Person recorded: William Niccol (Bill) Hazlett

Date: 17 March 2005

Interviewer: M. Forrester

Tape counter: Sony TCM 939

Tape 1 Side A

001: Gives his full name as WILLIAM NICOLL HAZLETT and that he was born in WAIHOPAI NURSES HOME, INVERCARGILL in 1939 (he corrected this later to 1938).

015: States his GREAT GRANDFATHER, JAMES HAZLETT, was from NORTHERN IRELAND and immigrated to NEW ZEALAND in the 1850s/60s.

029: Mentions JAMES’ WIFE, (AGNES) née COLEMAN was from EIRE (IRELAND).

038: Replies that JAMES HAZLETT was a MERCHANT based in the CLYDE area during the GOLDMINING era.

047: Goes on to say that JAMES bought WAINS HOTEL in DUNEDIN after which the family and business (he was a partner in the firm MACKERRAS & HAZLETT LTD. MERCHANTS of DUNEDIN) shifted to the city.

057: The business, he says, was inherited by his GRANDFATHER, W.T. HAZLETT (born in CLYDE in 1867), and he ran it till 1947 when it became part of a family trust. Adds it was eventually sold in the mid-1950s.

073: Explains that an interest in RACEHORSES has been an integral part of the HAZLETT family. Highlights this with a story about JAMES HAZLETT racing from CLYDE to DUNEDIN to be first in with a bid for WAINS HOTEL.

099: The purchase, he says, was made at the same time as JAMES HAZLETT bought the WHITE HOUSE HOTEL in INVERCARGILL. States it had the longest bar in the SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE.

104: States that at that time, prohibition operated within the INVERCARGILL CITY boundaries. However, the WHITE HOUSE HOTEL was situated five miles outside and was therefore unaffected. Adds that being the closest licensed HOTEL to the city, it was therefore a profitable enterprise.

115: Replies it was part of the HAZLETT family estate for about 20 years.

136: Answers that his GRANDFATHER, WT (WILLIAM THOMAS), married a daughter (KATE) of JOHN STEPHENSON founder of the AGRICULTURAL SUPPLIERS, WRIGHT STEPHENSON (now known as WRIGHTSONS).

142: Mentions that his GRANDMOTHER (KATE) suffered a painful death in the mid-1930s. Continues that due to DIABETES, she developed gangrene in the legs. Adds that she was reportedly a vivacious, friendly woman.

151: Says his memories of his GRANDFATHER (W.T.) are of a man who was bedridden at his home, CHELANDRY STUD (for breeding RACEHORSES), TARAMOA.

159: Relates a story in which as a young boy he had asked W.T. if he could buy a particular saddle from him. Instead W.T., he says, suggested a swap with BILL’S dog.

172: Continues that afterwards having discovered the saddle had a broken tree, W.T.’S response was to suggest that he should “always look before you make a deal”.

179: It was a lesson, he says, that has stuck with him even though W.T. in the end allowed him to keep both the saddle and the dog.

184: Replies that W.T. and KATE had FIVE CHILDREN, JOHN STEPHENSON (JACK) AGNES (who married BILL CUNNINGHAM of CASTLE DOWNS at CASTLEROCK), WILLIAM EDWARD (W.E.), LUKE (LU) and KITTY.

202: Affirms that in the mid-1920s his GRANDFATHER (W.T.) bought the pastoral lease of BURWOOD STATION, followed by the leases of CENTRE HILL (STATION) and MAVORA (RUN).

209: Believes the reason for W.T. doing so was to provide for his SONS and being an astute man, he had possibly been aware of the approaching global problems (e.g. the GREAT DEPRESSION).

216: Mentions that W.T. was always keen on LIVESTOCK and spent a lot of time at the LORNEVILLE SALEYARDS of which he was a founding member.

224: Relates another tale about W.T., this time at LORNEVILLE, which illustrates a mischievous trait. The story concerns a case of mistaken identity in that a trader mistook W.T. for a drover but was put right when he saw W.T. drive up to his door in a NASH car – something well beyond the pocket of an average drover in the 1920s.

