In the year 1962, Helen Shapiro was on tour in New Zealand. During a nightclub in Auckland known as the Shiralee nightclub. The west side of Customs Street from September 21st until October 5th. Rare pictures of Helen and her devoted followers.

Both my father and Helen Shapiro
Thanks to Donna Robertson
During the previous week, my father was featured in the Greymouth Star. He was a schoolboy from Reefton who was 15 years old at the time, and he won a competition that would allow him to travel to Wellington and spend Helen Shapiro’s sixteenth birthday with her family.
It is one of those family stories that has always fascinated me, and it all started when I saw some photographs of my father and a rather tall girl from Christchurch meeting Helen.
I enquired about a few things with him: What was it about Helen Shapiro that you wanted to meet? It was a newspaper competition that I won.
In your letter, you were required to explain why you would like to meet her and attend her sixteenth birthday party. I, together with a girl from Christchurch, prevailed in the competition.
Is this your first time flying and travelling to Wellington for the first time? How was that done? The fact that a 15-year-old boy had never been on a plane before, DC3 Westport to Wellington, is very remarkable.
After taking the bus from Reefton to Westport, I made a visit to my cousin Barb once I arrived. As soon as she had the impression that I had left the house, she called my mother to confirm what I had said.
I was wondering how Helen Shapiro’s party went. There was a lot of media and older folks, and I was 15 years old. There is an abundance of food and cake, as well as a great deal of photographs. Before the Beatles became a household name, Helen was the most popular singer in the United Kingdom at this period.