Abstract of Andrew Findlay COWIE , 2006
Item — Box: 4
Identifier: H00360002
Abstract
Andrew Findlay Cowie
Interviewer and abstractor: June M Trotter
00:00:00 ID of recording
00 46 Name Andrew Findlay Cowie. Date of birth 24 March 1915 (note: interviewee states 1916 in the recording but Interviewee confirmed it is 1915 and not 1916). Place of birth Winton. Names of parents. Grandparents and ancestry – Scotland
01 34 Describes memory of his grandfather and his second wife Mrs Harrison Lee Cowie
02 12 At East Lime Hills. Read out of Bible to the children.
02 32 Interviewee painted picture of this scene later in life.
02 36 Explains property that grandfather bought – hut house implement sheds Location – Otapiri. Name of farm “Otapiri Farm”. Interviewee born on “Top Place”
03 30 Helping on farm as growing up – milking cows.
04:01 Playtime activities on farm rabitting with dogs and spades. “Playtime? We didn’t have very much playtime.”
04 35 Describes family life and parents. Big family of relations, extended family of Cowies and McRaes.
05 22 Describes mother. Recalls mother in the homestead reading to children around the fire at night. During day she was very busy.
06 14 Love of reading “Always books for us to read.” Belonged to library. “Plenty to read and we did the reading.”
06 40 Christmas day in the 30s – our family in the centre, all Mcrae families from Dipton to Moroketa all gathered at Otapiri Farm.
07 22 Interviewee dressed up as Santa Claus for younger cousins.
07 31 Highlight for older people, “it was just getting together.”
07 37 Get—togethers continued until Mother passed away.
07 51 Radio listening, 6 and 9 o’clock news
08 18 Religion’s role Presbyterian congregation. Went to Sunday School at East Limehills school then Bible class, Centre Bush. Taught Sunday School at East Lime Hills.
09 11 Schooling East Lime Hills school 20 pupils – family school – sole teacher. No chance to play rugby because of small school.
09 38 Secondary at Technical College. Agricultural course dedicated teachers “A patch of ground that we used to go out and dig in a bit.”
10 12 Two years secondary then went back and helped on farm. “Labouring force on farm”.
10 31 Older brothers Ian back two years before . 10 56 Father involved in growing seeds. “Always have been harvesting people.” Grass seeds Rye grass and Timothy
11 20 Timothy – harvested it every year. Uncle from Mokoreta discovered a clover called Lotus Major. Didn’t need much manure. Father harvested it. “Did very well out of it.” Grew a demand for it during the slump years. Grew it for 2 or 3 years.
12 18 Timothy Same paddock harvested for timothy for 40 or 50 years. Son continued.
12 49 Timothy Straw – animals like it. Dairy cows put in paddock for winter, “They would eat their way through the straw sack until the spring”.
13 19 Process of harvesting. Knew it was ready when timothy turned a certain colour – it would fall out of seed heads. Timothy a late harvest.
14 11 Horse binder cut timothy and stoked it. Header picked it up Son might have bailed it.
14 52 Father Dunedin Exhibition in 1924 Case threshing mill “A tin mill he used to call it”, agent put it on the railway, small tractor. Used the mill “for quite a number of years.” Now in Winton Dairy Factory which is now a museum
15 59 Horse used to cut the crops
16 22 Dick Craig worked for family until he retired. As Dick Craig got older, brother Ian took over the horse team until he bought a farm at Hedgehope. Team then passed on to interviewee until 1942 when called in to Air Force. Just two elderly men and two teenage daughters on farm so couldn’t keep team of horses. Six horses in the team and a spare horse to go in the drey as well as the foals. Were Clydesdales.
17 47 Others in district growing timothy. Three or four families. Grant families had only threshing mill. Farmers had to stack the timothy into stooks and wait their turn to thresh it out of the stooks. Father independent of this, had his mill.
19 06 Recalls neighbor querying that timothy was still coming out with straw. Came to interviewee’s father to check out efficiency of Grant’s mill. Readjustment made.
20 40 Meals during harvesting. Number of men needed during harvesting. Neighbours helping each other. During war years, neighbours helped his parents.
22 18 War involvement. Air Force. Called up in 1942. Eyesight difficulties. American troopship to Winnipeg to train as navigator. Had leave in New York. After 2 months returning home. Drafted into being a mechanic. Nelson.
