In the late 1950s the suburbs leading out of Wellington to the north via State Highway 1 were a mix of gorse and scrub, farmland, a few quickly developed and still bare state house subdivisions, plus baches, seaside housing and ribbon retail.
The very sleepy seaside village of Mana had a hall, a couple of stores, a gas station (or benzene, as people called it then) clustered around a railway station. It also had a rock and band: The Mana Quintet, who played the halls and dances in the Mana, Porirua and Titahi Bay area, where the band lived.
Barry Walden - bass, guitar, piano, vocals
Pat Southee - piano
Bob Southee - guitar
Phil Campbell - guitar
Richard Cooper - bass
Jim McNaught - drums, vocals
Leo Gillingham - drums
Bryan Miller - drums
Joey Nicholls - guitar
HMV