Interviewee: Roger Robertson Sutton

Interviewer: Beth Cairns

Abstracter: Beth Cairns

PLEASE NOTE: THE TIMINGS IN THIS ABSTRACT RELATE TO THE ORIGINAL TAPE VERSION OF THE RECORDING AND NOT TO THE DIGITIZED VERSION

First Interview Date: 15 August 2000

Tape one: Side A

01.04 Childhood memories

01.12 Natural History

01.15 Fathers farm at TARAMOA

01.23 ORETI River across the road

01.29 Angling and hunting

01.39 Pukeko

01.48 Rabbits

01.60 Duck Hunting

01.98 Blade shearing – wool – 3 pence a pound

02.12 Draft horses

02.29 Pigsty

02.35 ORETI river flooding

02.44 LILBURN VALLEY – LILBURN and WAIAU rivers (rainbow trout, black fronted terns, deer). TAKITIMU MOUNTAINS

02.73 CLIFTON SCHOOL – creek – fresh water crayfish – geese. Cardegie Gardiner – emus

03.23 MANAPOURI Campaign

03.31 MAKAREWA – DOUG LECKIE, HEADMASTER

03.55 Rabbits, ferrets; selling rabbit skins.

03.78 Cabinet maker’s apprenticeship at POOLES

End of side A

Tape one Side B

01.40 Drafted into ARMY at age 18 – TERRITORIALS till 21 years old EGYPT. 23 INFANTRY BATTALION – SOUTH ISLAND men. 9th REINFORCEMENT. ITALIAN front – training in desert. Taught to shoot by BERT BLEE and GIB WILSON. SPECIALIST ASSAULT PLATOON- mines – snipers 01.07 Hand wire erected across river

01.52 Lifting mines with electronic mine detectors – lot of causalities. MONTE CASINO

01.96 SERGEANT in PLATOON

02.03 TRIESTE after two winters

02.42 War ended 8 May 1945 – War in JAPAN still on

02.55 Back to EGYPT – disbanded

02.74 Last casualties

02.91 Home on ITALIAN Luxury Liner

02.97 SNARES ISLANDS – sea birds

03.12 LYTTLETON – January 1946

03.19 Readjusting to civilian life

03.74 ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY

03.91 1957 SOUTHLAND EDUCATION BOARD making school furniture

End of side B

Tape two Side A

00.58 SOUTHLAND ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY established in 1867. GAMEKEEPER AND RANGER. HEAD RANGER was ERNIE DUNCAN

01.07 Controlling WHITEBAIT – preservation of wildlife

01.22 Rearing MALLARD DUCKS

01.28 Trapper – FRANK WOODROW

01.40 At end of season had 600 MALLARD DUCKS – Shoveller ducks eggs

01.82 RANGERS CONFERENCE in TURANGI – FRANK NEWCOME – DEPUTY CHIEF OF WILDLIFE DIVISION OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS -met JOHN BULL OF SOUTH CANTERBURY and HORRIE SINCLAIR OF OTAGO

02.17 Law Inforcement - set standards

02.64 Out in the field

02.84 Habitat replacement – duck ponds

02.91 SENIOR FIELD OFFICER

03.18 ANGLERS GUIDE written – first edition in 1962 now in 12th print – implemented by FRANK ALLAN

03.66 Better public relations

03.79 DUCK HUNTERS FORUM – 800 attended

03.92 RANGERS duties

End of side A

Tape two Side B

00.18 Wild Life service – DEPARTMENT ON CONSERVATION – FOREST AND BIRD PROTECTION SOCIETY – WETLANDS

00.36 Public speaking

00.60 Water quality – MATAURA – INVERCARGILL 01.00 Open cast mine at OHAI – channels turned to sludge – took 20 years to clean up 01.28 LAND DEVELOPMENT in UPPER CATCHMENT done by DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND SURVEY

01.44 Streams fences – upper ORETI and catchments

01.50 SOUTHLAND CATCHMENT BOARD formed in 1941 – DRAINAGE BOARD – straightened rivers

01.58 WAITUNA WETLANDS – OWEN MARSHALL – 8500 acres – SCIENTIFIC RESERVE

01.73 Alpine species growing at sea level

01.77 LAKE GEORGE surrounding wetlands

01.80 REDCLIFF WETLANDS developed 1977 – BILL SPEIGHT

01.89 WAITUNA WETLANDS given INTERNATIONAL STATUS

01.95 WAIMATUKU WETLANDS – Q E 11 NATIONAL TRUST ACT

02.02 Farm pond programme – 100 in one year

02.12 Stood for SOUTHLAND CATCHMENT BOARD in 1974. 5 GOVERNMENT nominees on Board. Served 15 years till SOUTHLAND REGIONAL COUNCIL formed

02.53 NATIONAL WATER AND SOIL CONSERVATION AUTHORITY. Allocation of funds to CATCHMENT BOARDS -eventually appointed to this Authority

03.02 Involved in Q E 11 NATIONAL TRUST set up in 1977. REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE for 18 years

03.27 DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION BOARD – served 9 years. TITI ISLANDS – NEW ZEALAND RED BREASTED DOTTERIL. SUB ANTARCTIC ISLANDS, SNARES, AUCKLAND ISLANDS, CAMPBELL ISLANDS

03.76 ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY involvement – walked 80 miles from Mountain to sea

03.99 MAIDA BARLOW, PETER MULLER and ROGER studied breeding biology on SPUR-WINGED PLOVERS

End of Tape Two Side B

Second Interview Date: 11 September 2000

Tape Three Side A

00.07 FISHERIES AND WILD LIFE MANAGEMENT; CATCHMENT BOARD; CONSERVATION BOARD – restricted powers; ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY; Q E 11 NATIONAL TRUST NEW ZEALAND ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY – SIR ROBERT FALLOW, SIR CHARLES FLEMING

00.51 NATIONAL RIVER PROTECTION SCHEME (MATAURA RIVER; WAIAU RIVER). SAVE MANAPOURI SCHEME – 13 years

01.47 1972 GENERAL ELECTION – NORMAN KIRK. GUARDIANS OF THE LAKES. PROF. ALLAN MARK made CHAIRMAN

01.75 MEMORIAL PLAQUE erected at MANAPOURI

01.84 OLD ELECTRICITY DEPARTMENT changed to ELECTRICITY CORP. OF NEW ZEALAND – ECNZ -RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACT passed in 1991

01.90 New Consents to continue to run the MANAPOURI POWER HOUSE and build a second tunnel by year 2001 -Group set up called WAIAU WORKING PARTY chaired by JAN RIDDLE

02.08 Restoration of some flow in the WAIAU RIVER -workable fish pass in MARAROA WEIR -allocation of TRUST FUNDS FOR COMMUNITY GROUPS -reduced flow of Waiau River restored the fishery

02.29 WAIAU FISHERIES AND WILD LIFE HABITAT ENHANCEMENT TRUST -restoring habitat -stream protection -provision of access to rivers -native fish habitat to TE WAE WAE LAGOON -land purchase to creating new wetlands -RAKATU FARM

02.70 develop new series of wetlands adjacent to REDCLIFF’S WETLANDS – eels, water associated birdlife

02.86 Largest Power generating Station built in a NATIONAL PARK. Public benefit and TOURISM increased

03.15 MONOWAI HYDRO DEVELOPMENT

03.37 “objection to the absolutely certain that it was thoroughly justified and never depart from the facts and the truth.” Association with well-informed people – health, family, friendships are what counts.

03.87 End of interview