Abstract of Robert Theodore BLACK (Bob), 2019
Item — Box: 24
Identifier: H00920002
Abstract
Robert (Bob) Theodore Black
Interviewer: Janice Templeton
Abstracter: W. Brent Coats
First Interview: 24 November 2011
DISC 1: TRACK 1
00:00 Interview identification
00:38 ROBERT THEODORE BLACK born 12 November 1921
00:49 Interview agreement
01:41 Born RANGIORA
01:54 Father WAS DANIEL MCCULLOCH BLACK born 4 January 1884 - Shepherd Mother MURIEL HOPE GREENFIELD born 8 April 1894 – Trained as teacher Lived at AMBERLEY until May 1922 - Details
03:38 Father served in BOER WAR – After war family moved to QUEENSLAND to work on SUGAR PLANTATION – Did not work out – Parents returned to New Zealand – Some family remained in Australia – Explains
08:13 Parents moved from AMBERLEY to ERMEDALE – “17 shifts in 11 years” 08:47 [Information about book used for reference on Black family and ERMEDALE]
10:02 Family moved to DIPTON may 1924 – Cheaper land available - Self six months old – Took parents seventeen days to move - Two horse wagon, cows, chickens - Describes 11:41 Self forth of six SIBLINGS in family – Brothers ELLIOT and PETER born in ERMEDALE – Mentions
12:06 ERMEDALE FARM overgrown with gorse and rabbits – Self trapped pests with mother – Collected rabbits for freezing works – 2 shillings sixpence per pair Mother stewed rabbits occasionally - Describes
13:45 FARM had sheep and cows and pigs – Children milked by hand before and after school – Hand-separated cream from milk – Cream sent to FARMERS DAIRY COMPANY INVERCARGILL - Describes
14:42 End of Track 1
DISC 1: TRACK 2
00:01 FARM continued – Fattened pigs for income
00:29 FAIRFAX dairy factory – THORNBURY Dairy Factory - Bought £339 truck for deliveries – Describes
02:05 Self began SCHOOL at seven - Attended for six years – Rode ponies to school Mother insisted on homework before chores After school jobs – Milking cows – Describes
03:46 Story about galloping to school fast after lunches – Recalls
06:05 SCHOOL had between 30-40 pupils – Teachers included LINDSAY STEWART, AGNES ?, IAN ?, ? FRASER
07:29 WEEKENDS mixture of work and fun – Built huts - Riding ponies and rabbiting – Collected BIRDS’ EGGS to reduce numbers before cropping – Make holes in each end and blow out insides - paid tuppence per dozen – Explains
10:10 Not much sport as child – School travelled for sports – Pupils took tram to bush, walked through bush to jigger, travelled to GRANITY (sp?) school - Describes
11:06 School not big enough to have RUGBY team – Self played after war for THORNBURY – Describes
11:54 Self volunteered for WAR at age 19 in 1940 – OTAGO MOUNTED RIFLES – Trained at BURNHAM – Camped at ADDINGTON – Returned home – Asked to train at DUNTROON as Tankie – Two brothers at war - Self needed on farm – Returned to ARMY in 1945 – Explains
14:20 Brother LEON killed in 1944 – Self tried to console mother – Recalls
14:47 Father never drove cars – Mother bought vehicle
15:00 End of Track 2
DISC 1: TRACK 3
00:00 MOTHER drove until age 80 – Father not involved in machinery – Describes
00:51 Self played violin – Taught at CARMICHAEL family’s home – Describes
01:41 Self met WIFE RITA late1940s – Her family lived at PAHIA – Her father died and family moved to RIVERTON – Worked at MCNAUGHTON garage Went to DANCES together FAIRFAX and THORNBURY – Describes
03:26 RATIONING during war – COUPONS for butter and petrol – “very difficult years” – New inventions during war – Self good in workshop - Explains
