Abstract of Peter Fordyce GUTSELL, 2020
Item — Box: 8
Identifier: H01260002
Overview
Peter Fordyce Gutsell
Interviewer: Nancy Burnett
Abstracter: Lindsay King
First interview: 26 May 2009
DISC 1: TRACK 1
00.00 Interview identification
00.43 PETER FORDYCE GUTSELL born 1 February 1944
00.57 Interview agreement
01.30 Living at 7 Mary Street, OTAUTAU at the time of the FLOOD - with wife and youngest son DAVID - Older son LINDSAY in Invercargill.
2.08 Occupation BRICKLAYER - details
2.14 Self employed from October 1966
2.20 Left school 1959 - worked with HARRY MCDONALD - then 'BOMBER' BROWN - details
2.50 Mentions - ALLAN STEARNE, GEORGE STEARNS
3.17 No apprenticeship for BRICKLAYER - explains
2.27 COMMUNITY involvement - FIRE BRIGADE joined March 1973 - called to help during flood - voluntary - 25 members - details
4.56 FLOOD details - 26 January - "rain wasn't normal" - "it kept and coming" - 6 inches of rain in INVERCARGILL - 24 inches in FIORDLAND - in millimetres, "the best part of a fair bit".
6.07 Signs of flooding - people moving about - phone going - WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL meeting - CIVIL DEFENCE getting a plan together - ROYCE EVANS engineer controller for WALLACE area - the site of OTAUTAU established - explains
7.35 New BRIDGE over OTAUTAU STREAM compounded problem - built 1963 - explains
8.37 OTAUTAU BRIDGE - railing trapped dead sheep and logs - details
9.25 9.30am CIVIL DEFENCE SIREN rung continuously - fire brigade assembled
10.22 Selfs role - look after Northern part of town - assist elderly out of their houses - assisted by GREG BOYLE - people reluctant to leave homes - recalls
13.22 Story about, "big black fins popping out of the flood water" - tarseal being torn off road - recalls
13.48 Culverts under the road - IAN WATSON'S area - 2 bumps in the road a bridge buried under the road - recalls
15.00 End of Track 1
DISC 1: TRACK 2
00.23 The FLOOD - self assembled at fire station - first job door knocking - warn the people - plan developed by fire chief - explains
02.41 Second job to protect the gear - lifted freezers - waste of time as most freezers tipped up in flood
04.18 Story about farmer trapped on bonnet of tractor in BAYSWATER - radioed to INVERCARGILL - rescued by helicopter
05.29 FLOOD went through OTAUTAU quite quickly - explains
05.56 Being local helped when getting people out of their homes - explains
06.53 Secured property - televisions on tables etc - lots of property saved - explains
07.54 Self's home - son and wife saved some gear - 250 mm went through the house - details
09.30 Town cut in half - two nights - self and six others stayed in EASSON homestead - got food from NORTH END MILK BAR - explains
11.52 Story about bottles from a SCOUTS bottle drive - self watching flood waters from house - "The water came round the corner in a rush and all these beer bottles came around the corner like soldiers" - describes
13.29 Other duties for FIRE BRIGADE - assisting POLICE - kept an eye out for people wandering after evacuation - details
14.43 Work started when the water went away - pumping out garages - explains
14.59 End of Track 2
DISC 1: TRACK 3
00.03 Feather weight pumps used - 3 or 4 men to carry - sometimes pumping out water was a waste of time - explains
02.03 A lot of septic tanks got 'cleaned out' during flood - explains
02.30 26 January the rain started - 1st February 4 pm finished with pumps and had them packed up ready to go back to DUNEDIN - Self's birthday
03.45 Ladies branch of the FIRE BRIGADE - catering - supported men after fires - wives and girlfriends of brigade members - had a good input - describes
05.46 FIRE STATION flooded - in engine bay - concrete floors - "the water came in and the water went out".
06.40 Story about selfs fence - recalls
07.13 Community atmosphere - everybody on one level - "got on like a house on fire".
07.48 Story about drunk man on railway line - recalls
09.49 Story about goat on a mound surrounded by water - recalls
10.49 Story about BILL BEKHUIS in his garage - recalls
12.14 Story about helicopter assistance for BARNEY MCCOLL - RICHARD MILLS AND BILL BLACK pilots - recalls
13.44 Stress support provided by COMMUNITY WORKERS - describes
15.00 End of Track 3
DISC 1: TRACK 4
00.02 Mentions RED CROSS
00.35 The FIRE BRIGADE boys - helping clean up after flood - FARMERS got behind the locals - community spirit.
02.10 Homes affected by FLOOD - 229 calls to FIRE BRIGADE for help during the time - “reading from my notes now” - 900 homes evacuated in INVERCARGILL, 135 homes in OTAUTAU and 60 in TUATAPERE - total damage to property estimated by the INSURANCE industry to be in excess of $50,000,000.
