Interviewer: Janice Templeton

Abstracter: Jean Hawkes

TRACK 1

00:00 Interviewer identification.

00:43 Bill born January 1922 in COUNTY TYRONE, NORTHERN IRELAND 01.20 Father – ADAM COLHOUN born April 1898. Farmed on URBRELEIGH [probably URBALREAGH]. Arrived DUNEDIN November 1926. Uncle in NEW ZEALAND.

02:49 Mother, ISABEL SERVICE, died in IRELAND.

03:27 Stayed with father's uncle at OUTRAM, OTAGO. 04:06 No recollections of mother. No research done by Bill.

04:43 Father employed on farms. Coal, timber & hardware business at OUTRAM. 05:43 Fading memories of being part of family at OUTRAM.

06:27 Volunteered for Navy in 1941. EDENDALE (Mother's brother here) – Mentioned. TAIERI – Mentioned.

07:35 Attended SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE FOR 2 years. Engineering. 08.06 Worked on uncle's farm.

08:38 Process of Volunteering for Navy – Described. Grandfather in Merchant Navy. Father called up did not go. DUNEDIN, OTAGO MOUNTED RIFLES, AUCKLAND – Mentioned.

11:44 Training in AUCKLAND – Described. DEVONPORT, 'LEANDER' – Mentioned. Activities in PACIFIC – Described. American Task Force – Mentioned.

15:00 End of Track 1.



TRACK 2

00:01 TULAGI [SOLOMON ISLANDS] – Mentioned. Conditions at GUADALCANAL – Described.

01:24 Reunions – Mentioned. Southlanders, Englishmen on LEANDER. Returned to NEW ZEALAND after war.

02:36 BOSTON, QUINCY (USA), BETHLEHEM HINGHAM SHIPYARDS – Mentioned. 03:03 Destroyer escort to NORTHERN IRELAND. FOYLE RIVER – Mentioned. LIZERHELATE [ ? not found either in Northern Ireland or Massachusetts] BOSTON – Mentioned.

03:39 Visit to grandparents (father's parents), 21 Fountain St ( Northern Ireland) – Described. ISABEL SERVICE – Mentioned. MUFF (Northern Ireland) – Mentioned.

07:14 Ship 'paid off' – Bill one of twelve stayed behind. DEVONPORT in CORNWALL in ENGLAND – Mentioned. HMS 'TYLER' – Mentioned.

08:21 Served with British Navy. 08:56 LEANDER – 28 killed or missing. Torpedo strike – Described. Burial at sea – Mentioned. 10:49 DEVONPORT (CORNWALL). On 'ACHILLES' in PORTSMOUTH. 11:17 D-Day 1944, PORTSMOUTH, SCOTLAND, 'ACHILLES' – Mentioned Invasion of FRANCE – Mentioned.

12:46 SCAPA FLOW – Mentioned. Volunteered for Submarine Service. Not accepted, ear problem. 14:08 THURSO in SCOTLAND, 'ACHILLES', LONDON, DEVONPORT in CORNWALL – Mentioned. Conditions – Described. BELFAST...

15:00 End of Track 2



TRACK 3

00:03 To BELFAST on brand new ship, minesweeper HMS 'CHEERFUL' – Described. HMNZS 'OTAGO' – Mentioned. HARWICH (South east coast of ENGLAND) [ESSEX] – Mentioned.

01:28 Duties of minesweeper – Described. SHOEBURYNESS – Mentioned. Ship's degaussing gear – Described. Types of mines – Described. Bill's position – Engineer's Writer (recording all movements of ship) 05:43 Mine clearing continued after the war GERMANY – Mentioned. Fraternisation Ban – Described. WELSH and RUSSIAN Guards on duty at barracks [named but name unclear] 07:45 Returned to ENGLAND. Came home on aircraft carrier 'ATHELING' – Described. DEVONPORT, COLOMBO, MELBOURNE, AUCKLAND, WELLINGTON, LYTTELTON – Mentioned. 10:30 Journey on Troop Train (from LYTTELTON) – Described. TEMUKA, BURN [?Vern] PARKES of BLUFF, DUNEDIN, EDENDALE – Mentioned.

11:44 Re-union with father – Described. MAVIS (McDONALD), DUNEDIN, OUTRAM – Mentioned.

12:38 Correspondence with MAVIS – Described. Food parcels. Cigarettes – Described. 14:23 Meeting MAVIS – Described. EDENDALE – Mentioned...



TRACK 4

00:03 MAVIS... TECH, OTA CREEK, OUTRAM – Mentioned. Courtship – Described.

02:26 MAVIS worked for her uncle. Letter writing. OUTRAM – Mentioned. Return to EDENDALE. Engagement. Marriage.

05:40 Lack of money. House in GRASMERE (INVERCARGILL). Royal Show 1948 – Mentioned. SOUTHLAND BUILDING SOCIETY – Mentioned. Rehab(ilitation) Money. 07:04 MAVIS on farm until she came to town. BERT WELSH (Building Society Manager) – Mentioned.

08:12 Shearing. Pay rates. LUMSDEN SHEARING SCHOOL, INVERCARGILL, DACRE, JIM SWALE, DIPTON – Mentioned.

