Abstract of Mabel Christina WACHNER , 2010
Item — Box: 24
Identifier: H00820002
Abstract
MABEL CHRISTINA WACHNER MBE
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau Abstracter: Unnamed
TRACK 1
00:03 Mrs MABEL CHRISTINA WACHNER born at DILLMANSTOWN, WESTLAND New Zealand 22 December 1892 – Now resident at VICKERY COURT, North Road, INVERCARGILL
00:20 [FATHER]: THOMAS WILLIAM RICE – GOLDMINER
00:23 [MOTHER] MINNIE JEAN HARVEY – a trained TEACHER
00:26 Two brothers – THOMAS WILLIAM – HERBERT JAMES SAMUEL
00:29 Four sisters – ALICE JANE – LAUREL – ELVA MINNIE – RUBY HANNAH
00:40 [EDUCATION]: DILLMANSTOWN – KUMARA – GREYMOUTH District High School
00:46 Employed as MANAGERESS of Ladies Department – HANNAH'S STORE in GREYMOUTH
00:50 [HUSBAND]: ABRAHAM WACHNER – employed at TIMMINS – large store in GREYMOUTH
00:66 GRANDMOTHER HARVEY from MELBOURNE in sailing ship – With three children landed at ROSS on West Coast First night in New Zealand HOUSE BURNED – Lost everything
00:94 Three children – Boys aged eleven years – Little girl (MABEL'S Mother) aged three years – Into convent in ROSS
01:04 Brothers trained as MASTER BAKERS
01:09 Mrs WACHNER'S mother was 15 years old – Father decided no place for young woman with 200 young men looking for wives – He married her. MOTHER aged 15 ¾ years – FATHER aged 45 !
01:84 Goldmining everywhere
01:90 GRANDFATHER from ENGLAND to TASMANIA – POLICE INSPECTOR. Later that year goldmining – KILLED by FALL OF EARTH – 800 men walked behind coffin
02:63 Each night children watched 'WASH UP' to see how much GOLD was there
02:84 6,000 people in square in DILLMANSTOWN – All nations
03:10 [GRANDMOTHER]: Business in AUCKLAND importing English antique furniture
03:74 Own PARENTS married Holy Trinity ANGLICAN CHURCH in KUMARA Frocks made by hand
04:18 Parents had 7 children
04:30 Sister died aged 16
06:60 Family to KUMARA – Rang school for first BRITISH VICTORY during BOER WAR
04:77 QUEEN VICTORIA'S FUNERAL – Dresses in black – Men wore black arm bands Two bands – Death march – Muffled drums draped in black
05:01 Everyone cried – All churches in situated in CHURCH STREET
05:41 Mr SEDDON elected PRIME MINISTER of New Zealand – Goldminer of KUMARA – Gave first speech there
05:85 Mr SEDDON sent MABEL to buy a bottle of beer from Mrs ANDERSON at THEATRE ROYAL HOTEL
07:19 FLU EPIDEMIC – No communication with CHRISTCHURCH
07:94 Went to Trades Peoples' Picnic at MANAPOURI – WESTCOASTERS very sociable
08:90 Husband in FIRST WORLD WAR – Badly wounded by shrapnel blast
09:39 Should be no more wars
09:58 Mr WACHNER to INVERCARGILL – Helped war-time friend prepare for wedding Started business by buying handkerchiefs wholesale from ROSS and GLENDINNING LTD – Went house-to-house in the country
11:38 Kept proposing until MABEL accepted
11:84 Husband a great worker – MABEL helped during Christmas – 100 blouses sold in one day – 21 shillings each – Blouses in one style
12:21 MARRIED in WELLINGTON by Rev TAYLOR
12:30 To new premises in DALGETY'S – Had largest FOOTWEAR RETAILERS in NEW ZEALAND
12:38 Gave poor families shoes – Pain of war wounds made him lose his head sometimes
12:58 When he was made MAYOR threw keys of shop to MABEL said “Now you look after the shop, I have to look after the city” – 15 staff in shop
12:78 Always had excellent live-in house keepers
12:91 Bought 75 year old house – Oldest one in EYE STREET
13:17 Moved to ALICE STREET
13:70 Some of highest honoured people in ENGLAND very poor – Upkeep of stately homes so high
13:85 Watched QUEEN play croquet
14:04 QUEEN and DUKE to INVERCARGILL – Mrs ADAMSON was Mayor
14:20 Husband received O.B.E in GRAND HOTEL (INVERCARGILL) – Would not go to WELLINGTON
14:25 MABEL to GOVERNMENT HOUSE (Wellington) to receive M.B.E.
