Percy Diserens, who operated a store near Gowan Bridge, began trading there in November 1928, after first working in partnership with Hugh McCubbin, who had established a store to supply the Public Works employees working in the area.
Percy was born in 1879 and spent part of his early life on the Channel Island of Guernsey. In 1902, he travelled from England to Sydney and then on to Lyttelton aboard the Talune. He later went into partnership with Michael Burke and Arthur Burt as a sheep farmer at Lake Station, Nelson, but the partnership was dissolved in 1912.
From 1918 to 1922 Percy worked as a sawmiller at Glenhope and Kaka. When timber prices fell, he was forced to leave the industry and was left with debts of about £1,200. He then established a carrying business, transporting goods around Waimea South, but this also came to an end in 1925.
Percy began working for Hugh McCubbin, a storekeeper at Stoke, earning £4 12 shillings a week. When McCubbin left Stoke to take charge of a store serving the Public Works employees at Gowan Bridge, he offered Percy a partnership based on an equal share of the profits. The arrangement worked well for about 16 months, but in October 1928 Percy was given notice that the partnership was to end.
When the partnership was wound up, Percy received £250 in cash and promissory notes. With this money he began his own business as a storekeeper at Gowan in November 1928, while McCubbin continued trading on his own account.
Percy still had some old debts, however, and trouble soon followed. Levin & Co, a firm to which he owed money, threatened legal action unless he gave up the Gowan business. It appears that the firm was supporting McCubbin and they believed that there was not enough business in the district to support two stores.
Percy's supplier, Cock & Co, refused to extend him further credit but agreed to supply his 16-year-old son, Ralph, who had invested £32 in the business. Ralph agreed to take over the store and to meet some of his father's debts. Percy sold the business to Ralph, sold the building to Mr McDowell, then rented the premises back from him for 10 shillings a week. He continued to run the store on behalf of his son.
Early in 1929, Percy was declared bankrupt. One of the factors was the pressure from Levin & Co, who were demanding payment of £300 unless he left Gowan and agreed not to carry on business in the neighbourhood for a number of years. His creditors later sent a bailiff to the store and seized about £40 worth of goods and £21 in cash in an attempt to recover some of the money owed, despite the store being in Ralph’s name.
McCubbin continued operating at Gowan and supplied provisions to the Public Works camps during the construction work in the area. In 1931, however, he too was declared bankrupt after work on the Midland railway stopped and he was left with large debts.
Ralph Diserens continued to operate the Gowan store until 1977. His father, Percy, became widely known as “Dizzy”, while Ralph was known as “Young Dizzy”, helping to distinguish the two. The name “Dizzy’s” became closely associated with the store and remained so for many years.
By the 1940s the business had developed beyond a general store. The premises also served as a garage, telephone exchange, post office and insurance office, making it an important part of life in the Gowan district.
The store finally closed in 1977 after Ralph Diserens was fined for using unregistered premises to store food for sale. The doors were closed, bringing to an end almost half a century of trading by the Diserens family at Gowan.