21 31 Noise of microphone being moved
23 53 Arrived in Bougainville. By that stage Bougainville had been invaded by Japanese, American wanted to put up an airdrome on edge of Bougainville, Australians came to help Americans, they drove Japanese back from airdrome. Japanese were isolated, most of units had been destroyed or recalled to Japan, left quite a few people on island, couldn’t get them off.
25 34 Duties – mechanic, served the aeroplanes.
25 58 1946 Discharged from the Air Force. Returned to the farm. “Very easy to adjust.”
26 31 Social activities. Local dances. Described how he was taught to dance by older cousins up in the loft. “Never stopped since.”
27 56 Young farmers
28 10 Meeting his wife, Helen Hay
29 55 Married in 1949 in Waimate
30 11 Returned to Otapiri. 300 acres without a house. Building of cottage. Carpenters were from Invercargill – boarded with them and Helen and Andrew’s sister, Cathie, cooked for them.
31 07 Children – John, Donald, Alison
31 31 Highlights – the family “get-togethers”, with the Mcraes and the Cowies. Also “working in with families all the time”.
31 56 Moving in to town. Reduced mobility.
32 25 In a flat initially. Bought house. There for 20 years.
33 39 Grateful to medical profession for their help “…and here I am”
00 29 Grandchildren and children. All doing their own thing. Their parents are doing their own thing and very healthy too. So it’s very fortunate, our family.”
Notes re abstract:
• Full name not given on tape, only Findlay, as immediately before the recording we were discussing his middle name and its spelling. Full name is spelled as Andrew Findlay Cowie.
• Loud noise at 23 31. Microphone moved.
• 90 38 Technical College was Southland Technical College in Invercargill.
• 30 36 Helen helped Andrew’s sister Cathie (not Alison) with the cooking.
Interviewer and abstractor: June M Trotter
00:00:00 ID of recording
00 46 Name Andrew Findlay Cowie. Date of birth 24 March 1915 (note: interviewee states 1916 in the recording but Interviewee confirmed it is 1915 and not 1916). Place of birth Winton. Names of parents. Grandparents and ancestry – Scotland
01 34 Describes memory of his grandfather and his second wife Mrs Harrison Lee Cowie
02 12 At East Lime Hills. Read out of Bible to the children.
02 32 Interviewee painted picture of this scene later in life.
02 36 Explains property that grandfather bought – hut house implement sheds Location – Otapiri. Name of farm “Otapiri Farm”. Interviewee born on “Top Place”
03 30 Helping on farm as growing up – milking cows.
04:01 Playtime activities on farm rabitting with dogs and spades. “Playtime? We didn’t have very much playtime.”
04 35 Describes family life and parents. Big family of relations, extended family of Cowies and McRaes.
05 22 Describes mother. Recalls mother in the homestead reading to children around the fire at night. During day she was very busy.
06 14 Love of reading “Always books for us to read.” Belonged to library. “Plenty to read and we did the reading.”
06 40 Christmas day in the 30s – our family in the centre, all Mcrae families from Dipton to Moroketa all gathered at Otapiri Farm.
07 22 Interviewee dressed up as Santa Claus for younger cousins.
07 31 Highlight for older people, “it was just getting together.”
07 37 Get—togethers continued until Mother passed away.
07 51 Radio listening, 6 and 9 o’clock news
08 18 Religion’s role Presbyterian congregation. Went to Sunday School at East Limehills school then Bible class, Centre Bush. Taught Sunday School at East Lime Hills.
09 11 Schooling East Lime Hills school 20 pupils – family school – sole teacher. No chance to play rugby because of small school.
09 38 Secondary at Technical College. Agricultural course dedicated teachers “A patch of ground that we used to go out and dig in a bit.”
10 12 Two years secondary then went back and helped on farm. “Labouring force on farm”.
10 31 Older brothers Ian back two years before . 10 56 Father involved in growing seeds. “Always have been harvesting people.” Grass seeds Rye grass and Timothy
11 20 Timothy – harvested it every year. Uncle from Mokoreta discovered a clover called Lotus Major. Didn’t need much manure. Father harvested it. “Did very well out of it.” Grew a demand for it during the slump years. Grew it for 2 or 3 years.
