Garden Whistle Mar 2012 - Sandman.org.nz

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The Garden Whistle - November 2011The Garden Whistle - March 2012Phillip Charles Cooke - (Cookie)2.4.1957 - 17.1.2012Phillip Cooke (left) and Ray Parmenter outside Don’s work with their trucks loaded with the clubs layout ready for thetrip around to Pioneer Stadium for the Christchurch Big Model Train Show back in 2003. Phillips truck was usedmany times to transport the layout to various shows around Christchurch. (Ray Parmenter collection)Phillip Cooke was a founding member of the Christchurch Garden Railway Society back in 1989.Don Ellis and Ray Parmenter are the only others still in the club today. At the time of his death, Phillipwas the club treasurer, a position he had held for many years. Sadly he has joined the many hundredsof others who have passed away from all manner of causes over the last year, but all attributableto the Christchurch earthquakes - the large undocumented earthquake toll.The tribute below was written by Allan Guy from the Garden City Club at Ferrymead, and he hasgiven permission for it to be reprinted here.As Martin James, a fellow Friends of Ferrymeadmember, who lead the service said, "We must notjudge a life by the way it ended but you can treasurea life time of memories spent with Phillip"He also said, "I don't remember my first meetingwith Phillip - he must have arrived" and in his quietand unassuming way, he became an integral part ofthe fabric of our lives."I felt the same way. I joined Garden city Model Railroadclub in 1989, and Phillip would have been oneof the members who showed me around. Later whenI was club president, Phillip was my first secretary,and as such was a great help. If any constitutionalmatters arose, I didn't have to look up the constitution;Phillip knew it off the top of his head. He alsoknew what was going on around Ferrymead with hisvarious contacts. Later when applying for grants torepair the clubrooms, or for the workshop, it wasdone with his usual efficiency.Phillip's sister, Glenda told us that he was given aHornby train set when he was 9. From then on railwaysbecame a passion. Robin Knight has told methat he first remembers Phillip coming into ChristchurchModel Supplies when they had a shop at635A Worcester St and later on the corner of LinwoodAve and Worcester St, and Phillip was still atIntermediate School. If I go back in my memorybanks far enough, I think Trevor Stewart said thesame thing about Phillip corning into Hobdays Modelsand Cycles at the Edgeware end of Colombo St.Phillip joined New Zealand Railways straight fromschool as an office cadet originally in MoorhouseAve station. He also worked in Westport on thegoods side of NZR, then for a time was StationAgent in Kaiapoi, and then Addington station. At thetime he was at Addington it controlled a lot of theprivate sidings at the back of businesses. From Addington,Phillip was promoted to Claims Officer at BShed, the main goods depot in Christchurch and wasPage 20
The Garden Whistle - November 2011The Garden Whistle - March 2012there until it closed down. About 12 months later; hejoined the Relay Room in Midas Place, which by thistime had been privatised (now named OnTrack), andwas there until last week, about 12 years later.I am not sure if Phillip was at the very first meetingto discuss forming a new model railroad club inChristchurch, but he was definitely at the follow upmeeting on 3 September, 1979 when Garden CityModel Railroad Club was formed. Since then, he hasbeen a valued member of the club, as I have alreadysaid, as committee member and then secretary. Hewas always available for working bees, and if weneeded it, his 1953 Bedford K truck was available.Because of his interest in G scale, as well as his BritishRailways, and because he worked nearby, he wasfirst on the call out list for the LGB train that GardenCity Model Railroad Club had in Cobb & Co. BushInn. I am not sure that he really wanted this position,but it was carried out with his usual efficiency. Andonce a year we would have a night cleaning thetrack, locos and wagons to make sure it kept runningsmoothly.Around Ferrymead Heritage Park, Phillip was probablybetter known as a member of Friends of Ferrymead.As such, he could be found on a Saturdayworking around Curragh Cottage in the township. AsMartin James said, washers would be fixed, plugsmended, lectures about the dangers of electricitydelivered and plugs chopped off. On a Sunday incostume, he would play the part of the Edwardiangentleman.As Margaret Spowart from the Canterbury Antiquesand Collectables Club reminded us, Cookie loved toorganise group bookings" whether it was a weekendaway, or a night out to a show.Phillip was the current secretary of The CanterburyAntique and Collectables Club, as he wasto Christchurch Garden Railway Club.Other clubs that Phillip was involved with includedBritish Model Railway group in Christchurch, andthe Australian British Model Railway Society. Thatwould be where he met Harry Howell, who used tocome over quite often on business, and alwayslooked Cookie up when in town. Phillip used to go toquite a few of the Australian Conventions. I thinkthey are held every year. Back in 1995, I had goneto Melbourne to my brother's wedding, and afterwards"Cookie met up with me, as he had been to aconvention over there. We toured around part of Victoria,including Ballarat. Most people that go to Ballaratonly get as far as Sovereign Hill, but Cookiehad heard about a gate crossing and semaphore signalsat the station in Ballarat. so that was included inthe tour. Always something interesting when touringwith Cookie.He was a committee member when organising the1980, 1988 and 2000 National Model Railway Conventionshere in Christchurch, and a past member ofCanterbury Railway Society at Ferrymead. He is alsoa past representative of the membership committee atFerrymead Historic Park, and since its restructure,Ferrymead Heritage Park Trust Board.He was also a member of International Plastic ModellersSociety, IPMS and as such served his time ascommittee member and secretary.Because of his Bedford interest, he was also a memberof the Vauxhall Owners Club, Bedford division.I went with him in the Bedford on a couple of theTwin Rivers Runs, which were great fun, and againwe had to dress in costume. On special occasions, Iwas allowed to drive the Bedford, but usually onlyaround the Park. He sold it a few years ago, as herealised that he didn't have the skills to restore it toits full glory.There are probably other clubs Phillip was involved.Military modelling comes to mind, but I don't haveany details of those.And of course in later years, he met up with Pip, andmanaged to get her involved in costume in Friendsof Ferrymead. Again, his sister Glenda said that shehad never seen Cookie so happy as when he firstintroduced Glenda to Pip.As Fred Gear from Team Ferrymead said in his notice,"Sunday drinks at Curragh Cottage will not bethe same without you"Farewell Cookie RIPAllan Guy, Past President,Garden City Model Railroad Club Inc.Page 21
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