RUTH MATHIESON

Interviewer: Caroline Deverson

Abstracter: Judith Christie

Interview: 23 August 2006

00.12 Father VIC STEPHENS born at WESTWOOD, near RIVERTON on 24 June 1905. Was the thirteenth child of the family. One sister born later. Attended school at Wild(?), then RIVERTON SCHOOL for three months, then LONGWOOD SCHOOL when he moved there. Attended ORAKI SCHOOL, walking along the railway line to school.

01.44 Helped father on the farm when leaving school until 1923, when he got a job at Riverton with the GAS AND ELECTRIC COMPANY for one week, but not enough work for him and CHARLIE PORT. Then got a job at PARKINSONS in INVERCARGILL, working in a gang of ELECTRICAL INSTALLERS. People wanted to be hooked up to the electric so lots of work. Describes.

02.50 First electricity at RIVERTON HOSPITAL was in 1923.

03.10 Father boarded in Invercargill, travelling home by train which stopped at all stations on the way to Longwood.

03.30 Workers sent to CASTLE ROCK to wire up GILCHRIST’S home, stayed in the old school cottage. Visited his brother in MOSSBURN while there. Describes. Also wired up houses at SLOPE POINT, wired up houses, but no power available for a long time.

05.00 Sent up to WILDEN STATION, owned by ACTON ADAMS from CHRISTCHURCH, in a team of four. Describes

07.00 Father went up to ETTRICK in CENTRAL OTAGO – stayed in a cottage. At weekends, played football. One of the team owned a Dodge car – roads terrible.

08.00 Around 1934, father went to the WEST COAST, had a business with another electrician. Attended BIBLE CLASS there and played football for STAR RUGBY CLUB. Met self’s mother there, she was a typist for the LAND COURTS, working with Maori. Describes. Grandfather would accompany self’s mother to dances, as a lot of rough company.

10.30 Mother attended church, so may have met self’s father there. Mother worked in TAIHAPE in the North Island for a period, then father proposed and they married on 11 February 1936, living in the flat above the shop in GREYMOUTH’S main street, where self was born in January 1937.

12.00 FLOODING while living there. Father continued playing football.

12.40 Moved to ? on the WEST COAST in a house built by father. Sister born 1939.

13.00 Family moved to SOUTHLAND, staying for several weeks with parents at Longwood, then moved to Invercargill, and father worked at PARKINSONS. Did not serve in the war as ELECTRICIAN was a RESERVED OCCUPATION.

14.50 Father wired WAIPAPA POINT LIGHTHOUSE. Describes incident where father and colleague went fishing. Also wired up the keepers’ houses.

16.30 Lived in Tweed Street INVERCARGILL, then lived on the corner of Prospect Terrace and Inglewood Road. Self walked to SUNDAY SCHOOL from there. Stayed in Invercargill until 1945. Father spent some time at the MONOWAI STATION for five weeks.

17.30 Also wired up TE ANAU HOTEL with JOCK GRANT, ? MCGREGOR, TOM STEVENSON, TOM MCCLYMONT, JOHNNY WARREN, NED COSGROVE and ALEC BLACK. Also overhauled the TRANSFORMERS in WINTON.

18.00 CHARCOAL BURNER went on fire. Went PIG HUNTING at TE ANAU describes

19.30 Father a FAULTSMAN at WINTON, having to go out in stormy weather describes

20.30 Father became INSPECTOR, inspecting SAWMILL at BROWNS – bench jumped the rails and saw cut into it. Describes

21.30 Father apprenticed, then a registered electrician, then a faultsman, then an inspector. Worked in INVERCARGILL for SOUTHLAND ELECTRIC POWER SUPPLY.

22.00 In WINTON for three years. Grandfather died at Riverton, and self’s family moved there to a 100 acre farm at TARAMEA BAY. Twelve COWS TO MILK. Farm had rushes and stumps. CAMPING GROUND near property – father grew VEGETABLES to sell to the CAMPERS.

