Sisters give up book club

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33058, 27 October 1972, Page 5

Sisters give up book club

For 20 years, Misses Ara and Sally Wilson ran the Merivale Book Club. With their retirement recently, the Merivale shopping centre has lost both its lending library' and two identities who were very’ much part of its “village” atmosphere.

The book club premises, on Papanui Road, have been bought by an adjoining business. The old veranda and nron posts — one of the few remaining in the shopping centre — have gone with the renovations. “We were a bit sad about that, but I suppose that’s what is called progress," said Miss Sally Wilson yesterday. The posts, and shop front, were damaged after a motor accident earlier this year. The Misses Wilson — two of four sisters from a large family, who have always lived nearby in Rugby Street — bought the library from Miss Pat Martin in 1952. “It was all because we wanted something to do, and books were the things we were

really interested in,” they said.

Not ones to be idle, the sisters had joined the Women’s Land Army formed early in World War II by the late Miss Mary McLean. They went to a dairy factory and learnt to milk cows, by hand and by machine.

When women volunteers were sought to keep milk deliveries going, the Wilson sisters volunteered. Because of petrol rationing, big horse floats were brought back into use- “They wanted people who had experience with horses, and we had always ridden as girls,” they said. “The horses were just gorgeous,” said Miss Sally Wilson. “They knew just when to stop, and when to turn a corner,” added Miss Ara Wilson.

Life was just as busy when they took over the library. It was open on weekdays (except Wednesday), on Saturday, and in the evening.

Initially, books were difficult to obtain. “In those days, we were helped so much by the late Lady Acland. She had a relative in Britain and got a lot of books for us,” they said.

Throughout the years, the sisters have kept up a stock of 9000 books. Keen readers themselves, they read most of their new acquisitions. And they kept a wide variety to meet the requirements of their members.

“We had a great demand for autobiography, biography, and travel, especially from the young people,” said Miss Ara Wilson.

Only in the early days of television did their membership fall off. “But people soon came back,” they said. “There are so many good readers in this district.” When a book was televised, the sisters had to meet a demand for it. Two copies of “The Forsyte Saga” were much in demand, and literature on Henry VIII and his wives was also much sought after. When a Dickens novel was serialised, the Misses Wilson lent out their own copies.

People, as much as books, interest the sisters. They believe their members appreciated personal service, and for them it was rewarding to know that people were borrowing books they really enjoyedOften they would be asked to choose books for members. “We soon got to know what people liked, and we

would buy books with our members’ tastes in mind,” they said. They consider the recent increase in the price of books is responsible for the closing down of many suburban book clubs, not a decline in readership — when they bought their club, there were three lending libraries in the Merivale shopping centre. During their 20 years there, they got to know not only families but their visitors, too. British and American visitors staying in the neighbourhood for a while often joined the library. One visitor they remember who borrowed books and often stayed to chat, was the well-known English painter, Edward Halliday, who has done many Royal portraits. “He came out here to paint a portrait, and joined the club. We had lots of interesting talks with him,” they said. When the sisters left the club, they were very touched when the shopkeepers in the centre, and some members of the club, presented them with a canteen of cutlery. “We’ll miss the club, but we are going to keep very busy,” they said.