Arthur Mackay, who died in 1937, would have been astonished to see how his farm buildings were used in 1943.
While his homestead had become an officer’s club, his woolshed was a store and post office, crowded with young Americans. At this ‘PX Store’ they could buy luxuries from home that were not available in heavily-rationed New Zealand.
In November 1943, before the Marines sailed to the Pacific War, American and New Zealand officers held a farewell party in the Mackay homestead. Kāpiti Coast District Libraries, D Cameron Collection, HP 516.
The woolshed in its new role. A sign over the door identifies it as the Post Exchange (PX), a kind of retail store found on United States military installations. The men could send mail home, stock up on cigarettes, or buy candy and silk stockings for a date in Wellington on the next day of leave.
