Nola Patricia McFarlane (nee Bishop)

Interviewer: Cathy Macfie

Abstractor: Cathy Macfie

Interview: 30 November 2020

TRACK 1

00.05 Interview identification

00.43 NOLA PATRICIA McFARLANE born in 1929

00.57 Interview agreement

01.29 End of Track 1

TRACK 2

00.03 Sister DORIS OLA [10.10.1930] born just over a year after Nola. Serious event after birth. [Daughter MARGARET McFARLANE clarifies.]

01.02 End of Track 2

TRACK 3

00.01 After birth of OLA, mother [DORIS RITA] got peritonitis. Father[THOMAS BISHOP] cycled to TINWALD with newborn tucked in his jacket. Unsure of family support available. [Discusses with Margaret.]

01.21 CHILDHOOD MEMORIES Riding BICYCLE. Describes. BANTAMS. Mentions.

01.55 Recalls visiting DORIS OLA in HOSPITAL when 7 – 8 years. HIP APLASIA required long hospital stay in plaster.

03.00 GAMES Remembers MARBLES “I could win them!” Few memories of PRIMARY SCHOOL because of frequent moves.

03.20 Nola, mother and sister born ASHBURTON. Father’s DEPRESSION EMPLOYMENT required regular shifts. Lists places. Lived in CARAVAN pulled by tractor. Father built roads and bridges. Remembers ORARI.

06.20 Father trained PACERS later on (in CHRISTCHURCH). Also bred CLYDESDALES. Nola recalls jumping on and riding bareback and frequent falls. Explains.

07.30 ALLENTON SCHOOL (first PRIMARY SCHOOL) Nola won SPORTS DAY long jump. “Just did it!” Competitive at SPORTS. SECONDARY SCHOOL played TENNIS; CANTERBURY REP for BASKETBALL. Describes. Ambition to be a VET. Family couldn’t afford training. Explains.

09.35 [Margaret introduces] Before marriage Nola played BAGPIPES. In Invercargill she and JUNE CARTER were only women players. Explains. Nola also competed as MARCHING GIRL. Mentions.

11.01 LEISURE River swimming. Mentions. Memorable train journey with cousins on annual SCHOOL PICNIC (ALLENTON PRIMARY) to CAROLINE BAY, TIMARU. Incident of broken nose. Explains.

13.20 FAMILY LIFE survival-focussed. No HOLIDAYS. Explains. Excitement of first car “roundy” MORRIS.

14.07 End of Track 3.

TRACK 4

00.0 PATERNAL GRANDFATHER lived TINWALD; THRESHING MILL CONTRACTOR. Also used CLYDESDALES. Explains. Nola took morning and afternoon tea. Describes.

00.52 [Margaret introduces] FIRE commonly sparked by passing TRAINS, associated with dry grass and NORTH WEST WIND.

01.50 Interest in GARDENING and ANIMALS stems from GRANDFATHER. Method of fertilising garden from LONG DROP produced prize-winning vegetables. Describes. SELF-SUFFICIENCY a necessity. Explains.

03.46 End of Track 4

TRACK 5

00.0 [Discussion between Nola and Margaret.] Unable to pursue VETERINARY CAREER. Explains. Trained in SHORTHAND TYPING at TECHNICAL COLLEGE. Started PRIMARY SCHOOL late at 6 yrs as DEPRESSION cut class numbers. Explains. Left TECHNICAL COLLEGE [SOUTH CANTERBURY?] at 15 or 16 yrs.

01.35 Came top in annual SHORTHAND exam but TYPING not so good “fingers didn’t work properly”. Worked WRIGHTS STEVENSON; SOUTH CANTERBURY CATCHMENT BOARD; STATE ADVANCES LIST. Enjoyed CATCHMENT BOARD. Recalls looking after baby possum brought to meeting by Chairman DR WOODHOUSE. Had pet possums (and/or wallaby) at ERSKINE ROAD, [OTATARA]. Explains.

05.09 Met future husband JIM McFARLANE at CATCHMENT BOARD. Describes early relationship. Before MOUNTAIN CLIMBING, Nola used to SKI at FOX’S PEAK. Travelled with 4 people in cab of Ute. Describes.

07.50 MOUNTAINEERING honeymoon. Humorous insight to camping experience. Dropped ice axe incident. Describes. Spent 3 nights in snow cave on BONNER [GLACIER]. Climbed [MT] ASPIRING Then climbed MT EARNSLAW “up east side, along, down west and back up again… Nutcase!” Explains. Arrested Jim’s fall on MT EARNSLAW. Explains. Humorous account.

10.48 End of Track 5

TRACK 6

00.0 MARRIED 11 November 1950. [Nola brought out her wedding dress and veil, beautifully preserved.] WEDDING VEIL first worn by Jim’s mother, MARGARET MONCUR (SPP?) who died at 28 years when Jim was a baby. Wedding preparations described.

02.56 Start of married life in INVERCAARGILL. Old house in LORNE STREET next to Four Square. Built house at JOSEPH STREET. Explains. “Had to do something to fill in the time!”

04.30 Jim worked full-time CIVIL ENGINEER at INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL. Self-taught builder. After work Nola took pram and Jim’s tea to house site. Describes routine. First car was BEDFORD VAN when second baby born (1953).

06.20 RESOURCEFULNESS. Lived in Jospeph Street house before completion. “Wouldn’t be able to do it now”. (Margaret describes parents’ fitness) When they first arrived Invercargill they cycled to BLUFF to check for MIGRATING WHALES. Chopped MANUKA from AWARUA to build fence, carted on bikes. Explains. Nola created garden at 10? JOSEPH STREET including BEECH.

