He gets a mention in this year’s Manawatū Journal of History in an article that delves into the history of former Palmerston North-based radio station 2ZA - the “voice of the Manawatū”.
The commercial radio station was on air between 1938 and 1995 and the article, by Tony Rasmussen, charts its broadcasting history through the eras when it was a big player on the national broadcasting scene.
For years Morrie The Mouse entertained children on a Sunday morning, allowing Mum and Dad a bit of a sleep-in. He became a mascot for the station and attended various community events.
The journal reveals that the on-air “squeak” Morrie the Mouse made actually came from a cork being rubbed on the top of a bottle. It was a big day in Palmerston North when Morrie married his girlfriend Molly.
The Manawatū Journal of History is put together annually by a committee with contributions from different writers. It is the 20th anniversary of the publication.
Editor Russell Poole with the latest edition of the annual Manawatu Journal of History, to be officially released this weekend.
Editor Russell Poole said there was a “very capable committee” of nine people put a lot of effort into the publication each year, while local libraries had proven invaluable when researching some of the articles.
There was history and stories “under every rock”, he said.
Poole hoped the publication would continue to embrace diversity in telling Manawatū stories. The magazine pays its own way through sponsorship and book sales, he said.
There will be an official launch of the 2024 issue of the Manawatū Journal of History at Te Manawa this weekend, coinciding with the annual Historian of the Year award.
A snapshot of other stories in this year’s journal:
- A feature article marking the centenary of the Flock House scheme.
Under this scheme, which ran between 1924 and 1931, teenage children of British seamen who had died or were incapacitated during World War I were brought to New Zealand and trained as farm workers. The article, written by Poole, builds on testimony of numerous descendants of those migrants.
- An article on the Taonui Airfield, which is closing in on its centenary. Ross St George, a long-time member of the Feilding Aerodrome Society, chronicles the development of the important facility with particular mention of the heroic days of agricultural aviation.
- An article by Dorothy Pilkington about the Cobbe and Co department store in Feilding. The store was remarkable, even by national standards, with wonderful window displays.
- An article from Robin Fisher about his grandfather Bet Hancox, a Palmerston North resident who played a prominent part in the military and on the city council.
