Abstract of Elizabeth Maree JENKINS, 2024
Item — Box: 37
Identifier: H03560002
Abstract
H0356 ELIZABETH MAREE JENKINS
Interviewer: Gordon Duston
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 12 July 2018
TRACK ONE
00:00 Interview identification
00.50 Born 25 January 1954.
02.00 Born in TUATAPERE, moved to PUKERAU at age 2 and attended PUKERAU SCHOOL and GORE HIGH SCHOOL. Worked in SOCIAL WELFARE in Invercargill on leaving school for three months in 1970, then applied for a job at the POST OFFICE. Opening at AWARUA RADIO so got a position there. Father encouraged a technical bent.
03.50 SECOND FEMALE to work at Awarua Radio – first female was SANDRA MATTHEWS (now IDE) who now lives in FRANKTON. Both there for a number of years.
04.20 FIRST TRAINING was in DUNEDIN for four weeks, then a nine week course in Dunedin.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 Following year, NINE WEEK COURSE in CHRISTCHURCH. STAGE FOUR TRAINING was at LOWER HUTT. Block courses in conjunction with correspondence. Regular assignments.
00.50 Went out with TECHNICIANS when training. Three trainees – GRAHAM NEWTON, MICHAEL NEWLANDS and self. Rotated shifts between trunk line, mobile and station. Allocated tasks in those areas.
01.40 Helped to set up beacons at DOG ISLAND, CENTRE ISLAND and PUYSEGAR LIGHTHOUSES. Harmonic of Puysegar beacon interfered with distress frequency so Wellington engineers had to be called in. Spent a week at Puysegar, including fishing. Describes
04.00 Regular WEATHER REPORTS in from Puysegar. Weather there very windy – PENROD people taking weather reports, and camped on the side of the hill.
5.30 Went on a beach walk at Puysegar with LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY. Children attended CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL. FLOAT PLANE delivered supplies every week, along with the WAIRUA.
6.30 Flew in to Puysegar, went by boat to a tractor which took personnel and equipment up to the lighthouse.
07.00 Once trained, self was a radio technician. When going to a fault, was the technician in charge. People expected males to be in charge. Technicians good to work with. EQUAL PAY. Health and safety policies not prominent – common sense.
9.00 Didn’t work anywhere else but Awarua. Worked there for six years, then left to have first child. Went back for a year, then had second child and didn’t return. Depot had moved to town, technology changing rapidly. When worked, travelled to Awarua each day in a minivan with other workers, which CHARLIE ROE drove. Describes
11.00 Pye (?) equipment often broke down, working constantly. Faults reported and analysed. Lots of companies used land mobile. Now taken over by cellphones. Describes different channels.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Trained in WELLINGTON. Stayed with Sandra’s (fellow worker) Auntie GWEN MATTHEWS, who was blind. Travelled by train to UPPER HUTT every day. Self’s father was also blind. HERETONGA main place for training – before that, training at POLICE COLLEGE. Found study hard at times. Played netball and sewed at weekend, when male trainees were working on their crystal sets.
02.40 Theory learned at training school was very relatable when on the job.
03.20 Always travelled to jobs in twos, for safety. Had to have confidence in the person you were with, particularly when driving to out of the way places. Describes
05.00 A lot of equipment was situated at high altitudes, particularly HIGH PEAK.
05.30 Never knew what the work day would bring, and where you would be travelling to to fix equipment. Describes Once A RAT ate through copper wire cable at Bluff Hill Station.
08.00 Travelled to DOG ISLAND, STEWART ISLAND, TAKARO Lodge with PAUL DENNISON. People appreciated that staff travelled to sites.
09.00 Different aspect of life having a family.
09.45 Describes going down to the FOVEAUX STRAIT FERRY WAIRUA with GEORGE MONEY to check Radar – good morning teas in the galley. Had already met CAPTAIN WILLIAMS at a family wedding a few weeks previously and was greeted warmly.
12.20 Self was treated as ‘one of the guys’. Six travelled once in a Landrover, self had to sit in the middle of the front seat – difficult during gear lever changes.
14.15 When on phone duty, workshop personnel would phone and when they spoke with self asked to speak to a male.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.12 More information on being treated differently as a women by workshop personnel. Senior staff and other technicians, however, treated self as an equal.
