Valmai (Val) Evans

Interviewer: Lloyd Esler

Abstractor: Karen M Jones

Date: 21 July 2008

TRACK 1

00:00 Interview identification

00:50 Early days and being a part of CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR Family in WWII

01:04 Self was 9 years old when father was away at DETENTION CAMP about 1940/1941 to end of war. Mentions.

01:26 Self and mother farmed at WAIMATUA milking cows by hand on 300 acre property. No Mechanics on farm. Describes.

02:13 Self (only child) and mother “scraped” by living. Father paid while in camp. Explains.

02:28 Family name is EVERETT. Mentions.

02:37 A lot of anti-feeling in the district because of the CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION. Mentions.

02:45 Self’s schooling at WAIMATUA SCHOOL. Self was always in trouble for being late to school due to before school chores. Describes.

03:04 Farms were directed with where their supplies of MILK and CREAM went during WWII. Explains.

03:15 CREAM Lorry came once a week to pick up the CREAM CAN for the BUTTER FACTORY, INVERCARGILL. Details

03.48 Separated MILK went to PIG farmer, who collected it infrequently from a big iron tank. Smell was “rather high”. Describes.

04:31 There was a good supply of MILK in the house. Recalls.

04:58 BUTTER was RATIONED, so they made their own BUTTER. Describes

05:31 MOTHER was unwell and self was a child. Family was mostly given vegetables. Describes.

05:51 There were about 4 acres of potatoes in the ground when FATHER taken to camp. People from INVERCARGILL came and helped dig them out. A fun time. Recalls.

06:25 A kindly neighbour who brought family half a ton of LIGNITE. No heating. Mentions.

06:40 Another neighbour who sometimes chopped wood for food. Mentions.

07:04 No one else would help much. Mentions.

07:08 Self only had stock whip, which she became very adept with, to bring in COWS. Neighbour over the road would send his dogs into the SWAMP area to chase the cows out. Recalls.

07:43 It was cold, miserable, unhappy times. Mentions.

07:58 Father’s CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION was based on religious grounds. Explains.

08:43 Father refused to go to war in court and was taken away to the police cells. Describes.

08:50 Father crying when taken away. Recalls.

09:06 Father taken to the NORTH ISLAND farm first then shifted to METHVEN farm. Has a list of the people father was with. Mentions.

09:33 Father worked on the FARM and had also OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY. Describes.

09:42 Father made little boxes with inlay work. Describes.

10:13 Father wrote letters to them and would also get LEAVE to see his family. Those were unhappy times. Recalls.

10:40 Father was in the camp for approximately 2.5 years until 1944. Mentions.

11:02 Self was ostracized at SCHOOL. Recalls.

11:34 Family came into INVERCARGILL on the TRAIN for supplies once a week. Describes.

11:58 Groceries were brought from the SELF HELP, TAY STREET, INVERCARGILL. Recalls.

12:29 SELF HELP stores printed RECIPE BOOKS. Self still has one. Mentions.

12:42 DIET was unexciting. At the end of the week they were having “broth”. Describes.

13:30 As self was only child, entertained self at home. Self learnt the DOMESTICS. Details.

14:09 LIVING CONDITIONS. No ELECTRICITY. KEROSENE lamps and cooking on WOOD RANGE. No BATHROOM. Describes.

15.01 End of Track 1

TRACK 2

00:01 LIVING CONDITIONS: BATHING continued. Details.

01:04 Lunches at SCHOOL were meagre. Describes.

01:33 Apples were given at SCHOOL along with the ‘Foul’ MILK. Mentions.

01:48 After the WAR father came home to the farm. Mentions.

02:02 Father was home on leave, milking the cows in the dairy shed. Recalls.

02:47 Neighbours harvested a crop of red clover HAY for family. This and OATS used for feeding the cows. Hard work. Explains.

04:32 Father had HENS but they were gone at that stage. Self didn’t have much. Mentions.

04.44 Father was a RABBITER. Self enjoyed cooked rabbit. Father used to sell the whole rabbit and then the skins only were sold. Rabbit truck picked them up. Describes.

05:23 WARDS at BLUFF and CRUICKSHANKS (interviewer adds detail). Mentions.