09:16 Bought first farm in 1956 – 15 acres MAKAREWA. Moved to NORTH MAKAREWA.

09:54 Children, JOHN 1950 and ISABEL1952, born while at GRASMERE Twins DAVID and DIANE 1956, HELEN 1962.

10:55 Memory for dates. Eyesight problems.

11:05 GRASMERE, MAKAREWA – Mentioned.

11:28 Continued shearing. Worked at freezing works at MAKAREWA, also wool store. CHARLIE JOHNSON – Mentioned. Seasonal work – Described. Skinned calves, solo butcher, wool room – Described. 13:32 Processes used to remove wool from pelts – Described... 15:00 End of Track 4



TRACK 5

00:02 Treatment of pelts continued... KOREAN WAR – Mentioned.

01:44 Solo butchering – Described.

02:49 End of Track 5



TRACK 6

00.06 More about solo butchering – Described. Payment for 'stickers' – Described.

06:41 Working days including farm work – Described. 07:30 Eldest son on 300 acres (JOHN on original farm), youngest son (DAVID) next door.

08:02 Management of farms – close to freezing works at MAKAREWA. Sons went to LINCOLN. MAVIS'S involvement with farm duties – Described. MASSEY FERGUSON tractors. KAWASAKI 2-wheeler, progressed to 3-wheeler then 4-wheeler.

12:12 Stock numbers, sheep – Described. Grew some wheat. Hand-milked 3 dairy cows. Dairy factory – Mentioned. Romney then Coopworth sheep. DAVID (son) Coopworth, Polled Dorset, Dorset Down, Perendale and Texel stud breeder. 14:24 Children's education – MAKAREWA SCHOOL, SOUTHLAND TECH. HELEN first dux of CARGILL HIGH SCHOOL, now in CHRISTCHURCH...

15:00 End of Track 6

TRACK 7

00:00 HELEN'S family – 2 boys, 1 girl. Doctorr of Clinical Psychology. Husband an accountant. CANTERBURY earthquake (Sept 2010) – Mentioned.

01:07 JOHN – SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE to LINCOLN gained VFM (Valuated Farm Management) and Diploma in Farming. Took over family farm. Father and son swapped houses.

02:34 DAVID – went to TECH and LINCOLN. Did not take VFM. Bought farms at TISBURY, CLIFDEN, KENNINGTON. Lease of other farms – BARBER, HUNT (towards DACRE), MAKAREWA.

04:50 JOHN married GABRIELL

05:15 DAVID was married, now with a partner.

05:46 JOHN 'dealing' (buying in lambs to sell to freezing works) . Has own flock of sheep. 06:35 DAVID scanning of sheep, cows, horses. Men employed.

07:55 House Bill lived in temporarily occupied by grand daughter.

08:05 ISABEL – went to SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE. Prefect. From school to nursing at hospital. Married, lived in Walker Street, RIVERTON. DIANE, HELEN, SWAN ROAD [WAIMATUKU], NOEL – Mentioned. ISABEL had 3 children – ADAM, CATHERINE, TORI (VICTORIA).

10:56 DIANE – school teacher. Husband doctor of dentistry. DUNEDIN, OTAGO UNIVERSITY – Mentioned. Twins – ASHLEY and DAVID. Total of three girls and one boy. NICOLE, CHELSEA. 12:26 Bill not really involved with community stuff. MAKAREWA HALL and SCHOOL, Bowls – Mentioned.

13:28 Activities during time at freezing works – Described. Current trends – Described.

15:00 End of Track 7

TRACK 8

00:34 Freezing works. Establishment of 'chains'. 'Pie house' – Described. 'Slipe' [wool] machines – Mentioned.

05:44 Moved into JOHN'S house, he was keen to take over farm. Bill helped on farm – Described. Stopped when unable to ride motorbikes. 07:55 Changes to farming – Described. Turnips, strip grazing – Mentioned.

10:54 MAVIS half of work force. Vegetable garden. Big flower garden.

12:14 Special occasions – birthdays, weddings. DUNEDIN, AUCKLAND, CHRISTCHURCH, 'Leander' reunions – Mentioned.

13:48 Bill drove car until aged 76. MAVIS drove car. Grand daughter had accident, wrote off car.

14:34 Returned to IRELAND in 1989. WINSTON and MARJORIE – Mentioned.

15.00 End of Track 8



TRACK 9

00:05 WINSTON drove while in IRELAND. MARJORIE navigated. Relationship of WINSTON to BILL – Explained. AUNT REBECCA, MAY GUISE (married Bill's father) – Mentioned. ADAM (father) and MAY farmed at HEDDON BUSH. Father returned to IRELAND. MAY moved into SELWYN STREET. Father returned to NZ bought farm at LOCHIEL. Moved to TIMARU. Returned to SCOTTS GAP. COMPANY BAY – Mentioned.

02:37 Bill only child of father's first marriage. Winston only child of second marriage. 02:51 WINSTON'S family – five girls.

03:11 Trip to IRELAND, ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES – Described. AMERICA – Mentioned.

05:16 End of Track 9