250: Of W.T.’S three SONS, he says, it was JACK who was at CENTRE HILL while BURWOOD was viewed as part of the FAMILY home. Mentions that when W.E. and his MOTHER married, they lived with W.T. and KATE at BURWOOD.

272: Replies his MOTHER was JOAN, née NICOLL, who was born and raised in ASHBURTON. Her FAMILY, he says, was associated with the NICOLL BROS. (MEAT TRADERS and TANNERS).

282: His PARENTS, he says, first met each other at a RACE meeting in CHRISTCHURCH. Adds his MOTHER was a beauty and well sought after and his FATHER won her in the end.

297: Referring back to BURWOOD STATION, states that after W.T. had purchased the lease on all three properties, they were run as one. The MT. HAMILTON block, he explains, was used for the BULLS and a few ‘dry’ CATTLE. CENTRE HILL, he continues, was used for HAY and FESCUE and MAVORA was first used for SHEEP and later CATTLE.

315: “It was so different in those days” with not many SWEDES or winter feed grown. Instead the animals were kept on the FLATS during the winter months by using a method known as “boundary riding”.

322: The CATTLE, he says, were all HEREFORDS – being the toughest to withstand harsh winters. The SHEEP, he adds, were a fine-wool ROMNEY.

332: Replies that in the 1930s there were reportedly 30,000 SHEEP on the property, but “I just can’t see those figures stacking up”. A few decades later, he adds, when he was MUSTERING at BURWOOD, they ran 20,000 and about 1200 COWS.

343: Considers that the combined acreage of the three properties would have amounted to about 365,000ac. “I can tell you it was a long way from MT HAMILTON through into the head of the GREENSTONE (VALLEY) and up the SWINTON VALLEY.”

350: Says a former MANAGER, SANDY REID, rode from CENTRE HILL to BUSH CREEK HUT (the furthest away hut) in twelve hours. Goes on to say that REID had done this during WWII to tell another worker, JOCK MACAULEY, that his BROTHER, HECK, had been killed in battle.

366: The condition of the land was “pretty native” and around BALD HILL, he says, there was a lot of MANUKA. “It was acres per SHEEP when we had it.”

376: Adds that it is hard to visualise or even comprehend what the land was like in the pre-development days. (Before the LANDS & SURVEY FARM DEVELOPMENT SCHEME was implemented in the 1950s).

380: Agrees that it was mainly TUSSOCK country with no hybrid grasses apart from the 1200 acres of FESCUE paddocks around the HOMESTEAD at CENTRE HILL STATION.

389: TOPDRESSING, he considers, changed the face of the whole of the TE ANAU BASIN. Adds that the WILDERNESS area (at MARAROA STATION) was much greater than it is today, suggesting it took up about three-quarters of MARAROA.

401: Of the labourers hired, says there weren’t many. Apart from SANDY REID, there would have been perhaps two other permanent staff to feed out the STOCK during the winter. HARVESTING (for HAY and FESCUE) required extra temporary labour.

411: Apart from the HOMESTEAD at BURWOOD, he says, there was a COTTAGE, a three-bedroom HUT and the COOKSHOP.

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004: Continuing, he says the COOKSHOP was used mainly by the SHEARERS.

007: At CENTRE HILL, he replies, there was the HOMESTEAD and a COTTAGE and in the early 1960s, a HUT was built.

014: MAVORA, he says, had a three-bedroom HOMESTEAD which, in the past, had been larger before it was damaged. His FATHER (W.E.), he says, pulled down the destroyed section and re-clad the rest.

043: States that his GRANDFATHER (W.T.) had RACING STABLES at FILLEUL ST., INVERCARGILL and his PARENTS moved there to takeover training the RACEHORSES.

052: Reflects that he had a great life growing up around the HORSES and JOCKEYS.

066: Says HORSES still play a big part in his life and that he owns a BROOD MARE.

