RAYMOND FRANCIS SCULLY

Interviewer: Rebecca Amundsen

Abstractor: Barbara Gillam

First Interview: 4th April 2012

TRACK 1

00.01 Interview Identification

00.40 RAYMOND FRANCIS SCULLY born 10th March 1943 in MATAURA to THOMAS PATRICK SCULLY (FATHER) and GRACE IVY SCULLY nee WHEELER (MOTHER)

01.20 Lived in DACRE. Father was a FARMER. His father had 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Due to lack of income during the depression only one brother stayed on the farm. One brother became a car/tractor salesman. Father joined the RABBIT BOARD. Father used gas and nets to catch rabbits.

02.30 FERRETS were also sent down rabbit holes.

03.27 Family moved to WAIKAIA. Raymond had his own ferrets and would rabbit with ferrets. Describes issues using ferrets when rabbits were breeding. 05.00 Raymond was 8 when they moved to WAIKAIA

05.24 His father set up the RABBIT BOARD at WAIKAIA

05.40 Raymond would spend Sunday afternoons ferreting.

06.14 The ferrets were between pets and working animals. Describes how to look after them and how to pick a ferret up - like a cat, by the scruff of the neck.

07.00 Raymond went to WOODLANDS SCHOOL .

07.28 Describes school teacher driving up the road, looking for pupils, picked 3 of them up and took them to school. This was done every day.

08.29 The family went from Dacre to HOKONUI before going to Waikaia.

08.55 At Hokonui would walk to school down the railway. If they timed it right the men on the jiggers would give then a ride.

09.10 Describes story of being too cold to go to school. Went home and mother put them in the SUPERHEATED CUPBOARD to thaw them out.

9.50 Talks about school days.

10.12 Describes how he used to get into trouble for day dreaming about rugby

10.55 Describes teachers. Mr BEARD was a very hard teacher but good. Discusses

12.11 Describes family: 4 boys and 4 girls in the family. Raymond was the second oldest with one older sister

12.43 Martin was the youngest and was born on 1960. Raymond was born in 1943 and the oldest was born in 1940.

13.12 His father didn't go to war nor did his uncles – thinks farming exempted them

14.16 He played rugby at school at Waikaia. Talks about teams he played against and playing for Northern Southland as a school boy.

END OF TRACK 1

TRACK 2

0.10 He played a couple of games for EASTERN SOUTHLAND when he was about 19/20 whilst he was working. He had also played rugby whilst at school.

0.30 Average rugby player and played on the wing. NORTHEN SOUTHLAND wanted him to become a half back. He played as a halfback for Eastern Southland.

1.40 Played for Eastern Southland against Northern Southland. One player told Raymond he was going to murder him. He slammed on his left foot twisting his ankle.

2.46 Consequently the toe next to his big toe was damaged and became hard as marble.

2.52 When he was working with sheep they stood on his foot so it got worst until he couldn’t put a boot on. The doctor in Gore said he would have to have the toe removed which he did and it solved the problem. He thinks he was in his early 20s when this happened.

4.00 He went over on his ankle when he was playing rugby next time, and still carries injuries from rugby to this day.

5.13 Raymond went to Gore to finish High School. He moved from Waikaia to MANDERVILLE (?). He was working on a FARM for the McCardies. They were like his second family. Mr McCardie had fought in WW2 and his health was not good. Mr McCardie had been behind barbed wire as a POW (prisoner of war) for years. Mr McCardie howed him the ins and outs of farming. Mrs McCardie was like another mother to him.

5.55 Raymond was with the McCardies for 5 years. They had no sons to take over the farm only 3 girls. The girls are like his sisters to this day.

6.13 His father set up the RABBIT BOARD when they moved to MANDERVILLE (?). Raymond started to have driving lessons with a landrover.

6.31 The bus from Lumsden took then to GORE HIGH SCHOOL where he stayed for 2 years. He couldn't get out quick enough.

7.33 He was told by Jim that he had taught Raymond everything he he knew and that he should go out and have different experiences. He moved to ROWLY POTTER in PUKERAU (?). He went SHEPHERDING in MARAMA FARM which was run the by the PENSION FUND through ROD STEVENSON in 1968.

