Abstract of Mary Ferguson McMILLAN, 1998
Item — Box: 38
Identifier: H03730002
Abstract
MARY FERGUSON McMILLAN
Recorded: 19 August 1998
Interviewer: Ailsa Dawson
Abstracter: Ailsa Dawson (Retyped by Jean Hawkes)
Track 1
00:00 MARY FERGUSON McMILLAN born 18 October 1908 at Mrs KENT'S NURSING HOME, INVERCARGILL – Twin of ANDREW
01:15 [PARENTS] [FATHER]: DUNCAN McKENZIE – Farmer [MOTHER]: JANE ISABELLA McDONALD 02:05 First home at MOA FLAT – Father managed HOWELL'S ESTATE Mr HOWELL – Lawyer in INVERCARGILL – His death – Described
Own father bought farm in 1909 – MORTON MAINS estate, near WAITUNA – Built home – Planted trees – Lived at KAPUKA while home being built Father kept draught horses for ploughing – Kept sheep until they pined and died Cobalt deficiency caused stock losses
07:35 Lack of cobalt caused pernicious anaemia in humans – Father died aged 60 from this when self aged 16 – No cure at the time – He married late in life and had eight children – ANNIE SUTHERLAND – WINIFRED – BETTY – JANE ISABELLA – ANDREW K (twin) – DONALD J C – INNES D
10:40 [EDUCATION]: WAITUNA PRIMARY SCHOOL – One or two teachers – Walked 1.5 miles Technical COLLEGE for two years – HIGH SCHOOL MAIL – three days a week by train – Delivered by children going home from school People looked after and trusted each other
11:50 DIPTHERIA EPIDEMIC – Precautions taken by mother – Avoided sickness – Described
13:40 [CHILDHOOD GAMES]: Rounders – Marbles – Fun times – Happy at school
14:30 Walked everywhere – School – Church – Dances
15:12 First car seen by self – DODGE from P H VICKERY LTD – FORD CARS most common First AEROPLANE flew over was talked about for months
16:00 Walked 5 miles with twin to catch train to TECHNICAL COLLEGE INVERCARGILL – Later shared a bicycle for this
17:04 Three days a week at TECH – Needed at home for milking and farm Younger siblings went to HIGH SCHOOL – Travelled by bus from WYNDHAM
19:12 Parents used horse and spring cart to go to town.- Father keen to leave town ahead of train which upset horse
20:10 Home built by father was first to have 'Superheater' (hot water cylinder) installed and to have a wash-house – Talk of district – House built of red pine
21:18 Lovely home BUT....Drawbacks included distance of coal range from other parts of kitchen
23:40 Father planted fruit trees – Apples – Pears – Plums
24:05 Outdoor toilet remote from house
24:50 Own parents died when self 20 and sister 18 – Brought up younger siblings – Not hard up (financially) – Lack of parental authority hard
25:10 Self married 8 years later – Brothers took over farm
26:20 [WAR YEARS]: Knitting for soldiers – Remembers father sending draught horses for War Service
27:30 Teenage Years – Dancing – Card evenings – Tennis (on home court) – No Television
28:20 OTERAMIKA HALL for WAITUNA and MOKOTUA – Remembers Batchelor and Spinster Balls – Buses came from INVERCARGILL – Long frocks – Band formed by local on violin and piano
30:00 HALL opening a big affair – Good for local meetings – Still used
Track 2
00:15 Self stayed home to care for family – Remembers catering for threshing mill workers – Fifteen men needing three meals a day for a week
01:00 [SWAGGERS} The men and lifestyle – Described
06:16 FUNERALS involved the district – Held at home before funerals parlours came
08:55 Mother's WASHING DAY – Described
09:45 Dairy Factory at OTERAMIKA – Milk for CHEESE when sheep farming decreased
10:45 STILTON cheese made at SAXELBY'S factory at WOODLANDS Mr SAXELBY – Englishman – made this cheese in 1920s – Factory closed when he died
12:05 Sugar of Milk factory at EDENDALE
12:50 RABBITS tinned at WOODLANDS factory
13:15 LINEN FLAX factory at WOODLANDS – War effort – Flax used for wingers of bombers Self remembers ARMY harvesting flax – Men had to be fed
15:45 Own interests – Tatting – Gardening – Cooking – Tennis – Reading
16:01 Self married neighbour – ALEXANDER McMILLAN – Moved to his farm at WAITUNA Raised four daughters – Marjorie (Mrs BOULT) – LOIS (Mrs McMILLAN) – KATE (Mrs ALEXANDER) – MARY (Mrs FERGUSON) Stayed in district until retirement to INVERCARGILL Husband died in 1972 Travelled overseas – Daughters travelled after completing education
18:40 Self born and cred SOUTHLANDER – Knows place well – Great place to spend life
19:25 Resident of ROSE LODGE – Explained
20:16 Widowed for 20 years – Stayed on farm for 5 years – Moved to HOLLYWOOD TERRACE then to ROSE LODGE
22:45 End of Tape
NOTE: Mary died in 2014
Recorded: 19 August 1998
Interviewer: Ailsa Dawson
Abstracter: Ailsa Dawson (Retyped by Jean Hawkes)
Track 1
00:00 MARY FERGUSON McMILLAN born 18 October 1908 at Mrs KENT'S NURSING HOME, INVERCARGILL – Twin of ANDREW
01:15 [PARENTS] [FATHER]: DUNCAN McKENZIE – Farmer [MOTHER]: JANE ISABELLA McDONALD 02:05 First home at MOA FLAT – Father managed HOWELL'S ESTATE Mr HOWELL – Lawyer in INVERCARGILL – His death – Described
