H0361 Violet May HOWDEN

Interviewer: Richard Savory

Date: 16 August 2018

Abstracter: April Milligan

Track 1

00.41 Interview with VIOLET MAY HOWDEN, nee BEATTIE born 30 in 1929. VIOLET recalls living close to her parents the BEATTIE Family and her Grandparents the SOMERVILLE family especially her Grandmother (on her Mother’s side). The SOMERVILLE’s were early Settlers to OTAGO. Her Great Great Grandparents with 9 of a family came to NEW ZEALAND settling around the OTAGO Harbour area. 4-5 of the boys got property down at WAREPA and WAITEPEKA in SOUTH OTAGO and set up FARMING. Some of the Boys had a FLAX MILL and started a FLOUR MILL as they grew a lot of WHEAT and GRAIN in that area. Others started FLOUR MILLS so they moved into flax milling and SAW MILLING. Her Grandfather had come along and it was a FAMILY BUSINESS.

03.58 VIOLET’s Mother went to School at WAREPA (Inland from BALCLUTHA/OWAKA) with her older brother giving her a piggy back across the paddocks when she was a little girl. The land was open, rolling, sheep country. They had the opportunity to buy CROWN LAND at approximately. $10 an acre. The hills at the back would have had some bush cover. There would have been tussock and bracken growing. Some of VIOLET’s ancestors are buried there at WAREPA.

06.04 Her Mothers, Mother (SMITH) came from DUNEDIN and her Father was in WRIGHTSON’s (WRIGHT STEPHENSON’s) in DUNEDIN and shifted down to WAREPA when he got a bit of farm land too. Her Grandparents met at WAITEPEKA with her Grandfather being a SOMERVILLE and at that time working in the family firm. They had a family of 5, VIOLET’s Mother, 3 Brothers and a Sister. Her Grandmother believed there would be a better future on a farm at PINE BUSH. VIOLET’s Uncle was in his late teens when they shifted, 2 other brother’s (1 started school at WAREPA) were younger and Aunty Allison went to School at PINE BUSH. Her Mother (OLIVE SOMERVILLE) had left school.

08.26 OLIVE worked at her home. At this time VIOLET’s Grandmother had lost her Mother and her Grandfather married again, a younger woman. They had 4 boys, then he died, leaving his second wife living at KAKA POINT with the young boys. This lady also died leaving the boys orphaned. VIOLET’s Grandmother and her Sister (with a grown up family) each took 2 of the boys. 2 went to DUNEDIN and 2 went to the Farm (SMITH’s). They were brought up with the family attending school there.

10.22 OLIVE was very musical taking lessons in INVERCARGILL and lessons for oil painting too. About the 1890 era. She would have travelled by train from the Depot at TITIROA STATION (the BEATTIE Family had the Post Office at the Depot at TITIROA run by 2 single Aunts). Telegrams would come to this Depot. (Train travelling towards TOKONUI). Her younger sister’s job as a good horse rider would ride to the train (2 miles) every second night to get the mail and bring it back to the PINE BUSH FACTORY where there was a POST OFFICE in a little shed near the Factory and the house. The mail was sorted and collected by the factory workers the next day. Telegrams came to the Post Office at TITIROA too.

13.19 Violet recalls when she got to Standard 5/6 they travelled by train to Manual classes cooking, sewing) each Friday for one Term.

14.07 VIOLET’s Mother OLIVE, stayed living in the area and family on the farm at PINE BUSH, milking cows and running sheep too. They had a clay tennis court at their place and a lot of activity with so many in the family in the same age group.

TRACK 2

00.09 OLIVE was there helping her Mother until she got married.

00.13 OLIVE’s Father JOHN (JACK) BEATTIE was born at OUTRUM (27.11.1888) and was 2 when the family of 8 came to OTARA in SOUTHLAND to manage a farm owned by MR CHICK from PORT CHALMERS who owned a Hotel. MR CHICK started the Dairy Factory at OTARA visiting quite often. VIOLET’s Grandparents saw quite a lot of him.

