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Abstract of Roland Thomas KENNEDY, 2007

 Item — Box: 6
Identifier: H00400002

Overview

ROLAND THOMAS KENNEDY Interviewer: Nancy Burnett Abstracters: Jean Hawkes/W. Brent Coats

Disc 1: TRACK 1

00:00 Interview introduction

00:37 ROLAND THOMAS KENNEDY – Address given – Born 2 April 1916 - Studley, Bayswater, Southland – Details

01:09 End of Track 1

Disc 1 TRACK 2

00:08 Explains LOCATION of BAYSWATER ESTATE – YELLOW BLUFF to WREYS BUSH – Paralleled APARIMA RIVER – Estate based at HEDDON BUSH – Father had 1000 acres named STUDLEY – Named after stud SHEEP and HORSES – Explains

01:43 Paternal GRANDFATHER from BELFAST NORTHERN IRELAND Father WILLIAM KENNEDY - Born 16 September 1867 – Born at MOUNT PLEASANT, FAIRFAX – Was FARMER - Details

02:37 Father associated with SOUTHLAND AGRICULTURAL & PASTORAL ASSOCIATION – 1925 for following 10 years – Describes

03:36 Sister was DISTRICT PRINCESS for A & P fundraising – 1929 – INVERCARGILL MAYFAIR CARNIVAL – Details

04:38 Mother Edith BERTHA GIBBON - Born June 1887 at LIMESTONE PLAINS, FAIRFAX – Father relocated to NIGHTCAPS – Details Worked at MATHESON GROCERY, OTAUTAU – Wrapped many PARCELS - Worked with ADAM ADAMSON - Describes Mother was good WRITER - Details

07:52 Siblings – Oldest LILLIAN – Born 11 at STUDLEY - Attended GLADFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL – ARCHERFIELD HIGH SCHOOL, DUNEDIN – Won A & P ASSOCIATION PRINCESS contest – Married 1935 – Wedding at FARM - Lived in WANAKA - Details

09:47 Sibling - JANE – Born 1921 at STUDLEY - Attended GLADFIELD PRIMARY SCHOOL – SOUTHLAND GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL – WREN during WAR – Looked after ill parents – Worked POST OFFICE – Married RAY LUMSDEN (sp?) –Husband’s death – Died 2004 - Details

11:41 Siblings – Bill born 1912 at Studley – Farmed – JOHN MCGLASHAN COLLEGE – Returned to FARM – Had STANDARDBRED trotters – Served PACIFIC ISLANDS during WAR – Lived with Self and wife – Remained at STUDLEY – Died 2001 - Details

14:03 Sibing – OWEN – Parents moved to INVERCARGILL 1936 – FARMED at STUDLEY – Married – FARM split among brothers – Details

16:11 MEMORIES of STUDLEY – Teams of HORSES – FARM WORKERS helping – Self drove team age of 11-12 – Number of HORSES in TEAMS – Describes ATTENDED High School – MONEY for BOARDING in town – Helped on farm during DEPRESSION – Bought TRACTOR –Describes

19:36 [Self asks to stop interview]

19:45 [Interview resumes]

19:56 Parents moved to INVERCARGILL 1936 – FARM known as KENNEDY & SONS – Brother BILL and SELF on FARM – Brothers’ jobs – 1944 RENAMED to KENNEDY BROTHERS – OWEN joined – Details

21:38 BILL judged STOCK SHOWS – Self ran farm – SHEEP STOCKS included BORDER LEICESTER, ROMNEY, SOUTHDOWN – Details BILL enjoyed STANDARDBRED horses

23:33 GLADFIELD SCHOOL

Disc 2 TRACK 1

00:00 GIG and GOVERNOR'S CART repeated.

01:04 DRAY used to carry farming produce – heavy duty – Described. Also used in farm paddocks.

01:56 CLYDESDALES (draft horses) compared with 'BINGEN BROOK' (thoroughbred – harness hack) – Explained.

02:32 Father's pride in BINGEN BROOK – show prizes – very quiet. Trap called JINKER – Described.

03:06 Accident in JINKER – Described.

