Taniwha wrote:Ian - I did think that was Maurice when I saw the picture but couldn't remember the name - you are right, it is Maurice from Palmerston North.
And, Ian, we must check each other's collections out one day! You are right - by all accounts (mainly yours lol) your own collection is pretty amazing!
Will catch up again properly in a couple of weeks - assume you'e talked to Tony about getting some tables?
Cheers,
Gavin
Gavin - if only I had the room to put all those models out on display! What a sight that would be... still I'm doing my level best to get them on display by recording them and putting pages up on my website (http://toysnz.com) - but its a time consuming project. I have around 3000 in my database now but only 500 pages of models up on the site (some pages cover all the variations of a particular model - e.g. http://toysnz.com/Dinky361_ZygonWarChariot and http://toysnz.com/Dinky965-G_EuclidRearDumpTruck) with another 100 pages waiting for the photos to be added. There's around another 50 pages of information on the site.
I'm all set for the swapmeet - just last minute additions to the surplus models for disposal Tony was in last week to finalise things and check I still had plenty of leaflets...
toysnz wrote:YEP... that's Maurice all right! He made all the cabinets you see himself - BTW for those interested the big blue bus is a Fun Ho! made in New Zealand.
I'll forward the photo on to some friends now together with the story and interest it caused.
Oh - Its only just struck me to ask where your friend got the photo from....
Ian
G'day Ian,
Many thanks for your reply! So the gentlemen was Maurice Wooley from New Zealand. My friend's little curiosity that puzzled him all these years can finally be satisfied. Sorry to learn that Maurice has passed away. My friend was from China. He got the photo from a website but he can't remember which website now as it was so many years ago. Looking at the cabinets from the photo, it looks like they're moveable, may be there're tracks so they can be slide left/right or back/forth? You mentioned that he made these cabinets himself. Did he mentioned that the cabinets are moveable too? I had my higher education in Sydney but I've never been to New Zealand unfortunately. I didn't know Fun Ho produced larger models as the big blue bus. I have a few Fun Ho too. Their colours are the most attractive to me. Apart from selling locally in NZ, I think quite an amount of Fun Ho toys have been exported to Japan back in the good old days. Even now they can still be found in a few local shops as I understand.
toysnz wrote:I'm pretty certain that the gentleman you refer to is Maurice Wooley, formerly of Palmerston North in New Zealand. Maurice sadly passed away recently - his collection went to a nephew about two years ago as Maurice had to move into aged care and didn't have the space. I'll copy the photo down and blow it up to check... Maurice was a friend of mine over the last thirty years and I NEVER SAW HIS COLLECTION as we always met at Swapmeets or on Club Business for the NZMVC. i'm now making it my mission to see as many of the other collector's collections in my club as I can. I can say there was one collection in Christchurch that was at least as big before the retiring school teacher started sending it to the UK for auction.
BTW without blowing my own horn I think my collection is even bigger than Maurice's but not well displayed.
Ian
Many thanks Ian for pointing this out !
Next mission would be to get in contact with his nephew !
ritchie wrote: I didn't know Fun Ho produced larger models as the big blue bus. I have a few Fun Ho too. Their colours are the most attractive to me. Apart from selling locally in NZ, I think quite an amount of Fun Ho toys have been exported to Japan back in the good old days. Even now they can still be found in a few local shops as I understand.
Best,
Ritchie
Hi Richie,
Fun Ho! had a very big range of larger scale toys, particularly early in their history. Have you seen their website http://www.funhotoys.co.nz/ there are plenty of pictures there. Some of the larger scale stuff is quite rare and keenly sought after by collectors. Personally, I stick to the Midget series like the one in the middle of this picture:
Many thanks for your reply! So the gentlemen was Maurice Wooley from New Zealand. My friend's little curiosity that puzzled him all these years can finally be satisfied. Sorry to learn that Maurice has passed away. My friend was from China. He got the photo from a website but he can't remember which website now as it was so many years ago. Looking at the cabinets from the photo, it looks like they're moveable, may be there're tracks so they can be slide left/right or back/forth? You mentioned that he made these cabinets himself. Did he mentioned that the cabinets are moveable too? I had my higher education in Sydney but I've never been to New Zealand unfortunately. I didn't know Fun Ho produced larger models as the big blue bus. I have a few Fun Ho too. Their colours are the most attractive to me. Apart from selling locally in NZ, I think quite an amount of Fun Ho toys have been exported to Japan back in the good old days. Even now they can still be found in a few local shops as I understand.
Best,
Ritchie
I don't recall him ever mentioning they were movable so I will have to remember to ask someone who has actually visited his home. As Gavin states - Fun Ho! (always WITH the exclamation mark on the packaging and advertising - this was the actual name of the brand) made large cast aluminium toys before going into production of their smaller series. Fun Ho Toys were also exported in large numbers to the USA - both large and small versions and are highly collectible their also. Interesting to hear they are still available in some shops in Japan....
matchboxmarcel wrote:Many thanks Ian for pointing this out !
Next mission would be to get in contact with his nephew !
Marcel
Sadly there I see little point in contacting his nephew - he is currently in the process of selling off large numbers of Maurice's collection on a local auction site now that Maurice has died
Taniwha wrote:... Have you seen their website http://www.funhotoys.co.nz/ there are plenty of pictures there. ...
Cheers,
Gavin
Thanks Gavin, a great site that contains everything one wants to know about Fun Ho! thorough history, the quantities produced for each model, the time span produced.. and also the Museum. Amazing!
matchboxmarcel wrote:Many thanks Ian for pointing this out !
Next mission would be to get in contact with his nephew !
Marcel
Sadly there I see little point in contacting his nephew - he is currently in the process of selling off large numbers of Maurice's collection on a local auction site now that Maurice has died
Ian
Which is something I didn't want my children or wife to be bothered with. After having to dispose of my father's estate (and all the stuff he collected over the years), it's NOT a labor of joy. Besides, who knows if I simply tossed out things that might have been of value or collectible.
matchboxmarcel wrote:Many thanks Ian for pointing this out !
Next mission would be to get in contact with his nephew !
Marcel
Sadly there I see little point in contacting his nephew - he is currently in the process of selling off large numbers of Maurice's collection on a local auction site now that Maurice has died
Ian
That's a pitty for such a nice collection. It would have been great in a museum.
toysnz wrote:Sadly there I see little point in contacting his nephew - he is currently in the process of selling off large numbers of Maurice's collection on a local auction site now that Maurice has died
Which is something I didn't want my children or wife to be bothered with. After having to dispose of my father's estate (and all the stuff he collected over the years), it's NOT a labor of joy. Besides, who knows if I simply tossed out things that might have been of value or collectible.
Joe,
The collection was gifted to the nephew (as I understand the situation), because he was the only one who ever showed any interest in it, when Maurice's health began to diminish... it was only about two years ago that that happened and it was probably brought about primarily because Maurice went into "aged-care" and his rooms were too small to accommodate him and the models. I think most of us expected the collection to remain with the nephew for some time and to possibly go into some sort of display somewhere - I know of at least three other aged collectors who are making provision for their collections to go on public display.
I myself have been sorting through my collection and documenting it all with the help of my two youngest daughters. I then write up pages for my web site (toysnz.com) to go with the photographs - with only around 500 pages completed so far, I'm about 1% of the way through the job!
Tony was in last week to finalise things and check I still had plenty of leaflets...