02.19 The Family moved up to TITIROA in 1913 on the TITIROA FLAT which flooded and half the land on the hill (up towards PINE BUSH) (a new experience, thinking it would be like the TAIERI PLAINS).

03.58 JACK had been to WW1 before he came to TITIROA. He talked about the terrible time in FRANCE where he had been wounded at the SOMME, then sent to ENGLAND to recuperate. He was away for 4 years. VIOLET recalls seeing shrapnel injuries on his leg and this affected his health. Times were tough. He started farming after he came home, on extra land at PINE BUSH that his Father had bought up on the hill from MR WATERS. JACK’s brother who went to War was on the home farm at TITIROA with another Brother. JACK farmed cows and some sheep, with a lot of Bush on the farm. It was steep country with flat on top of the ridges and deep gullies. JACK cut down bush and planted potatoes which afforded the first car purchase. He batched for a while before marriage to OLIVE. VIOLET’s brother JACK eventually took over the farm. As children they played in the bush entertaining themselves (no TV).

08.23 VIOLET recalls memories of growing up in PINE BUSH. Starting School at 6 (changed from 5 for 2-3 years, possibly due to POLIO EPIDEMIC) walking to school, brother JACK 3 years older went on his bike. “At the most only 24 children but a nice wee school to go to.” Everybody knew everyone, including the parents. During the terrible polio epidemic we didn’t go back to school in the summertime, at the beginning of the year. Instead the family went down to a house at SLOPE POINT out of circulation.

11.08 VIOLET recalls there being a tennis court at the factory but not at school so was a disadvantage to play tennis, netball or basketball. She just played rounders’ and climbed trees for entertainment. Over the War years she mostly had women teachers only having 2 male teachers during Primary School years. They were all very good. One male teacher was very stern and used a strap and threatened people. VIOLET’s brother 3 years older indicated he would like to meet him again in later years. He was LEO BROTHELBANK who came from AUCKLAND to SOUTHLAND before the War.

13.13 The day War was declared that night, visiting a neighbour 1 quarter of a mile away, a pleasant evening for walking, it came over the radio. Were aware it could happen at any time because her Dad was a Returned Serviceman and listened to the 9.00 o’clock news where it was announced. VIOLET thought it was a terrible thing and then it went on for so long. From then on she followed it with a map on the school wall showing where the men were fighting. The neighbour’s young men were going away to War. There was a local send off for them with most going to join the Army but some to the Air Force and Navy. Everybody went to the send-off.

TRACK 3

00.05 Sometimes months after, word would come that one of them had been killed especially the ones in the Air Force. Not many local men returned from the Air force. A very sobering time. Had to grow up quicker because there was so much sadness around. If didn’t know them personally knew someone of the family who did. Everyone made the best of it.

00.52 No petrol to go far in those days and food rationing of tea, sugar, butter. VIOLET’s family milked cows and her Mother would make butter put it into a crock, put a brine over it for the winter supply. The brine was salt and water. Eggs were preserved by making up a liquid and putting the eggs in to use when the hens were off the lay. The preservative was very smelly and was kept in the washhouse. One time lightning struck at MAC’s Uncle and Aunts place and smashed all the eggs in the tin they were in.

02.15 Wash time involved using the copper. The copper was a big cylinder tub with a fireplace underneath it. It was stoked up to heat the water very hot. Some washhouses had a hot water pipe and VIOLET’s did. The clothes were put in the copper and stirred with a wooden stick before putting into the next tub with cold water to rinse, then wringing it into a tub with blue water. (RECKITTS BLUE BAG) Then wring it out and put it on the line. (No dryers in those days) There was a good long line positioned to the North. Washing day was a full day job. VIOLET’s family got a BEATTY washing machine fairly early on so she didn’t need to help. A big improvement.

03.42 VIOLET’s mum preserved fruit because the SOMERVILLE Grandparents had a big garden including a big covered area where they grew berries. Blackcurrants, redcurrants, raspberries, gooseberries, when ready took them down to harvest. They were made into jam. Fruit was also preserved. VIOLET’s Father believed in the goodness in oranges so beautiful AUSTRALIAN ORANGES arrived in a crate – a big double wooden box created like a crate. Each orange was wrapped in tissue paper VIOLET lived on these oranges perhaps keeping her healthy. Father was a great believer in fruit. They came from Australia in the season as they weren’t grown here then.

