H0497: INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN FAULKNER

DATE: 30 October 2008

INTERVIWER: PAM SMITH

[NOTE: THIS IS A TRANSCRIPT NOT AN ABSTRACT WITH TIMINGS]

ROBIN YOU GREW UP IN TUATAPERE. WAS YOUR FATHER BORN HERE OR DID HE SHIFT TO HERE?

My father moved to TUATAPERE in the early 1920s. He was brought up at MOKOTUA at a place called FAULKNERS CORNER and it is now called the MONUMENT CORNER. His father came from IRELAND. I have been there. He came from DERRY.

YOUR FATHER CAME IN THE 1920S?

He came to BIRCH AND CO'S SAWMILL. I have a letter. (Look for the letter). There is a zig zag track at the sawmill and he drove a tractor up on the terrace and brought logs down to the mill. My MOTHER ran a COOKSHOP.

DID THEY LIVE DOWN THERE ON THE SITE?

Yes they lived down there. This is the letter:

Dear Sir,

Mr WILLIAM BUCHANAN has advised me to write to you offering you a job. To start on the tram in the bush and the wages will be alright. There are plenty of huts here and we'll put one up and pull one out in some convenient place for you and MRS FAULKNER until such time as a place could be built for you. Trusting you will let us know what you will do as soon as possible.

Yours etc. WILLIAM COOK C/- BIRCH AND CO TUATAPERE.

And chancing you live at HEDGEHOPE as yet do not mention you coming to work for MR BUCHANAN.

24 FEBRUARY 1924. Don't know why that was put in.

ISN'T THAT WONDERFUL. ISN'T THE WRITING LOVELY? THEY DON'T WRITE LIKE THAT NOWDAYS.

We had to go round and round and use your arm.

YOUR PARENTS LIVED DOWN THERE AND THE CHILDREN WENT TO ROWALLAN SCHOOL OR PAPATOTORA SCHOOL?

No no, My FATHER left there. My oldest brother BILL born in DECEMBER 1924. They went to WEST COAST. He had a brother and worked in sawmill there but he had land here, one hundred acres on CLIFDEN ROAD and he came back to that. It was just bush and stumps and he farmed on that. Ten of us children and two died. Two younger than me. Both those boys very bad with arthritis. BILL the eldest 84 next month.

YOU GREW UP AND WENT TO SCHOOL WHERE?

Went to TUATAPERE SCHOOL and went to town to do an apprenticeship as an electrician in 1953.

WHO DID YOU WORK FOR?

Myself, I bought a business. After apprenticeship I did work for a few months for a chap in DUNEDIN and then the UNION STEAMSHIP COMPANY boat between BLUFF and AUCKLAND for a few months. Started in business in 1960.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

In the 1950s three grocery shops, a picture theatre, three garages, twenty sawmills, little satellite towns; ALTON VALLEY, GROVEBURN, PAPATOTARA, all had mill houses; A school at ROWALLAN.

WHAT SOCIAL ACTIVITIES WERE IN THE 1950S?

Friday night was a big night. Everyone did shopping on Friday night. Train arrived. In early 1940s it was still taking passengers. As a young child meeting the train and people coming off but 1950s and 60s just freight. PICTURE THEATRE, dances, HIGHLAND BALL. Dances around the area, PAPATOTORA, PUKEMAORI, ORAWIA, CLIFDEN.

WERE THERE MEMORIAL HALLS?

The one in TUATAPERE was a MEMORIAL HALL built 1952, 1953, Very little use now but this Saturday a big day with the HIGHLAND DANCING. HELEN MCKAY, dancing teacher has been here for many years.

WHAT ELSE IN THE HALL? SHOWS THAT CAME?

Remember a HYPNOTIST coming and he put on a show in the picture theatre.

WERE THERE LIVE BANDS?

No don't remember but DR ELDER put on musical shows.

What about ANZAC DAY SERVICE. Still going?

SYD HARVEY the PRESIDENT, He has been PRESIDENT for last ten years.

NEW YEARS DAY SPORTS STILL GOING?

Chopping and dancing. The A&P SHOW later in JANUARY, This year in FEBRUARY.

DOCTOR AND DENTIST?

Went to OTAUTAU in the NEWS BUS with REG LEONARD to the DENTIST. There was an H&H bus that did a SUNDAY afternoon run. That's how I went back to INVERCARGILL to work. Had fill in drivers on the SUNDAY. The regular driver did the other six days. The NEWS BUS people went to town shopping. My mother went in the bus to do a day’s shopping. Two newspapers, THE TIMES and THE NEWS, TIMES in the morning and NEWS in the afternoon.

WHAT ABOUT SPORTING ACTIVITIES?