8.07 He was there 6 years

8.34 He then applied for a job at FRESHFORD in the WAIKAIA VALLEY for Andrew Dickson and stayed there 4 years. Dickson then sold the place he was managing and he bought a hill block.

9.06 Raymond loved farming and the lifestyle.

9.34 Money pressures meant he left farming and went into advertising for SMITH SOIL INDUSTRY from AUCKLAND. This was a PEAT FARMING BUSINESS.

10.02 The company built a factory over 12 months. He lived in Gore and worked as a foreman to get the operation off the ground.

10.27 They bought a house. Raymond found working as a factory foreman was very different from farming. He did not totally enjoy it. The manager over him was always picking at people.

11.12 His health packed up as he was doing too much, factory work and paper work. So he was moved to the mining side out at SPRINGHILLS/BROWNS, mining peat. He eventually went from Foreman to Mine Manager.

11.44 He was there 10 years when he was approached by YATES CORPORATION based in Auckland and asked to manage their plant.

12.04 He turned it down but a man came down and met him at the Grand Hotel. Within an hour he was talked around and came out as the manager of SOUTHLAND PEAT. He stayed with them for 15 years.

12.45 He was diagnosed in 2001 (with cancer). Worked on for another 12 months then the company changed hands.

13.15 He left as his brain ' couldn't work'. He was getting treatment at the time. They gave him redundancy and treated him very well.

13.30 Back to his first job, he worked for JIM and LILY MCCARDIE. He was still a teenager 15/16 when he started, got a car and played rugby.

14.00 Jim showed him everything he needed to know on the farm

END OF TRACK 2

Track 3

0.00 Jim's health was good in the first year Raymond was there but in the 2nd year he spent a lot of time in bed. He was not a well man.

0.54 Raymond had to help with the lambing.

1.00 Jim drove around a bit in the car when he had recovered a bit,

1.30 Jim realised that Raymond had learnt a lot. Jim was a very good teacher and there was nothing Jim didn't teach him. 2.20 Jim was a very good farmer. He and Raymond got on very well and Raymond was like the son they had never had.

2.53 The area had a problem with flood. Raymond went through 3 floods with the family. 3 Rivers including the MATAURA and the WAIMEA all ran near the farm.

3.16 During a flood they had to hang onto a sheep in a rowboat hoping the rest of the sheep would follow.

3.40 Raymond has one bad farming memory. He had been at the farm a few years and Jim bought a brand new tractor. Jim had to go to town to see the accountant.

4.05 They needed to plough a field to plant swede for winter feed. Jim asked him to take the tractor to break the willow tree branches that hung over the field to allow.

5.05 One part of the field had a hole in it and Raymond got the tractor stuck when he came across a branch that was hard to break. Water came up to the bonnet. He quickly turned off the tractor.

7.00 Young bloke next door came over saying Jim would be mad. The neighbour went off to another neighbour to get a bulldozer or a crawler tractor

8.00 They came back 'hours later'. Jim had by now arrived home and Raymond told home the tractor would be okay as he had turned the tractor off straight away. Jim was talking to him in his strong Scottish accent.

8.30 The branch he had been trying to break came down and damaged the bonnet of the new tractor.

9.00 The David Brown agency in Gore came and took the tractor away.

9.50 HOW PEAT IS MINED

10.10 Raymond was out outside mining which he enjoyed as it was outside. He had never settled in the factory. They had about half a dozen tractors. They had to clear all the vegetation off the peat mines. At Springhills it was at least 100 acres. The peat mines were swamps and needed draining to get machinery on the land.

11.32 They ran into trouble at Springhills as they wanted to get the peat off as quick as possible, within 12 months. To clear the peat you have to removed all the vegetation, sticks, rubbish and gorse, and cart it all away.

12.00 The peat shrinks as it is drained. They put the machineryon the first block too soon. They learnt a lot of lessons with that one

12.40 Start to skin the peat off with a device behind the tractor: a FOREST HARVESTER.

13.20 They would stir the peat first, the Harvester would pick the dry peat and put it in the trailer which would drop it in the big pile,

14.13 If the peat was peat then the trailer gets too heavy and the tractor could get stuck.

14.30 The peat went from the stock pile to the factory at RYAL BUSH. He thinks the factory is shifting to NIAGRA. Some of the neighbours keep him updated.

