Overview This interview is one of eight undertaken by Pamela Smith and Tuatapere residents conducted as part of a thesis on social change in a rural community. The completed thesis is titled "Whatever happened to Tuatapere. Are we doing very nicely thank you?". In the interviews the participants discuss their early life, aspects of life in Tuatapere and their thoughts on the community at the time of the interview and into the future.

Abstract H0495: INTERVIEW WITH HELEN MARGARET MCKAY DATE: 7 OCTOBER 2008INTERVIEWER: PAM SMITH[NOTE: THIS IS A TRANSCRIPT NOT AN ABSTRACT WITH TIMINGS]My early life until I was fifteen was spent in TIMARU in the South part of TIMARU in the poorer class of TIMARU, right next door to the tip and right next door to the cemetery, the little airport that was there and the lovely TIMARU GARDENS. We had heaps of playing field and right beside what we called the...

Overview This interview was commissioned by Women's Division of Federated Farmers for a project entitled Pioneer Women. Violet Elizabeth Peggy Soderstrom was born Torquay, England. In this interview Peggy gives her family background - father a teacher at Torquay School of Art. She describes her education at a Convent School run by French Nuns, her first employment and her enlistment as a WREN in 1916 at Torquay. She gives her reasons for coming to New Zealand and mentions the Victorious Scheme for the...

Abstract MARGARET THOMAS (NEE KOKAY)INTERVIEWER: PAMELA SMITHDATE: 7 OCTOBER 2008[NOTE: THIS IS A TRANSCRIPT NOT AN ABSTRACT WITH TIMINGS]TELL ME ABOUT YOUR EARLY LIFE? TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DAD?He came with his mother and father from HUNGARY in 1912. He was about ten and they came from this place in HUNGARY called CSONGRAD and they came here and there was already one HUNGARIAN family here and a man called STEVE RACZ. I don't know why he came here...