End of Track Four
Interviewer: Gordon Duston
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 12 July 2018
TRACK ONE
00:00 Interview identification
00.50 Born 25 January 1954.
02.00 Born in TUATAPERE, moved to PUKERAU at age 2 and attended PUKERAU SCHOOL and GORE HIGH SCHOOL. Worked in SOCIAL WELFARE in Invercargill on leaving school for three months in 1970, then applied for a job at the POST OFFICE. Opening at AWARUA RADIO so got a position there. Father encouraged a technical bent.
03.50 SECOND FEMALE to work at Awarua Radio – first female was SANDRA MATTHEWS (now IDE) who now lives in FRANKTON. Both there for a number of years.
04.20 FIRST TRAINING was in DUNEDIN for four weeks, then a nine week course in Dunedin.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 Following year, NINE WEEK COURSE in CHRISTCHURCH. STAGE FOUR TRAINING was at LOWER HUTT. Block courses in conjunction with correspondence. Regular assignments.
00.50 Went out with TECHNICIANS when training. Three trainees – GRAHAM NEWTON, MICHAEL NEWLANDS and self. Rotated shifts between trunk line, mobile and station. Allocated tasks in those areas.
01.40 Helped to set up beacons at DOG ISLAND, CENTRE ISLAND and PUYSEGAR LIGHTHOUSES. Harmonic of Puysegar beacon interfered with distress frequency so Wellington engineers had to be called in. Spent a week at Puysegar, including fishing. Describes
04.00 Regular WEATHER REPORTS in from Puysegar. Weather there very windy – PENROD people taking weather reports, and camped on the side of the hill.
5.30 Went on a beach walk at Puysegar with LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY. Children attended CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL. FLOAT PLANE delivered supplies every week, along with the WAIRUA.
6.30 Flew in to Puysegar, went by boat to a tractor which took personnel and equipment up to the lighthouse.
07.00 Once trained, self was a radio technician. When going to a fault, was the technician in charge. People expected males to be in charge. Technicians good to work with. EQUAL PAY. Health and safety policies not prominent – common sense.
9.00 Didn’t work anywhere else but Awarua. Worked there for six years, then left to have first child. Went back for a year, then had second child and didn’t return. Depot had moved to town, technology changing rapidly. When worked, travelled to Awarua each day in a minivan with other workers, which CHARLIE ROE drove. Describes
11.00 Pye (?) equipment often broke down, working constantly. Faults reported and analysed. Lots of companies used land mobile. Now taken over by cellphones. Describes different channels.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Trained in WELLINGTON. Stayed with Sandra’s (fellow worker) Auntie GWEN MATTHEWS, who was blind. Travelled by train to UPPER HUTT every day. Self’s father was also blind. HERETONGA main place for training – before that, training at POLICE COLLEGE. Found study hard at times. Played netball and sewed at weekend, when male trainees were working on their crystal sets.
02.40 Theory learned at training school was very relatable when on the job.
03.20 Always travelled to jobs in twos, for safety. Had to have confidence in the person you were with, particularly when driving to out of the way places. Describes
05.00 A lot of equipment was situated at high altitudes, particularly HIGH PEAK.
05.30 Never knew what the work day would bring, and where you would be travelling to to fix equipment. Describes Once A RAT ate through copper wire cable at Bluff Hill Station.
08.00 Travelled to DOG ISLAND, STEWART ISLAND, TAKARO Lodge with PAUL DENNISON. People appreciated that staff travelled to sites.
09.00 Different aspect of life having a family.
09.45 Describes going down to the FOVEAUX STRAIT FERRY WAIRUA with GEORGE MONEY to check Radar – good morning teas in the galley. Had already met CAPTAIN WILLIAMS at a family wedding a few weeks previously and was greeted warmly.
12.20 Self was treated as ‘one of the guys’. Six travelled once in a Landrover, self had to sit in the middle of the front seat – difficult during gear lever changes.
14.15 When on phone duty, workshop personnel would phone and when they spoke with self asked to speak to a male.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.12 More information on being treated differently as a women by workshop personnel. Senior staff and other technicians, however, treated self as an equal.
End of Track Four
Dates
- 2024
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Duston, Gordon Thomas (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