04:35 RITA in INVERCARGILL with mother - Self bought Chev car with friend ELLIOT – MARRIED in 1950 FIRST CHURCH INVERCARGILL – Bought FARM at GROPERS BUSH off BILL MEADOWS (sp?) – Honeymooned at QUEENSTOWN, CROMWELL and CHRISTCHURCH – Describes
07:21 MARRIED life – Paid for farm – Borrowed £1150 for STOCK and PLANT – Self also worked CONTRACTING and SHEARING – Milk cows in morning, shear about 8am to night, RITA milked at night – Describes
09:20 SHEARED with blade and machine – Self had portable MOTORISED SHEARING equipment – Shearing 300 sheep per day Number of FARMHANDS has DECREASED - Explains
11:43 Had been TEAMSTER – Feeding HORSES before breakfast – PLOUGHING throughout day – Had hut on farm and fed at house - BILL FRASER taught Self to break in horses – Worked 6am to 9pm – Unshod horses – Six horse team - Describes
14:25 CHILDREN – First child STANLEY born 1951, RAINE (sp?) born 1954, GILBERT born 1956, GRAEME (sp?) born 1960, CAROL ? born 1963 - Details
15:00 End of Track 3
DISC 1: TRACK 4
00:00 FAMILY HOLIDAYS – After Christmas and New Year at home - QUEENSTOWN camping ground – Cabins first then bought caravan – ALEXANDRA probably for 15 years – Describes
01:17 FIRST FOOTING around neighbourhood - NEW YEAR EVE pranking - Put dead horse behind ALAN HAY’s tractor – Painted stripes on white horse to look like Zebra – Lots of fun, but never destructive - Recalls 03:47 ALCOHOL not serious – Not allowed in hall – Police checked in cars – Describes
04:34 SOCIAL activities at FAIRFAX with family – Beach was popular – Describes 05:13 CHILDREN willing to work on farm – Had own flocks of sheep - Mentions 05:48 Original FARM 100 acres – Self wanted bigger farm – Had 200 acres at GROPERS BUCH - 400 acres in WAIPANGO, then bought neighbour’s land - £70 per acre – 400 acres at ERMADALE Bought first portable HAY BALER in area – Worked WALLACETOWN to COLAC – baled thousands per year Ended up with 2000 sheep – Split up land for children - Explains
08:53 1972 bought land at ERMADALE off FRASERS - $850 per acre leasehold – Cost to freehold Travelling to WAIPANGO was a day trip – Two houses on section – Self built new house - Describes KAREN family had lived there – Mentions 11:37 WAIPANGO farm underdeveloped – Needed “brought in” – Hired two bulldozers – Pushed growth over – Left for 12 months and burned – Seeded and cleared – Explains Property had sheep and cattle - Self made woolshed Son STANLEY has 320 effective acres – Contains shelter - Describes
14:21 WAIPANGO property not too wet – ‘good rolling country” – Draining gulley helped
End of Track 4
DISC 1: TRACK 5
00:00 WAIPANGO farm continued – Clearing “rotten rocks” – Sold rocks for roadways – Farm very successful – Explains
03:16 FRASERS farm at ERMADALE – Condition of farm “sad” – Many gullies and gorse – Self drained, filled and fenced property - “Easy job with bulldozer” Original HOMESTEAD still existed – Demolished because of condition – 400 acre section sold to son GILBERT - Describes
06:09 Son bought property at TARARUA, then MILTON – Drives cartage – Sold ERMADALE property to LLOYD BARRON, resold to NIGEL BLACK –Good farm – Describes
08:25 Lived in old GROPERS BUSH house until new one built in 1967 for £9000 – c.1991 swapped houses with son GRAEME and family – Explains 10:15 RITA enjoyed GARDENING – About 100 roses, dahlias, large vegetable garden – Granddaughter Laura looks after garden – Describes
11:42 Interviewer mentions Bob’s 90TH BIRTHDAY celebrations – More information about life
11:56 End of Track 5
Interviewer: Janice Templeton
Abstracter: W. Brent Coats