Own father bought farm in 1909 – MORTON MAINS estate, near WAITUNA – Built home – Planted trees – Lived at KAPUKA while home being built Father kept draught horses for ploughing – Kept sheep until they pined and died Cobalt deficiency caused stock losses
07:35 Lack of cobalt caused pernicious anaemia in humans – Father died aged 60 from this when self aged 16 – No cure at the time – He married late in life and had eight children – ANNIE SUTHERLAND – WINIFRED – BETTY – JANE ISABELLA – ANDREW K (twin) – DONALD J C – INNES D
10:40 [EDUCATION]: WAITUNA PRIMARY SCHOOL – One or two teachers – Walked 1.5 miles Technical COLLEGE for two years – HIGH SCHOOL MAIL – three days a week by train – Delivered by children going home from school People looked after and trusted each other
11:50 DIPTHERIA EPIDEMIC – Precautions taken by mother – Avoided sickness – Described
13:40 [CHILDHOOD GAMES]: Rounders – Marbles – Fun times – Happy at school
14:30 Walked everywhere – School – Church – Dances
15:12 First car seen by self – DODGE from P H VICKERY LTD – FORD CARS most common First AEROPLANE flew over was talked about for months
16:00 Walked 5 miles with twin to catch train to TECHNICAL COLLEGE INVERCARGILL – Later shared a bicycle for this
17:04 Three days a week at TECH – Needed at home for milking and farm Younger siblings went to HIGH SCHOOL – Travelled by bus from WYNDHAM
19:12 Parents used horse and spring cart to go to town.- Father keen to leave town ahead of train which upset horse
20:10 Home built by father was first to have 'Superheater' (hot water cylinder) installed and to have a wash-house – Talk of district – House built of red pine
21:18 Lovely home BUT....Drawbacks included distance of coal range from other parts of kitchen
23:40 Father planted fruit trees – Apples – Pears – Plums
24:05 Outdoor toilet remote from house
24:50 Own parents died when self 20 and sister 18 – Brought up younger siblings – Not hard up (financially) – Lack of parental authority hard
25:10 Self married 8 years later – Brothers took over farm
26:20 [WAR YEARS]: Knitting for soldiers – Remembers father sending draught horses for War Service
27:30 Teenage Years – Dancing – Card evenings – Tennis (on home court) – No Television
28:20 OTERAMIKA HALL for WAITUNA and MOKOTUA – Remembers Batchelor and Spinster Balls – Buses came from INVERCARGILL – Long frocks – Band formed by local on violin and piano
30:00 HALL opening a big affair – Good for local meetings – Still used
Track 2
00:15 Self stayed home to care for family – Remembers catering for threshing mill workers – Fifteen men needing three meals a day for a week
01:00 [SWAGGERS} The men and lifestyle – Described
06:16 FUNERALS involved the district – Held at home before funerals parlours came
08:55 Mother's WASHING DAY – Described
09:45 Dairy Factory at OTERAMIKA – Milk for CHEESE when sheep farming decreased
10:45 STILTON cheese made at SAXELBY'S factory at WOODLANDS Mr SAXELBY – Englishman – made this cheese in 1920s – Factory closed when he died
12:05 Sugar of Milk factory at EDENDALE
12:50 RABBITS tinned at WOODLANDS factory
13:15 LINEN FLAX factory at WOODLANDS – War effort – Flax used for wingers of bombers Self remembers ARMY harvesting flax – Men had to be fed
15:45 Own interests – Tatting – Gardening – Cooking – Tennis – Reading
16:01 Self married neighbour – ALEXANDER McMILLAN – Moved to his farm at WAITUNA Raised four daughters – Marjorie (Mrs BOULT) – LOIS (Mrs McMILLAN) – KATE (Mrs ALEXANDER) – MARY (Mrs FERGUSON) Stayed in district until retirement to INVERCARGILL Husband died in 1972 Travelled overseas – Daughters travelled after completing education
18:40 Self born and cred SOUTHLANDER – Knows place well – Great place to spend life
19:25 Resident of ROSE LODGE – Explained
20:16 Widowed for 20 years – Stayed on farm for 5 years – Moved to HOLLYWOOD TERRACE then to ROSE LODGE
22:45 End of Tape
NOTE: Mary died in 2014
Dates
- 1998
Conditions Governing Access
Access to oral history recordings is via the Archives Research Room only. We are unable to provide access to this material remotely. Where access agreements allow, abstracts, audio extracts and photographs will be accessible online.
Conditions Governing Use
This material is copyright of the Invercargill City Libraries and Archives. In accordance with agreements held with interviewees, it is strictly prohibited to reproduce (copy) oral history recordings, abstracts, audio extracts or photographs without prior written consent. Applications for the reproduction of these recordings and associated materials, in whole or part, must be made in writing to the Southland Oral History Project Coordinator, c/o Invercargill City Libraries and Archives.
Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Dawson, Ailsa Ruth (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
