Phone boxes sold for children's charity

Ruapehu Bulletin, 26 March 1991, Page 3

Phone boxes sold for children's charity

Twelve phone boxes were sold at auction by Ruapehu Lions on Saturday raising several thousand dollars for a children's charity.

One of the conditions made by Telecom was that the proceeds from the sale were to go to a children's charity and the Lions nominated the

Lion's 'Camp Quality'. Camp Quality is run each year for children and teenagers who have cancer. This last summer the camp was held at Hast-

ings. The phone boxes from the Ohakune, Waiouru, Taihape and Mangaweka area ranged from an old style shin-

gle roofed model from drawings dating back to 1914 through the 50s and 70s styles to a late 80s phone box which had never been used. The older the phone box the greater the price fetched. Auctioneer Ian Strachan said as well as local interest there were buyers from Wellington, Wanganui and Stratford, with the Stratford buyers arriving by plane. Jill Downie from Wellington bought two phone boxes to put in her large garden 'because it is a bit of history'. Mrs Downie was happy to pay the top price of $530 for the oldest phone box as similar phone boxes had sold for about $2,000 recently in Wellington. Local man Phil Abel was unsure whether his phone box would be used as an outside toilet or at The Ultimate Game as a referee's post. Ann Selwood intends using hers at the Makotuku Estate coffee shop. Comment from another local buyer Norma Cranston was

"haven't you heard of Dr Who and the Tardis Machine?", while Elwyn Costello intends putting

hers where the glasshouse had been and 'maybe using it to store her witches brooms'.