14:60 Corresponded with LORD MONTGOMERY for 23 years
14:81 Collected 30,000 pieces of clothing in INVERCARGILL – Sent to BRITISH PEOPLE – Chairman of PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE and LADY GALWAY GUILD
15:03 LADY GALWAY – Governor General's wife
15:28 Mrs WACHNER belong to many organisations
15:77 New Zealand representative at BUSINESS and PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE in GERMANY – 30 country attended
16:43 Table cloth hand made by nuns in ITALY – Table – Cabinet – Cutlery – China – On loan to GRAND HOTEL for QUEEN'S VISIT
16:91 Husband gave to poor of INVERCARGILL at night Husband's father born in POLAND
17:53 Showed her treasures and scrapbooks
18:14 Mined some gold in uncle's GOLDMINE – Gave gold to young RALPH HANAN (Member of Parliament)
18:73 Blind friend calling at Mrs WACHNER'S door to be taken to lunch
19:85 Management skills – played Cricket – Rounders – Tennis
20:75 Two sisters married same man – Two brothers married same woman
21:67 Sister ELVA corresponded with SOMERSET MAUGHAM (author) for many year – Had met in LONDON
22:90 Invitation as GUEST of HONOUR at POLICE BALL
End of Track 1
NOTE: Mabel died in 2001
Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau Abstracter: Unnamed
TRACK 1
00:03 Mrs MABEL CHRISTINA WACHNER born at DILLMANSTOWN, WESTLAND New Zealand 22 December 1892 – Now resident at VICKERY COURT, North Road, INVERCARGILL
00:20 [FATHER]: THOMAS WILLIAM RICE – GOLDMINER
00:23 [MOTHER] MINNIE JEAN HARVEY – a trained TEACHER
00:26 Two brothers – THOMAS WILLIAM – HERBERT JAMES SAMUEL
00:29 Four sisters – ALICE JANE – LAUREL – ELVA MINNIE – RUBY HANNAH
00:40 [EDUCATION]: DILLMANSTOWN – KUMARA – GREYMOUTH District High School
00:46 Employed as MANAGERESS of Ladies Department – HANNAH'S STORE in GREYMOUTH
00:50 [HUSBAND]: ABRAHAM WACHNER – employed at TIMMINS – large store in GREYMOUTH
00:66 GRANDMOTHER HARVEY from MELBOURNE in sailing ship – With three children landed at ROSS on West Coast First night in New Zealand HOUSE BURNED – Lost everything
00:94 Three children – Boys aged eleven years – Little girl (MABEL'S Mother) aged three years – Into convent in ROSS
01:04 Brothers trained as MASTER BAKERS
01:09 Mrs WACHNER'S mother was 15 years old – Father decided no place for young woman with 200 young men looking for wives – He married her. MOTHER aged 15 ¾ years – FATHER aged 45 !
