Cyril David John KNIGHT

Interviewer: Nancy Burnett

Abstracter: Judith Christie

(Daughter Maureen also in attendance.)

First Interview: 25th November 2015

TRACK ONE

00.00 BORN in 1924.

01.50 MOTHER Olive Anne KNIGHT nee HARRIS, born in BOVEYTRACEY, DEVON, ENGLAND. Occupation POSTWOMAN. Describes. Prior to that, worked in a MUNITIONS FACTORY.

03.45 FATHER ARTHUR KNIGHT born 1895 in WINTON, resided there until WWI. Died in 1987. Went to WW1 at 20 years old, discharged 22 October 1919. Private, temporary Lance Corporal, Present at the SOMME, took rations by horse and donkey to the front line. Describes.

07.45 PARENTS MET when father wounded, sent to a farm in Devon to convalesce, met mother there. Describes.

09.40 PARENTS MARRIED on 25 June 1919 in Devon and travelled to New Zealand shortly after.

11.10 Mother described LONDON FOG to self.

11.40 Mother and father lived in the WINTON DISTRICT until 1929 working on farms and in BROTHER-IN-LAW’S SAW MILL, before shifting to GORGE ROAD. Worked for FREDDY PRICE on farm at OPORI – latterly Prices lived in the dwelling where NICHOLS GARDEN SHOP now operates from.

End of Track One

TRACK TWO

00.00 Father out of work during DEPRESSION, and family shifted to INVERCARGILL. Father on RELIEF SCHEME, and worked on SEWERS on ELLES ROAD. Describes.

01.30 Family moved to GORGE ROAD, to work on MCKENZIE farm there in 1929. Gorge Road 40ks east of Invercargill. Self five years old when moved there. WALKED two miles to SCHOOL each day.

03.10 Left in 1937, and went to SEAWARD DOWNS. MCKENZIES farm sold at Gorge Road and a new farm brought at Seaward Downs, between Gorge Road and Edendale.

04.10 Farm at Gorge Road on the Gorge Road Seaward Downs Road, four kilometres up the road towards Seaward Downs.

05.15 Discussion on theories of why GORGE ROAD NAMED.

06.27 Self born in Invercargill. Lived in NEWCASTLE STREET, near a bus depot. Got into trouble in the buses as a small boy. Attended NORTH SCHOOL for two weeks before shift to Gorge Road.

07.40 Attended GORGE ROAD SCHOOL. Describes.

09.25 Gorge Road had a row of MILL HOUSES opposite the school for families working at the saw mill. Describes. Describes layout of town STORE, HALL, BUTCHERS SHOP, CHURCH, SCHOOL, DAIRY FACTORY. Nice place to live, with no distinction between millworkers and farmers. Some mill workers owned blocks of land won in THE BALLOT, which they cleared.

12.10 Describes STUMPING OF THE LAND after milling and the clearance of the land. Land worked up with horse drawn ploughs, planted out with CROPS. Describes process of cropping

End of Track Two

TRACK THREE

00.00 CHAFF used to feed the horses, and extra sold. OATS sold to FLEMINGS FLOUR MILL, and fed to stock.

01.30 DAIRY FACTORY at Gorge Road. Self’s family had 21 COWS, milked by hand. Describes cow shed and method of milking. Fewer regulations. Milk cans stored in the creek overnight, then taken to factory in the morning.

03.50 CREEK ran through farm, little DRAINAGE needed, but concerns with STONES, which were gathered. Problems when PLOUGHING.

5.20 Lots of RABBITS - childen would shoot them and catch EELS, boil them up in a COPPER and FEED THE HENS with the meat. Describes use of the copper, including use for water heating for baths.

08.15 Describes the use of wood as FUEL for cooking etc. COAL RANGE used, including breadmaking. Latterly bread delivered by truck.

10.00 RABBITING – good source of income. FERRETS and FOX TERRIERS used. RABBIT CART/LORRY owned by BOB SHIRLEY and CHARLIE EMMERSON collected carcasses. Describes.

13.30 Self owned FERRETS, purchased at TODDS in Invercargill. Describes use of ferrets in rabbiting.

End of Track Three

TRACK FOUR

00.00 More information regarding FERRETS and RABBITING.

01.40 Self had four SIBLINGS. ARTHUR (known as Alec or Lex) born 1922, killed in the Navy in 1943. Self born in 1924. KENNETH JAMES born 1927. GORDON RAYMOND born 1931. ERNEST WILLIAM born 1935. All except Ernest attended GORGE ROAD SCHOOL.

3.20 MRS HILL lived on farm behind the family property. (photo taken of her with the SUNDAY SCHOOL CHILDREN). The Hills originally lived in TWO TENTS with wooden sides and floors – one for living in and one for sleeping in. COOKING was done on a range in the living area. Describes.

5.20 MRS HILL owned an ORGAN and started a SUNDAY SCHOOL there. Self and family attended along with the STUART family. Then Sunday School held at the MANSON’S home – Manson family FOSTERED STATE CHILDREN along with two children of their own. Many children ended up attending.

7.20 MR HILL would HAUL STUMPS from his property with a TRACTION ENGINE, then set fire to them. Self and family would toast bread on the fire.

8.20 People who influenced self’s life included TOM BECK, who owned the GORGE ROAD STORE, had a farm behind the school, and was on the SCHOOL COMMITTEE. He was great with children. Other people included DAVE STUART and MR MONTEITH – on committees which forged the district ahead.

10.00 RECENT JUBILEE held – self with group of people who agreed that Gorge Road had gone ahead. In the early days, Gorge Road supported a lot more people than it does today. Bigger families, who stayed at home. Mentions STUART FAMILY – children JOCK, NELL, KATE AND JESSIE. Another girl married SYD RYAN. Milked cows by hand.