END OF TRACK 3

TRACK 4

0.10 New employees at the firm. They have improved the business since then and changed ownership.

1.30 Mrs Scully talks re the machinery used

2.00 Notherners saw the potential for exporting the peat. They also used AIRPLANE WHEELS on the machinery which were the best tyres.

3.50 Peat was used in COMMERCIAL POTTING mixes.

4.20 People used to but trailer loads of peat to put around their gardens to improve the condition of their garden.

4.50 He used peat mixed with top soil to improve his own garden.

5.20 Winton residents used it for gardens in new build houses. The builders have taken all the good soil away and people needed to build up their gardens.

5.55 Peat was exported in containers to Australia. 140 bales were fitted into 24ft containers

6.40 Put a lot of peat into a JAPANESE AIRPORT.

6.55 It was also used in a golf course in the North Island.

7.24 Hauraki in the North Island had peat but Raymond's peat was a better quality.

7.50 Raymond and Ursula. She was a nurse at Gore hospital for 3 years.

8.30 He took her to movies. Ursula adds that they went to district dances together.

9.00 They didn't travel much back then so they had to make fun where you could. Ursula worked shifts to everything had to revolve around that.

9.20 Ray was 25 when they married. Ursula 21.5 years. They had 1 boy and 3 girls.

10.00 Raymond was shepherding when the children were born. He loved shepherding. He started in rolling country and then moved to tussock country on horseback, He loved being outdoors.

11.00 Interested in fishing. He learnt when he shifted to WAIKAIA. Raymond's father hurt his back on the railway and would go out fishing.

12.31 His mother took him and his brother and taught them to bait the hook.

13.22 He didn't always catch fish. He did catch a land a half pound fish which was his first. He was at least 10 years old.

14.28 He lived on the river after that. The local fishermen would give him tips.

END OF TRACK 4

TRACK 5

(Ursula also talks during this part.)

0.20 When the family moved to FRESHFORD he did not like fishing.

0.45 Ursula explains that Raymond fished with her father.

1.09 When they moved to Invercargill but went to the Waikaia river and caught big fish.

2.24 He took turns driving with friends.

2.52 He would go fishing for BROWN TROUT October to Christmas.

3.40 The river was not clear enough until after Christmas for fly fishing. Raymond taught others to fish with float, worms and float.

4.55 One of his friends caught an 8lb fish.

5.25 They would go to ROXBURGH for salmon fishing.

6.30 Raymond went salmon fishing with a friend and he caught a large salmon. He struggled to land the fish. But refused to lose it. It took him 1 hour to land it.

8.12 The fish was 16.5 lbs

9.00 Someone took a photo of it and told them it was a brown trout not a salmon.

9.52 It was packed in ice packs to get it home and a butcher sliced it up for them.

10.23 Other fish hang around the salmon farms and would eat the feed that fell through the bottom. Most of these fish were not nice to eat but this one was.

11.11 A reporter wrote the story about the size of the fish and it was in the paper.

12.01 Photo discussed.

14.07 They have a garden, a veggie garden. Ursula stated that they seldom had to buy a veggie, maybe in early spring. Gardening helped Raymond when he was ill.

END OF TRACK 5

TRACK 6

0.07 Given diagnosis of 3-4 years for his illness but he's been around for 11 years.

0.19 Diagnosed with multiple myeloma 11 years ago. This involves the bone marrow.

1.08 He was diagnosed when he was 58.

1.18 He become sick one Queen's birthday weekend and thought he had the flu.

1.49 He also had an infection.

2.14 Ursula: they changed antibiotics and told to go to his GP on Tuesday morning.

2.45 Ursula: More bloods were taken. The person in the Lab asked for more tests to be done and these tests led to the diagnosis.

3.21 3 weeks later the treatment stated and has been ongoing since.

4.20 Raymond didn't want to get depressed about it. It was hard telling his family and friends about it.

5.30 He stated having STEM CELL TRANSPLANT in 2004.

6.30 Transplant happened in CHRISTCHURCH.

7.40 Ursula: Raymond caught infections. Raymond stated he had a lot of bone pain.

8.40 The CHEMOTHERAPY affected him mentally. He had 9 years of chemotherapy. He took THALIDOMIDE and other medicine. He had seizures so they took him off Thalidomide to see if that was the cause. He went back on Thalidomide.