070: His education began, he says, at WAIHOPAI PRIMARY SCHOOL which had a school roll then of about 300 pupils.

089: Replies there were five teachers plus a principal at WAIHOPAI with a curriculum based on learning to write and read with some mathematics. Adds that SPORTS were always encouraged.

110: Mentions his FATHER (W.E.) was an ALL BLACK (i.e. played RUGBY FOOTBALL as a member of the NEW ZEALAND national team.).

115: “He was actually a renowned ALL BLACK. In 1928, he went to SOUTH AFRICA and was one of the youngest members of the team there at eighteen.” He remembers his FATHER as being very competitive in all his SPORTS activities.

125: Affirms that he too played RUGBY, playing for the 2nd XV team at HIGH SCHOOL (WAITAKI BOYS in OAMARU), and that he played one game for the 1st XV.

137: Describes WAITAKI BOYS as a renowned BOARDING SCHOOL. Says he was sent there partly due to its good reputation and partly because it was his FATHER’S ALMA MATER.

173: Says he enjoyed studying AGRICULTURE which was one of his main subjects. Although he considers that a matter such as LIVESTOCK cannot be learned. “It’s either there or it’s not there.”

189: Affirms that while he was at WAITAKI, corporal punishment was administered usually by cane and admits that he was a recipient “quite often, quite regularly”.

199: Reflects that it was a different era in those days and the boys knew where they stood with the teachers, e.g. not answering back. Adds a rider to this saying that on a one-to-one basis the schoolmasters were also good listeners.

221: Recalls being at BOARDING SCHOOL at first required some adjusting to, particularly the dormitories. These, he says, were formerly army barracks and he describes the fairly basic interior.

240: Says he made some good friendships there, ones that he still maintains. “You make friends at school, you make friends for life.”

250: The summer holidays, he remembers, were spent at CENTRE HILL where he would help plant the SWEDES. Adds he had a couple of FARM DOGS there with which he would do some STOCK work.

267: Referring back to his FATHER’S siblings, replies that JACK and LU HAZLETT were both members of the NZ ARMY’S TANK CORPS during WWII. JACK (a LIEUTENANT), he adds, was killed in battle at MONTE CASINO, ITALY.

274: Explains the camouflage of the TANK had caught fire and rather than order one of his men to remove it, he got out of the vehicle himself to deal with it but in so doing was killed by enemy sniper fire.

283: Over the years, he says, he’s met a number of former army personnel who knew JACK and all have expressed admiration for JACK and LU and the feats they performed during the war.

293: Replies that his FATHER (W.E.) was not able to serve overseas as he was deemed important for the war effort in NEW ZEALAND to maintain food production not only at home but also for the servicemen overseas.

297: Mentions that W.E. formed the (MOUNTED) TARAROA HOME BRIGADE which consisted of about twenty men on horseback.

303: Says LU HAZLETT did return from the war but moved on to a property at GRETNA GREEN in CENTRAL SOUTHLAND which was also part of the HAZLETT estate.

311: Explains that it had been bought at about the same time as the other three lease titles were purchased and it was always intended for LU to take over.

317: JACK’S death, he says, had a profound effect on LU. Adds that the latter was a “great people person” and that he’d been appointed to the diplomatic service as NZ HIGH COMMISSIONER in CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA (1964-1970). (He was also awarded a CBE in 1979.)

326: Says GRETNA GREEN is retained by LU’S SON (JACK HAZLETT) although some of it has been sold off in recent years.

335: Returning to BURWOOD STATION and how it was run after his FATHER and family moved back to INVERCARGILL, says SANDY REID from MOSSBURN managed the property.

339: Describes REID as a “real tough man” who worked under any weather conditions and faced any challenges. These were many, he says, especially taking stock across the ORETI and MARAROA rivers.

360: Tape stopped following prompt by telephone. Interview suspended.

A second interview was held on the 24th of March again at BILL’S home in WRIGHT’S BUSH. The audio has better clarity because of properly adjusted sound levels.