12.00 COMMUNITY EVENTS were held in the Hall. MRS DONNELLY lived on Gorge Road Seaward Downs Road. Had a large family. Played the VIOLIN and arranged a CONCERT most years. Also SCHOOL CONCERTS. PETER BURNS from WYNDHAM SHOWED PICTURES in the hall, including Tom Mix, George Formby, Mrs Minevar and others. Self sometimes got a ride to the pictures with Peter Burns.

End of Track Four

TRACK FIVE

00.00 Lots of things sold at the GORGE ROAD STORE – self’s mother would make good BUTTER and sell it at the store. Describes process of butter making. Store owner MR RUTLEDGE, whose father was manager of the BUTTER FACTORY at INVERCARGILL.

3.15 Store also sold eggs, flour, sugar, sewing materials, confectionary, farming needs like nails etc.

4.25 Father erected FENCES – describes process, including barbed wire.

6.14 Describes PADDOCK BREAKS to manage stock feeding.

7.45 During the DEPRESSION GOVERNMENT ASSISTED WORK included a CAMP AT KAPUKA where men worked on straightening creeks. Farmers contributed.

9.50 Living on the land relieved the poverty during the DEPRESSION, including an ORCHARD on the farm. Apples were bagged into sugar bags and sold to people around the district.

10.50 SUGAR BAGS held 70lb of sugar, two feet x 18 inches in size, made of hemp. Flour also came in 25lb FLOUR BAGS in a while calico bag. Self’s mother would use them when she SEWED CHILDREN’S CLOTHES for linings. Children’s clothes were made from hand me down materials. Mother also KNITTED.

13.00 Self enjoyed attending GORGE ROAD SCHOOL. Included a FOOTBALL PADDOCK. Also a GULLY closeby where children would FIGHT to sort out their differences. Describes. WALKED four kilometres to school.

End of Track Five

TRACK SIX

00.00 Self would usually WALK TO SCHOOL, but sometimes got a ride with the storekeeper. Latterly had a push bike. Describes route to school.

01.10 Describes meeting a SWAGGER on the road, and what swaggers did.

03.10 Hawker visited with goods to sell, including clothing, material and haberdashery – arrived on a horse and cart. Describes.

04.30 LUNCH at school consisted of sandwiches and fruit. RABBITS also eaten. More description of school days, including CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. Teachers included MR DIACK, MISS FEATHERS, MISS MCCORMACK. FLAG WAS SALUTED every day and God Save the King sung. Self enjoyed Arithmetic best, not a good speller. Enjoyed the companionship of other pupils.

11.100 Some families from school days still live at Gorge Road, self meets up with them at weddings and funerals. Invited to weddings, including the STEPHENSONS – Mr Stephenson was a competitive WOOD CHOPPER. DONNOLLY BROTHERS also good woodchoppers and sawyers. Describes sawing process.

13.10 SPORTS DAYS held. Self won a bike race. FOOTBALL MATCHES played. CARD EVENINGS held. Latterly card tournaments held at Gorge Road and Fortrose. Describes.

End of Track Six

TRACK SEVEN

00.00 Sat EXAMS in Primary School. Describes.

End of Track Seven

Second Interview: 3rd December 2015

TRACK EIGHT

00.00 Travelled on TRAIN when going to Invercargill. EXCURSIONS and REGATTAS held, travelled to RIVERTON or BLUFF.

01.10 Children could run down the ROADS barefoot, despite them being gravel. Self mostly used road from township to the top of the gorge, where it turned towards MORTON MAINS. Father’s brother lived near KAPUKA, travelled there by GIG.

03.00 TRAIN caught at the railway station, just past the store at Gorge Road. Self would spend 1d on a pie for lunch in town. Would put a halfpenny on the railway line for train to run over it.

04.15 Train picked up children to take them to MANUAL. Manual attended in Invercargill – boys did woodwork or engineering, girls attended cooking classes. Describes.

06.30 RAILWAY went as far as TOKONUI. Rain travelled from BROWNS to WINTON then out to Tokonui. When the railway line closed, farmers picked up LIME from the lime works themselves. STEAM ENGINES used. Train had to climb a hill at Bush Siding, so would back up to get a steam up. Trains carried stock for sale at LORNEVILLE.

09.45 GORGE ROAD STORE also served as a POST OFFICE. No telephone at the house, and no power. Copper boiled for hot water.

10.55 RABBITS were an asset to children – pocket money from them supplemented family income. Skinned coats in the winter and sold to CRUICKSHANKS in INVERCARGILL. Describes. Rabbits also a pest – fences had to be put up to protect crops. Describes.

End of Track Eight

TRACK NINE

00.00 Describes types of CROPS.

00.50 BLACKSMITH SHOP in Gorge Road – blacksmith Mr CARLAW from WAIMAHAKA would visit regularly. Describes the tasks of the blacksmith. Describes how a PLOUGH works, and the blacksmith’s involvement. Describes the SHOEING OF HORSES. Blacksmith also worked on IMPLEMENTS.

07.30 Other people who influenced self were MR AND MRS MANSON who took in underprivileged children and MRS HALL and her Sunday School. Women were resourceful – making scones and pikelets, sponges and currant buns. DUCK EGGS used.

11.00 Mr BECK’S speech at self’s school influenced his life, including farming practices. Describes SHOWING OF STOCK at shows.

End of Track Nine

TRACK TEN

00.15 ADVICE TO OTHERS – never be afraid to help someone in need. Do your best in whatever you take on. The best things in life money can’t buy, such as true friendship and respect.

End of Track Ten