06:01 Self sent to TWEEDSMUIR INTERMEDIATE, INVERCARGILL by the WAIMAHAKA bus. Late for school. Describes.

06:37 Self caught the bus at the corner of TWEED STREET and ELLES ROAD. Self would buy a roll of LIQUORICE for a penny from shop on the corner. TRAMS used to go around the corner and down ETTRICK STREET. Recalls.

07:05 Self went to SOUTHLAND GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL for secondary education by school bus. Self was picked up at the WAIMATUA SCHOOL CROSSING, via MOKOTUA and RIMU to INVERCARGILL. Recalls.

07:40 Self biked 1 mile to and from the crossing. Mentions.

07:51 Self did a COMMERCIAL COURSE at High School and finished with SCHOOL CERTIFICATE. Mentions.

08:00 Self’s first job was at BANK OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, now ANZ. Across the road was the UNION BANK. Self promoted to “Burroughs? Machinist.” Recalls.

09:15 No general public feeling to being from a CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION family. Self affected. Mentions

09.26 Self, 21yo, left the church she was in. Therefore self had no family, friends or peers. Recalls.

10:55 Father was in the church until his death, however mother left the church. Mentions.

11:04 Father moved to CHRISTCHURCH. Father was unwell and sent back to INVERCARGILL. Father wanted self to come back to church. Recalls.

11:48 Self built new life. The effect was “Misfit”. Explains.

13:05 Self does not have anything to with family. ‘Shouldn’t have a wireless, nor TV.” Recalls.

13.50 Self meets Len (Husband) at a wedding dance in a house. Recalls.

15.01 End of Track 2

TRACK 3

00:01 Self meeting Len continued. Details.

00:05 Relation is CHARLIE EVERETT. Mentions

00:09 HOUSE is two As on either side with hallway down the middle. Mentions.

00:28 CHARLIE EVERETT is self’s uncle, married to LEN’s half-sister. Mentions

00:40 The wedding dance was held in the NORTH HALL. Self refused first dance with Len as she had never been to a dance. Recalls

01:28 Len announced to his parents in front of self he was going to marry her. Recalls

01.54 Self and Len celebrated 50 years married and have never been apart. Recalls.

02:25 At wedding father did not go into church. Mother dead. Mentions

02:41 After engagement self, aged 22/23yo went home to tell mother. Mother’s death. Describes.

03:21 While married, self worked for LINDSAY’s PORK, next door to YMCA building. Sole office operator. Mentions

04:14 Self worked for HARGRAVES, next to WENSLEY”S BIKE SHOP. Mentions.

04:53 LINDSAY’s PORK, BACON and SMALL GOODS Factory situated approximately the corner of ETTRICK STREET and ELLES ROAD, INVERCARGILL. Mentions

05:12 SCHROEDERS was next to SELF HELP, TAY STREET, INVERCARGILL. Mentions

0.5:22 HARGRAVES HARDWARE. Self was pregnant. Self was fired due to allegations of theft. Describes.

06:01 Self had three daughters. Family lived in FROME STREET, CLIFTON. Sad times. Mentions.

06:36 Family shifted to BRANXHOLME, before WATERWORKS. RAILWAY ENGINES in bank. Recalls

07:09 Self pregnant with second daughter. Terrified that she would be on her own when baby came. Husband worked at FREEZING WORKS. Family had one vehicle. Describes.

07:38 Family bought section, 27 HOLLOWAY STREET, INVERCARGILL from FRANK HOLLOWAY. First house to be occupied on the section. Mentions. 07:53 The WOLSELEY car was sold to buy section. Bought BEDFORD VAN. Recalls.

08:27 £550 paid for quarter acre section. A lot of money (interviewer). Recalls.

08:48 It was the only NON-SPEC house in area. They built their own house by using FAMILY BENEFIT. Grim times. Explains.

09:38 BAINFIELD ROAD was a mud road when self was a child. Area was a swamp with beef cattle. Details.

10:04 BERT MUNRO had a training track in area. Recalls

11:06 Self’s family did not approve of the marriage. Describes.

11:28 Three daughters and four grandchildren. One grandson in AUSTRALIA with father, granddaughter with YWAM, two at school in HAVELOCK. Details.

12;46 End of Track 3