Kelchers Bakery
When Mel Kelcher finished driving trucks he bought the Reefton bakery off his uncle, Ted Rose.
In the early years, after learning the baking trade, he got Joe Pankhurst to build a new concrete block Bakehouse. The flour shed had a raised platform for efficient handling of incoming flour sacks off the truck and into the bakery. The new shop was at the front. He also upgraded equipment and took on more staff. Over the years many people worked in the bakery: Notables include Ron Hudson, Bill Caldwell, Lindsay Kiely, Ron Reeves, Bruce Chandler, Barry Moore, Wayne Loughnan, Peter Sutton and many others.
In 1908 Victor Mori shifted his bakery to the corner of Buller Road and Ranft Street, sometime later this was sold to Vic Caldwell and then on sold to Teddy Rose.
By John Kelcher
Victor Emanuel Mori was born in Reefton on 3 May 1872– He died on 20 May 1950 and is buried in Reefton.
For the country orders, the bakers wrapped the cooled bread in brown paper and tied it with string. It was impressive to see how quickly this was done. They didn't bother cutting the string, they just broke it with their bare hands. The bread was delivered with the mail. There were two runs, one was along the Inangahua Valley and the other in the Grey Valley as far as Ahaura. Mel usually did the Inangahua run, sometimes stopping off for a morning cuppa with the Patterson’s on Brown Creek road.
Alan Forrest and Graeme Hunter “saved the day” more than a few times – well usually in the middle of the night . Alan fixing the jammed rotational oven an or other important equipment and Graeme sorting out electrical failures.
At Christmas Mel would bake people's Christmas hams in the bread oven – what a wonderful aroma is was wafting out of the bakery!
The morning of the 1968 Inangahua earthquake was a morning to remember. Roughly 35 km from the epicentre, the new bakery stood firm and no one was injured. The power was out, so no lights. Mel shone the car lights of the Holden Special in through a sliding door. Thankfully there was just enough light and heat left in the oven for the bakers to finish off the day's bread. It was quite a time before the bread run could resume to Inangahua Junction, Brown Road and The Landing.
The decision to move to Christchurch was difficult for Mel and Margaret. Mel had put a lot of effort into his business and the town, but neither the town nor the business were progressing as he had hoped. He was also up against a competitor bringing bread into Reefton. Price control for bread meant that Reefton loaves, despite the added freight expense, had to be sold at the same price as factory sized operations in Christchurch. It was literally getting harder to “make a crust”.
Mel sold the bakery plant to Malcolm North a bakery in Christchurch and the Kelcher family left for Christchurch in late 1979.
For a while Mel worked for North’s Bakery. Then he bought the Hillmorton Bakery. Later on he bought a wholesale bakery in Addington which he ran until his retirement. Family members took turns at working with Mel there.
Baking work started around 7pm, with Mel "doughing up" and leaving the big metal bowls of dough to rise. In summer they would be rolled outside on the concrete drive to cool, so they wouldn't over ferment. In winter he'd fire up the Contessa, pot belly stove. He'd start it with paper and a shovel of "slack" coal. Once warmed up it could glow red hot and give, the all important, burst of heat to warm up the bakery and get the bread fermentation underway. He would work into the evening and head off to bed around 10pm and get up around 2am. The other bakers joined him an hour or so later. It was a typical small town bakery with bread, bread rolls, currant buns, biscuits, cakes, slices. The pies were always freshly baked and there was only one type of pie, mince, and they were superb. Each year he'd supply the race meetings with pies, which was a big job on top all the other day’s baking. Dael Bartlett, Margaret Wormington, Dot Reeve and later Donna Loughnan and others worked in the shop. School kids could buy a bag of "edgings" - the off-cuts of the slices for 3 cents a bag. At Christmas every customer got a small bag of MacIntosh's toffees as a Christmas gift.
Frances and Bede Kelcher early 1960's
Flour was stored this end of building
Raised floor
Became a Backpackers in 2013
Anne Miller Mcmillan Remember it well. My kids nana dot reeve worked there.
Leanne Reeve Anne Miller Mcmillan i remember the big bread racks and the smell of bread and the melting moments lol
Anne Miller Mcmillan Leanne Reeve yes so do i.
Jennifer Griffin Walked past the shop every morning on my way to school oh the beautiful smells coming from there
Pauline Douglas The best bread ever !!
Dorothy Wills Bought many a loaf from there
Tracey Ramsay I loved getting fresh bread and all the baked goodies here.