09.12 Bought property from RONA and LINDSAY MCCURDY [SPP?] in TAIEPA OAD, OTATARA. [Date?] Knew everybody. Lists friends and neighbours. Close knit COMMUNITY.

11.50 Jean and Grant started school in Invercargill; Margaret and Hamish started at OTATARA SCHOOL. OTATARA SCHOOL and HALL (RURU ROAD) were community hub.

13.36 End of Track 6

TRACK 7

00.0 Move to OTATARA motivated by space and lifestyle. Explains.

01.30 From Taiepa Road moved to ERSKINE ROAD. [Date?] Lived in ERSKINE’S cottage . Describes cottage and woolshed where they found old Erskine family bible. Margaret recalls COAL RANGE where Nola revived lambs in oven.

03.20 McFarlanes bought block of land between Erskine Road and estuary, bounded by a side road to OTATARA SCENIC RESERVE. Named it HURUHURU ROAD after Maori chief from Oue on SANDY POINT.

04.50 LOU SIMPSON (ARCHITECT friend and colleague of Jim) designed their house at end of Huruhuru Road. Built by BERT LUNN? (MARAMA AVENUE). Nola involved with design. Describes. Use of native timber. Explains. Controversial for its time. Explains. “No-one else had central heating in 1973.”

09.37 LIFESTYLE FARM. Sheep. Introduction of fawns and implications of deer. Explains. Special relationship with Honey (hind). Explains. Nola returns to HORSE-RIDING. Lists horses. Describes local rides around river, through NEIL McCULLUM’S farm and to RIVERTON. PAM HALL-JONES her best riding friend. PONY CLUB rides to RIVERTON. Describes. Local PONY CLUB based on McFarlane’s property. 15.00 End of Track 7

TRACK 8

00.0 OTATARA PONY CLUB HISTORY. Nola and Margaret discuss LOCATIONS. Both PONY CLUB and RIDING FOR THE DISABLED based on McFarlane’s property. Nola an instructor. Popular RIDING ACTIVITIES . Describes. BARRY SELLARS (?) IRWEN BLACK (Riding School on ORETI ROAD). Mentions.

01.59 End of Track 8

TRACK 9

00.05 MOUNTAINEERING. Jim continued climbing. HOMER, FIORDLAND. Nola supported his joining NEPAL EXPEDITION with ED HILLARY. “Scraped together money.” Explains. Traumatic CREVASSE ACCIDENT TRAPPED Jim overnight. Nola and Margaret explain. Rescued by ED HILLARY. Explains. Took 3 weeks to carry him out on tea chest. Explains.

03.36 Nola in Christchurch with parents (+ 2 small children) when ALAN DICK(?) broke news of accident. Explains. Smell of GANGRENE when Jim was carried off plane. Explains. Jim spent one year at BURWOOD HOSPITAL. Nurses carried him outside to enjoy sunshine. Explains their different perspectives on sun. Humour.

06.15 Nola worked as typist while parents looked after children. Explains. Jim’s INVERCARGILL CITY COUNCIL SALARY stopped. After Jim returned to work at ICC Nola and Margaret recall TRAGEDY of three deaths in WATER TOWER. Explain.

08.58 GARDEN AND PARTNERS? (Ian ? and Pat ?) invited Jim to become Partner. Life unaffected by Jim’s disability. Explains. Margaret recalls OTATARA SCHOOL SWIMMING POOL, designed by Jim. School children’s curiosity about his feet. Explains.

10.49 End of Track 9

TRACK 10

00.02 Interest in ARCHAEOLOGY. Explains. STONEHENGE highlight of visit to England. BISHOP FAMILY came from SALISBURY, near STONEHENGE. NZ HISTORY. Sorry for MAORI and ABORIGINAL people’s treatment. Explains. “I think we should all be spanked!”

02.16 Volunteered for ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIG at TIWAI POINT before Aluminium Smelter was built. STUART PARK? from OTAGO UNIVERSITY was leader. Margaret recalls Nola stayed on-site in family caravan during week. Children left with Jim. Explains. Beach full of interesting finds. Describes. Highlight was hole full of CHIPPED ADZES. Explains. Other family finds. Mentions. Amazing coloured FAN SHELLS on BACK BEACH?. Describes.

06.33 Years later, Nola and Margaret took horse float and rode at low tide around head of AWARUA BAY. Explains.

07.30 Interview reference to ADVENTURES. Nola describes her life as DULL!

07.53 End of Track 10

TRACK 11

00.03 Jim became heavily involved in SAVE MANAPOURI campaign. Cost time and money as Jim owned his own business. Nola gave full support. Explains. Required much MAKING-DO. Explains. QSM awarded to Jim also acknowledgement of Nola’s support. Both believed deeply in the CONSERVATION cause. A stressful period that required moral courage. Margaret reflects. Jim’s engineering background and technical advice particularly valuable. Explains. Subsequent roles on FIORDLAND NATIONAL PARK BOARD and GUARDIANS OF LAKE MANAPOURI noted.

04.35 End of Track 11

Track 12

00.03 OVERSEAS TRAVEL. Initial reluctance to leave New Zealand shores overcome by experience. Explains. Lists many countries visited. Interest in seeing how other people live. Apart from NORWAY,NZ rates best. Explains. Jim’s role as CHAIRMAN OF INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS for several years brought travel opportunities. Humorous story of multiple tyre punctures in PAPUA NEW GUINEA. Explains. More recent trips (with LOIS ?) to AUSTRALIA include CAMEL RIDE at BROOME and social inter-actions with ABORIGINALS. Reflects that her father once considered moving to Australia with WRIGHT STEPHENSON.

Closing reflection on full life: ”If you don’t get on with it, you don’t get there.”

08.50 End of Track 12