Mystery of old photos deepens

These old photos need to discover their rightful owner. Photographer Paul Taylor.

A mysterious box of old photos handed to Jervoistown resident Vicki Charman has bewildered her.

Vicki and her husband Max lived in Moorehouse St, Taradale, between 1973 and 2001, in a house they built. They sold that house to Justin and Sandy, who sold to an unknown buyer. Those people found the box of photos and returned them to the previous owners — Justin and Sandy — presuming them to be theirs.

"They didn't belong to them so they were returned to the Moorehouse St residents. Then a former neighbour brought them to us asking if they were ours," Vicki says.

And the mystery deepens. Vicki says the house was thoroughly cleaned out when she shifted out so she has no idea how the photos could have gotten onto the property.

"We built the house so it doesn't make sense. Maybe a courier driver got the wrong address and they were hidden in one of the garages."

But Vicki is determined to find the rightful owner. She has been busy researching the family tree of Norm Pelvin, whose name appears in a few of the older albums.

"One album has N Pelvin and another R Pelvin written inside. I think his wife's name was Rita. One album is well labelled — it's all in the 1930s and looks like they were travelling or on holiday."

There are four framed photos, one painting of the Red Star sailing ship and three older albums including photos taken after the 1931 earthquake.

"One of the photos appears to be Norm's mum and dad on a farm with the names Waihaki and Glenavy written near them."

Other photos include nurse graduates from the Wellington Hospital, and have the name Lynette Unsworth, another is of Castlepoint before the lighthouse and one has the caption "Avery dinner 1932".

"They seemed to get around a lot. A lot of photos include vehicles and there's a photo of the first Wahine in 1930. Maybe he was a civil engineer — there are photos of big projects, which would tie that in." Vicki says she wants the photos to go to their rightful home.

"We'll be shifting again in the future and we're not taking them with us."

• If anyone has any information or recognises any of the photos phone Vicki on 844 2658.