953….The safe prevailed prior to then.
Question. How did you keep your beer cold?
John Stuart
Roger Gardiner wet sack or towel over standing bottles. The water evaporated drawing cool air in around the bottles.
Alan Holland
John Stuart exactly
Yvonne Larner
We had one in ChCh.
Phil Bargh
Bring it back! I would bye one. Not cheap shit just like that.
Suzanne Tones Wolfe
Remember that at my nanas house
Jill Adams
Can remember mum dad's
Leanna Gillespie Annie
Yeah so did my nana and grandad they used to take it to Nelson when they went camping and put it in the tree that's going back those were the good old days
C May L'Huillier
Oh dear it was a head ach I was always in trouble for not shutting the door properly
Vern Pattinson
C May L'Huillier the flys got in there
C May L'Huillier
Vern Pattinson for sure Barrytown days.
Alan Holland
Great for aging a nice steak
Alan Holland
Install on the shady cool side a of your house a light breeze helps too
Geraldine Masters
we had one in Auckland and Rotorua
Richard Howe
When we moved from Pahiatua to Dannevirke in 1949, we had a modern version. It was inside, with three cupboard spaces, and there was a ventilation hole, covered in that fine screening, in the floor, and another in the ceiling, also covered. When you opened a cupboard, you could feel the draught going through them. We thought we were posh after having the safe on the porch.
Lucy Lorraine Lucking
We had the same one
Kath Rogers
We had one we used when we camped, hung it under a tree with a wet sack over it. It worked well
Mike Minehan
An elderly "Cornishman", Ned by name used to live in the even older house on our second small fattening farm up Kokiri way. He worked in a Railways gang so often found sheep that hadn´t survived the encounter with the railcar at night. The meat was then brought back to his tin safe near the kitchen, and as a boy I can remember the incessant humming of the myriads of blowflies trying to get through the tight mesh. Attracted by the atrocious pong of the almost green chops! He seemed to have survived it all, just the flies died of starvation ;))
Christina Fairhurst
We had one of those!
Lynda Boden
We had when camping at Glentui
Frank Hillier
We had one then we got a kerosene fridge
Bev Thompson
Food safe
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Pre fridge days.
Bronwen Skates
Lorraine O'Donoghue yes. My parents didn't have a fridge until mid 60s . Got by with the food safe .
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Bronwen Skates yes I started out married life in mid 1950s with a food safe until my first child was born in 1958. She woke up for her bottle 2.30am and her milk had soured. We had a coal range that had to be lit and Jim had to be up at 5.30 for work plus also had to cool milk mixture down enough for baby to drink.
Guess what? That afternoon we were at Calder Mackays buying a fridge!
Bronwen Skates
Lorraine O'Donoghue lol. Mum was same 1950s with food safe and coalrange . Big family etc . Her first fridge was a small bench fridge that lasted years and ended up in our garage as a beer fridge . Lasted yrs with no repairs .
Bronwen Skates
My parents had one which we called a cool safe built on cold side of kitchen wall with mesh back . Meat for the day plus milk and butter , dripping bowl were stored there .
Sandra Douglas
Bronwen Skates bacon hung in it as well ..
Lynn Seator
Had one on the farm
Anne Honey
Yes we had one in Cobden until we got our frigidaire.
Rae Hodge
I remember one of these, for our fridge at Punikaiki, which was hanging in a cave near the batch.
Trish Rennie
Ours was built into the kitchen wall on the cooler side ….had a shutter to go over the safe door so there was no draft. Mum kept fresh churned butter, milk, lard or cooking fat and couple of days meat in there. Must have been OK as we never got sick from eating anything from it…..It was all cooked long n slow on the coalrange and no such thing as leftovers to place in the safe….a family of eight took some feeding
Sandra Rooney
Before refridgerators. We had one at Te Kinga
Gonzo Mclean
My home still had one built into the kitchen, until a full kitchen Renovation two years ago. I'm young enough to be one of the last to remember those tin green ones, that hung outside the house too.
