Abstract of Mary Margaret SMITH, 2020
Item — Box: 26
Identifier: H01140002
Abstract
MARY MARGARET SMITH
Interviewer: Virginia Henderson
Abstracter: Robyn Powley
Interview: 25 November 2011
00:02 Interview introduction
00:54 MARY MARGARET SMITH born 25 May 1924 - father JAMES SMITH - may have been the first person to be born in WENDON VALLEY – mother ANNA REBECCA HARVEY – married 22 December (year unknown) – Details
03:18 Brother STUART JAMES SMITH – Older sister ETHEL ANNA SMITH – Other sister RUTH FLORENCE SMITH – ETHEL married WILLIAM KELLY from GREENVALE – RUTH married ARTHUR CAMPBELL from WAIMATE, met in DUNEDIN – STUART married BETTY BURNS from CONICAL HILL – Details
04:48 Grew up at WENDON VALLEY – only RUTH attended GORE HIGH SCHOOL – TWO-YEAR gap between siblings – HENDERSONS, HORRELLS, LAMBS neighbours – Details
06:36 BUSHY HILL – KERSE neighbours – WAIKAKA STREAM – SWING BRIDGE – KING SOLOMON MINE, WAIKAIA – MCGREGOR ROAD – SMITH ROAD – WENDON VALLEY – KEY ROAD – left 1955 – moved to GORE – DEVON STREET – Details
09:50 WENDON VALLEY roads – traffic, horse and cart, walked to school initially, then biked – HORRELLS – AIKEN (Sp) family – Describes
12:57 Family home – dairy – cow milked – earthquake – Explains
16:05 Water supplies from the Spring on the farm – Discussed
17:10 Helped with the housework – worked with the sheep – partially sheared sheep – helped with the harvesting – stooks – MOUNT WENDON - chaff cutter – Describes
20:52 Recalls - Horses on the farm – ERIC MASLEM (SP)
21:51 WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL – located at Junction – JIM and STELLA LAMB – Church held at the school until the WENDON VALLEY CHURCH was built – 1929 – CAMP COLUMBA at PUKERAU – Describes
23:43 Discusses a school photo in 1931 – MARY identifies herself and ISLA HORRELL in the photo – describes the scene – first day at school – snowed that day – father picked them up with the Pony and Trap/Gig
27:16 Discusses what she learnt at school – teacher WATTIE WATSON (married ANGUS LAMB) one big classroom divided into sections – homework – Details
31:16 Recalls - Wore a gym frock to school – gumboots, then slippers in the classroom – lunchbox with sandwiches – liked Bacon and Egg sandwiches – school friend ISLA HORRELL – MOLLY McINTYRE lived up the valley – played MARBLES, HOPSCOTCH, SOCCER favourite game
35:04 School routine – lesson – lunch time – ORETI BEACH picnic – END OF YEAR PICNIC – CHURCH met at the school – Explains
38:20 Father – JAMES - Grandfather – DAVID JOLLY SMITH – died 1926 – Grandmother – MARY MARGARET SMITH nee MILNE – both came from SCOTLAND – DAVID went to CANADA – built bridges – came to NEW ZEALAND - MARY worked at McNAB’S - KNAPDALE STATION – DAVID and MARY returned to SCOTLAND – married in MONTREAL 1879 – returned to NEW ZEALAND – lived at PINE HILL, DUNEDIN – Details
42:06 Settled WENDON VALLEY – OTAMA RUN – Block - 320 acres 999-year lease – PETERS FAMILY - CHATTON CNR - THEODORA (big Dora) – JAMES HARVEY’S sister – Details
44:43 MARY’S grandparents died ‘early’ – children split up – went to various families – Details
46:46 UNCLE JIM (Mother’s brother) went to AUSTRALIA then went to WW1 – Mentions
47:05 House moved from CHATTON to WENDON VALLEY – pulled by horses – Explains
49:05 Left school – worked with father – moved to GORE – 1950’s – worked as a housemaid – DALKEITH MATERNITY HOSPITAL – MCARTHURS KNITWEAR – overseas for 9 months – back home – SOLICITORS – Details
50:04 Recalls – Visited Sister RUTH and Brother-in-law ARTHUR CAMPBELL in BIRMINGHAM – went by SHIP – AUCKLAND to SYDNEY on the WANGANELLA – SUEZ CANAL – CAIRO – 1961 –GIBRALTAR – ENGLAND – IRELAND – SCOTLAND
54:16 Recalls – family history – FRED MILNE relation of MARY MILNE (Father’s mother) – SCANDINAVIA – NEWCASTLE to NORWAY – letters sent home by AIRMAIL – felt at home in SCOTLAND – EDINBURGH
58:14 Recalls – homecoming to GORE – PANAMA CANAL – flew AUCKLAND to INVERCARGILL – KELLY’S met her – near GORE SHOW DAY
1:00:47 Recalls - BANNERMAN, BRIGHTON & FALSTER – Gore Solicitors – worked there 1962-82 -mother died 1982
1:01:30 Recalls – WENDON VALLEY is home – describes her mother – QUEEN MOTHER – shock to the leave the farm – FISHING-1 OCTOBER – ponds near YOUNG’S – EELING – UNCLE BILL GRAHAM – KERSES
1:07:03 Recalls – electricity 1945 – kerosene lamps and candles – coal range – Mother had a ‘helper’
1:08:46 Finishes the interview and thanks MARY
Interviewer: Virginia Henderson
Abstracter: Robyn Powley