First Interview: 24 November 2011
DISC 1: TRACK 1
00:00 Interview identification
00:38 ROBERT THEODORE BLACK born 12 November 1921
00:49 Interview agreement
01:41 Born RANGIORA
01:54 Father WAS DANIEL MCCULLOCH BLACK born 4 January 1884 - Shepherd Mother MURIEL HOPE GREENFIELD born 8 April 1894 – Trained as teacher Lived at AMBERLEY until May 1922 - Details
03:38 Father served in BOER WAR – After war family moved to QUEENSLAND to work on SUGAR PLANTATION – Did not work out – Parents returned to New Zealand – Some family remained in Australia – Explains
08:13 Parents moved from AMBERLEY to ERMEDALE – “17 shifts in 11 years” 08:47 [Information about book used for reference on Black family and ERMEDALE]
10:02 Family moved to DIPTON may 1924 – Cheaper land available - Self six months old – Took parents seventeen days to move - Two horse wagon, cows, chickens - Describes 11:41 Self forth of six SIBLINGS in family – Brothers ELLIOT and PETER born in ERMEDALE – Mentions
12:06 ERMEDALE FARM overgrown with gorse and rabbits – Self trapped pests with mother – Collected rabbits for freezing works – 2 shillings sixpence per pair Mother stewed rabbits occasionally - Describes
13:45 FARM had sheep and cows and pigs – Children milked by hand before and after school – Hand-separated cream from milk – Cream sent to FARMERS DAIRY COMPANY INVERCARGILL - Describes
14:42 End of Track 1
DISC 1: TRACK 2
00:01 FARM continued – Fattened pigs for income
00:29 FAIRFAX dairy factory – THORNBURY Dairy Factory - Bought £339 truck for deliveries – Describes
02:05 Self began SCHOOL at seven - Attended for six years – Rode ponies to school Mother insisted on homework before chores After school jobs – Milking cows – Describes
03:46 Story about galloping to school fast after lunches – Recalls
06:05 SCHOOL had between 30-40 pupils – Teachers included LINDSAY STEWART, AGNES ?, IAN ?, ? FRASER
07:29 WEEKENDS mixture of work and fun – Built huts - Riding ponies and rabbiting – Collected BIRDS’ EGGS to reduce numbers before cropping – Make holes in each end and blow out insides - paid tuppence per dozen – Explains
10:10 Not much sport as child – School travelled for sports – Pupils took tram to bush, walked through bush to jigger, travelled to GRANITY (sp?) school - Describes
11:06 School not big enough to have RUGBY team – Self played after war for THORNBURY – Describes
11:54 Self volunteered for WAR at age 19 in 1940 – OTAGO MOUNTED RIFLES – Trained at BURNHAM – Camped at ADDINGTON – Returned home – Asked to train at DUNTROON as Tankie – Two brothers at war - Self needed on farm – Returned to ARMY in 1945 – Explains
14:20 Brother LEON killed in 1944 – Self tried to console mother – Recalls
14:47 Father never drove cars – Mother bought vehicle
15:00 End of Track 2
DISC 1: TRACK 3
00:00 MOTHER drove until age 80 – Father not involved in machinery – Describes
00:51 Self played violin – Taught at CARMICHAEL family’s home – Describes
01:41 Self met WIFE RITA late1940s – Her family lived at PAHIA – Her father died and family moved to RIVERTON – Worked at MCNAUGHTON garage Went to DANCES together FAIRFAX and THORNBURY – Describes
03:26 RATIONING during war – COUPONS for butter and petrol – “very difficult years” – New inventions during war – Self good in workshop - Explains
04:35 RITA in INVERCARGILL with mother - Self bought Chev car with friend ELLIOT – MARRIED in 1950 FIRST CHURCH INVERCARGILL – Bought FARM at GROPERS BUSH off BILL MEADOWS (sp?) – Honeymooned at QUEENSTOWN, CROMWELL and CHRISTCHURCH – Describes