23.50 Father kept his ELECTRICAL TICKET until he died.

24.55 Father became involved in the TARAMEA BEAUTIFICATION SOCIETY. PLANTED OUT the BEACHFRONT in grass and shelter vegetation. Involved in BUILDING THE SOUND SHELL. Describes

26.40 Father built the TARAMEA BAY STORE when self was around 13 years old – self helped to serve in the shop. Also had a STALL AT THE BAY.

27.25 Father got a DONKEY called JACKO, charging the children a small fee for rides.

27.50 1956 was SOUTHLAND CENTENNIAL YEAR. Riverton had a PARADE OF FLOATS. Self on a float with fiancée, dressed as tennis players. ANNUAL CARNIVAL then held with stalls and beauty contests. Self entered in the MISS SOUTHLAND several times. Got second one year.

29.50 Father involved in EARLY SETTLERS ASSOCIATION, which was started by his father, EDWARD JOHN STEVENS. Parade held and funds gathered to start a MUSEUM in RIVERTON – one of the earliest settlements in Southland.

31.30 Mentions REV WOHLERS OF RUAPUKE ISLAND.

31.50 Father also a BOROUGH COUNCILLOR, with a special interest in the CAMPING GROUND. Build a CONCRETE TANK on the farm which SUPPLIED WATER.

32.40 Father SUBDIVIDED some SECTIONS on his farm and sold them off as more people were BUILDING CRIBS in Riverton. Lots of building going on at that time.

34.10 ROWING CLUB est. 1870s ran a REGATTA. Also a RUGBY CLUB the same year, and HORSE RACING. Lots of activities. Describes. Many people would travel to Riverton by TRAIN ON EXCURSIONS. Describes

37.20 Father keen on SEA FISHING from the back beach at Riverton. Family at the fish caught, along with mussels. Describes

39.00 In 1959 the SOUND SHELL was erected – self has photographs of this. MR SLEEMAN, a coalminer from MATAURA, was living at Riverton, would ask for donations of people who were at the beach to pay for improvements. CARNIVAL held from 1956 between CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR, and lots of people attended. SHOPKEEPERS from Riverton helped with the carnival, running stalls and assisting. COMMITTEE to organise it. PRIZES DONATED by Riverton businesses.

43.30 Parents attended PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH and children attended SUNDAY SCHOOL and BIBLE CLASS. MINISTER REV MANSON would pick children up to take them to church activities at the manse. Mentions TEMPLETONS, STEWARTS, HOPCROFTS as other church attending families. Father involved in church meetings.

45.15 Decision to build a NEW CHURCH in its 99th year.

46.12 Self became WIDOWED, and built a house on father’s section for her son and herself.

47.00 REMARRIED – no house at Longwood, so had a house built and moved out there. Parents still had the farm at Riverton. CAMPING GROUND had been moved up higher as the LOWER BLOCK was SUBDIVIDED. Parents built a house above the camping ground.

48.00 Father built a SAWMILL. Self went for HEAVY TRAFFIC LICENCE in one of the heavy vehicles. Father worked the sawmill, milling the timber for the new houses from trees cut down on the farm. Father’s brothers also had sawmills. Father was one of 14 children, some of whom stayed in Southland. Describes FATHER’S FAMILY at length. Self had 60 COUSINS.

55.00 Family members visited parents at Longwood on special occasions. Family kept in touch with each other.

56.30 Parents moved to BLENHEIM near the end of their lives. Describes other family members.

58.50 Father very attached to Riverton, but farm finally sold. Attended CHURCH IN BLENHEIM, but not happy there so attended another church which many Southlanders attended, including GEORGE ROBERTSON’S family, and ??? PANKHURST.

1.01.20 Father continued with DIVINING interest, finding underground streams and advising people on health matters.

1.02.00 Father also FOSSICKED FOR GOLD. Mentions MRS WILSON of ROUND HILL and involvement in WALLACE EARLY SETTLERS MUSEUM, granddaughter of CAPTAIN HOWELL, and her father was the MANAGER OF THE ROUND HILL MINING COMPANY.

End of Interview.