H0362 DOROTHY CLARE MCPHERSON

Interviewer: Janice Templeton

Abstracter: Judith Christie

Interview: 16 August 2018

TRACK ONE

00:00 Interview identification.

End of Track One

TRACK TWO

00.00 BORN in 1927. PARENTS were born in New Zealand and lived in RIVERTON until after marriage. Father served in WWI. FATHER worked on RAILWAY. Sister CONNIE born, moved to ORAWIA. Moved to WAIHOKA. Self four when family moved to farm at PAHIA. FATHER FRED CHURCH and MOTHER MARGARET NEE CUMMING.

02.10 Four or five railway houses and a railway shed at WAIHOAKA, just off the main road. Railway stops/stations included RIVERTON, LONGWOOD, COLAC BAY, WAKATAPU, RUAHINE, PAHIA, OREPUKE, WAIHOAKA. Important line – students travelled from Tuatapere to HIGH SCHOOL on the train. Describes timetables.

04.30 Self born at RIVERTON when family lived at WAIHOAKA. MIDWIFE was MRS FREW who was a friend of self’s grandmother.

05.15 Remembers shifting from Wahoaka to Pahia – calf in the back seat of the car. Sat on mother’s knee on the front seat. Describes where farm was at Pahia. Father purchased farm from MURRAYS, and sold it to FRED MASON. ERSKINES also owned it, then TIM MCPHERSON. Sold to another MCPHERSON, no relation. Road from farm went to ROUND HILL.

08.50 Self didn’t attend school until age six, then went to PAHIA SCHOOL, which was a mile or so from farm. Walked or travelled to horse and cart if father was going to the factory. Father built a COW SHED – working bee helped to erect it, overseen by MR HAZLETT.

10.15 House called FERNSIDE VILLA. Four bedrooms. Front room converted one bedroom into a front room, and then converted a bedroom into a lounge. Describes layout of house.

12.50 MILK taken to factory, where it was separated. Mother made butter at the kitchen table. Cowshed had milking machines. Self helped with the milking.

14.25 Self attended one teacher school – MR MILLAN. 14 students. Talk of closing school and attending Orepuke, but MR KENNEDY, who had five or six kids, stopped it.

End of Track Two

TRACK THREE

00.00 SCHOOL didn’t close. When daughters went to school, had a roll of 60 pupils. Self one of the last pupils from the WWI BOOM – daughters first of the children of the WWII BOOM.

01.10 FATHER went to WWI before self was born. Parents married when father was 28 or 29 and had returned from the war – served for four years. Remembers father as always bald.

02.15 Self fourth in the SIBLINGS. Sister CONNIE left school as self started – Connie didn’t attend secondary school but worked in a store and was then manpowered to the POST OFFICE in WELLINGTON.

03.30 Father had both SHEEP and COWs on the farm. SELF SUFFICIENT – ran hens and had a large vegetable garden with gooseberries, black currants and fruit trees. Mother had a flower garden.

05.10 No electric range. Super heater cupboard in the kitchen, which was altered. Big table in the kitchen with a long stool along the back for sitting – no separate dining room.

06.30 Self left primary school at age 14, returning home to care for ailing mother and to help with the cows. Didn’t like school, but enjoyed sport.

07.20 Father had no employees on the farm.

07.30 By self age 16, brother ALBERT was away to war, CONNIE in Wellington, and CATHERINE worked in the bank in Wellington. Brother MERVYN at home.

07.50 Teacher at school was MR MILNE. He left and MR MCMILLAN taught. Self felt neither teacher was very good. Self attended MANUAL at Riverton by train to learn cooking. DULCIE COWAN, WENDY CROWE, MARY SKERRETT, MARGARET AGNEW attended with her – Standard Five. Father had to get permission for self to leave school early.

10.10 Self played basketball – combined with OREPUKI SCHOOL. Mentions participants and basketball activities. Biked to Orepuki. Also played with the WAIAU NETBALL TEAM – nine a side.

13.15 Social life included tennis, Euchre evenings in the hall near the school.

13.50 Met husband DON when attended school together – he was eight years older. Don worked on a farm. Don was best man for Connie and Neill and self was bridesmaid at age 18.

End of Track Three

TRACK FOUR

00.00 Don’s father and self’s father were very good friends. Don took sister out a few times. Don farmed during WWII when brother ALEC was in the AIRFORCE. Alec broke his arm and was put out of the Army during the KOREAN WAR(?) Father died and estate wound up. Don purchased one half of the farm and Alec the other half. No house on the half that self and Don owned so built a NEW HOUSE, built by BOB HISLOP in Invercargill. House built out of BRICKS FROM SALEWORKS in Orepuki. Describes farms and land.

02.50 MARRIED in 1949. MABEL (ALEC’S WIFE) came from CANADA and had two children. They returned to Canada for six months by boat and so self and Don lived in their house until they returned, then moved to house opposite the shop with MR HASLIN, who lived on his own. Looked after home while their own house was being built. Had first child there. Fed the men who were building their house.

04.50 Self worked in the LOCAL STORE before marriage. RAY PICKERING was the owner and the two BROWN boys worked for him. They moved to LUMSDEN. BOB BUCKINGHAM owned it during the War, then Ray Pickering came back and sold it. Then owned by DICK THOMAS and his brother ? DICKSON from Bluff.

05.50 Stayed at home during this time – mother recovered from illness. Stayed at home until marriage.

06.20 Youngest brother MERVYN attended school at Pahia. Suffered from EPILEPSY. Worked for BOB MAHY the ??? Father worked the farm until sold in 1951, and then they moved down to Riverton, when father worked for NATIONAL MORTGAGE. FRED MASON purchased the family farm.

07.30 Self and Don MARRIED in RIVERTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, where parents were also married. RECEPTION organized by MRS ALEXANDER of the RAILWAY HOTEL. Held in the hall across the road from the hotel. Self’s mother supplied the fruit for the fruit salad. Mother ordered apricots from Central Otago, which arrived by train.

09.20 Engaged for a year to Don before marrying. There were two boys and three girls in Don’s family – his mother died in 1927 when Don was eight years old. Had housekeepers.

10.20 Self got a licence after married. Don considered a good catch. House took over a year to be built – moved in in 1951. JENNIFER oldest child, then ANNE 25 months later.

11.40 Most families were four or five children. Mabel and Alec had six, self and Don had four. MASONS a family of nine children. Describes families in the district. Mentions MASONS, KENNEDYS, AGNEWS, MURPHYS, WHITES, HASLEMS, KENNEDYS, SKEGGS, REECES, GREYS.

13.30 Fishing out of COSY NOOK. Self would take children to beach – choice of WAKATAPU, GARDENS BAY, COSY NOOK, MONKEY ISLAND. Would take a picnic lunch to the beach, with new potatoes cooked in salt water. Baked beans and sausages heated up.

End of Track Four

TRACK FIVE

00.00 Describes visits to Cosy Nook.

00.40 Visited town with children for Christmas shopping, but visited town infrequently. BUDGET tight, until struck GOOD WOOL PRICES in 1960s. Government would freeze the income, and permitted only a portion it of a year. Wool put the family on its feet.

02.20 Don would milk the cows for his brother Alec when ALEC was involved with DAIRY BOARD. Children helped a lot on the farm. Families worked together.

03.30 SHEARING SHED was converted from old FLAX MILL, then a new shed built. Describes

04.20 RAILWAY LINE went through the middle of the farm. Drafted sheep were loaded on to railway wagons. PAHIA RAILWAY STATION was behind the shop. Self would put the mailbag from the shop on to the train every day. Describes layout of farm.

06.30 Challenges shifting sheep – sometimes used the main road. Further describes layout of farm.

08.30 Some family land purchased by IAN AND JOANNE ANDERSON who also purchased Kennedy’s land.

09.00 Don employed ALAN RHYS who did a lot of DRAINAGE on the farm – all done by hand. Hard work. Self continuously fed the men.

10.00 Family left Pahia in 1976. Don had a bad back so farm sold as a going concern. Only had a week to pack after farm sold – didn’t have a place to live, so rented a house. Daughter JENNIFER was married in Wellington. ELIZABETH was in Oamaru. Mentions LORRAINE.

13.10 ELIZABETH AND BRUCE announced engagement and had a part on the farm the weekend before shifting from the farm.

14.00 Self was always sick when babies born, but recovered quickly.

14.20 MOVED TO INVERCARGILL and rented – didn’t unpack anything. As farm was sold as a going concern, didn’t have to have a clearance sale. Did a ‘tiki tour’ to decide where to live.

End of Track Five

TRACK SIX

00.00 Moved to WAIMATE for three years. Then Don suggested moving further south – self didn’t like Southland weather. Don had a large glasshouse and did market gardened in Waimate.

02.00 Moved to ALEXANDRA and there for 38 years. Self and Don very active, although Don’s back continued to give trouble. Don loved BOWLING.

03.00 ANNE worried when farm sold that she wouldn’t have a home. Loved Pahia. End of an era.

04.00 CONNIE and NEIL shifted to Invercargill.

04.20 PARTRIDGES took over the PAHIA STORE. Self helped in the shop over busy times.

05.00 Daughters attended SOUTHLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL and boarded privately. Travelled by bus to town on Monday and returned home on a Friday. When bus routes diminished, car pooled with others in the community to drop off and pick up.