03.32 21 out of 25 FIRE BRIGADE members homes affected - highest of any brigade around.
04.07 Sunday 29 January 1984 relief crews from RIVERTON and MOSSBURN moved into OTAUTAU - so local crew could attend to damage to their own homes.
04.52 Wives at home dealt with home situation while men helped out in the community - explains
06.23 Mentions - No lives lost.
06.38 1987 FLOOD almost as severe - explains
07.08 Previous experience of 1984 FLOOD used during 1987 FLOOD - explains
08.03 Self cut the FISH PLATES of RAILWAY LINE at the SCHOOL crossing - stopped the trains - explains
10.17 Story involving JACK HEADLEY - recalls
11.34 Mentions extra span on the BRIDGE
11.52 Modern BRIGADE formed in 1947/8 by ROY WALKER - 15 or 16 local men - describes
12.24 Story of old FIRE BRIGADE use of a pipe from the river to fight fires - explains
14.33 Story about ALLAN MILLER - recalls
15.00 End of Track 4
DISC 1: TRACK 5
00.02 Story about ALLAN MILLER and weedkiller continued - recalls
00.35 Story about the swiftness of the water - recalls
01.20 Mentions tarseal torn off the road
02.28 Story about BILL ROGERS fence - recalls
03.30 MCALISTER'S SHOP flooding - details
04.15 Looking at a photograph of water coming down MAIN STREET - details
04.45 Outside WALLACE COUNTY building surrounded by water - people in control slept there - FIREMEN slept at the STATION too - explains
05.49 AIRFORCE played apart - evacuees stayed at the GOLF CLUB - explains
06.49 Rescue from NORTH OTAUTAU - explains
07.45 Selfs caravan and glass house damaged - details
09.16 Album of photos taken by self - explains
9.58 FORESTRY workers did a great job of pumping out water - explains
11.08 Mentions 25 years or more since the flood.
11.38 End of Track 5
Interviewer: Nancy Burnett
Abstracter: Lindsay King
First interview: 26 May 2009
DISC 1: TRACK 1
00.00 Interview identification
00.43 PETER FORDYCE GUTSELL born 1 February 1944
00.57 Interview agreement
01.30 Living at 7 Mary Street, OTAUTAU at the time of the FLOOD - with wife and youngest son DAVID - Older son LINDSAY in Invercargill.
2.08 Occupation BRICKLAYER - details
2.14 Self employed from October 1966
2.20 Left school 1959 - worked with HARRY MCDONALD - then 'BOMBER' BROWN - details
2.50 Mentions - ALLAN STEARNE, GEORGE STEARNS
3.17 No apprenticeship for BRICKLAYER - explains
2.27 COMMUNITY involvement - FIRE BRIGADE joined March 1973 - called to help during flood - voluntary - 25 members - details
4.56 FLOOD details - 26 January - "rain wasn't normal" - "it kept and coming" - 6 inches of rain in INVERCARGILL - 24 inches in FIORDLAND - in millimetres, "the best part of a fair bit".