07:21 MARRIED life – Paid for farm – Borrowed £1150 for STOCK and PLANT – Self also worked CONTRACTING and SHEARING – Milk cows in morning, shear about 8am to night, RITA milked at night – Describes
09:20 SHEARED with blade and machine – Self had portable MOTORISED SHEARING equipment – Shearing 300 sheep per day Number of FARMHANDS has DECREASED - Explains
11:43 Had been TEAMSTER – Feeding HORSES before breakfast – PLOUGHING throughout day – Had hut on farm and fed at house - BILL FRASER taught Self to break in horses – Worked 6am to 9pm – Unshod horses – Six horse team - Describes
14:25 CHILDREN – First child STANLEY born 1951, RAINE (sp?) born 1954, GILBERT born 1956, GRAEME (sp?) born 1960, CAROL ? born 1963 - Details
15:00 End of Track 3
DISC 1: TRACK 4
00:00 FAMILY HOLIDAYS – After Christmas and New Year at home - QUEENSTOWN camping ground – Cabins first then bought caravan – ALEXANDRA probably for 15 years – Describes
01:17 FIRST FOOTING around neighbourhood - NEW YEAR EVE pranking - Put dead horse behind ALAN HAY’s tractor – Painted stripes on white horse to look like Zebra – Lots of fun, but never destructive - Recalls 03:47 ALCOHOL not serious – Not allowed in hall – Police checked in cars – Describes
04:34 SOCIAL activities at FAIRFAX with family – Beach was popular – Describes 05:13 CHILDREN willing to work on farm – Had own flocks of sheep - Mentions 05:48 Original FARM 100 acres – Self wanted bigger farm – Had 200 acres at GROPERS BUCH - 400 acres in WAIPANGO, then bought neighbour’s land - £70 per acre – 400 acres at ERMADALE Bought first portable HAY BALER in area – Worked WALLACETOWN to COLAC – baled thousands per year Ended up with 2000 sheep – Split up land for children - Explains
08:53 1972 bought land at ERMADALE off FRASERS - $850 per acre leasehold – Cost to freehold Travelling to WAIPANGO was a day trip – Two houses on section – Self built new house - Describes KAREN family had lived there – Mentions 11:37 WAIPANGO farm underdeveloped – Needed “brought in” – Hired two bulldozers – Pushed growth over – Left for 12 months and burned – Seeded and cleared – Explains Property had sheep and cattle - Self made woolshed Son STANLEY has 320 effective acres – Contains shelter - Describes
14:21 WAIPANGO property not too wet – ‘good rolling country” – Draining gulley helped
End of Track 4
DISC 1: TRACK 5
00:00 WAIPANGO farm continued – Clearing “rotten rocks” – Sold rocks for roadways – Farm very successful – Explains
03:16 FRASERS farm at ERMADALE – Condition of farm “sad” – Many gullies and gorse – Self drained, filled and fenced property - “Easy job with bulldozer” Original HOMESTEAD still existed – Demolished because of condition – 400 acre section sold to son GILBERT - Describes
06:09 Son bought property at TARARUA, then MILTON – Drives cartage – Sold ERMADALE property to LLOYD BARRON, resold to NIGEL BLACK –Good farm – Describes
08:25 Lived in old GROPERS BUSH house until new one built in 1967 for £9000 – c.1991 swapped houses with son GRAEME and family – Explains 10:15 RITA enjoyed GARDENING – About 100 roses, dahlias, large vegetable garden – Granddaughter Laura looks after garden – Describes
11:42 Interviewer mentions Bob’s 90TH BIRTHDAY celebrations – More information about life
11:56 End of Track 5
Dates
- 2019
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 Co-ordinator, c/o Invercargill City Libraries and Archives.
Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Templeton, Janice (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
