“In my first employment I was a grocery shop assistant at McGougan’s IGA store in Waimana. I recall heaving to work the heavy keys on the till and the amount would show up on the ticket at the top of the machine. It was all pounds, shillings and pence until decimal currency came in.

“Sometimes the money draw would get stuck and refuse to open, but a good thump in the right place usually got a result.

“It was a heavy, cumbersome appliance which took pride of place on the wooden shop counter.

“Every day it got a clean over to keep it bright and shiny. It was all part of the job to handle cash in those days, not like today’s world of supermarket checkouts and credit cards. Those were the days,” she writes.

For her entry, Lesley has won admission for two to the Opotiki Museum.

This month’s History Item is from the Western Bay Museum in Katikati and there’s many a farmer who will remember using an implement like this large silage tool. If you have a story to tell about this item, or a similar one, we’d love to hear from you. To be in to win admission for two to the Western Bay Museum email your memories to: elaine@thesun.co.nz with ‘History item’ in the subject line, or post to ‘History Item’, Coast & Country, PO Box 240, Tauranga 3140.