03:21 Accident in GIG – Model T FORD – Described. OTAUTAU – Mentioned.

04:19 16 horses to DRAIN PLOUGH/MOLE DRAIN – Described. Neighbours' horses used to make up numbers. 05:16 SWINGLE TREES (used with teams of horses) – Explained. Accident involving horse – Explained. LYNLEY DAHLENBURG – Mentioned.

06:06 BINGEN BROOK expensed (?) about 1925.

06:20 1929 things at a peak – 1930-31 tough years. Self at High School – boarding in INVERCARGILL – SOUP KITCHENS in INVERCARGILL – People out of work paid about ten shillings ($1.00) per week.

07:20 About 1934-35 some improvement. Cars put on blocks – couldn't afford to run them.

08:16 Newspaper used instead of socks in gumboots during farm tasks – Described. Mother's help to employees – Payment (15 shillings) to employees by farmer. Government supplement.

09:22 DAPHNE – knitting – all family members received knitted socks. Own mother the same.

09:48 [WAR YEARS]: BILL – GODLEY HEADS (Christchurch) – Explained. To WELLINGTON – Home on leave – Shipped to the islands – NEW CALEDONIA –

11:06 Island conditions described. Help from AMERICANS. Pre-packed (canned?) foods.

12:09 Little contact with BILL during war – Reasons and messages – Explained.

13:10 Photograph in paper of (War) Memorials – Mentioned. Families losses mentioned.

13:32 JIM GRANT'S 4 brothers served – 1 killed overseas – 2 shot up – mention of injuries.

14:01 Self and BILL both called up – MANPOWER COMMITTEE selection panel – BILL designated to go – Self man-powered to farm. 15:09 Had to grow linen flax for War Effort – Explained. Flax supplied – farmer responsible for all aspects of cultivation. Transport to RETTING FACTORY. Fibres used for ROPE MAKING.

16:07 Differences between native flax and linen flax – described. Special machines used to pull flax from ground – Described. Sheafs – Stooking – Harvesting. 17:30 Stooking – Described.

18:45 Loading sheaves for transport – Described. OTAUTAU - GLENBURN – Mentioned.

19:24 Processes at RETTING FACTORY – Described. Dried fibres to Rope Factory. BILL MILLER – Mentioned.

19:53 Weighing flax. Self did not witness this. Flax gown until war ended – need diminished quickly.

20:36 Wheat – Oats – Barley – more profitable. Horses needed chaff – Storage and feeding of chaff. Kerosene tins – adapted for other uses. 22:29 Bagging Chaff – Making strings to sew bags – Bags sewn while in paddock. Transport of chaff to barn – Bags thrown into loft – Described.

23:38 Weight chaff bag could be about 100 pounds (45 kilos). Bag of wheat 200 pounds (91 kilos) Bag of oats about 160 pounds (70 kilos)

24:23 Heads of wheat and oats described – Stalks determined amount of chaff. Chaff made from oats.

25:07 [BINDERS]: Three-horse binder – Described Binder and binding – Described

27:11 First binders used wire – twine used later.

27:33 Oats bound into sheaves – continuation of process described.

28:12 [KNOTTERS}: Described.

28:53 Binders cut oats and tied into sheaves Picked up by workers – Sheaf under each arm – Stook formed.

29:50 Problems for inexperienced workers – Described Heavy, hard work – Especially wheat

30:14 Tops of wheat used for wheatmeal – porridge – milled by FLEMING & COMPANY at GORE Oats used for CREAMOTA (porridge) – Wheat milled into flour Some turned into sheep or cattle feed. FLEMING'S FLOUR MILL in TYNE STREET, INVERCARGILL 31:04 Dealt through mercantile firm – Bags of grain on rail at OTAUTAU. NATIONAL MORTGAGE – LOAN COMPANY – WRIGHTSONS – Mentioned

31:31 Normally no set price for produce – relative to demand overseas and internally.

32:02 Judging right time to harvest – Explained Colour and formation assessed – Grain meters used now

33:48 End of Track 1

Disc 2 TRACK 2

00:07 [HOME GUARD]: Parades 2 or 3 nights weekly in DRUMMOND HALL – Described. Training Saturday afternoons – sometimes Sunday.