Elaine Rainey
My parents had one which stored our meat milk and dripping. It hung on the kitchen wall too. No flies could get in. This was in the late 50s early 60s before fridges became available.
Maureen Cassey
We had one of these on the cool side of the house
Also a large clay pipe set into the ground with a lid that you attached the milk billy too, and other things like butter bellow it
Remember when our first fridge arrived in 1952
Dianne Johnson
Ours was built in to the exterior wall of the house.
Dennis Gibbs
Ours was built in. Cupboard on inside screen to outside. Kept meat fresh.
Ash Franklyn
We still have one! Mind you... the house is 151 this year!
Lyn Frazer
We had one as well- usually used when we went holidaying, camping, but it was also used at home on occasions- I'm talking 1960's- 80's
Marilyn Hill
We had one in kitchen
Anne Bruce
No electricty therefore it was one of thesee on the south side of the house. Butter in big stone crock jars in the pantry. No problem with milk, fresh twice a day straight from the cows. Wanted cold drinks? Put the bottles in the spring for a few hours. Ice blocks, put milk or Raro in a dish and put on the tank stand during Winter. Not the good-old-days at all. I envied those with electricity.
Ken Duncan
grandparents had on at Hunts until the 1970's I think maybe even later when Uncle took on the house. they worked when the power was out. lol
Alan N Barb Cochrane
used one in cobden
Sandra Cross
Our house had a cold paantry - slatted shelves in a cupboard which went from the roof to the floor with netting at both ends.
Yes we had one in Dobson Think I was in late teens before a fridge appeared.
Jan Meagher
Our grandparents had one in the 50's when we lived with them. You could access it from the kitchen and the bulk of it was under a porch.
Jane Orchard
They were hung up off the ground a breeze could cool the contents. It was a simple fridge in days when there were no fridges. I'm sure they had been used for hundreds of years. Ours had woiden slats on the sides and was lined with wire mesh to keep the flies out. We survived without getting food poisoning ever.
Tania Lee Somervail Beynon
Jane Orchard probably because your food wasn't pumped full of chemicals like it all is today
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Yes .I do .horrible
Lynda Mary Graham
Ours was colder than a fridge. We lived in Otira
Bronwyn Thompson
Lynda Mary Graham yes it was Otira was the fridge.
Jillian Johnson
Ours was wooden with slats, plus a mesh lining, built on outside of kitchen access from inside kitchen...
Sue Beatrice
We had a 'safe' cupboard inside too with a mesh screen that let the breeze in from outside. I remember when our first fridge arrived and Mum could load it up with 3 'pounds' of butter every week.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Sue Beatrice lol.. 3 pounds of butter!?!
Sue Beatrice
Heather Newby yes, for baking. We always had the cake tins full and Ma made pastry too
Kay Bruce
Our's hung in the lilac bush.
Tony Warner
Nana had one built into her kitchen wall next to the cubboards always had a bottle of sarsaparilla in it nice drink
John Stuart
When Dad had our family home built in 50s he had a safe built in,House was Huntly brick,safe in kitchen on Southern side,fine mesh on top and bottom,you could feel the air movement. Put cold roasts in,butter never hard.meat never went off.
Margaret Malloch
We had one of those for years then when we had our new farm house built dad had wooden shelves put inside one lot of cupboards from top to bottom then years it was a fridge interesting times
Alan N Barb Cochrane
We had one in Cobden, when first married
Jenny Sutton
We had one at the back of the house in the Bay of Islands. Always held the milk that had been mixed up, butter, cheese bread and other foods.
Gill McNeil
Yes - remember it well. ... hanging o
Gill McNeil
From the rafters on the back verandah
Trish Rennie
Attached to the outside wall of our kitchen ...had another door over it
Cheryll Edwards
Saw one recently for sale $250
Maureen Burnett
Ours was a wee distance from the back door by a wisteria bush!!!
Robin Spillane
..ours was under the tank stand
JaniceMike Bonner
Yes my Nana in Reefton had one
Lana Vargas
Nana in Dunollie had one in her kitchen
Arlene Hutcheon
My grandmother had one built into the kitchen, next to the cupboards. She had a little fridge too, but still used the safe.