-9.50 Ursula: HARVEST STEM CELLS from Raymond’s blood. The white cells, which are the stem cells, are frozen. He's given a lethal doses of chemotherapy and 24 hours later the stem cells are injected. Day 6 the blood count showed the stem cell was working. He was very sick whilst in isolation for a month.

12.50 Raymond just lay in bed and all visitors had to wear mask and gowns.

14.00 Raymond said he enjoyed watching people from his window. Ursula stated his room had a jug and toaster in it. The unit had a kitchen.

END OF TRACK 6

TRACK 7

0.02 Ursula: we could take him for 'walks' in a wheelchair.

0.28 Ursula: There was 18 months of no Chemotherapy. But he seems to have chemo every year or so in September to Christmas.

1.52 Ursula: They know the staff very well.

3.00 Too sick to really be upset about being in isolation. The nurses looked after him.

4.45 It was a new experience for them to have to deal with cancer but now other family members have also had cancer.

5.30 They had family members in Christchurch. Ursula stayed in RANFURLY HOUSE which is for families of cancer patients.

6.23 The Oncology department and THE CANCER SOCIETY organised where she would stay and the flights.

7.00 Ursula: Chemotherapy was taken by tablet form first. Now Raymond has a PICC line into his stomach which the chemo goes through.

9.23 Chemotherapy is administered through a bomb, a pressurised bottle, which takes 4 days to drip through into Raymond.

10.15 He's on cloud 11 when he's on chemo. He can get a wee bit nauseous.

11.00 Ursula: The chemo drops you down and the STEROIDS out you up. He can become forgetful and grumpy.

12.20 Fishing and gardening keep his spirits up. This year he had been painting the house and has just one wall to do.

13.20 Friends have helped keep his spirits up.

14.00 Ursula: Good back up from the Oncology Unit. Raymond: Never said why me.

END OF TRACK 7

TRACK 8

0.02 Just as hard on the kids. Not an easy journey on them.

0.30 U: they seen the physical change and it's had for people to see this. Family have seen him being sick.

1.25 Gave up his job - worked out 12 months whilst sick. But his head wasn't in it.

2.00 Doesn’t go on trips as much. They had only just started to go away. They went away to PORT DOUGLAS.

2.30 Would have been nice to go to Scotland and Ireland.

3.00 Still goes fishing. Now other people drive.

3.26 He was told to stop driving but he had already stopped as he was blacking out. He stopped driving about 7 years ago,

4.50 Kate Paston (spp?), his oncologist who also deals with the Haematology treatment.

5.15 He might have to have RADIATION THERAPY.

6.31 He has looked so well people have struggled with his mood changes.

7.05 Alright on the outside but not on the inside.

8.00 A friend, Lindsay, took him fishing to Ashburton.

8.40 Hardest time was when he had a throat infection in February. Infections hit him very hard. He had the HERPES VIRUS.

9.30 Once a year he will be at A and E due to an infection.

10.00 If Ursula gets a cold she keeps her distance.

10.40 It stops him going to certain events especially crowds. He has had 2 bad infections from being in crowds.

12.16 Between kids and friends they is always someone helping them out and doing stuff, They went to GREYMOUTH in a group.

13.30 Learnt to not be grumpy.

14.02 Wasn't always positive but made the decision to be positive about this, He took time to adjust to retirement.

END OF TRACK 8

TRACK 9

0.40 Now he is retired he can make a good job of his DIY jobs.

1.30 The oncology unit/ Cancer society could not have done more.

2.00 Oncology doctors follow patients right through their treatment.

2.50 URSULA: learnt to be more patient.

3.18 The cancer came just when they were able to do things without their children, they were up and grown.

4.00 He would advise that you have to have a positive attitude.

4.52 Be open and talk about it.

5.00 Got involved with SOHP through Dean whilst in Oncology.

7.00 Dean said Ray's life should be documented.

7.45 Had his head painted pink for Breast Cancer.

8.00 Thinks his journey is like a river.

END OF TRACK 9

Note added: Raymond passed away on October 19th 2012, aged 69 years