01:35 Only self and wife on farm of thousand acres – difficulties coping with farm work.

02:28 Uniforms and rifles issued towards end of war. FOREST HILL – practice shoot – no earmuffs etc – 303 rifles.

03:03 Camp at OTAUTAU – shortage of farm labourers – ARMY recruits used. WINTON – Mentioned. Provisions for men – morning tea – dinner – afternoon tea.

04:00 [LABOURERS] : Booked in advance – Rebooking due to weather – Capabilities of ARMY RECRUITS – Described. Unfamiliar with THRESHING MILL – PITCHFORKS.

05:04 THRESHING MILL – Explained. Straw stacking – problems for inexperienced people.

06:34 [THRESHING MILL]: Owner brought machine – wait for helpers – need to be shown what to do.

06:52 Self bought a HEADER in 1944 – 3 people to operate – wife drove tractor. 07:29 ARMY CAMP at OTAUTAU supplying labour to any farmer needing help for farm work – Explained. ARMY RECRUITS already trained and ready to go to war.

08:16 LAND GIRLS – Involved with LINEN FLAX – driving small tractors. 09:22 [THRESHING MILL]: Usually 10 men – needed to be fed – Breakfast about 7am – Contractors. DAPHNE – Mentioned. 10:15 Clarification of function of THRESHING MILL. Straw Stacks.

10:52 Making CHAFF and CHAFF CUTTER – Explained.

11:42 End of Track 2

Disc 2 TRACK 3

00:00 Identification.

00:18 [SHEARING]: Blade shearing – 100 sheep per day Brother BILL, TIM GRANT – Mentioned STUDLEIGH (?) – Mentioned

01:05 By comparison grandson shears 300 to 400 per day

01:22 Self did picking up as a school boy – father baled wool.

01:42 [WAR TIME]: Hard to get shearers – No help locally HEDDON BUSH – DUNEARN – Mentioned

02:15 Shearers started at 6 in morning – Breakfast – till 6 at night – Tea. Food at 9 o'clock – Dinner – Afternoon tea.

02:43 BRANDING of sheep – Lambs drafted off.

03:10 Machine shearing – second-hand machine bought – no one knew how to deal with it.

03:30 [BRANDING]: Each farm had own brand – YK = Young Kennedy – reasons for branding and process – Described

04:44 Branding phased out – effects on wool for overseas market. Marked wool removed by hand

05:09 [DRENCHING and DIPPING]: Reasons for dipping – process – Described. Sheep ticks – lice. Communal sheep dips – most farms had own dips.

06:12 'Swim' dip – Described. Sheep didn't like the smell Actual dipping process – Described

08:04 Start about 10 am to finish about 5 pm – Risk of chill for sheep.

08:15 Ticks and lice – Many varieties – Described. Effects of ticks on animals – Described Cattle and sheep ticks. AFRICA – AUSTRALIA – Mentioned

09:07 Movement of ticks – Effects on sheep – Need for dipping sheep

09:39 Sheep dipped once a year around April – for bad cases repeat in month or two. 10:01 COOPERS SHEEP DIP POWDER – Preparation and use – Described. Very strong smell – sheep reluctant to be dipped.

11:23 Wool discoloured because of ticks and lice.

11:47 Drenching – Reasons to drench – Comparison of past and present methods used Other animals besides sheep drenched. 12:38 Drenches designed to treat different health problems

12:58 Administering drench – improved techniques – Described.

14:50 [HORSES]: Effects of excess oats – Treatment – described.

15:45 Greasy heels on horses – Big problem – Causes and treatment – Described.

16:51 Gripe in horses – twisted bowel – effects on animals.

17:27 Care of horses paramount – needed to be fit to work

17:48 Grooming horses essential – sweating and gathering of dust a problem.

19:04 [DOGS]: Necessary for working with sheep – Needed to be cared for – Properly feed – Used border collies Some had kelpies and small Australian breed.

20:16 Dog man's best friend' – Well trained to work with cattle – sheep – geese – ducks.

20:34 Geese bred for Easter and Christmas.