Esther Edwards
My parents had one in Greymouth
Lorraine Wilton
Our family had one years ago. Dad bought home a roll of bacon. I was in the kitchen when mum slicing some. I told her it had worms. She told me all bacon has worms. Years later I said to mum that bacon had maggots. she said well it didnt hurt you did … See More
Helen Brennan
Makes us old them and steam trains
Selwyn Leitch
Yes. We had a meat safe. It was a cupboard vented through the outside wall of the kitchen. The vent was covered by a fine wre mesh to stop flies or vermin from entering the safe. Mum kept preserved eggs, cold meet, lard, bacon and ham in it too
Geoffrey Bell
We had one as well. Same colour too. Built through the outside wall.
Elaine Rainey
We had one during my childhood when we lived in my great grandparents house at Camerons
Les Bryce
Elaine Rainey I think every house in Camerons had one at some time Elaine.
Joy Beveridge
Sure did....
Helen Argyle
We all had them no fridges in those days
Sandy Shadbolt
Nana in Kaiata had one in Washhouse
Glenys McNee
We had one in our house in Greymouth. It was always used before we got a fridge.
Norma Anthony
Had one them hung outside window xxxxx
Debbie Hocking
Took these camping.
Wayne Cannan
Over here it’s called a Coolgardie safe
Raewyn Louttit
We had one as well
Dave Lankshear
We had one as well only thing was you could only get in green and yellow.
Robert Wilson
i can remember ours well,,dad made it bigger about three times,,pukako,ducks,swan ,pigs heads it looked discusting at times then he made one you could put a sheep in as we were out in the country,hated going to it sometimes but then i was just a little bloke,
Linda King
Les Bryce yes they did at least all the houses I have been in including ours.
· Reply · 16h
Les Bryce
And the very early days we had a long drop
· Reply · 15h
Rob Stoddart
Ive got one the same
· Reply · 16h
Jason Lorde
Yeah thay are called a meat safe
· Reply · 16h
Keith Douthett
My folks had one outside the kitchen on the shady side of the house
· Reply · 15h
Helen Burns
Remember them
· Reply · 15h
Gordon Dixon
We had one of those
· Reply · 15h
John Sara
I'm sure that we had one that Mum and Dad would bring away to Nelson on out Xmas holidays. There was also one built on the back wall of our kitchen.
· Reply · 15h
Yvonne Lawson
No freezers then. Went to work on steam trains. I must be old
· Reply · 15h
Bruce Anderson
Yes we had one
· Reply · 14h
Pauleen Knowles
Yes, we had one when we were ist married!
· Reply · 14h
Margaret Harris
We had one too
· Reply · 13h
Betty Tindale
Had one hung high in the trees. To keep the possums out when mining in the back country
· Reply · 13h
Garth Swale
Yes remember that it was by the back door at 2swift street and had a fridge with a small freezer box at top
Caught to much white bait at Blake town No where to freeze so dad put in vegetable garden we had good food
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Garth Swale same.. i remember dad putting whitebait on the garden too.
Terence John Eyles
CAN REMEMBER NANAS ONE BLACKBALL.
Margaret Newton Alley
Yes I remember, we had one in our kitchen.
Bill Day
We had one in Vanguard st as part of the kitchen and then came the small Leonard refrigerator about 1953/4
Christine Peacock
Bill Day us too , allways a safe, not sure when we got fridge but late 50’s I would imagine
Susan Barlow
I remember them well. Always on the cold side of the house.
Anthony John Albertson
Susan Barlow pretty sure we had one of them in Patk Street.
Susan Barlow
Anthony John Albertson Yep! So am I! In the laundry area wasn't it?
Cathy Hale
Ours was built into the wall
Patricia August
Yep.
Sharyn Duncan
How cool, an old safe brings back memories
Yvonne Jean
remember these
Denis-Pat Pilkington
I remember this. I can remember getting our first fridge, I think I was about 10. We got a Leonard 2 door one
Justine Warren Pearce
Diane Chesmar wonder what happened to the one at Stoneleigh
Diane Chesmar
Justine Warren Pearce not sure
Karen Vincent
I still have one.