Kevin and Mararet Mills Used to go down and get our bread.Sometimes the baker gave us a hot mince savoury in the cold mornin
Donna Flower Loved their bread
Judi Trompetter They used to come to Inangahua and we would buy the bread out of the van
Dorothy Wills Used to buy bread there many years ago was lovely bread I got it as a special treat because it tasted so good
Myron Caldwell And prior to Kelchers, it was operated by Vic Caldwell.
Ruth Naylor Monday to Fridays pick up the mail at the Post Office and bike down to the bakery and get the bread home for dinner and back to school rain hail or snow and sunshine, picking the bread while it was still warm arrive home with a hole in the middle,
Colin J Wilson remember Bruce Chandler delivering bread to Junction when we lived over there. Was having trouble with lawn mower one day and I kicked it just as Bruce delivered the bread. . gave him a laugh.
Kaye Mckay
They made pies , Grace and Donald Blackadder dog used to get one in the middle of the night! They would return a small stack of tins
Barb Kennedy
Use to see who could get the crust first it was so yummy
Arthur Bass
Loved the boston buns too.
Daryl Aitken
I can remember Bill Caldwell, Ronnie Reeves in the bakery and Bruce Chandler driving the delivery van befor he became a policeman.
John Churchill
Didn't Merv play rugby for West coast, I think he played hooker. In the fifties.
KevinandMargaret Mills
Used to walk from Dick street early morning for bread occasionally we would get a hit savoury,1960’s. Marg Kaa pushed my head through the plate glass window no harm done. Never found out who paid for new one
Daryl Aitken
It was all great stuff they made
Kerry Wildermoth
I think our nana would send Garry Hawkes and myself up to the bakery as a treat, for two loaves of fresh bread only one ever made it home. Never got told off. Best Cornish Pasties I've ever tasted
Anne Bruce
Oh, I used to like the bread from Kelchers.
Mawson N Kay Shaw
I remember after we were married living in Nana Sara`s house at the top or Broadway & walking our daughter Karyn in the buggy to playcenter on Buller Road, while she was there I would go over to see Francie Hunter & have a coffee & a chat & then going to get Karyn & calling into Kelchers on the way home for the bread.
Bronwen Skates
always me or my sisters job every morning to bike there with the flour sack to bring home fresh loaves ( not sliced ) which we would eat some of the middle out while still warm then push the double loaf together and hope mum never saw it lol. bread and buns were beautiful
Daryl Aitken
I can remember when Mel Kelcher use to referee our games of rugby.
Noeline McCaughan
On payday Dad would collect the usual Vienna loaf of bread and then buy a Boston bun as well. We children loved the piece we were given after we had eaten dinner (including the greens.)
Verran Robertson
I was baptised in the house across the road
Suzanne McGeady
Randall used to pick up the bread from Kelchers, for the Ikamatua store, drop it off on the way to the Rough Creek Mill to work.
Mary Parker
My sister and I used to pick up the bread from here after school. Loved pulling the loaf apart and eating the Baker's Kiss, can still taste . Cheers.
Frances Hassan
My brother Lindsay worked for Mel Kelcher , Dael Bartlett , was working behind the counter too,
Maria Hoy
Remember getting the bread lovely and fresh we had to stop ourselves picking the inside out of it. My mum worked their at odd times. Mel’s sister lives here in Palmerston North we are good friends
John Griffin
Yes i remember it was a great bread shop
Barry Caldwell
My first home in Reefton ,when dad bought the buisness in 1943. I delivered bread to the local pubs,by bike with a big basket on the front a few years later.Brother Bill worked for Mel later on.Mel played for Marist in Grey, on Saturdays and Reefton in the lnangahua comp on Sunday's.He was hooker for the Coast at the time.
Caroline Crann
I stayed there once at the backpacker's and swear I smelt bread baking in the very early morning.....
Thomas Peter Mulligan Mrs Reeves use to serve you good bread
Gavin Davy
Remember getting the fresh bread from there as a kid.
Theresa Gibson
Back in the 60’s the usual baker must have taken some of his holidays during school holidays and a temporary baker or the apprentice would bake. He must have not quite got the hang of the oven temperatures because we noticed the bread during these times was slightly ‘burnt’. The crust was wonderful, us kids loved it. We used to get 6 to a dozen loaves at a time, no freezers. The bread never got a chance to go stale. After the holidays it went back to the usual pale. Doug Reid would pick it up from Reefton then Lyell Foulsham would deliver to Hodgsons Store, Murchison. Later on Lyell went to Reefton for bread.
Colin J Wilson
Barry Moore, delivered the bread to Inangahua Junction.
Janaka Mary Bartlett
My sister Dael Scrivens nee Bartlett worked there for a few year's.
Remember going and picking up the bread, it was still warm from the oven, and their yummy raspberry iced buns.
