Interview with Jack Wylie at Edendale, 1st December 2006

01.00 Jack describes his first day at Seaward Downs School. Remembers the fights. Describes transport to school – pony for 3 years then horse-and-cart for 10 children. Names Miss Barrow as teacher of infants– standard 2, and Mrs Lin (?spelling) teacher from standard 3-6 Jack describes playtime and football team

DAIRY FARM. Describes milking cows by hand at age 7 . Father had 45-50 Fresian cows + team of Clydesdales for cultivation. What was grown on the farm? Lists chermolia (?spelling), Swedes, oats , chaff, hay. 05.00 What implements were used? Describes mower, McCormack sweep 1928 – 1945. Describes how Contractor took steam thresher around district. Long days? Describes typical day as a schoolboy. Did Mother help on the farm? Reckons 90% of her time was in milking shed. Milking machines? Describes Twig engine that drove machines in 1918 + Gain (?spelling) milking machine 1919 -1940

Memories of Grandfather? Retired in Gore 1925/6, but still helped on farm. From Northern Ireland to Canterbury. Early Fresian breeder and judge. Flax mill at Otara. 10.00 Back to Ireland to marry then returned to NZ. Back to Otara, when Tararua sunk. Bought farm at Mataura Island 1896. Sold 1902 and bought farm at Menzies Ferry. 250 acres. Fresian cattle. Free-draining land. Describes Gardner and McAlastair ploughs. Describes how cattle were taken to Wyndham Show. Describes how breeds were imported from America through an agent. Describes what to look for in a good cow. Describes how milking was done at the show.

15.00 How was milk transferred to cheese factory? Describes process. Jack’s first job after school – cart 10 gallon cans 3.5 miles to Seaward Downs factory before 9am. Old factory burnt down 1940. Jack put down first cheese in new factory 1941. Describes how he got his cheese factory job.

20.00 Memories of bad weather? Severe winters as children (1920s). Heavy frosts. Cows fed on chermolia, straw and hay. Calving September onwards. Grass slow-growing as no fertiliser. Describes father feeding out mangles (sweet turnip) in November. Milked til May. Describes favourite cow – good milker. Describes seasonal cropping patterns. Team of 4 Clydesdales pulled plough.

25.0 Fun? Remembers gramophone 1927, wireless 1931. Old Scots/ Irish recordings. Mother influential. Brother in Mataura Pipe Band. Pipes belonged to uncle Thomas Victor Wylie. RUNNING. Describes Saturday sports meetings. No training but won Edendale Christmas Meet – prize = cup + 10 guineas.

TECHNICAL COLLEGE Took Trades course – carpentry and engineering. 30.00 Describes amusing incident at ‘Puni’ Creek. Describes typical discipline and punishment procedure. Discusses travelling by bus and delivering the mail bags.

THOMAS WYLIE Describes his uncle’s school history. First Post and Telegraph boy in Edendale 1914. Then worked at Wright Stevensons. Went back onto farm at Kaiwera during ‘Slump’. 35.00 Jack remembers prices for food during ‘Slump’. Describes what his mother fed the Threshers. 40.00 Discusses shops in Edendale and transport on the gig, then 1926-1934 Model T Ford.

CHEESE FACTORY Describes how he got the job and where he stayed. 45.00 Describes a typical day+ hygiene, types of cheese, packing cheese. 50.00 Discusses grading of cheese. Wages.

WAR Describes how he is called up and drafted into Infantry. Trained in Burnham. Describes camp conditions and training.

55.00 Jack in Tiger Regiment, other Edendale friends in Southland Regiment. Story re how smallpox vaccinations did not badly affect anyone who had worked with cows but made others sick. Readied for Alamein but transport ships sunk before reached NZ. 12 December sailed on Aquitania 5500 men “packed in like sardines”. Describes route south of Australia to Fremantle, then rough seas to Egypt.

60.00 “wog” train to Cairo. 4 weeks training. Boat to Tripoli. Describes cookhouse fatigues. Served with Freyberg in Italy. Arranged drive into Germany but sent to south Italy. December 1943 Sicily – accompanied 300 German POWs to camp in Algiers.

65.00 Jack sick with “yellow jaundice” – story re British 96th General hospital.

70.00 Recalls ship convoy (harried by German submarines) to Liverpool, then ‘beautiful’ train to London. Training camp but Jack more experienced than teachers. Leave to Scotland and Ireland – visited Grandfather’s sister.

75.00 Aldershot D-day – recalls numerous planes flying low over camp. Story re German flying bomb.

80.00 Fienze Italy. Story re reconnaissance mission through Maori lines. Mentions trilingual Maori colonel. Jeep mortared. Jack injured – details.