Alf Rendell 1917-2019

Alf sharing some history with me, 6 December 2019
Image Fiona Kean

It wouldn’t be overstating it to say that Alf Rendell is a legend in this town. Like many people I had heard about Alf and his photographs long before we met. At our first introduction he gently explained that I had confused some of my facts about a photo from the Tauranga Heritage Collection printed in the Weekend Sun. Of course, he was right and over the years I, and many others, have had numerous occasions to be grateful for his amazing memory and his knowledge of Tauranga. Only three weeks ago I had an enquiry from a teacher at Pillans Point asking for help with research on street names around her school. Asking Alf was my starting point, as it often was, and his recollection of a Captain Good was all that was needed to unravel the meaning behind some of the names.

However, it wasn’t Alf’s great memory, and the fact that he had witnessed many of the changes and developments Tauranga experienced over the past 100 years, that made him a legend. There was so much more to Alf than his age. Alf was always positive, incredibly generous and seemed to lack the ability to say no. Alf told me that he once got a call from a regular customer at 2am in the morning asking him to drive to Te Puna to take photographs of a party in full swing.  I said, “surely there was no way you would have driven to Te Puna at that time of night.” Alf simply replied, “you don’t turn down business and he was a good customer.”

Alf Rendell in front of one of his images inside a new buildings on The Strand, Tauranga, October 2018
Image Fiona Kean

These qualities combined with the fact that he absolutely loved Tauranga meant he gave so much to his town. After the war and as a young business owner running the camera shop on Devonport Road, photographing weddings and spending nights operating a movie projector he had for hire, Alf somehow found time to take to the air and capture the photographs we used in his book Rendell’s Tauranga.

And perhaps for many, it is his photographic legacy that he will be best remembered. When Rendell’s Tauranga was published in 2015 the response was over whelming. He was “tickled pink” that so many people were able to connect with his photographs and more importantly for Alf, with where they lived. Thanks to the Legacy Trust the Toi Ohomai Alf Rendell photographic scholarship, which resulted from sales of the book, made Alf so proud and he really enjoyed meeting the recipients of the scholarship and attending their prize givings. Indeed, making money from his photographs was never a consideration and he generously gave copies of his images to both the Tauranga Heritage Collection and the Tauranga City Library.

Toi Ohomai Prizegiving Alf Rendell Photographic Scholarship, 2017
Image Fiona Kean

His generosity wasn’t limited to Tauranga. Just when I thought I’d seen all of Alf’s images a few months ago he pulled out photographs of Tongatapu taken while stationed on the island during WWII. He wanted the images to go home and as Alf’s luck would have it, the first public library in Tonga opened in October and we were able to reunite printed and digital copies with the descendants of those he photographed all those years ago.

Alf once told me he was born with a caul, a piece of thin membrane over his face. He explained that this was quite rare and considered a sign of good fortune.  I felt like I understood him a little better that day. Alf wasn’t just a positive person but lived with a sense of gratitude, believing that his life was blessed. He expressed thanks for the people who loved him and joy for the opportunities he was given, and he gave so much in return.