This interview was recorded as part of the Gorge Road Project. In this interview, Avis recalls her family’s long connection to Southland’s sawmilling and farming communities, particularly around Gorge Road, Haldane, and Otara. She describes her schooling, including travelling by train to Invercargill Southland Girls’ High School, and working at the Gorge Road Store and Post Office, which served as a vital community hub. Avis shares memories of local dances, the Women’s Division Debutante Ball, and marrying in 1953 before settling on her husband’s family farm at Oteramika. Reflecting on community life, farming, wartime stories, and changing social conditions, she remembers a rewarding and close-knit rural upbringing.