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Abstract of Walter Alexander EXCELL, 2021

 Item — Box: 63
Identifier: H04510002

Overview

Interviewee: Walter Excell

Interviewer: David Van Tongeren

Abstracter: Unknown

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

Recorded: 7th September 1994

Side A

00.13 Introduction MR WALTER EXCELL, LEET STREET, INVERCARGILL

00.44 Mother’s name: MARGARET YOUNGSON, a farmer’s daughter and tailoress

00.64 Father’s name: WALTER EXCELL (SNR)

00.97 Sisters: MARGARET AND JOYCE

01.12 Brothers: ERNIE, GEORGE, ALBERT (SQUIB), ALF

01.25 Educated AT NIGHTCAPS, OHAI (LITTLE WAIRAKI SCHOOL), SOUTHLAND BOYS HIGH SCHOOL (CONON STREET) and (HERBERT STREET), DUNEDIN TEACHERS TRAINING COLLEGE

01.77 Sole charge TEACHER in small country schools. Taught in ten small primary schools in SOUTHLAND as a relieving teacher

01.86 Bought up in NIGHTCAPS and OHAI

01.96 Joined unemployed miners and went down to BLUE CLIFFS to fish for flounders. Found it more profitable to sell flounders locally TUATAPERE. He was the deerstalker among them. They lived on flounders, venison and potatoes

02.13 Taught in full-time position at HAMILTON BURN SCHOOL

02.26 Courting a girl called MARY FORBES who later became his wife

02.34 Dismissed from teaching when war came along and he became a conscientious objector

02.38 Sentenced by the COURT to “detention for the duration”. For keeping a diary he was transferred to WAIKUNE PRISON”

02.59 Got married in 1938 to MARY FORBES in FIRST CHURCH

02.97 Released from prison in 1946 he was de-barred from teaching in state schools because of his being a conscientious objector

03.03 Worked as a trucker in the BLACK DIAMOND mine until mine was worked out

03.21 Started work in a mine at WAIRAKI

03.56 Took a position in WANGANUI as a TEACHER at “Friends School”

03.70 Moved back to INVERCARGILL and got a position teaching at SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE

03.92 Belongs to NZ FOREST AND BIRD SOCIETY

04.30 Relieving teacher at TOKANUI, staying at HAGAN’S BOARDING HOUSE (tells tale of BOB the drover)

04.56 Detonating Fish – ERNIE and I decided to try something different, fishing with electric detonators

End of side A

Start of side B

00.05 WAIRAKI MINE dug under the township of OHAI, buildings started falling down

00.23 Mine horse falls down mine

00.34 Was a TEACHER at the time the LINTON MINE blew up (tells of accident and what caused it)

00.71 Deer hunting at TEANAU in 1940s

01.00 Punt over the WAIAU RIVER not a bridge

01.70 Boating up DUSKY, DOUBTFUL and MILFORD SOUNDS.

02.65 MOSSBURN – DUNROBIN. Very heavy snow in those days – tells of snow raking

02.83 Sent friend in AUCKLAND a letter on which he wrote “this envelope has been soaked in 5gm of pure SOUTHLAND water which may be recovered by sucking the envelope.”

03.07 GAVIN BRIGHTON – the story of the “first and only train holdup in SOUTHLAND”

03.36 NURSE SARAH WATT – the story of the “triplet lambs”

03.56 WALTER EXCELL (snr) the story of the “local carrier and WALTER”

03.78 WALTER EXCELL (snr) the story of the “hairdresser and the gold”

03.94 WALTER EXCELL (snr) the story of “Judas and the dunny tin”

End of side B

Dates

  • 2021

Conditions Governing Access

For access please contact the Southland Oral History Project Coordinator at sohp@ilibrary.co.nz.

Conditions Governing Use

The contents of Southland Oral History Project collections are subject to the conditions of the Copyright Act 1994. Please note that in accordance with agreements held with interviewees additional conditions regarding the reproduction [copying] and use of items in the Southland Oral History Project collections may apply. Please contact the Southland Oral History Project Coordinator for further information at sohp@ilibrary.co.nz.

Extent

From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)

Language of Materials

From the Record Group: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository