Abstract of Eric Richard WILD, 2023 - 2024
Item — Box: 12
Identifier: H02840002
Abstract
First interview
ERIC RICHARD WILD
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview Date: Unknown (2004)
TRACK ONE
00:00 PADDOCK was 60 acres on the side of the bush, PLOUGHED BY HORSES. Sown out in BLACK OATS, which were wanted by RACING FRATERNITY, and GARDEN OATS. Paddocks of COCKSFOOT and RYE GRASS. HAY also made. Describes
03.20 No protection from the sun, and became very brown when working.
04.10 MICE found when thrashing and cutting oat stacks.
04.20 CATTLE fed over winter, who would chew the stacks until they almost disappeared.
04.40 A month or two spent harvesting. Grass seed, hay, then black oats, garden oats. Had a beer before tea. SWEDES also sown for stock feed.
05.20 Farmer from Canterbury loved cropping, and had own gear.
05.50 FORTROSE renowned for having the highest yield of oat crops. Doesn’t remember harvesting wheat. 12 – 14 people worked when harvesting.
06.30 Lots of comraderie. GINTY was a Labour voter, and spoke about PADDY WEBB, a Member of Parliament. Describes. Ginty’s sister was called BELLA, neither married. Ginty travelled around the countryside on a bicycle. When he died, he left money to the CEMETERY to build a TOILET BLOCK.
08.10 ? JUNO worked as a teamster for some time. PADDY VALLI was another teamster, and MR RUDDENKLAU was impressed with him. Once chains were lost, and Paddy made up some No 8 wire instead.
09.30 T20 TRACTOR arrived to do the farm work, as soon as tractors came into work. Would get a ride home from school sometimes on the tractor. Describes
10.50 RUDDENKLAUS owned a WESTINGHOUSE REFRIGERATOR which was large enough to hang meat up in. Still in use (2004). Also owned a WASHING MACHINE which stood square on legs describes. CHURN was hooked up to power.
12.15 RUDDENKLAUS very KEEN SAILORS, and raced yachts at FORTROSE. ARTHUR and FRANK in WANAKA were also keen sailors describes.
13.30 HOME BREW made in a brandy barrel – high quality.
14.00 JOHN’S job was to fix machinery. He made a fruit spinning machine. Also fixed HYDRAULIC BEDS in DUNEDIN HOSPITAL by changing the oil used in them. Describes
15.30 WOOL SHED built, and John built the PRESS.
15.40 Mentions GEORGE, a tractor man, and TOM, a stockman. THEO was also a tractor man.
16.00 MR RUDDENKLAU a good person to work for – everyone knew what they needed to do. Involved in PUBLIC AFFAIRS, and a KEEN RIFLE SHOOTER. Mrs Ruddenklau also shot.
17.00 Ruddenklau owned a Studebaker car. George drove a 1939 Fiat. George, Bill Turner and self travelled from Fortrose to Auckland and back for five weeks. One puncture only problem. John owned an A90 Austin, three boys owned a Vauxhall.
18.30 GEORGE owned a POWER BOAT called the Grey Nurse. Describes.
19.45 KATHY attended ST JOHNS GIRLS SCHOOL in Invercargill. Married JOHN ? and shifted away.
20.00 Some distance to Fortrose School – children rode horses. Describes
20.30 FRED RUDDENKLAU was the last to attend school, and used to smoke behind the fence.
End of Track One
Second Interview
Eric Richard WILD
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 13 September 2006
Please Note: Quality of recording poor, and some parts of the interview are indistinct
TRACK ONE
00:00 Interview identification
00.25 HOME GUARD formed after the outbreak of war, for home defence. Self joined unit based in TOKONUI and met in the local hall. Very FEW GUNS – self had a rifle loaned by a WWI veteran. No AMMUNITION.
01.20 Taught tactics and went on MANOEUVRES. Camped at the WYNDHAM RACECOURSE. Some skipped camp and went to a hotel, arrived back at 3.00 pm – ran across roofs in hobnailed boots. Self and WILL TURNER were SIGNALERS, visited local farmer CHARLIE HUDSON who was a WWI veteran for training including MORSE CODE and SEMAPHORE. Wife put on afternoon tea.
02.30 HOME GUARD BALL held each year in FORTROSE. Officer in Command was a farmer from Quarrie Hills, ARTHUR TOSKER (?) who was CAPTAIN of the platoon.
02.50 Received a consignment of 300 CARBINES from the United States, and then had rifle shooting practice.
03.20 Describes SEMAPHORE SIGNALING. MORSE CODE mostly used.
04.15 Self’s platoon allocated a SUBMACHINE GUN, and self had responsibility for it. Describes
04.50 Self was aged 16 when involved in Home Guard. VARYING AGES in the platoon, including retired farmers.
05.20 Platoon spent time at HALDANE BEACH, digging trenches and setting up fortifications.
05.40 Self JOINED THE ARMY at age 20, which ended involvement in Home Guard.
05.50 RIFLE RANGE set up at FORTROSE (?) used for target practice. Discussion re coastline.
07.00 Other Home Guard units included TAPANUI – self’s wife worked there when young. (Indistinct) Flour bombs used, and a cabbage thrown through a window. Constable BILL BANDY (?) saw that this didn’t happen at Fortrose.
