SOUTH CANTERBURY
NEW ZEALAND
1865 - 1996
Part 4 - THE TIMARU BREWERY CO LTD
| PIN | 4 1/2 Gallons |
| FIRKIN | 9 Gallons |
| KILDERKIN | 18 Gallons |
| BARRELS | 36 Gallons |
| HOGS HEAD | 54 Gallons |
| PUNCHEON | 72 Gallons |
| BUTT | 108 Gallons |
| TUN | 216 Gallons |
THE TIMARU BREWERY CO LTD(1926-1936)
The Timaru Brewery Co Ltd kept its Christchurch market, and further expanded it's market through McIlwraith & Co, Wellington, Poverty Wine & Spirit Co, Gisbourne, Barry's Bottling, Napier and most importantly John Reids of Auckland. All these mentioned companies bottled Timaru Ale & Stout under slightly altered labels from the Timaru originals. The new companies other strength was its board, chaired by Edward George Kerr (II), owner of the "Timaru Herald". A most useful tool for marketing ones product. Lively new slogans such as "Bottled with Loving Care" and " The Friendliest Drink in the World" was used.
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| "The Friendliest Drink in the World" A label from 1930-1936 |
Much advertising was under-taken (see fig 23), these advertisements ceased in 1927 to make way for one of the most well known characters associated with beer advertising. Tim & Ru were the invention of Ronald Eustice Murray, a Wellington artist. His original drawings differ slightly to those of the 1950's.
The writing style had also changed. During the 1950's when two Timaru Boy's High School master's "Buster" Moore and Ramsay Wilson wrote the text that accompanied the characters. The first "Tim &Ru" advertisement appeared in the Timaru Herald in 1928 (see fig 24). However Auckland was privileged some time before in the "New Zealand Herald" via John Reid's bottling plant.
A journalist from the "New Zealand Observer" once said, "half New Zealand reads what Tim burbles in the ever-ready of Ru". Their fame was world wide, journalists from Britain and the United States used to write, call and visit asking to interview the beery twins. During the Great Depression and the Second World War they brought humour and colour to the day's newspapers.
The Timaru Brewery Co survived the Great Depression and prospered somewhat after. However in 1936 New Zealand Breweries Ltd was busy buying up "provincial breweries" and the successful Timaru Brewery was required for it's stable.
NEW ZEALAND BREWERIES LTD, TIMARU BRANCH (1936-1975)
New Zealand Breweries Ltd was formed in 1923 with the amalgamation of the so-called "Big Ten". The Lion Brewery & Imperial Brewery of Auckland; the Gisborne Brewery of D.J.Barry and Co; J.Staples and Co. Brewery, Wellington; S.Manning & Co. Christchurch; Ward & Co and the Crown Brewery of the same city and from Dunedin, McGavins Union Brewery; Strachans Victoria Brewery and Speight & Co City Brewery. The whole arrangement hung on Speights acceptance. J.Speight & Co had a larger brewing capacity than all the others put together. There was some decention in the Speights ranks, particularly in the Greenslade camp. The Greenslades & the Dawsons made up the original Speights partnership. The new company went ahead as planed. Not only was the company formed to ensure the future of those involved but also to also to form a powerful political force to fight the anti liquor lobby, which was still a powerful force in the 1920s. The Timaru Brewery Co was one of NZB's early acquisitions. Some others were: Blackhorse Brewery, Wetherstones [1923] Union Brewery, Christchurch [1930] and a rash of breweries in the 1950's Southland Breweries Ltd, Invercargill: Gore Brewery: Ballins Breweries Christchurch: Cascade Brewery, Taihape: Wanganui Brewery and more recently Leopard Brewery, Hastings & the Waikato Brewery, Hamilton.
In September of 1936 N.Z. Breweries Ltd appointed Mr Charles Lagan as the Manager of the Timaru Branch. Cedric Beckley and Joe Greenfield continued as brewers, the rest of the work force didn't change. Immediately extensive upgrading work began on the site
A new boiler house was erected with the land mark chimney stack a new
bottling house of two levels behind the office, and a new keg and tank storage
building of brick which replaced the old wooden storage shed and malt house.
The brewery's capacity was doubled. Note "Victoria Bond" on the
side of the 1878 section (see photo). This was the Spirit Bond Store that
was set up by Hole Grierson Davis & Co. By this stage N.Z.B. Timaru
had added Gordons Gin and Black & White Whisky to it's spirit bottling
stable.
Soon after a new set of labels was introduced the Timaru Bitter label coming later in 1938. During the Second World War Tim & Ru were involved in various patriotic activities and Timaru Ale was consumed in various theatres of the war. In 1947 the Timaru Brewery had its only known death, a night cellarman was overcome by Co2 fumes from a tank he was cleaning and drowned in the cleaning water. On the lighter side rumours "Floated about Timaru beer had body".
The last additions to the brewery were in 1954 when a second floor was added to the office building. The photograph shows the Brewery in 1953. The next major change was the closing of the bottling stores in August of 1958, from then until the brewery's closure in 1975 draught beer only was produced although some of it was bottled in Christchurch under the label of Timaru Bitter. The bottle store became the new home of South Canterbury Wine & Spirits.
The Brewery offices moved back to their original place (from the 1880's). The South Canterbury Wine & Spirit Co were a Ballins operation, which was part of the tandem deal between Ballins and N.Z.B. N.Z.B. had a share in the business, which distributed wines & spirits as well as manufacturing soft drinks under the Ballins label.
The manager Mr Percy Hills had been told that the brewery was to close
as early as 1954, however the brewery's profit was in excess of exceptions.
It had been reviewed in 1958, but still it paid. In 1942 Charles Lagans
son V.P (Pat) joined the company as a brewer,
Staff Photo, at the closing of the Bottling Stores August 1958
and remained there until 1954 and moved on to the Crown Branch of N.Z.B
in Christchurch. Noel White came south to act as brewer, in 1958 he become
brewer-manager, and remained there until the closure. Jack Roddick worked
at the brewery as accountant from 1926-1975.
Pat Lagan Noel White Jack Roddick
Like the Earls, Holes and Lagans the Ryder's were a second-generation family at the Timaru Brewery. Charlie was second brewer from about 1925 until 1958. His son Pat was in the same position until the 1960's. Claude Beford made the first deliveries of tanker beer in 1959, from a Bedford truck! (At the Terminus Hotel).
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| Back: Bernie Cook, Hugh Culling, Eric Jackson, Maurice Pimm, Stan Dellow |
By the late 1960's the day of the "Top Fermented" batch brewed ale of our colonial & British past was fast disappearing, the new "Bottom Fermented " lager process was on a rapid rise. In 1974 it was announced that N.Z.B. would close its Timaru branch.
It couldn't produce "CF" (continuous fermentation) beer and was in need of major up grading. It closed on September 30th 1975, and in doing so ended New Zealand's last link with it's brewing past. Morley's of Westport had closed a few years before being the second to last of its type however, Tim & Ru, and Timaru Bitter live on.
| 1937 | Other Timaru Brewery Labels | 1940's |
| 1950's | 1992 | 1940's-50's |
| 1978-81 | 1950's |
 Tim: The taste of victory is indeed pleasent. Ru: Just like a victory glass of glorious Timaru! Tim: Here's a toast to the valiant fifteen - Ru: - In Victors' Vodka, Champion's Cheer and Winners' Wassail - in one glorious word - Timaru! * You'll never guess!  |
1950's