Tracey Ramsay
The best bread ever. Especially the crispy tops that got eaten on the way home.
Bernadette Williams
Tracey Ramsay being best friends with Francis Kelcher at school I got to sample all the left over sugar buns rolls etc. And to lay on the flour sacks in the bakery on a frost day, heaven.
Michele Caldwell
I worked there during the school holidays with both Dale and Sharyn Haldane.
Elaine Bolitho
My husband tells stories of the Boston Bun competition between two Reefton bakeries - and how the children loved getting the biggest one!
Linda Skelton
Our bread came by NZR bus to the engineers camp 3 x a week wrapped in brown paper and tied with string. At times it was in a very sorry state after being squashed or the string being caught and cutting the bread in half. Still great bread Fridays bread still made good sandwiches in Mondays crib
Annette Rosanowski
Beautiful bread
Susan Archer
That brings back some wonderful memories! Mrs Kelcher was such a happy, cheerful woman
Brian McMahon
My father worked there delivering bread
Tony Fortune
You could smell the bread baking from my place a block away.
Bronwen Skates
Lovely bread. My job was biking to Bakery before going to School to pick up mums bread order every day and yes ! I'd pick warm bread from the 1/4 loaves
Barb Kennedy
Just loved the bread and the crusts on it
Anne Bruce
When my father went to Reefton for coal he would bring back two other items. Bread from Kelchers and fish 'n chips. I always looked forward to the time Reefton coal was all gone from the coal bin.
Margaret Kaa
Anne Bruce fish 'n chips probably from Snowy Campbells
Comments from West Coast Recollect
work still in progress
Ca 2004
Wendy Harding
Remember it well - often sent to buy a loaf of bread! loved the smell of the bakery shop!
Ron Parish
Days before sliced bread don't forget custard squares
Ron Collis
Remember that lovely fresh bread.Lucky if it arrived home untouched.Mel Kelcher was a more than useful Rugby player too.Played a lot of games for West Coast
Arthur Bass
Mels boston buns were good as well.
Wendy Thomas
I remember walking to get our bread the day after the Inangahua Earthquake and while inside we had a good aftershock. The owners were lovely people.
Susan Hajek
I remember picking up fresh bread for mum,but it never got home the same,inside was gone,mmm wonder who ate that,lol
Richard Butcher
I remember my brother and I taking a retired pit pony to rail it to CHCH and the horse would not go past the Bakery because of the smell of the bread. We had to make a
long bypass in order to get to the railway station.
Mari Walsh
I remember mum sending us to get a loaf of bread, then telling us off for eating the crust on the way home. And every xmas they would give us kids a paper bag full of Macintosh lollies.
Janette Schroeder
Oh great memory…..
Don’t forget the Madeira Cake too!
Lillian Hutchins
Gosh I remember that place to.loved the appleturn overs and buns.good memories.
Sue Hampton
I remember mum always got the thick n thin loaves. Half toast bread half for sandwiches. Iced buns were good too.
Ellen Te Aho
Great memory picking the middle out of the square loaf on the way home
Elizabeth Mehrtens
The best bread but when it was Lynette Avenell turn to pick up a half baracota turned into a 1/4
Lynette Campbell
Mum sent us to get the bread by the time we got home we'd eaten bread out of the middle
Rhonda Jackson
Not far from our place?
Kevin O'Regan
Loved the fresh bread when walking past to the convent
Wendy Thomas
I remember having to walk there to get the bread the day or day after the earthquake. Scary as! Quakes were constantly coming but Mr Kelcher still had the bread out.
Lorraine Brian
Great memories.
Collene Anderson yeah and agreed
Theresa Gibson
Lyall Foulsham used to truck the bread from here to Murchison. Us kids loved the bread during the holidays as it seemed the baker took his break then and the baker that
filled in wasn’t used to the ovens and the breads crust was cooked more than usual, it was delicious!
Bill Garth
Mel played a few games for the Coast as a hooker!!!!!
AnnePat Gallagher
As kids, we used to break the barracudas in half and tuck into the warm centre on the way home, then stick them back together and hand the loaf to Mum. As if she didn't know! ?
Janaka Mary Bartlett
My sister Dael Scrivens (nee Bartlett) worked there for a few years.
Dorothy Wills
Kelchers Bakery had the best bread, used to get some whenever we were in Reefton
Barb Kennedy
It was yummy bread
Elizabeth Mehrtens
Lynette Campbell
Mum sent us to get the bread by the time we got home we'd eaten bread out of the middle
Sam Win yes the bakers kiss
Noeline Pinn
Knew Mel and Margaret. They later came to Christchurch but were true Coasters.
Ca 2004