06.30 Recap of leaving the farm. (recording checked)

End of Track Six

TRACK SEVEN

00.00 Daughter JENNIFER married in OREPUKI CHURCH before family left the farm. Discussion re when new church built. Jennifer and her husband worked for KING ALLAN up the MOTU, and ALLAN BUDDLE at EASTERN BUSH, then managed BRUCE and ELIZABETH’S farm until Bruce and Elizabeth married. Bruce was an only child – went to work in Australia before he worked on the farm.

03.30 Self sees a lot of her daughters and grandchildren. Describes

04.00 Self plans to stay in her own home in ALEXANDRA – has help. Belongs to a card making group, which has morphed into a knitting group. Has two friends and attends LIVING OPTIONS (IHC) regularly for afternoon tea. Describes. Goes to the library once a week and if self is ill, library will deliver books. Lots of opportunities for social activities.

08.50 Mentions COMMUNITY HOUSE. MEALS AND WHEELS are available if required but self doesn’t use this service. MEDICAL CENTRE in Alexandra so well catered for. Self has a medical alarm. Describes

11.00 Self has ELEVEN GRANDCHILDREN and TWELVE GREAT GRANDCHILDREN. Only five boys.

12.00 Self was a Church member – doesn’t keep in touch with Church side as much. 13 children in father’s family.

End of Track Seven

TRACK EIGHT

00.00 Played BADMINTON in the PAHIA HALL. SKELT BROTHERS from Invercargill gave a demonstration, which started badminton in the district. Don also played. DR ELDER became involved and organized matches with other districts.

00.50 Went to TUATAPERE for medical care, and to RIVERTON for music lessons etc. PARENTS retired to Riverton.

01.30 DR ELDER visited and sat in front of the family fire to discuss badminton.

02.00 MRS WATSON babysat the children for 5 shillings and donated the money to the Anglican Church. Describes

03.10 Self was a dresser for one of DR ELDER’S STAGE PRODUCTIONS.

03.20 All of self’s BABIES were born in the TUATAPERE HOSPITAL, three in the old home and one in the new home. Maternity nurse was SISTER CASEY. Fortnight stay after each birth. Was in the home at the same time as ELLA YOUNG. Owen Young’s parents lived next door to the hospital. KATHLEEN looked after the children when self was in the maternity home. Describes

07.10 Self and daughter Jennifer recently travelled to Bluff with ROSS DUDFIELD, who said that remembered era was the best time for bringing up children. Family close to the Dudfields.

07.40 Family COUSIN RENUNION held to celebrate AUNT EDITH’S 100TH BIRTHDAY as nieces and nephews didn’t attend the official celebration. Self also attended.

08.45 Self saw a lot of aunts and uncles as a young person. Holidayed with FOSTERS at GROPERS BUSH – UNCLE WALLY and AUNTY STELLA who was a CUMMINGS. Attended REGATTA on Boxing Day with Fosters. Also visited UNCLE JIM and AUNTY ?? CUMMINGS, who lived at Pahia for a while. Cousins important to self. Describes

10.35 Father and Uncle Jim went Rabbiting at MOUNT VICTORIA and sold skins. Describes

11.20 No relationship between family and the YOUNGS but were good friends. Children went to school together.

12.00 Because the family home was near the bus stop and shop, lots of people called in.

12.30 Lots of TRADESMEN would call in, including TOM BAILLIE, and mechanic for tractor. BILL COBIN had a van who sold clothing and material – he would stay with the family and he played the violin. MARY KNOWLER the piano teacher. Musical evenings held. STELLA KAVANAGH taught both self and the girls – stayed at the family home when self was young. Describes

End of Track Eight

TRACK NINE

00.00 Self didn’t keep up music lessons. Connie was the musician of the family – taught by MARY KNOWLER. Describes

01.10 PIANO purchased for daughters. ANNE did HIGHLAND DANCING, taught by HELEN MCKAY – went to competitions.

01.50 Saturday was bath night and pictures night.

02.40 Mentions GRANDCHILDREN AND GREAT CHILDREN.

03.00 DON was on the HALL COMMITTEE, SCHOOL COMMITTEE, CEMETERY TRUST, ATHLETICS. Family very involved in the community.

03.45 Alec and Don were runners. ANN took up ATHLETICS at High School.

03.50 Never felt isolated. Too much happening.

04.25 Living in ALEXANDRA for 38 years. Married in 1949 and left the farm in 1977.

05.10 Self now 91 years old.

End of Track Nine