The history of Underdown Bird Supplies

When we took over Underdown Supplies we knew it had been trading for many years, but the history that came with it we found fascinating.

As with so many small businesses there are very personal reasons behind some of the decisions made in its running, and the name of a company often carries far deeper meanings to the owner than may at first seem obvious.

Our sister company Malvern Poultry for example is based in Malvern District in Canterbury, but the name is also a quiet nod to the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire in the UK where the owners grew up.

And the history of Underdown Supplies was no different. It seemed such a shame to keep this history locked away in a file so we have made the decision to share some of it with you. We hope it gives you an insight into the company and its roots but, really, we hope you find it interesting.

Underdown Supplies is well known and long established in New Zealand, and the company itself dates back to when it was owned and run from New Plymouth by Glenys O’Byrne and called Glengary Poultry.

The company was bought by Frank Weeks in 1991 and renamed Underdown Supplies. Glenys O’Byrne ended her association with company when it was sold.

Underdown was, and still is, the name of a farm first mentioned in the village records of Yarcombe in the UK in 1332. The house itself dates back to the 15th or 16th Century.

The farm is located on a small slope which would have been favoured by early Saxon settlers and Underdown, a name that derived from family owners of a similar name, means ‘under dun’ or ‘under the hill’.

As a child at the outbreak of the Second World War Frank, born in London, evacuated to Yarcombe where his family had friends.

The owners of Underdown took him in and cared for him.

Taking over Glengary Poultry Frank decided to rename the company and, having already given the name to his home in Napier, it was a natural step to also give the name to his new charge.

With Underdown Supplies going from strength to strength a Brinsea incubator was supplied to the Tairoa Head Albatross Colony, Dunedin in 1995. The first albatross to hatch in it was named Underdown.

The bird left the colony to first return at Christmas 1999.

Albatross do not mate and breed until they reach about ten years old, at which point they pair for life. Underdown the albatross returns to the colony in Dunedin every year and mated and hatched a chick in 2007.   The stress of raising a chick takes so much out of the adult Albatross that they only breed every other year.

When Underdown returned to Tairoa in 2009 his mate did not.

Much publicity surrounds the vulnerability of these magnificence birds and, with so many species under threat it is easy to become hardened to it, much as natural disasters or wars on the news become another story rather than the tragedies they are. But when the plight of an individual is highlighted it often brings home the facts far better than statistics and information overload can ever do.

The death of Underdown’s mate as a breeding age bird does not just mean one less albatross. With the years it will take for Underdown to select a new mate and then breed the loss to the species is far more than one individual.

In 2001 Underdown Supplies moved to Taupo, its third home since the company started in New Plymouth, where it flourished for another eight years until Frank retired at the end of 2009.

As the owners of Malvern Poultry we had already come into contact with Frank and, when he made his decision, he approached us and invited us to take over the business.

We were delighted to take charge of a company with such a history and reputation and immediately looked to see where we could use our experience with Malvern Poultry to compliment what Frank had put in place over so many years.

We renamed the firm Underdown Bird Supplies to reflect the increased range of stock carried but, with such deep roots, we resisted tinkering too much.

Fundamental to what we do is our passion for birds and we hope you approve of how the company is moving forward but all thoughts and input is gratefully received so please feel free to contact us if there is something you think we have missed!