21:00 Dogs most necessary at lambing time – Conditions explained – Dogs that 'eye' sheep rather than bark a lot

21:30 [RABBITS]: Menace for many farmers – Rabbits would eat all of grain crops HEDDON BUSH – TURI – SOUTH HILLEND – APARIMA – Mentioned

22:14 [FERRETS]: Tame ferrets used to hunt rabbits from their warrens – Described.

23:17 [GREYHOUNDS]: FRANK MALCOLM of HEDDON BUSH – Sunday meets for greyhounds to chase and catch rabbits and hares

24:34 End of Track 3

DISC 3: TRACK 1

00:05 Reference to birth certificate – Spelling of name not as requested or used. Explanation given. OTAUTAU Post Office – Mentioned.

02:00 Spelling of name – Problem completing passport – Described. 'Roland' back to KENNEDY in 11th century.

03:15 Community involvement – School Committee Secretary – 7 years until school closed JIM RYAN – Mentioned

04:24 [H & H MOTORS]: 1924 – GEORGE HEWTON started bus service – Arrival of bus at local school – Message for parents OAMARU – OTAUTAU – INVERCARGILL Mentioned

05:40 Route changed – Most farmers owned motor vehicles RINGWAY RIDGES – Mentioned

06:07 GEORGE HEWTON founder of H & H MOTORS – brother-in-law JIM HEENAN bus service OHAI to INVERCARGILL – Services merged. Another brother-in-law DEAN (?) bus driver. Covered most of WESTERN SOUTHLAND – 20 or 30 buses

07:07 Buses from TUATAPERE – OREPUKI – COLAC BAY – RIVERTON – OTAUTAU – NIGHTCAPS – OHAI – MOSSBURN – Mentioned

07:58 H & H merged with MOUNT COOK to McDERMOTT MOTORS of WINTON. INVERCARGILL PASSENGER SERVICES – Mentioned

08:35 Some services no longer running. Changing times.

09: 10 [THORNBURY VINTAGE MUSEUM]: Harvesting machinery – Back delivery fore-runner of grain binder – Described

10:49 First binders – Wire tied.

11:00 Early machine probably turn of century (ie 1900) – Restored by LES BROWN of RIVERTON

11:54 Bred own horses – Teams of geldings and mares – Clydesdale stallions from other farms served mares – young colts castrated

13:34 Care needed for mares due to foal

14:19 Training of young horses – Explained.

15:45 Clydesdales very quiet – Enjoyed working with them – Good workers

16:32 Most teamsters had favourite horses – Possible jealousy in team avoided All horses named – Responded to name – Names identified

18:03 Dressing of horses – Described

18:26 Exhibits for A & P (Agricultural and Pastural) Shows Preparation of sheep – Described

21:00 Presentation and breeding important for judging Top rams and ewes bought for breeding 21:29 Breeding criteria – Rams for sale AUSTRALIA – SYDNEY ROYAL SHOW – Mentioned

23:09 STUDLEIGH (?) – Father breeder of quality sheep – top horses – Sons followed in footsteps

23:41 Recollections of satisfying times in life – Many recalled – Self worked horses until 1935. Thousand acre farm (about 404.5 hectares) – Described 1939 arrival of excavators – Used for ditching

26:05 Best thing to happen to self – Marriage – Married for 65 years Both had good parents – Good grounding for future – Manners and respect

27:01 Brother BILL to SCOTLAND for Border Leicester rams – Brought one back but did not fit in

27:36 Ninety years a long haul – Good health valuable.

28:27 Self has seen and encouraged progress – Community work – Respect for others – Had 13 neighbours – 13 on Telephone party-line Hard work for women – Described

30:06 Travel on farm compared with present day – Use of electric fencing 31:36 End of Track 1

END OF INTERVIEW

Dates

  • 2007

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This abstract is not published online due to a "No Electronic Publication" request on Agreement Form. Access is available in person in the Archive Research Room.

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 Coordinator, c/o Invercargill City Libraries and Archives. No publication of material from this interview in any medium (electronic or print) is permitted as stated on the recording agreement form.

Extent

From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)

Language of Materials

English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository