WILLIAM GLOVER MILLAR

Interviewer: Nancy Burnett

Abstracter: Cathy Onellion

First Interview 8 March 2007

DISC 1: TRACK 1

00:00 Interviewer introduction and information

01:05 Give full name and address – Born in 1932 in OTAUTAU – presumed born at Mrs. CORKHILL’S maternity home ELLES ROAD, OTAUTAU

01:59 FATHER’S full name JOSEPH CASKY MILLAR – mother in NORTHERN IRELAND – FATHER’S jobs – How and when he came to NEW ZEALAND with brother TOM and sister MARGARET from IRELAND – Describes

03:32 FATHER coming out to meet cousin TOMMY TORRENCE (sp?) to farm at IRON BRIDGE – Location - Describes Tommy’s farm location – Details ORETI RIVER , WALLACETOWN – Reference

05:07 How FATHER got to OTAUTAU and got job – Started working 1916 – Describes OTAUTAU location – Details MOTHER DORIS GLOVER – From farm near ISLA BANK – MARRIED 1917 – Details

07:08 SIBLINGS – Five brothers and 1 sister – One brother still alive – Went to OTAUTAU SCHOOL and SOUTHLAND BOYS’ HIGH SCHOOL – Location OTAUTUA school – “Tough going there. We had really hard headmasters. Mainly men in the latter classes. Nice lady teachers in the young classes.” – Describes Not very interested in school – Mentions

09:12 SPORTS – Played RUGBY, CRICKET – “anything with a ball” – Used to walk to school – Explains route – Went by train to SOUTHLAND BOYS’ HIGH – Times of leaving OTAUTAU and arriving in INVERCARGILL – Details Walking to school from GRASMERE STATION which was at corner of DRURY LANE and BAY ROAD – Describes

11:18 Notes there were pupils on train going to SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE and GIRLS’ HIGH WAINAWA, THORNBURY, WAIMATUKU – Mentions Route of TRAIN started at WAIRIO – Train linked with TUATAPERE train at THORNBURY – Explains Different route for the trip home – Describes Stopover at THORNBURY – Explains INVERCARGILL STATION, FORSTER’S paddock – Mentions

13:20 Enjoyed SPORTS at BOYS’ HIGH – Played in First XV 1936 to 1938 – Played OTAGO BOYS’ , TIMARY, WAITAKI BOYS’ – Explains Billeted out when playing away from home

14:55 Took general subjects – DR RUTLEY (sp?) was the headmaster – After school had RHEUMATIC FEVER – Then worked at LINEN FACTORY for a season Treatment for Rheumatic fever – Recalls Location of LINEN FACTORY – Recalls RINGWAY, RIVERTON, GLENBURN ROAD, P&T Company – References

16:52 Processing LINEN FLAX – Describes The industry did not last long MOERAKI, TIMARU, OTAGO – Mentions Worked in factory office

19:11 Does not know what the linen was used for – Explains

19:41 End of Track 1

DISC 1 – TRACK 2

00:08 Self became a STOCK AGENT because of father – “He more or less talked me into it” – Was stock agent until 1982 – Retirement age of 60 – Describes Mentions places worked OTAUTAU, TUATAPERE, INVERCARGILL – References

01:44 Living in STRATHMORE, OTAUTAU – 100 acres – Describes Preference for outside work rather than office work – Mentions Areas covered – BLACKMOUNT, RIVERTON, DRUMMOND, INVERCARGILL, TUSSOCK CREEK NORTH, WRIGHTS BUSH, MORTON MAINS – References

03:35 Size of FARMS – Discusses OREPUKI, RUAHINE – Mentions Estimates average SIZE of farm to make a living – JOB of stock agent – Defines Estimates annual mileage covered

05:15 Hours of work during “busy season” of freezing works – Explains When SEASON opened and closed – Describes Estimates number of farm clients

06:50 FORD T car and the roads of the time - Went to Zephyrs and Toyotas – Describes FIRM he worked for and who they were – Describes FATHER’S involvement in his career – Explains J R MILLS, NATIONAL MORTGAGE, WRIGHT STEPHENSON – References

09:14 DRAFTING – Sorting lambs into classes by condition – Techniques for drafting – Describes Drafting in freezing works – Explains

11:13 DRAFTING Stock – Importance of farmer’s feed situation in weight of lambs – Describes Prices of lambs set by freezing companies – Explains 13:29 Stock agent’s TASKS for arranging stock to go to meat works – Describes Main carriers D T KING at PUKEMAORI, SAM MCRAE in NIGHTCAPS, JOHN KING at TUATAPERE, HERRICKS at OREPUKI – Later JACK HEDLEY had a service in OTAUTAU – Carriers in INVERCARGILL – SOUTHLAND CARRYING COMPANY and SOUTHERN TRANSPORT – Mentions Carriers starting with just a few crates – Describes

15:20 Estimates that early on each TRUCKLOAD would carry about 80 lambs – Crate capacity and situation on truck – Describes “When the lorries got bigger, the crates got bigger” Recalls SHEEP being taken by RAIL 1940s - Hauls at THORNBURY Main freezing works – OREPUKI, THORNBURY, OCEAN BEACH, MAKAREWA, MATAURA - Explains

17:58 Recounts smaller trucks taking LAMBS to railway station – Explains RAILWAY line went straight into the works at MAKAREWA and OCEAN BEACH – Describes

19:05 Phone work RINGING FARMERS when they wanted to draft or advising them when Self could draft – Describes Space ALLOCATIONS for lambs to be killed – Explains Mentions standing over

20:42 SKIN PRICE long and short wool – Pelt and wool prices – Explains Long wool sheep ROMNEY, LEICESTER – References Stock sales in OTAUTAU – Describes