363: Calculates that REID worked at CENTRE HILL for about 15 years, before which he worked as a ‘grader’ (roadworker) for WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL between MOSSBURN and MILFORD SOUND.

377: Replies that REID would have been left to make his own decisions at CENTRE HILL, reiterating that FARMING in the 1930s was a different set up then. “The only decision made was when to shift them (EWES)…on the blocks.”

386: Says REID had been married twice and that his second wife was named AMY. Their son, he adds, was DAVID (REID) while the first marriage produced a daughter, MARGARET, who at one stage worked at the local (telephone) exchange at MOSSBURN.

400: Recalls that SANDY REID later moved to a “rehab” FARM at BLACKMOUNT.

403: Agrees that REID’S equivalent at BURWOOD was HECK MACAULEY, adding that he knew better his brother, JOCK MACAULEY. Says the former had earned a reputation locally for “playing pranks on people, especially down in the MOSSBURN hotel”.

408: The MACAULEY family, he continues, was spread around BURWOOD, CENTRE HILL and the TE ANAU BASIN for years. Apart from HECK and JOCK, he also mentions CYRIL MACAULEY who worked at MARAROA STATION.

416: Tape runs out

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006: Explains that HECK MACAULEY would have worked for his GRANDFATHER (W.T) at BURWOOD, so any details about him are sketchy.

017: Says his FATHER (W.E) would have been much more involved in the running of BURWOOD after his GRANDFATHER’S death in 1947.

024: Affirms that his FATHER implemented many changes at all three properties adding that when the leases were sold - apart from the BURWOOD HOMESTEAD area – (in the mid-1960s) he carried on making improvements to the GORGE HILL STATION which he bought freehold.

031: Says a lot of money was spent on fertiliser and other developments so that GORGE HILL was built up from running about 4000 EWES to about 20,000. “He was just about running as many as he did on the whole of BURWOOD and MAVORA.”

042: What helped in developing the land, he says, was TOPDRESSING which reduced the effort of putting fertiliser on the HILL COUNTRY. Adds that his FATHER “burnt, over-sowed and TOPDRESSED” a lot and it lifted the whole area.

057: “It was one of the first HILL (COUNTRY) blocks to be developed like that.”

060: Replies that PHOENIX AVIATION was the main TOPDRESSING company his FATHER used and the pilot was named BROWNLEY whom he describes as one of the founders of TOPDRESSING in NEW ZEALAND.

070: Also mentions BILL KINGHAM, another TOPDRESSING pilot who came from LUMSDEN where he owned an auto garage. A third local pilot he says was BILL HEWETT (who set up a TOPDRESSING COMPANY in MOSSBURN in the early 1950s. Previously he had been carrying supplies between ROXBURGH and MILFORD SOUND as well as other WEST COAST areas in an AEROVAN.)

083: Argues that the returns from FARMING in the 1960s were good. A CROSSBRED wool, he says, fetched a reasonable price and that increasing the carrying capacity resulted in a higher income.

098: This, he says, exemplified his earlier comment of thinking numbers of SHEEP per acre, rather than the other way round. “It changed the whole concept of FARMING.”

104: Affirms a lot of FENCING was required. “About 24 miles were put up in one year. That’s a lot of FENCING.” Adds that at first the timber posts were cut from the BURWOOD BUSH but later they used manufactured tannelised timber posts.

116: Mentions his FATHER built the present BURWOOD HOMESTEAD with a lot of assistance from his SISTER, ANNABEL.

126: Says that having taken down the previous HOMESTEAD, his FATHER transported the sun porch part of it to the DOG TRIAL ground on the property, adding that it’s still there and functioning as the club rooms.

132: Replies that the old WOOLSHED (which was removed in the year 2000) was the original version (dated c. 1880s) with a few additions tacked on over the years.

139: Describes how inside, there would be up to 12 stands and that it was all driven by one (electrical) shaft. Also remembers the old FORDSON TRACTOR (engine) which would build up power “so you had to tap the guv’ners to slow it down a bit”.

149: With the arrival of electricity supplied by the NATIONAL GRID (in the late 1950s), they reconditioned the TRACTOR with an electric motor “and as far as I know, right up till the WOOLSHED was pulled down it was just an electric motor running…still…that same shaft.”

160: Mentions that in later years, ANNABEL’S husband, ERSKINE BOWMAR, built “covered-in” yards on the property which were used at SHEARING time.

170: Explains that the WOOLSHED was able to hold about 900 SHEEP at any one time so that it was sufficient enough when they were SHEARING several thousand stock.

178: Recalls there were up to 20 people working in the WOOLSHED at SHEARING time - eight SHEARERS, between six and eight ROUSIES (ROUSABOUTS), WOOL PRESSERS, and a COOK.

187: Remembers at the end of the day, they would all play cricket or go “eeling”. “It was a great social time.”

195: Replies that the hired staff would sleep in the COOKSHOP.

201: In the earlier days, he says, the main annual MUSTER was at SHEARING time. But after the GORGE HILL and BURWOOD areas were developed, MUSTERING was done more often.

211: “The more SHEEP you put on, the more intensified you get and the more husbandry you’ve got to do, so you’ve got to bring them in quite regularly.”

216: However, the type of breeds had not changed with all the development. He says they still stocked ROMNEYS and HEREFORDS.

221: “Nothing else counted at BURWOOD. As far as my FATHER goes anyway, it was all HEREFORDS.”

234: Comments that “the more you develop HILL COUNTRY, the less CATTLE feed you get.” Expands on this saying that the roughage growing in the gullies was taken over with exotic grasses so more HAY had to be stored as winter feed.

249: Referring to the ‘big snow’ that affected the TE ANAU BASIN in 1939, he says SANDY REID used to talk about it along with neighbours at THE PLAINS STATION, HAMISH and JOHN MACDONALD.

252: Passes on some of the descriptions he heard about how deep the ’39 SNOW had been, reaching to about 7ft high.

261: States that BURWOOD lost a lot of stock – 15,000 EWES and a lot of CATTLE. Again, he depicts how the latter were found dead in clumps because they had inadvertently dug themselves into a pit and couldn’t get out.

275: Agrees that losses on that scale would have devastated the FARM’S economy. “I know BURWOOD was financially very knocked by that.”

284: Considers that nowadays, with 4-W drive TRACTORS and smaller properties, an event such as that could be withstood, whereas in 1939 the sheer size of the property made it virtually impossible to reach stricken STOCK.

291: Replies that FESCUE was BURWOOD’S major source of income after the ’39 SNOW, as well as BROWNTOP. “That’s probably what kept the STATIONS alive…in the early (19)40s. Fescue was a type of grass, initially imported from ENGLAND, which was very hardy and became increasingly popular for use on airstrips and sports grounds. In New Zealand it was known as CHEWINGS FESCUE after JOHN CHEWINGS of MOSSBURN who was one of the first to promote its qualities. During WWII, the export price dramatically increased because of the need to build airstrips. It continued to provide good profits until the mid-1950s when the US (the major importer) began growing its own FESCUE.

303: Calculates that up to 400 acres were given over to FESCUE production. Adds that HARVESTING, particularly, was a big job even with the old BINDERS because it was labour intensive.

310: Says BURWOOD owned five or six BINDERS and some TRACTORS including an RD2 (like a CATERPILLAR) which did most of the work. But it was the STOOKING that required the labour.

317: Explains STOOKING involved tying the cut FESCUE into sheaves and bundling them into clusters (upright) so that the seeds ripened. (After it had dried) it was put through the THRESHING MILL.

329: Thinks that BURWOOD would probably have had its own MILL, although he recalls seeing one at THE PLAINS STATION.

335: Referring back to his younger days, replies that he left SCHOOL at the age of 17 and worked a year at BURWOOD, followed by two years at OMARAMA for DUNCAN ANDERSON, a friend of his FATHER’S (W.E.)

342: Continues that he returned to BURWOOD and it was about four years further on that he moved to his PARENTS’ home at TARAMOA.

352: Explains that he was HEAD SHEPHERD when he worked at BURWOOD in the early 1960s. But, he adds, it was not seen as a ‘manager’s’ job in the way that a similar position would be viewed today.

363: Responding to question, says that although there were large mobs of SHEEP to move around they were easy to work with. Explains further that good working DOGS were an important factor.

370: Admits it was time consuming – that when they brought SHEEP from MAVORA to BURWOOD they would do it in two runs.

385: Referring to the BURWOOD ‘LIGHT-UP’ BALL, says it was in 1958 and the idea was cooked up by himself and his friend and neighbour, DAVID MACDONALD. Explains that it was held in the WOOLSHED and was a celebration of the TE ANAU BASIN being connected to the NATIONAL POWER GRID.

398: Affirms that catering was supplied by TE ANAU restaurateur, PETER SULJEMANOVIC, and the TE ANAU HOTEL donated the beer.

404: Describes the BALL as a “three-day” event which was attended by people from miles around the district.

406: “What an event it was just to turn a switch on….you know, turn a switch on and the light was there, you didn’t believe it…took a long time to get used to really.”

410: Mentions that initially, each recipient was requested to sign a guarantee that they would use no less than a specific amount of electricity. Recalls that at first they would leave lights on all the time, even in the stables. But once the first power bills arrived such extravagance was quickly curtailed, he laughs.

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001: Replying to question at end of Side A, says before BURWOOD was hooked onto the GRID, lighting was provided by kerosene and TILLY lamps while cooking was done on the coal range. The change to their lives, he says, as a result of electricity was marvellous.

037: Referring to the LANDS & SURVEY FARM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, he says it had already begun at LYNWOOD (STATION) before 1958, therefore quite a few years before the government bought back BURWOOD. [W.E HAZLETT sold the pastoral leases of all three properties in 1965 for which the government reportedly paid ₤500,000. With that money, he was able to buy the GORGE HILL STATION and retain the land around BURWOOD HOMESTEAD. The government then carried out further developments to the properties it had purchased, under the LANDS & SURVEY project.]

040: Comments that now the STOCK numbers on the land have increased so much “it’s not funny” adding that only the government could have afforded to implement development on such a scale.

055: Back to FAMILY life, says he grew up with two SISTERS; MARY was the eldest, followed by ANNABEL and then he was the youngest.

063: Replies that his SISTERS attended CRAIGHEAD GIRLS SCHOOL in TIMARU. Adds that MARY was a good hockey player, representing SOUTHLAND at one stage.

076: ANNABEL, he says, was academically gifted.

093: Turning back to the sale of BURWOOD/MAVORA/CENTRE HILL, he replies that it was a unilateral decision by his FATHER. Comments that in his view it was the right move because of the huge costs required in developing the land.

111: Adds that his FATHER could have been prompted to sell when he did because otherwise the government may have put an acquisition order on the properties. But he adds that he doesn’t think his FATHER had any regrets about it.

122: Replies that BURWOOD was structured from a lot of different leases including an EDUCATIONAL LEASE from OTAGO UNIVERSITY. But, although the leases may have been up for renewal, he doesn’t think this influenced his FATHER.

134: “It was DAD’S sort of thing to get on with another project…he was a man of that type. He wanted GORGE HILL STATION…it was another project to him and he was quite proud of it too.”

155: Affirms that his FATHER freeholded GORGE HILL as that was one of the conditions of the sale. Its previous owner, he mentions, was (SAM) FRASER who held the pastoral lease until the government bought it from him and then sold it freehold to W.E. HAZLETT.

181: On his FATHER’S reputation as a leading (SHEEP)DOG TRIALLIST, he says he has acquired a similar interest.

190: Recalls there was one particular DOG his FATHER TRIALLED, called VIC, which was run at an event attended by the QUEEN (ELIZABETH II) at the INVERCARGILL SHOW. Adds that his FATHER met the QUEEN at the event which was a memorable highlight.

201: Affirms that his FATHER won most DOG TRIAL events he competed in, especially in SOUTHLAND, but also in other areas around NEW ZEALAND.

211: Comments that the DOG TRIAL trophies are a “great honour to win” but that they belong to their respective clubs so he returned all those his FATHER won following his death.

223: Illustrates the appeal of DOG TRIALLING which he says is a (communication) skill between a man and his DOG which is transferred to (rounding up) the SHEEP.

246: Remembers his FATHER eventually preferred going to the DOG TRIALS than going to the RACES.

253: As for the HORSES and RACING, he says his FATHER was a leading owner/trainer and was always in the top ten among this group.

271: When his FATHER died (suddenly at a DOG TRIAL in GORE) in 1973, he says ANNABEL, and her husband, ERSKINE BOWMAR took over the GORGE HILL.

276: Mentions that in those days, death duties were imposed and were “phenomenal”. As a result, he adds, the BOWMARS had to sell their WAIKAIA FARM.

286: Affirms that the BOWMARS also implemented developments at BURWOOD – latterly by opening a SHOP/CAFETERIA on the main highway opposite the HOMESTEAD.

289: Says this venture proved quite successful as tourism was just emerging in the BASIN and passing trade was growing. However, he says, ANNABEL lost interest following her husband’s death and the property was sold in 1997 to HOWARD PATTERSON (a prominent OTAGO businessman).

296: BURWOOD has again been sold (in 2005) to a FARMING family from MANAPOURI, which he’s pleased about because it keeps the property in the hands of people from the TE ANAU BASIN.

302: On his career after leaving BURWOOD, he says he ran the (CHELANDRY) HORSE STUD at TARAMOA for four years, then spent five years in LUMSDEN.

310: Calculates that he has lived on his 800-acre WRIGHT’S BUSH FARM for about 35 years.

318: Replies that his WIFE is ALISON (née TODD) whose brother (WILLIAM) is an INVERCARGILL-based auctioneer (WILLIAM TODD & CO., LTD).

328: Says he and ALISON have been MARRIED for 43 (44) years “and they’ve been very happy years at that”.

332: Recalls first meeting ALISON in INVERCARGILL when she was about 15 years old “and I thought ‘well, she’s not a bad looking girl’”.

338: They have THREE CHILDREN, he says; JIM, DON and NICOLL. The eldest, he adds, lives on the FARM and operates his own (agricultural) spraying business. The second SON, he continues, owns/operates a paving (concrete) business in QUEENSTOWN and the youngest works in telecommunications in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA.

362: Returning to his earlier days at BURWOOD, he says there was little tourism around the TE ANAU BASIN when he was a child.

366: Describes getting to the area was a “marathon” because of the unsealed roads and the types of vehicles they had.

371: Recalls going on a trip with his MOTHER from TE ANAU DOWNS to MILFORD and meeting WARD BEER (the overseer of the MILFORD ROAD construction project) at the HOMER TUNNEL.

376: Describes the journey through the tunnel in BEER’S CHEV(ROLET) as “scary because in those days the water just poured down” from the roof of the tunnel.

381: Remembers going out on MILFORD SOUND in a boat over the side of which he threw a line and pulled up a CRAYFISH (ROCK LOBSTER).

397: Of some of the names linked with the BASIN in those days, he mentions BARNEY GILLIGAN (of GILLIGANS TRANSPORT, MOSSBURN), BOB GIBB (a RABBITER), and CYRIL MACAULEY from THE KEY.

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Interview ends

[As an addition to the names that formed part of the history of BURWOOD during the HAZLETT years, Bill also wanted to mention TED STUART who managed the property during the early 1940s (WWII). He said TED STUART, along with his wife and two daughters, lived at BURWOOD for up to ten years.]