Barbara Jean Mason

Interviewer: Virginia Henderson

Abstracter: Amanda Corrigan

Interview: 5 April 2012 for the Wyndham Valley Project

00:00 Interview identification

00:49 BARBARA JEAN MASON née WESCOMBE born 17 May 1935

01:04 MARRIED 7 November 1955 - Father built new house at WYNDHAM VALLEY – met husband BILL MASON a BUILDER on the house – husband’s mother of TWAIT (sp?) FAMILY from OTARA –– Once married self moved with husband to OTARA – eventually took over his Uncle’s farm there – Remained there

01:39 Self grew up and went to SCHOOL in WYNDHAM VALLEY

01:49 Grandfather was ALFRED LEWIS WESCOMBE – Came to WYNDHAM VALLEY in 1916 – Prior to this worked on TALLEBURN (sp?) DREDGES at MILLERS FLAT – Had land in TOKOITI near MILTON then WOODSIDE nearer OUTRAM – Explains

02:28 Bought family farm in WYNDHAM VALLEY – Father born about 1904 -Explains

02:48 Father was ALFRED LESLIE WESCOMBE – MARRIED mother JESSIE BALLENTYNE (sp?) no second name – Year of marriage unknown

03:10 Mother from WAIKAKA – Grandmother was a BURNES who died in the 1918 Flu – Left behind six children aged 7 and under – Eventually grandfather remarried and had three more children – FRANCIS WESCOMBE aka FRANKIE (sp?) LAMB – DAPHNE WESCOMBE – BURREL (?) WESCOMBE - All grew up in WAIKAKA – Explains

04:01 Describes when growing up spent a lot of time at Grandparents – Stayed almost all holidays there – Grandmother would take them to the river for swimming and picnics

04:22 Self attended WYNDHAM VALLEY SCHOOL – Began school at age six – Disliked biking to school – Father got PONY which self rode for remainder of school years – Explains

05:07 SISTERS – LILA WESCOMBE almost five years younger than self – MAVIS WESCOMBE – Both doubled with self until they got their own ponies – Self rode neighbour N (?) KIRKLAND’s pony last year of school – Describes

05:53 Other children in the area mostly rode to school – one or two walked – MILLER FAMILY had a BUGGY pulled by a pony – Describes

06:30 Recalls TEACHERS from WYNDHAM VALLEY SCHOOL – First teacher MISS MACLAREN (sp?) - MISS STRAUGHN (sp?) MR WILSON – KEN GRAY - MR BRACEFIELD

07:05 Interviewer mentions photographs by KEN GRAY – Teacher was a keen photographer – children were subjects of photography – Arriving at school on ponies – playing ROUNDERS – Explains

07:37 Recalls school days - April Fool’s Day prank when some STUDENTS didn’t go to school in the morning – punished with the STRAP “given two or three of the best” which was expected – RONNIE MILLER got an extra one for being the ringleader - Describes

10:52 Recalls SCHOOL VEGIE GARDEN – FRANCIS YOUNG, FRANCIS LAMB, MURIEL (?) CHARLESON and self pulled the carrots and ate them – MR BRACEFIELD gave choice of no swim or the strap – all chose the strap

12:19 Recalls MR BRACEFIELD making kids sing before they were let out of school – self not very good at singing and would refuse – sister LILA had to wait for self – self given lecture and eventually allowed to leave

13:09 Recalls RACING PONIES HOME which was not allowed – self would have trotting races with COLIN MACINTYRE – Father found out and no more racing – Describes

13:45 Recalls MACINTYRE FAMILY were one of the first families in the district to get a REFRIDGERATOR – ROY MACINTYRE, MOLLY MACINTYRE, twins JEAN MACINTYRE and LINDSAY MACINTYRE, COLIN MACINTYRE - First time self had homemade ICE CREAM

15:40 Recalls knocking ALLAN MILLER off his bike during a trotting race with COLIN MACINTYRE – Pony’s foot injured and self rode in MILLER FAMILY buggy until healed

16:54 Recalls tricking teacher MRS STILES – Cold day at school REX MILLER and self sat at desks behind stove – took turns gradually adjusting the time on the clock – got to go home earlier

18:21 Recalls LEX WATERS falling off his pony into water trough

19:11 Recalls PICKING RASPBERRIES at BRIDGE past BILL MILLER’S

19:37 Recalls PINCHING TURNIPS out of MR MILLER’S paddock – RONNIE MILLER threw a turnip which caused self and sister LILA to fall off their pony

20:25 Recalls sister MAVIS’ first fall off a pony – sister believed she could now ride a horse because she had fallen off one

21:15 Self left WYNDHAM VALLEY at age 20 when married – moved to OTARA at the beach near WAIPAPA POINT LIGHTHOUSE - Explains

21:37 Describes leaving WYNDHAM VALLEY – Different climate and atmosphere – self didn’t like it preferred living inland – self has lived there for almost 57 years at time of interview

22:27 Describes feelings about WYNDHAM VALLEY – self still calls it home and loves to come back – didn’t see much of the valley once mother and father left

23:03 Brought family back to the valley – self’s children would stay with mother and father at farm for holidays – Eldest child BRIAN MASON and second son LYLE MASON remember helping JIM WESCOMBE with hay

23:37 Brother JIM WESCOMBE took over parents’ farm – Eventually sold it and went to CHRISTCHURCH then bought a farm up in SCARGILL GRETA VALLEY – farmed for quite a while after leaving WYNDHAM VALLEY

24:14 WESCOMBES bought their farm from the BUSBRIDGES (sp?) in 1916 – Describes the old BUSBRIDGE HOUSE – when grandparents first moved in there was no toilet – Grandmother cut manuka and built a toilet in the garden – Father eventually built a more modern toilet

25:15 Describes EGG HATCHING in the CLAY HOUSE – a small cave tunnelled into the hill – Dug by her grandfather and father when the came to the valley - Grandmother would incubate her eggs in there – eggs laid on shelf and a kerosene lamp used to keep the temperature right

27:00 Recalls own children rode the bus to school – didn’t think they had the same fun self had going to school

27:34 Recalls early years – Fondness of riding horses but no interest in showing – daughter had horses at OTARA

28:23 Recalls FRANCIS YOUNG and self riding from YOUNGS to MATAURA – FRANCIS was showing two horses there – stayed in GORE with friends two nights and then returned home

29:13 Recalls riding from home to WAIKAKA to play TENNIS – Self liked tennis enough to ride there the odd time to play

29:32 Recalls riding to WAIKAKA with father and taking CATTLE – Father used to sell calves at the WAIKAKA CALF SALE – Self would ride with father to drive the cows and calves down – did that a few times after leaving school

30:01 Recalls when father got first TRACTORS – MR MENZIES who worked for father drove the TEAM of HEAVY DRAUGHT HORSES and did not like or use tractors - worked for father for 14 years

30:33 MR MENZIES FAMILY lived in GORE – wife was a war bride and didn’t like the country – two children JOHN MENZIES and MARY MENZIES – MR MENZIES rode his bike into GORE to go home for the weekend – still worked for father when father was building the new house – house finished in 1953

32:07 If hay was done on a Saturday MR MENZIES would go home on Sunday morning and come back Sunday evening - If the weather was rough MR MENZIES would bike back Monday morning

33:03 Self went to WYNDHAM VALLEY SCHOOL through primary years from 1941 - 1949 – school closed in 1950 – never went to high school – most went on to secondary school – Mother wrote to the EDUCATION BOARD to keep self at home – permission wasn’t given but there was no enforcement to attend school – self stayed home and worked and also worked for neighbours END