6.07 Signs of flooding - people moving about - phone going - WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL meeting - CIVIL DEFENCE getting a plan together - ROYCE EVANS engineer controller for WALLACE area - the site of OTAUTAU established - explains
7.35 New BRIDGE over OTAUTAU STREAM compounded problem - built 1963 - explains
8.37 OTAUTAU BRIDGE - railing trapped dead sheep and logs - details
9.25 9.30am CIVIL DEFENCE SIREN rung continuously - fire brigade assembled
10.22 Selfs role - look after Northern part of town - assist elderly out of their houses - assisted by GREG BOYLE - people reluctant to leave homes - recalls
13.22 Story about, "big black fins popping out of the flood water" - tarseal being torn off road - recalls
13.48 Culverts under the road - IAN WATSON'S area - 2 bumps in the road a bridge buried under the road - recalls
15.00 End of Track 1
DISC 1: TRACK 2
00.23 The FLOOD - self assembled at fire station - first job door knocking - warn the people - plan developed by fire chief - explains
02.41 Second job to protect the gear - lifted freezers - waste of time as most freezers tipped up in flood
04.18 Story about farmer trapped on bonnet of tractor in BAYSWATER - radioed to INVERCARGILL - rescued by helicopter
05.29 FLOOD went through OTAUTAU quite quickly - explains
05.56 Being local helped when getting people out of their homes - explains
06.53 Secured property - televisions on tables etc - lots of property saved - explains
07.54 Self's home - son and wife saved some gear - 250 mm went through the house - details
09.30 Town cut in half - two nights - self and six others stayed in EASSON homestead - got food from NORTH END MILK BAR - explains
11.52 Story about bottles from a SCOUTS bottle drive - self watching flood waters from house - "The water came round the corner in a rush and all these beer bottles came around the corner like soldiers" - describes
13.29 Other duties for FIRE BRIGADE - assisting POLICE - kept an eye out for people wandering after evacuation - details
14.43 Work started when the water went away - pumping out garages - explains
14.59 End of Track 2
DISC 1: TRACK 3
00.03 Feather weight pumps used - 3 or 4 men to carry - sometimes pumping out water was a waste of time - explains
02.03 A lot of septic tanks got 'cleaned out' during flood - explains
02.30 26 January the rain started - 1st February 4 pm finished with pumps and had them packed up ready to go back to DUNEDIN - Self's birthday
03.45 Ladies branch of the FIRE BRIGADE - catering - supported men after fires - wives and girlfriends of brigade members - had a good input - describes
05.46 FIRE STATION flooded - in engine bay - concrete floors - "the water came in and the water went out".
06.40 Story about selfs fence - recalls
07.13 Community atmosphere - everybody on one level - "got on like a house on fire".
07.48 Story about drunk man on railway line - recalls
09.49 Story about goat on a mound surrounded by water - recalls
10.49 Story about BILL BEKHUIS in his garage - recalls
12.14 Story about helicopter assistance for BARNEY MCCOLL - RICHARD MILLS AND BILL BLACK pilots - recalls
13.44 Stress support provided by COMMUNITY WORKERS - describes
15.00 End of Track 3
DISC 1: TRACK 4
00.02 Mentions RED CROSS
00.35 The FIRE BRIGADE boys - helping clean up after flood - FARMERS got behind the locals - community spirit.
02.10 Homes affected by FLOOD - 229 calls to FIRE BRIGADE for help during the time - “reading from my notes now” - 900 homes evacuated in INVERCARGILL, 135 homes in OTAUTAU and 60 in TUATAPERE - total damage to property estimated by the INSURANCE industry to be in excess of $50,000,000.
03.32 21 out of 25 FIRE BRIGADE members homes affected - highest of any brigade around.
04.07 Sunday 29 January 1984 relief crews from RIVERTON and MOSSBURN moved into OTAUTAU - so local crew could attend to damage to their own homes.
04.52 Wives at home dealt with home situation while men helped out in the community - explains
06.23 Mentions - No lives lost.
06.38 1987 FLOOD almost as severe - explains
07.08 Previous experience of 1984 FLOOD used during 1987 FLOOD - explains
08.03 Self cut the FISH PLATES of RAILWAY LINE at the SCHOOL crossing - stopped the trains - explains
10.17 Story involving JACK HEADLEY - recalls
11.34 Mentions extra span on the BRIDGE
11.52 Modern BRIGADE formed in 1947/8 by ROY WALKER - 15 or 16 local men - describes
12.24 Story of old FIRE BRIGADE use of a pipe from the river to fight fires - explains
14.33 Story about ALLAN MILLER - recalls
15.00 End of Track 4
DISC 1: TRACK 5
00.02 Story about ALLAN MILLER and weedkiller continued - recalls
00.35 Story about the swiftness of the water - recalls
01.20 Mentions tarseal torn off the road
02.28 Story about BILL ROGERS fence - recalls
03.30 MCALISTER'S SHOP flooding - details
04.15 Looking at a photograph of water coming down MAIN STREET - details
04.45 Outside WALLACE COUNTY building surrounded by water - people in control slept there - FIREMEN slept at the STATION too - explains
05.49 AIRFORCE played apart - evacuees stayed at the GOLF CLUB - explains
06.49 Rescue from NORTH OTAUTAU - explains
07.45 Selfs caravan and glass house damaged - details
09.16 Album of photos taken by self - explains
9.58 FORESTRY workers did a great job of pumping out water - explains
11.08 Mentions 25 years or more since the flood.
11.38 End of Track 5
Dates
- 2020
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Burnett, Nancy (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