05.18 Mum made the most of everything as it was before freezers. Meat was killed sharing with the neighbour turnabout (approx. fortnightly). A HOGGET would be killed then cut in half, one for each family and you only had the meat safe to keep the meat in from spoiling. In the winter a CATTLE BEAST would be killed and shared around.

06.16 During the War everything was rationed. Sugar rationing became a problem when you were preserving fruit and other things were tried but not so successfully.

06.37 VIOLET’s brother Jack had to help milk cows and she had to feed the calves including teaching them to drink. VIOLET’s Dad was sick so JACK had to get his traffic licence early at 14 years with the Traffic Cop coming home to take him for his Licence. Before that VIOLET recalls a Horse and cart was used to take the milk to the TITIROA FACTORY until it closed, then going to PINE BUSH with JACK driving the truck.

08.08 JACK was 18 years when the War finished and he got called up for the TERRITORIALS but never got into camp. VIOLET’s single Uncle was on the home farm but was called up and had to sell the cows. 2 other Uncles who were married looked after the farm. One Man in the district had to get a Manager (a man not fit for active service) on his farm even though he had 3 of a family. Even if you were working the land and contributing to all the produce being sent to ENGLAND to feed them over there.

09.41 Farm was up a little side road so didn’t get SWAGGERS. VIOLET recalls her Grandparents having them at TITIROA. Her experience with a swagger was at SEAWARD DOWNS after her marriage. “Possibly many were there because they got on the drink, did a bit of casual work, then moved on “. Just a few after the war.

10.52 After PINE BUSH SCHOOL VIOLET recalls going to TECH [SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE] on the bus which ran from WAIMAHAKA to INVERCARGILL every day with [name unclear] the driver. VIOLET was picked up after 8.00am, missing Assembly but arriving for First Period and dropped off at the School. To go home they had to walk around to the H&H Bus Garage (corner DON & KELVIN ST) to catch it at night leaving at 4.00pm. Getting home about 5.30 depending on how crowded the bus was (only transport for many without cars). This was during the War so many Teachers were female with a few older men.

12.30 VIOLET did HOME ECONOMICS [Girls Subjects] cooking, sewing, a bit of commercial, history, art, phys ed. Classes were completely separate from the boys. The only mixing was lunchtime. Sometimes in the winter when it was wet someone would play a tune on the piano and we’d get up and dance in the Assembly Hall.

13.25 Discipline was fairly strict but the boys used to get the cane. MR CHARLIE STEWART was the Head Principal and boys would be sent to him. Not a big man but very strict. We came from all around SOUTHLAND to TECH. Violet, “thought it a good school and she enjoyed it, meeting lots of girls from the Western District, some becoming lifelong friends”. Some came by train and some by bus. A group of these girls (18-20) met up once a year for lunch to catch up with each other ‘till there was only 3 left’.

TRACK 4

00.06 VIOLET attended TECH for 2 years leaving at 15 years to help on the farm and big garden. Her Mother didn’t keep very well. VIOLET got her Licence with her brother teaching her to drive the car. She met the Traffic Cop at WAIMAHAKA in her Fathers car, drove around some country roads, including JACK’s HILL, (very steep) stopping half way up before taking off again and so you gained your Licence after a few questions.(no written test or town driving)

01.45 Her Dad’s car was a MORRIS and VIOLET recalls taking it to dances. There was very few young men in the District so it was all girls. Her brother Jack preferred to go skiing and not to dances or socialising. Would fill the car with girls and go off for the night dressed up in our ball dresses. VIOLET never drank being the driver, at the time you had to go outside the hall to do that in the cars.” None of the girls drank, we danced to lovely music and socialised”. We drove down to FORTROSE, up to SEAWARD DOWNS, WAIMAHAKA, MATAURA ISLAND and WYNDHAM.