Interview: 25 November 2011
00:02 Interview introduction
00:54 MARY MARGARET SMITH born 25 May 1924 - father JAMES SMITH - may have been the first person to be born in WENDON VALLEY – mother ANNA REBECCA HARVEY – married 22 December (year unknown) – Details
03:18 Brother STUART JAMES SMITH – Older sister ETHEL ANNA SMITH – Other sister RUTH FLORENCE SMITH – ETHEL married WILLIAM KELLY from GREENVALE – RUTH married ARTHUR CAMPBELL from WAIMATE, met in DUNEDIN – STUART married BETTY BURNS from CONICAL HILL – Details
04:48 Grew up at WENDON VALLEY – only RUTH attended GORE HIGH SCHOOL – TWO-YEAR gap between siblings – HENDERSONS, HORRELLS, LAMBS neighbours – Details
06:36 BUSHY HILL – KERSE neighbours – WAIKAKA STREAM – SWING BRIDGE – KING SOLOMON MINE, WAIKAIA – MCGREGOR ROAD – SMITH ROAD – WENDON VALLEY – KEY ROAD – left 1955 – moved to GORE – DEVON STREET – Details
09:50 WENDON VALLEY roads – traffic, horse and cart, walked to school initially, then biked – HORRELLS – AIKEN (Sp) family – Describes
12:57 Family home – dairy – cow milked – earthquake – Explains
16:05 Water supplies from the Spring on the farm – Discussed
17:10 Helped with the housework – worked with the sheep – partially sheared sheep – helped with the harvesting – stooks – MOUNT WENDON - chaff cutter – Describes
20:52 Recalls - Horses on the farm – ERIC MASLEM (SP)
21:51 WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL – located at Junction – JIM and STELLA LAMB – Church held at the school until the WENDON VALLEY CHURCH was built – 1929 – CAMP COLUMBA at PUKERAU – Describes
23:43 Discusses a school photo in 1931 – MARY identifies herself and ISLA HORRELL in the photo – describes the scene – first day at school – snowed that day – father picked them up with the Pony and Trap/Gig
27:16 Discusses what she learnt at school – teacher WATTIE WATSON (married ANGUS LAMB) one big classroom divided into sections – homework – Details
31:16 Recalls - Wore a gym frock to school – gumboots, then slippers in the classroom – lunchbox with sandwiches – liked Bacon and Egg sandwiches – school friend ISLA HORRELL – MOLLY McINTYRE lived up the valley – played MARBLES, HOPSCOTCH, SOCCER favourite game
35:04 School routine – lesson – lunch time – ORETI BEACH picnic – END OF YEAR PICNIC – CHURCH met at the school – Explains
38:20 Father – JAMES - Grandfather – DAVID JOLLY SMITH – died 1926 – Grandmother – MARY MARGARET SMITH nee MILNE – both came from SCOTLAND – DAVID went to CANADA – built bridges – came to NEW ZEALAND - MARY worked at McNAB’S - KNAPDALE STATION – DAVID and MARY returned to SCOTLAND – married in MONTREAL 1879 – returned to NEW ZEALAND – lived at PINE HILL, DUNEDIN – Details
42:06 Settled WENDON VALLEY – OTAMA RUN – Block - 320 acres 999-year lease – PETERS FAMILY - CHATTON CNR - THEODORA (big Dora) – JAMES HARVEY’S sister – Details
44:43 MARY’S grandparents died ‘early’ – children split up – went to various families – Details
46:46 UNCLE JIM (Mother’s brother) went to AUSTRALIA then went to WW1 – Mentions
47:05 House moved from CHATTON to WENDON VALLEY – pulled by horses – Explains
49:05 Left school – worked with father – moved to GORE – 1950’s – worked as a housemaid – DALKEITH MATERNITY HOSPITAL – MCARTHURS KNITWEAR – overseas for 9 months – back home – SOLICITORS – Details
50:04 Recalls – Visited Sister RUTH and Brother-in-law ARTHUR CAMPBELL in BIRMINGHAM – went by SHIP – AUCKLAND to SYDNEY on the WANGANELLA – SUEZ CANAL – CAIRO – 1961 –GIBRALTAR – ENGLAND – IRELAND – SCOTLAND
54:16 Recalls – family history – FRED MILNE relation of MARY MILNE (Father’s mother) – SCANDINAVIA – NEWCASTLE to NORWAY – letters sent home by AIRMAIL – felt at home in SCOTLAND – EDINBURGH
58:14 Recalls – homecoming to GORE – PANAMA CANAL – flew AUCKLAND to INVERCARGILL – KELLY’S met her – near GORE SHOW DAY
1:00:47 Recalls - BANNERMAN, BRIGHTON & FALSTER – Gore Solicitors – worked there 1962-82 -mother died 1982
1:01:30 Recalls – WENDON VALLEY is home – describes her mother – QUEEN MOTHER – shock to the leave the farm – FISHING-1 OCTOBER – ponds near YOUNG’S – EELING – UNCLE BILL GRAHAM – KERSES
1:07:03 Recalls – electricity 1945 – kerosene lamps and candles – coal range – Mother had a ‘helper’
1:08:46 Finishes the interview and thanks MARY
Dates
- 2020
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.
Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Henderson, Virginia (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository