JAMES ALEXANDER (JIM) LAMB

Interviewer: Virginia Henderson

Abstracter: W. Brent Coats

First Interview:

DISK 1 – TRACK 1

00:00 Interview introduction

00:55 JAMES ALEXANDER LAMB born in 1916 – Details

01:09 Parents JAMES WILLIAM LAMB and AGNES LAMB (nee HENDERSON) – Details

01:17 FATHER born in SPYLAW - Drove horses for great-uncles MICK SPRATT and DOLPH EDGE – Cartage and digging holes for dredges and oats - DREDGED for 12 years – Later had license for steam engine for gold dredging - Explains Bought mother’s father’s LARG FARM in WENDON VALLEY – Describes

04:03 AGNES LAMB known as “Grand Lamb” – Her father was THOMAS HENDERSON – Mentions

04:24 “LARG FARM” – Thomas came from Larg in Scotland – Possibly has something to do with MCNAB STATION – Explains

05:47 LARG FARM garden full of fruit – Apples and pears, cherry, plums, currents - Grandmother looked after it – Describes

06:37 HOUSE was DESTROYED after mother’s death – New house built – Location chosen for water spring – Describes

07:52 GRANDFATHER DAVID LAMB – May have been only child – In London, was asked if he wanted a job in New Zealand – Looked after sheep and horses on ship - Missed trade winds – Nearly out of water on journey – May have arrived at TIMARU – Worked his way to ROXBOROUGH during Gold Rush – Accountant for locals - Explains

09:57 DAVID built a PUB between ROXBOUROUGH and DUNEDIN – Self was told by locals the pub may have “went down the river” when bridge was built – DAVID moved to WAIKAKA working for J.E. WATSONS – Had butchery with HENDERSONS – Explains

12:06 Self has two brothers and three sisters – DAVID, CLIFF, MAGGIE, MARY, AGNES – Details Family milked 40 cows by hand – Father began WAIKAKA DAIRY FACTORY – Self was 12 when father died in 1929 from cancer – Felt “my days were over” – Outlook on life changed – Parents beginning to financially progress when father became ill - Recalls

14:20 MOTHER MANAGED FARM after father’s death with aunty JEAN – Two maternal uncles became farmers but one went broke and other milked cows – Mother knew more about sheep than brothers – Father had begun ROMNEY sheep stud alongside dairy farm – Self sold stud because of lack of money – Describes

15:53 COWS made “good money” for most of year – Plenty of rabbits to skin for extra money - Mother managed farm with brother DAVID – Self and wife STELLA moved into farm c.1955 – Run originally as an estate – Mother finished it and payed family out - Describes

18:09 Self’s home on site of WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL – Broke leg at school running around school posts – No hospital so father put leg in splint and drove to Grandmother’s – In bed for month – School teacher Miss CHARLESON carried Self home – Describes

20:48 Self liked TEACHER Miss CHARLESON – Most teachers “didn’t like me” – enjoyed school until teacher Mr. GALLAGHER arrived – Never like school again – Walked to school across paddock – Left at 14 – Explains

21:55 Pupils used “dirty slate”, cloth, bottle of water - Used pencil to write with – Did arithmetic in morning – Six words to learn per day – On Friday had tests and got strap regularly for too many mistakes – Played rounders - Explained other game

24:42 As a child Self enjoyed having a HORSE and greyhound chasing hares – Horse called “OLD TOBY” – Learned to ride cart horses like “OLD JACK” - During winter there were two to three months without milking – Rode horses while rabbiting Family had gig and two horses to get around – “JACK” and “MISERY” – No patience to fish in local river until children JIMMY and JEFFREY began – Describes

27:14 Self was MILKING COWS by age of six or seven during weekend – No after school chores during weekdays – Describes

27:54 After leaving LAGE FARM, Self and STELLA moved to WAIKAKA for one year - Returned to WENDON VALLEY because Self told had short time to live with cancer – Returned because he wanted farm – Explained

29:03 CHURCH was across road from school – Originally held church meetings in school – Church built while Self was young – Describes

30:04 There was no RUGBY until nearly finished school – Played with football but did not know how to play rugby Last year of school played rugby against NORTH CHATTON – GREENVALE and WILLOWBANK – “We didn’t know one end of the football to the other” – Describes

31:04 WAIKAKA and WENDON VALLEY people didn’t mix until BOYS’BRIGADE began – Parson taught boys and Mrs. TURNBULL taught girls – Mr. MCQUEEN taught marching – Describes

32:09 Rode pony to pictures at WAIKAKA hall – Didn’t like biking – Got to know WAIKAKA people – After picture show saw two WAIKAKA people – Thought “this doesn’t look good” – Was asked to play rugby and became friends with them Self joined WAIKAKA rugby team with SANDY MILLER from WENDON and DOLPH AITKEN – Didn’t know much about rugby – Played any position – Got concussed “every day” he played – Against people playing like that –Explaines

34:20 Horse had blinkers on – Self approached it with cover – Horse kicking at cover and kicked in knee – Ended up with an artificial knee – Explaines

35:49 After WAR WENDON VALLEY changed – New younger people arrived – Older people had to hold onto farms until war ended – Describes

36:40 WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL closed 1950 – Self attended annual meeting – Older members wanted school to remain – Not enough pupils at school – Trouble getting teachers - New locals wanted to close school to merge with WAIKAKA VALLEY SCHOOL Two people passing around [petition?] to sign for closure - Self left out because he was an “old timer” – Self annoyed with being left out but agreed with merger

39:02 Usually 28 or 29 when school closed Older members “dumped off” committee WENDON SCHOOL too far away – Teacher Miss SCOTT had “no way of going anywhere” - Explains

40:17 Own CHILDREN JIM, JEFF - Twins AVA and IAN born in WENDON VALLEY attending WAIKAKA SCHOOL – Details

41:11 Self and STELLA married in 1941 – Living at LAGE FARM with mother and brother CLIFF – STELLA and mother got on well

42:01 JIMMY and JEFFREY born in GORE – Twins born at Gore private hospital – Were premature - Matron fed children until STELLA recuperated - Babies sent to INVERCAGILL KARITANE without STELLA – Explained

43:19 No electricity in house because father died before new house was built – Self’s mother “put her foot down” when twins returned from KARITANE Older children brought up without electricity – Earlier years there was petrol lighting and candles – Kitchen and sitting room had light with torch underneath During father’s illness he read in bed with candle on chest – “he never burnt down so we didn’t either” – Explains

45:33 Enjoys looking at scenery of WENDON VALLEY – Feels “quite at home” – Mentioned

46:40 Never missed WENDON VALLEY CHRISTMAS PICNIC – On Wednesday between CHRISTMAS and NEW YEAR – Every school pupil received prize Sack races for age group children, married and single men and women’s heats – Double harness and three legged races – Probably rounders – “always had plenty to eat” – Describes

48:10 Did not attend WAIKAKA sports days in earlier years – Disagreements when WAIKAKA and WENDON sports combined – Explains

49:05 – 49:13 [Interviewer asks what the most important thing to James is. Self indicated non-vocally his wife STELLA] Proud having Stella – “no trouble at all when you’re having fun” Never went to bed with argument No regrets – Future is ‘”day by day” – Appreciates seeing children and grandchildren – Describes Self would be remembered by “my word was me bond”.

51:45 End of track 1