8.00 Local farmer put troops through their paces. Indistinct. Had UNIFORMS
08.50 Home Guards all over New Zealand. Went on manoeuvres. Captain, Lieutenant, NCOs, as in the Army.
End of first interview
ERIC RICHARD WILD
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview Date: Unknown (2004)
TRACK ONE
00:00 PADDOCK was 60 acres on the side of the bush, PLOUGHED BY HORSES. Sown out in BLACK OATS, which were wanted by RACING FRATERNITY, and GARDEN OATS. Paddocks of COCKSFOOT and RYE GRASS. HAY also made. Describes
03.20 No protection from the sun, and became very brown when working.
04.10 MICE found when thrashing and cutting oat stacks.
04.20 CATTLE fed over winter, who would chew the stacks until they almost disappeared.
04.40 A month or two spent harvesting. Grass seed, hay, then black oats, garden oats. Had a beer before tea. SWEDES also sown for stock feed.
05.20 Farmer from Canterbury loved cropping, and had own gear.
05.50 FORTROSE renowned for having the highest yield of oat crops. Doesn’t remember harvesting wheat. 12 – 14 people worked when harvesting.
06.30 Lots of comraderie. GINTY was a Labour voter, and spoke about PADDY WEBB, a Member of Parliament. Describes. Ginty’s sister was called BELLA, neither married. Ginty travelled around the countryside on a bicycle. When he died, he left money to the CEMETERY to build a TOILET BLOCK.
08.10 ? JUNO worked as a teamster for some time. PADDY VALLI was another teamster, and MR RUDDENKLAU was impressed with him. Once chains were lost, and Paddy made up some No 8 wire instead.
09.30 T20 TRACTOR arrived to do the farm work, as soon as tractors came into work. Would get a ride home from school sometimes on the tractor. Describes
10.50 RUDDENKLAUS owned a WESTINGHOUSE REFRIGERATOR which was large enough to hang meat up in. Still in use (2004). Also owned a WASHING MACHINE which stood square on legs describes. CHURN was hooked up to power.
12.15 RUDDENKLAUS very KEEN SAILORS, and raced yachts at FORTROSE. ARTHUR and FRANK in WANAKA were also keen sailors describes.
13.30 HOME BREW made in a brandy barrel – high quality.
14.00 JOHN’S job was to fix machinery. He made a fruit spinning machine. Also fixed HYDRAULIC BEDS in DUNEDIN HOSPITAL by changing the oil used in them. Describes
15.30 WOOL SHED built, and John built the PRESS.
15.40 Mentions GEORGE, a tractor man, and TOM, a stockman. THEO was also a tractor man.
16.00 MR RUDDENKLAU a good person to work for – everyone knew what they needed to do. Involved in PUBLIC AFFAIRS, and a KEEN RIFLE SHOOTER. Mrs Ruddenklau also shot.
17.00 Ruddenklau owned a Studebaker car. George drove a 1939 Fiat. George, Bill Turner and self travelled from Fortrose to Auckland and back for five weeks. One puncture only problem. John owned an A90 Austin, three boys owned a Vauxhall.
18.30 GEORGE owned a POWER BOAT called the Grey Nurse. Describes.
19.45 KATHY attended ST JOHNS GIRLS SCHOOL in Invercargill. Married JOHN ? and shifted away.
20.00 Some distance to Fortrose School – children rode horses. Describes
20.30 FRED RUDDENKLAU was the last to attend school, and used to smoke behind the fence.
End of Track One
Second Interview
Eric Richard WILD
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 13 September 2006
Please Note: Quality of recording poor, and some parts of the interview are indistinct
TRACK ONE
00:00 Interview identification
00.25 HOME GUARD formed after the outbreak of war, for home defence. Self joined unit based in TOKONUI and met in the local hall. Very FEW GUNS – self had a rifle loaned by a WWI veteran. No AMMUNITION.
01.20 Taught tactics and went on MANOEUVRES. Camped at the WYNDHAM RACECOURSE. Some skipped camp and went to a hotel, arrived back at 3.00 pm – ran across roofs in hobnailed boots. Self and WILL TURNER were SIGNALERS, visited local farmer CHARLIE HUDSON who was a WWI veteran for training including MORSE CODE and SEMAPHORE. Wife put on afternoon tea.
02.30 HOME GUARD BALL held each year in FORTROSE. Officer in Command was a farmer from Quarrie Hills, ARTHUR TOSKER (?) who was CAPTAIN of the platoon.
02.50 Received a consignment of 300 CARBINES from the United States, and then had rifle shooting practice.
03.20 Describes SEMAPHORE SIGNALING. MORSE CODE mostly used.
04.15 Self’s platoon allocated a SUBMACHINE GUN, and self had responsibility for it. Describes
04.50 Self was aged 16 when involved in Home Guard. VARYING AGES in the platoon, including retired farmers.
05.20 Platoon spent time at HALDANE BEACH, digging trenches and setting up fortifications.
05.40 Self JOINED THE ARMY at age 20, which ended involvement in Home Guard.
05.50 RIFLE RANGE set up at FORTROSE (?) used for target practice. Discussion re coastline.
07.00 Other Home Guard units included TAPANUI – self’s wife worked there when young. (Indistinct) Flour bombs used, and a cabbage thrown through a window. Constable BILL BANDY (?) saw that this didn’t happen at Fortrose.
8.00 Local farmer put troops through their paces. Indistinct. Had UNIFORMS
08.50 Home Guards all over New Zealand. Went on manoeuvres. Captain, Lieutenant, NCOs, as in the Army.
End of first interview
Dates
- 2023 - 2024
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The contents of Southland Oral History Project collections are subject to the conditions of the Copyright Act 1994. Please note that in accordance with agreements held with interviewees additional conditions regarding the reproduction [copying] and use of items in the Southland Oral History Project collections may apply. Please contact the Southland Oral History Project Coordinator for further information at sohp@ilibrary.co.nz.
Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
From the Record Group: English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Ruddenklau, Edith (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