Eve Holley
We had one in the wall in our kitchen in richmond
Eve Holley
Delia Morris-Zindel
Called a food safe.
Venetia Hill
Use two hanging on veranda to age cheeses
John Griffin
We had one
George Brown
Us too !No fridge in those days .
Brian James Kenny
I remember Auntie May and Uncle Jack Kennedy having on in William St when I was staying with them on school holidays
Noel Marie Batty
We had a similar one but you opened from the kitchen and it was on the outside so air circulated. What about preserving eggs by coating them with an ointment type stuff.
Heather Newby
Author
Admin
Noel Marie Batty yes,, Mum did that too
Dennis Gibbs
I remember those.
Justine Warren Pearce
Remember mums one. Diane Chesmar
Reply2h
Diane Chesmar
Justine Warren Pearce sure do
Sandy Brears
We all had one of those
Pam Englefield-Absolum
my mother used one of these.
Reply1h
Lorraine O'Donoghue
We had one when first married and after baby arrived and wanted a bottle at 3am and I found her milk and karilac had soured. Had a coal range and hubby had to get up and light the fire to remake a new mix and be up at 5am for work. Guess who got a fridge that afternoon?
Arlene Hutcheon
My grandmother had a meat safe
Carol Hackett
In the kitchen
Geoffrey Bell
My parents had one the same, colour and all.
Margaret Harris
We had one of those
Debbie Hocking
Great for taking camping too
Ray Chinn
I lived through the time of these box,s until a fridge arrived via craddocks garage,,
Vern Pattinson
We did as well in Dobson and my brother did as well when he lived in Wallsend
Margaret Mulloy
Vern Pattinson we had one as well
Vern Pattinson
Margaret Mulloy yes Marg
Brian McMahon
Yea we had one when I was growing up at home until we got a fridge
Yvonne Lawson
Had one in Runanga
Sandra Rooney
Remember those.
Rob Lunn
Made Grandmas roasts in the coal range that much better Vern
Christine Nijdam
We had an outside safe in Kumara. The milk was kept in there too.
Helen O'Dea
My Grandma had one of these.
Margaret Malloch
My parents had one until we got the power
Roger Gardiner
We didn’t own a refrigerator until 1953….The safe prevailed prior to then.
Question. How did you keep your beer cold?
John Stuart
Roger Gardiner wet sack or towel over standing bottles. The water evaporated drawing cool air in around the bottles.
Alan Holland
John Stuart exactly
Yvonne Larner
We had one in ChCh.
Phil Bargh
Bring it back! I would bye one. Not cheap shit just like that.
Suzanne Tones Wolfe
Remember that at my nanas house
Jill Adams
Can remember mum dad's
Leanna Gillespie Annie
Yeah so did my nana and grandad they used to take it to Nelson when they went camping and put it in the tree that's going back those were the good old days
C May L'Huillier
Oh dear it was a head ach I was always in trouble for not shutting the door properly
Vern Pattinson
C May L'Huillier the flys got in there
C May L'Huillier
Vern Pattinson for sure Barrytown days.
Alan Holland
Great for aging a nice steak
Alan Holland
Install on the shady cool side a of your house a light breeze helps too
Geraldine Masters
we had one in Auckland and Rotorua
Richard Howe
When we moved from Pahiatua to Dannevirke in 1949, we had a modern version. It was inside, with three cupboard spaces, and there was a ventilation hole, covered in that fine screening, in the floor, and another in the ceiling, also covered. When you opened a cupboard, you could feel the draught going through them. We thought we were posh after having the safe on the porch.
