Good Bastards Hall of Fame

Ivan ‘Stuffer’ Fearn

As far as Good Bastards go they don’t come much better than Ivan Fern.  He’s been the local upholsterer in Hokitika for a long long time.  He has always been a Good Bastard to have a beer with and supported the Saints team when it was in all its Glory.

Well last week he hung up his awl and said “Stuff it, I’m not coming in next week. I’ve put enough into this.”  And that’s what happened.  Paul Madgewick from the Press wrote an article about it and we have put it below along with Paul’s Photo.

Upholsterer closes after 41 years
17 July 2002

The man who has held Hokitika by the seat of the pants for 41 years has finally called it quits.

After 41 years sitting behind a sewing machine in the old Bank of New South Wales building, the bobbins have fallen silent for Ivan “Stuffer” Fearn.

His workmanship has comforted a couple of generations of Hokitika bottoms.

“Some furniture I’ve re-covered a second time around,” he said.

“Shoes, cars, lounge suites, chairs, pants, jackets, bags – you name anything to be sewn and I’ve sewn it. You have to in a small place like this.”

The business Mr Fearn began in 1961 closed with a giant garage sale on Saturday, leaving only a few antiques destined for the Westland Vintage Machinery Museum. The old bank is being cleared out for a copper art business.

Among the antiques is the 100-year-old duel-pedal sewing machine, built by the British United Shoe Machinery Company that he inherited from his predecessor, Oliver’s Upholstery, which operated further along Revell Street.

Mr Fearn learned his trade in Wellington in 1944, but stitching leather was not his first choice of job when he arrived on the West Coast in 1950; that was heating rivets during rebuilding of the Arahura gold dredge. Eventually he set up shop for himself, picking up most of his tools from Oliver’s and taking up residence in the two-storey bank building, which had just been vacated.

When he arrived the bank was still complete with the counters, vault, gold room, and even the bank manager, who was living on the premises while a new bank house was built.

Amid the clutter of machinery, tools, and furniture he kept watch over a changing streetscape for the next 41 years.

In that time the town has re-centred away from the river, and in more recent times has seen an influx of overseas tourists.

“One time a female tourist from Israel walked in off the street with a rip in her pants. She waited in the living room while I stitched them up.”

“I’m going to miss the people walking past every morning calling out, `gidday Stuffer’.”