Myself I didn't belong in INVERCAGILL and I didn't belong here. There was always RUGBY. The young ones played TENNIS. BOWLS still going strong. Always been a GOLF CLUB at CLIFDEN. ALAN CAMPBELL is the same age as BILL he is still the CARETAKER at the GOLF COURSE. He keeps an immaculate front lawn. You see him down there getting it right.

WHAT ABOUT FISHING?

Always fishing in the WAIAU. Floundering. WHITEBAIT in the season at the WAIAU MOUTH. Different from other areas. No set nets. Dipping nets.

TELL ABOUT THE WAIAU

Yes the 1970s they took the water out for DEEP COVE.

WHAT DID YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?

Yes we get the dirty water now.

WHAT ABOUT THE FLOOD?

1984. Most of the HALF MILE flooded. Torrential rain. All the tributaries had massive flows that all went into the WAIAU. Someone felt that it had something to do with the tides but that not right.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

The HALF MILE was badly flooded.

HOW DO YOU THINK THE COMMUNITY DEALT WITH THAT?

They rallied round.

ANY OTHER BIG DRAMAS FOR TUATAPERE?

The flood was the biggest. 1950s they started the FOREST SERVICE here. Flourishing town and in 1980s closed the FOREST SERVICE down. A lot of empty shops. A lot of food and drink outlets that closed down.

TOURISM, HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT'S WORKED?

Yes it has. There is a terrific amount of tourist vans. The HUMP TRACK helped.

WHAT HAS IT MEANT FOR YOU AS AN ELECTRICIAN? HOW MANY ELECTRICIANS WERE THERE IN TUATAPERE?

Two. Enough work for both.

LATER YEARS?

Just me. The only one. No younger ones. Someone in ORAWIA. A lot of building with dairy sheds.

WHO DOES THAT?

They source their TRADESMEN from INVERCARGILL.

DO YOU DO MAINLY MAINTENANCE?

I try to do as little as possible. Not working. I go away to get a break, went away in MAY and again in AUGUST.

HAVE YOU GOT FAMILY?

Family of five. Four girls and a boy. Son works for an electrical firm in INVERCARGILL. Daughter at CLINTON, A&E nurse GORE HOSPITAL. Daughter INVERCARGILL she teaches at SOUTHLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL. Daughter in PERTH, another daughter at large. They leased the farm out she married to MURRAY ERSKINE they at present time at CROMWELL having three year break from the farm, had a trip to CANADA.

WHERE DID THEY DO THEIR SCHOOLING?

They did their schooling at TUATAPERE. One hundred years reunion in 2010. The first teacher came back in 1952 and taught again. It’s all to do with population. In 1980s the country areas became depopulated.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THOSE POLICIES?

A lot of them had to be done, The TE TUA school opened in 1900 and had fifty pupils before TUATAPERE even settled. All sawmills.

THERE WAS A TE TUA SCHOOL THAT CLOSED?

The music festivals in TUATAPERE HALL with all the other schools. There was a school at WAIHOKA. There were about twenty five schools now only three; BLACKMOUNT, CLIFDEN AND TUATAPERE.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT DAIRY FARMERS?

That's the way things go. There are as many cows on one farm now as there was in the whole district back then. We have a new sewerage scheme. It seems very unfair that the area so far from INVERCARGILL has to pay for a sewerage scheme at big town rates.

HOW IS THE HUMP TRACK GOING?

Well you were talking to JULIE down at the INFORMATION CENTRE. It needs to be better advertised. (ROBIN'S PARTNER said that she would love to walk the Track. She has flown over it. TRISH KING is the manager and ROBIN'S PARTNER'S daughter JULIE works there.) The men make the board walks at LINDSAY and DIXON and helicoptered in. Very much a community effort.

IS IT A TRUST MADE UP OF LOCAL PEOPLE?

Yes.

WHAT ARE THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT LIVING AT TUATAPERE?

I think it was a good place to bring up a family. Relaxed lifestyle. Close to lots of facilities. The beach and the bush.

WHAT ARE YOU INVOLVED IN?

I tried to be in less and less. Many years involved in VOLUNTARY AMBULANCE. JULIE is one of the senior members. They get a lot of work. Unfortunately.

DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN THE FUTURE LIVING ON HERE?

I intend to.

AM I RIGHT IN SAYING THE OLD PEOPLE SEEM TO BE REASONABLY WELL CATERED?

Yes. A DAY CARE CENTRE two days a week, MEALS ON WHEELS. Still have a community spirit. The people look after each other. That's probably the biggest thing. (An old lady will phone and say she can't turn her light on and ROBIN will go to assist. No matter how tired he is; Spoken by ROBIN'S PARTNER). That must be your community spirit ROBIN. You had better not leave. I need short breaks though. Seventy one last Monday.

Do you think that there is anything that the GOVERNMENT should be doing for TUATAPERE?

Well possibly is things but TUATAPERE always looked after themselves. You just get in and do it.