12 18 Timothy Same paddock harvested for timothy for 40 or 50 years. Son continued.
12 49 Timothy Straw – animals like it. Dairy cows put in paddock for winter, “They would eat their way through the straw sack until the spring”.
13 19 Process of harvesting. Knew it was ready when timothy turned a certain colour – it would fall out of seed heads. Timothy a late harvest.
14 11 Horse binder cut timothy and stoked it. Header picked it up Son might have bailed it.
14 52 Father Dunedin Exhibition in 1924 Case threshing mill “A tin mill he used to call it”, agent put it on the railway, small tractor. Used the mill “for quite a number of years.” Now in Winton Dairy Factory which is now a museum
15 59 Horse used to cut the crops
16 22 Dick Craig worked for family until he retired. As Dick Craig got older, brother Ian took over the horse team until he bought a farm at Hedgehope. Team then passed on to interviewee until 1942 when called in to Air Force. Just two elderly men and two teenage daughters on farm so couldn’t keep team of horses. Six horses in the team and a spare horse to go in the drey as well as the foals. Were Clydesdales.
17 47 Others in district growing timothy. Three or four families. Grant families had only threshing mill. Farmers had to stack the timothy into stooks and wait their turn to thresh it out of the stooks. Father independent of this, had his mill.
19 06 Recalls neighbor querying that timothy was still coming out with straw. Came to interviewee’s father to check out efficiency of Grant’s mill. Readjustment made.
20 40 Meals during harvesting. Number of men needed during harvesting. Neighbours helping each other. During war years, neighbours helped his parents.
22 18 War involvement. Air Force. Called up in 1942. Eyesight difficulties. American troopship to Winnipeg to train as navigator. Had leave in New York. After 2 months returning home. Drafted into being a mechanic. Nelson.
21 31 Noise of microphone being moved
23 53 Arrived in Bougainville. By that stage Bougainville had been invaded by Japanese, American wanted to put up an airdrome on edge of Bougainville, Australians came to help Americans, they drove Japanese back from airdrome. Japanese were isolated, most of units had been destroyed or recalled to Japan, left quite a few people on island, couldn’t get them off.
25 34 Duties – mechanic, served the aeroplanes.
25 58 1946 Discharged from the Air Force. Returned to the farm. “Very easy to adjust.”
26 31 Social activities. Local dances. Described how he was taught to dance by older cousins up in the loft. “Never stopped since.”
27 56 Young farmers
28 10 Meeting his wife, Helen Hay
29 55 Married in 1949 in Waimate
30 11 Returned to Otapiri. 300 acres without a house. Building of cottage. Carpenters were from Invercargill – boarded with them and Helen and Andrew’s sister, Cathie, cooked for them.
31 07 Children – John, Donald, Alison
31 31 Highlights – the family “get-togethers”, with the Mcraes and the Cowies. Also “working in with families all the time”.
31 56 Moving in to town. Reduced mobility.
32 25 In a flat initially. Bought house. There for 20 years.
33 39 Grateful to medical profession for their help “…and here I am”
00 29 Grandchildren and children. All doing their own thing. Their parents are doing their own thing and very healthy too. So it’s very fortunate, our family.”
Notes re abstract:
• Full name not given on tape, only Findlay, as immediately before the recording we were discussing his middle name and its spelling. Full name is spelled as Andrew Findlay Cowie.
• Loud noise at 23 31. Microphone moved.
• 90 38 Technical College was Southland Technical College in Invercargill.
• 30 36 Helen helped Andrew’s sister Cathie (not Alison) with the cooking.
Dates
- 2006
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Access to oral history recordings is via the Archives Research Room only. We are unable to provide access to this material remotely. Where access agreements allow, abstracts, audio extracts and photographs will be accessible online.
Conditions Governing Use
This material is copyright of the Invercargill City Libraries and Archives. In accordance with agreements held with interviewees, it is strictly prohibited to reproduce (copy) oral history recordings, abstracts, audio extracts or photographs without prior written consent. Applications for the reproduction of these recordings and associated materials, in whole or part, must be made in writing to the Southland Oral History Project Coordinator, c/o Invercargill City Libraries and Archives.
Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Trotter, June (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