03.12 VIOLET met MAC at a dance. Met all the young people around because everyone was doing the same thing. No need for a boyfriend. Before that MAC hadn’t taken much notice of her. Sometimes a passenger would get a lift home with a boy. MAC and VIOLET got engaged after 10 months and married 9 months after that. Knew each other well before going out because both local. (10 miles) Furthest would have been TOKONUI or FORTROSE (16 miles).

05.15 VIOLET recalls one night the WAIMAHAKA Storekeeper’s son had the grocer van and BOB’s lights failed when he was ready to come home so she drove ahead for the van to follow home.

06.12 Violet recalls her wedding day being very cold with a hard frost to be followed by a fine day. The service was 11.30 am at FIRST CHURCH, INVERCARGILL, then to ELMWOOD GARDEN which was a wedding venue. (Also where their Golden Wedding was held 50 years after.) A wedding dance was held back at WAIMAHAKA that night which was an open invitation and a band for dancing.

07.02 For the Honeymoon VIOLET and MAC travelled up to CHRISTCHURCH and back through the centre of the SOUTH ISLAND to home again to set up in the new house on Friday the 13th (1953). VIOLET’s Father (IRISH) thought the date was bad luck.

07.48 Not much was shifted as they started with new furniture. Girls had Glory Boxes filled with needle work done in the evenings e.g. sewing or knitting. Put sheets and towels away which were short even after the war, so could set up house. (Coupons continued for some time after the war, so many coupons for a towel (from EGYPT) or sheet, like food rationing) SEAWARD DOWNS had a lot of young couples come into the district at that time so had a lot of friends. Families grew up together, went to school together, were social and it made a good life with a happy district.

10.25 VIOLET joined WOMEN’s DIVISION (Rural Women’s Organisation) meeting older people. It involved putting on amateur concerts, going on trips like to; EGLINGTON VALLEY and MILFORD one time and HAWEA and WANAKA another with a night away, also DUNEDIN.

11.21 VIOLET and MAC retired to EDENDALE. When their son got married he lived in the cottage and after 10 years they bought a house in INVERCARGILL but VIOLET and MAC kept returning to the cottage for MAC to help on the farm. This meant they could be with the Grandchildren as they grew up. Family was the most important.

13.13 VIOLET recalls the Library at SEAWARD DOWNS in the corner of the Recreation Ground, opened every Friday night to change books. Before TV, people read a lot more and were more social. At VIOLET’s parents’ home people would come and play cards, 500. During the war you were raising funds with concerts, with VIOLET’s Mother being the pianist lots of people came back to practise singing. Anyone with talent was used. After the concert there was a Bring & Buy sale of donated goods, making 100’s of pounds for funds for the war to the Patriotic Committee in INVERCARGILL to distribute.

TRACK 5

00.03 Ladies knitted socks, balaclavas and sleeveless pullovers for the soldiers. Everyone was busy working with their hands. Patriotic parcels were sent overseas, including biscuits and fruitcake. Ladies would make fruitcakes, sultana cakes (a recipe was followed because it had to keep for travel) or ginger biscuits, with cigarettes, pack them into tins (old syrup tins) which were soldered down (lids) put in flour bag (old bags, bleached and washed) type material, spending a night hand stitching very tightly 24-25 parcels up in an evening. The soldiers name was put on the parcel (18”x18”). Some were sent to friends in TORQUAY, ENGLAND from men her Father had met in the First World War. Everything arrived in good order. The friend of her Father’s daughter sent photos but never got them, they went down on a boat. Soldiers sent a censored letter back to thank us.

003.37 VIOLET recalls living on bikes all the time to get a round because with rationing there was no petrol to go far during the war. She wondered if it would ever end as 5 years was a long time for the young.

04.46 After the war VIOLET recalls as a teen a happy life with holidays often at STEWART ISLAND. Her Dad loved the sea and he’d hire a boat for fishing for the day. There was swimming. TE ANAU was another holiday.

06.08 VIOLET makes comment on Grandchildren.

06.17 MAC comments that 34 young SEAWARD DOWNS men went to WW2 with 3 not returning. At least 3 families had 3 sons go to war (MARTIN’s, WELSH’s, LEMON’s). “The Distract was really skimmed of manpower”.