(Former Whitcoulls)
176/178 Stafford Street, Timaru 7910
1892
Classical motif above the pediment. Built by an engineer rather than an architect. Ornament chosen from a pattern book, continuous horizontal linking motif draws the composition together.
Cameron's now operate in both buildings but at one point Tim's Central Fruit Service was there too.
William McKeown was a saddle and harness maker.
Di you know? Richie Benaud's magic finger-healing Timaru lotion... As obituary writers around the world turn their pens to the life of Richie Benaud, an incredible story about his life-changing visit to a Timaru chemist has emerged. Benaud was in Timaru with the Australian cricket team in February 1957 for a game against a combined South Canterbury, Mid Canterbury and North Otago team. The talented leg-spinner suffering from dengue fever which he had contracted in India a few months earlier. He'd gone for a walk through Timaru to buy tablets to combat its effects when he went into the chemist shop of Ivan James - now Cameron's Menswear - on Stafford St. When he handed over the prescription, James, who died in 1986, noticed Benaud's fingers. He had large raw spots on his finger almost to the bone where the seam of the ball cut in. Nothing had ever healed the wound. They were so bad Benaud faced the prospect of having to stop bowling. The treatment instantly worked and the skin was toughened so that even prolonged bowling spells didn't produce cracking. He had the lotion made up all around the world and used it faithfully for the rest of his career. Learn more here
1900 Stafford Street, Timaru. Webb, Steffano, 1880-1967: Collection of negatives. Ref: 1/2-031169-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22734187