01:84 Goldmining everywhere
01:90 GRANDFATHER from ENGLAND to TASMANIA – POLICE INSPECTOR. Later that year goldmining – KILLED by FALL OF EARTH – 800 men walked behind coffin
02:63 Each night children watched 'WASH UP' to see how much GOLD was there
02:84 6,000 people in square in DILLMANSTOWN – All nations
03:10 [GRANDMOTHER]: Business in AUCKLAND importing English antique furniture
03:74 Own PARENTS married Holy Trinity ANGLICAN CHURCH in KUMARA Frocks made by hand
04:18 Parents had 7 children
04:30 Sister died aged 16
06:60 Family to KUMARA – Rang school for first BRITISH VICTORY during BOER WAR
04:77 QUEEN VICTORIA'S FUNERAL – Dresses in black – Men wore black arm bands Two bands – Death march – Muffled drums draped in black
05:01 Everyone cried – All churches in situated in CHURCH STREET
05:41 Mr SEDDON elected PRIME MINISTER of New Zealand – Goldminer of KUMARA – Gave first speech there
05:85 Mr SEDDON sent MABEL to buy a bottle of beer from Mrs ANDERSON at THEATRE ROYAL HOTEL
07:19 FLU EPIDEMIC – No communication with CHRISTCHURCH
07:94 Went to Trades Peoples' Picnic at MANAPOURI – WESTCOASTERS very sociable
08:90 Husband in FIRST WORLD WAR – Badly wounded by shrapnel blast
09:39 Should be no more wars
09:58 Mr WACHNER to INVERCARGILL – Helped war-time friend prepare for wedding Started business by buying handkerchiefs wholesale from ROSS and GLENDINNING LTD – Went house-to-house in the country
11:38 Kept proposing until MABEL accepted
11:84 Husband a great worker – MABEL helped during Christmas – 100 blouses sold in one day – 21 shillings each – Blouses in one style
12:21 MARRIED in WELLINGTON by Rev TAYLOR
12:30 To new premises in DALGETY'S – Had largest FOOTWEAR RETAILERS in NEW ZEALAND
12:38 Gave poor families shoes – Pain of war wounds made him lose his head sometimes
12:58 When he was made MAYOR threw keys of shop to MABEL said “Now you look after the shop, I have to look after the city” – 15 staff in shop
12:78 Always had excellent live-in house keepers
12:91 Bought 75 year old house – Oldest one in EYE STREET
13:17 Moved to ALICE STREET
13:70 Some of highest honoured people in ENGLAND very poor – Upkeep of stately homes so high
13:85 Watched QUEEN play croquet
14:04 QUEEN and DUKE to INVERCARGILL – Mrs ADAMSON was Mayor
14:20 Husband received O.B.E in GRAND HOTEL (INVERCARGILL) – Would not go to WELLINGTON
14:25 MABEL to GOVERNMENT HOUSE (Wellington) to receive M.B.E.
14:60 Corresponded with LORD MONTGOMERY for 23 years
14:81 Collected 30,000 pieces of clothing in INVERCARGILL – Sent to BRITISH PEOPLE – Chairman of PATRIOTIC COMMITTEE and LADY GALWAY GUILD
15:03 LADY GALWAY – Governor General's wife
15:28 Mrs WACHNER belong to many organisations
15:77 New Zealand representative at BUSINESS and PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE in GERMANY – 30 country attended
16:43 Table cloth hand made by nuns in ITALY – Table – Cabinet – Cutlery – China – On loan to GRAND HOTEL for QUEEN'S VISIT
16:91 Husband gave to poor of INVERCARGILL at night Husband's father born in POLAND
17:53 Showed her treasures and scrapbooks
18:14 Mined some gold in uncle's GOLDMINE – Gave gold to young RALPH HANAN (Member of Parliament)
18:73 Blind friend calling at Mrs WACHNER'S door to be taken to lunch
19:85 Management skills – played Cricket – Rounders – Tennis
20:75 Two sisters married same man – Two brothers married same woman
21:67 Sister ELVA corresponded with SOMERSET MAUGHAM (author) for many year – Had met in LONDON
22:90 Invitation as GUEST of HONOUR at POLICE BALL
End of Track 1
NOTE: Mabel died in 2001
Dates
- 2010
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Ruddenklau, Edith (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