Lucy Lorraine Lucking
We had the same one
Kath Rogers
We had one we used when we camped, hung it under a tree with a wet sack over it. It worked well
Mike Minehan
An elderly "Cornishman", Ned by name used to live in the even older house on our second small fattening farm up Kokiri way. He worked in a Railways gang so often found sheep that hadn´t survived the encounter with the railcar at night. The meat was then brought back to his tin safe near the kitchen, and as a boy I can remember the incessant humming of the myriads of blowflies trying to get through the tight mesh. Attracted by the atrocious pong of the almost green chops! He seemed to have survived it all, just the flies died of starvation ;))
Christina Fairhurst
We had one of those!
Lynda Boden
We had when camping at Glentui
Frank Hillier
We had one then we got a kerosene fridge
Bev Thompson
Food safe
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Pre fridge days.
Bronwen Skates
Lorraine O'Donoghue yes. My parents didn't have a fridge until mid 60s . Got by with the food safe .
Lorraine O'Donoghue
Bronwen Skates yes I started out married life in mid 1950s with a food safe until my first child was born in 1958. She woke up for her bottle 2.30am and her milk had soured. We had a coal range that had to be lit and Jim had to be up at 5.30 for work plus also had to cool milk mixture down enough for baby to drink.
Guess what? That afternoon we were at Calder Mackays buying a fridge!
Bronwen Skates
Lorraine O'Donoghue lol. Mum was same 1950s with food safe and coalrange . Big family etc . Her first fridge was a small bench fridge that lasted years and ended up in our garage as a beer fridge . Lasted yrs with no repairs .
Bronwen Skates
My parents had one which we called a cool safe built on cold side of kitchen wall with mesh back . Meat for the day plus milk and butter , dripping bowl were stored there .
Sandra Douglas
Bronwen Skates bacon hung in it as well ..
Lynn Seator
Had one on the farm
Anne Honey
Yes we had one in Cobden until we got our frigidaire.
Rae Hodge
I remember one of these, for our fridge at Punikaiki, which was hanging in a cave near the batch.
Trish Rennie
Ours was built into the kitchen wall on the cooler side ….had a shutter to go over the safe door so there was no draft. Mum kept fresh churned butter, milk, lard or cooking fat and couple of days meat in there. Must have been OK as we never got sick from eating anything from it…..It was all cooked long n slow on the coalrange and no such thing as leftovers to place in the safe….a family of eight took some feeding
Sandra Rooney
Before refridgerators. We had one at Te Kinga
Gonzo Mclean
My home still had one built into the kitchen, until a full kitchen Renovation two years ago. I'm young enough to be one of the last to remember those tin green ones, that hung outside the house too.
Elaine Rainey
My parents had one which stored our meat milk and dripping. It hung on the kitchen wall too. No flies could get in. This was in the late 50s early 60s before fridges became available.
Maureen Cassey
We had one of these on the cool side of the house
Also a large clay pipe set into the ground with a lid that you attached the milk billy too, and other things like butter bellow it
Remember when our first fridge arrived in 1952
Dianne Johnson
Ours was built in to the exterior wall of the house.
Dennis Gibbs
Ours was built in. Cupboard on inside screen to outside. Kept meat fresh.
Ash Franklyn
We still have one! Mind you... the house is 151 this year!
Lyn Frazer
We had one as well- usually used when we went holidaying, camping, but it was also used at home on occasions- I'm talking 1960's- 80's
Marilyn Hill
We had one in kitchen
Anne Bruce
No electricty therefore it was one of thesee on the south side of the house. Butter in big stone crock jars in the pantry. No problem with milk, fresh twice a day straight from the cows. Wanted cold drinks? Put the bottles in the spring for a few hours. Ice blocks, put milk or Raro in a dish and put on the tank stand during Winter. Not the good-old-days at all. I envied those with electricity.
Ken Duncan
grandparents had on at Hunts until the 1970's I think maybe even later when Uncle took on the house. they worked when the power was out. lol
Alan N Barb Cochrane
used one in cobden
Sandra Cross
Our house had a cold paantry - slatted shelves in a cupboard which went from the roof to the floor with netting at both ends.
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West Coast New Zealand History (2nd Aug 2023). Old Meat Safe.ca.1950`s - 60`s.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 5th Apr 2026 14:24, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/29416