23:01 DROVERS in OTAUTAU – BILL FRASER, JOHN DALY – Explains Came as far as BLACKMOUNT “about a week’s droving” Droving, overnight paddocks, walking pace – Describes

25:23 Other areas DROVE STOCK in – “had to make sure you weren’t getting a box up at the corner” – Later stock came by lorries How Self sold at auction by lot – Describes Recounts his role at auctions

27:12 CLERKING duties – Big cattle and sheep sale at LORNEVILLE – Describes

28:55 TIME limits at yard sale – Explains

29:55 SOCIAL aspects of sale day - “A big day because it’s whether they made their money or lost it” – Dry sheep, two tooth, ewe lamb – Explains

31:22 Describes CLEARING SALE Farmer selling farm, stock goods, chattel – his role in getting everything organized for sale – Explains

32:35 Defines ‘mouthing ewes’ – ‘sound mouths’ and ‘falling mouths’ – Explains Fate of falling mouth sheep – Estimates life expectancy – Explains

33:58 CATTLE sales at TUATAPERE – mostly calves – LORNEVILLE – Mentions People BUYING CALVES for grazing and fattening and then sent to WORKS at LORNEVILLE for sale – Arranged sales – Applying for CATTLE SPACE at yards – Describes

35:25 Wan not into the WOOL part of business – “Wool gets a wee bit complicated with microns” How WAR affected job – Petrol rationing – Though his job was part of an “essential industry” had to apply for petrol – Explains

37:32 Encounters with WOMEN FARMERS during war – “The main thing was that they were keen on stock” – Explains

38:27 Firm ran big MACHNERY SALE in INVERCARGILL – Explains EAST INVERCARGILL LIONS hired to drive tractors into the sale – Mentions

40:17 Implements all auctioned – Explains TRAINED new stock AGENTS coming into business – Explains process MARKING sheep with coloured RADDLES – Describes

42:28 Colour of RADDLE used for sorting at freezing works FRIENDSHIP with other stock agents – “A crowd of them in OTAUTAU at one time” – Explains WRIGHT STEPHENSON, J.E.WATSON, NEW ZEALAND LOAN COMPANY, DALGETY AND COMPANY, J.G.WARD, SOUTHLAND FARMERS CO-OP, J.R.MILLS, NATIONAL MORTGAGE WRIGHT STEPHENSON agents DES STRONACH and LEX BRASH – “Banjo we called him” – References

45:36 SPORT – RUGBY played SOUTHLAND BOYS’HIGH First XV – Played for WESTERN DISTRICT – Played anywhere in the backs but “too tall for halfback” – Played CRICKET – Became rugby REFEREE for senior grades – Explains

47:04 REFEREEING AUSTRALIA v NORTH OTAGO game in OAMARU – Recalls Describes ow he got to be a referee for that game – A little nervousness at start – “Mainly the crowd is your worst enemy” – Explains

49:08 Notes not many referees left Referees he used to know – JACK KNOWLES, LARRY RAMSEY, BENNY WALLACE, WAMPY BELL – Mentions Describes fitness to be a referee

50:45 SONS and SPORTS – Sports ROGER and GARY took up – Describes [Interviewer reads inscription on photo of ROGER for clay shooting – Winner NORRIE TROPHY 1999] ROGER went to WALES for NZ SHOOTING team – Recounts

52:15 CHILDREN – Two boys born in OTAUTAU – Where they went to school – Mentions Occupations of both sons – Manager in wool store and SELLER of ROMCO tools – Describes

54:00 GRANDCHILDREN – two – One is in KOREA TEACHING English – One is in INVERCARGILL as CO-ORDINATOR for LIFELINE

55:17 End of Track 2

DISC 1 – TRACK 3

00:11 Recounts story of IRON BRIDGE at WALLACETOWN – Big flood in 1908 – TARAMOA FLAT under water Location of TARAMOA FLAT and farm – FATHER worked there and for WRIGHT STEPHENSON and J.R. MILLS in OTAUTAU – Describes

02:34 Does not know why they called it the IRON BRIDGE – Recalls that a lot of people talked of the 1908 FLOOD and how big it was – FARM was all under water

03:49 End of Track 3

DISC 2 – TRACK 1

Third interview: 3 April 2007

00:16 How Self met wife DOROTHY – Early years not having much money – Describes DOROTHY’S maiden name BAIRD from STRATHMORE area near APARIMA

02:19 COURTSHIP – Biking 5 to 6 miles to see her – Describes Going to films in OTAUTAU – Recalls Price of seats – Explains

03:56 Thoughts on what happened to LAND GIRLS after the WAR – Explains 05:38 STOCK AGENTS mostly a male domain – Explains Men’s attitude toward WOMEN as stock agents Brother went to EGYPT – P.O.W during WAR – Explains Send offs at Town Hall for SOLDIERS – Describes

07:27 WAR hard on families but harder for families of P.O.Ws - Parents notified that son taken prisoner of war – Explains

09:17 Food RATIONING handled my mother – “I think it made parents, older people, have their own garden, vegetables. I think that’s the big thing today. Doesn’t seem to be happening. Too easy to get it off the shelf” – Explains Abundance of father’s garden – Describes

11:13 Author of POEM PHILIP FOWLER – Farmer of RINGWAY RIDGES –poem is a tribute to his father JOE MILLER - Discusses [Poem is from Southland Daily News, Thursday 16 November 1962 and is part of file]

12:04 Self reads poem aloud

14:08 Father’s RETIREMENT – Another poem about him by GRACE HORRELL, TUATAPERE – Mentions

15:07 End of Track 1