Arthur Sinclair Trotter

Interviewer Janice Templeton

Disc 1

Track 1

00:00 ID of recording INTERVIEW IDENTIFICATION

00:53 Name ARTHUR SINCLAIR TROTTER Born in 1915 Place of birth Woodlands

01:13 Birth

01:40 Siblings

01:53 Ancestors: Grandfather WILLIAM SINCLAIR TROTTER

02:50 Grandmother ISABELLA JARDINE DALRYMPLE Father JOHN DALRYMPLE WHITE TROTTER Mother CECILIA MCCOLL - born in Auckland

Track 2

1:00 William Sinclair Trotter

1:42 Children of William and Isabella

2:18 SIBLINGS Three boys: John, Ewen and Arthur Three girls: Isabel, Elizabeth and Florence

3:04 Describes CHILDHOOD ON FARM Nickname was ‘Diddums’

4:14 Fond of ANIMALS scotch terrier dog

4:29 The bush was ‘their playground’

5:04 Describes CATCHING RABBITS and skinning them for pocket money. Good ones taken to WOODLANDS MEAT WORKS / canning works - 20,000 rabbits a day from the trappers to the works

6.25 Father employed a man (Reuben Dewe) to catch rabbits 100 traps set each day ? 2 pound a day 7.09 FERRETS Using them to catch rabbits. Two pound a day. FERRETS. Selling them at BILL TODDS AUCTIONS in Invercargill. Five to ten shillings a ferret.

7.40 Bill Todd’s grandfather sold the ferrets. Described ferrets and nets to catch the rabbits . 8.56 Rabbit holes and using dogs in the rabbit catching. Father on RABBIT BOARD.

9.24 During wartime – POISONING RABBITS in the run country. Fed them for a week on carrots then put strychnine in them. Only skinned. Farmers were paid for the skins.

10.20 Rabbit Factory ???. The tinned meat was exported. Sent to the cities in England and overseas. Mother didn’t cook them. Arthur didn’t remember eating rabbit.

11.59 MILKING the 2 or 3 cows by hand when left school . 12.42 GIG. Chestnut horse with gig. Going around sheep. Working horse – teamster. Ploughing.

13.34 CLYDESDALE HORSES, working with them ‘knowing animals’

14.13 Local BLACKSMITH Mr Leith. Over the road from the school. Describes horse being shoed.

Track 3

0:46 Old cars – windows often broken – sitting in the draft

1:06 Family’s first car, 1912 FORD CAR– trip to America to buy car.

2:02 Starting with starting handle helped by Mr McIntyre neighbor

2:40 Father a SMOKER rolled his own used a pipe

3:06 Arthur smoked. How he started smoking with Duncan Sellars. Long Bush store to buy more smokes.

4:15 Described going to the doctor and saying he wasn’t a smoker, and didn’t smoke again. ‘Saved myself a lot of money.’ 4:59 VEGETABLE GARDEN with parents as a partnership

6:01 RABBITS damaging garden

6:42 PONIES and their tricks – his first ride going to the store Walking to school.

8:09 Sister had one arm longer than the other … dragging him to school.

7:59 Getting to school late

8:20 SCHOOL DAYS Swimming in the Waihopai River in Woodlands

8:54 About 120 children at school

9:26 Arthur throwing stones, teacher called him ‘Diddums’

10:04 Taking day off school – the next day with the teacher. ‘You looked like a rat coming through the stumps to school’

10:57 Enjoyed school, walking home, chasing rabbits

11:29 TEACHER – PEG SCOTT. Rule brought in that BOOTS must be worn to school – many went barefoot even in winter.

12:20 Boots were ‘hand me downs’.

12:32 ‘Dad talked about the DEPRESSION’ 1930s Oldest brother John went to WAITAKI HIGH SCHOOL then OTAGO UNIVERSITY. Sat and failed final exam to be a doctor – see correction.

13:29 Talking with Dr Trotter (Uncle Ninian) who said ’Send him back for another year.’ Disappointment for Arthur re John not going back.

14:45 John was at NOKOMAI RE COAL, till war outbreak. Was 23RD BATTALION and Ewen, other brother, was in Artillery. John killed at El Alamein in 1942. Ewen was invalided home. Died shortly after – see correction.

Track 4

2.30 Describes ‘ROSLIN’ HOMESTEAD AT WOODLANDS. Built about 1873. TIMBER all sawn on the place.

3:04 Describes plan of house.

3:41 Ewen took over part of the farm. Another house was built. Old homestead ‘was destroyed’ – see correction. Arthur would like to have kept it.

4:45 Housework in homestead. ‘The lady on her knees polishing the passage end to end.’ Borer. – see correction. 5:09 Re electricity

5:21 Getting up at night to get a drink for the children

5.71 MOTHER, gentle lady, not very strong. No farm labour employed while mother alive. ‘Not encouraged to bring labour into the house.’ ‘Only after Margaret and I got married was I able to employ labour.’

6:35 Feeding the men

6:52 Growing oats and wheat / shearing time re cooking. ‘Margaret has done a marvelous job.’

7:30 Isabel my sister helping my mother and father

8:00 Margaret looked after Arthur’s parents

8.11 Father 96 or 94.

8:29 ‘ROSLIN’ Fireplaces ‘massive’. Wood - crosscut saws from the Bush. Dead broadleaf trees.

9:10 Wood stored

9:22 Chimney fires

9:54 Before electricity, COAL RANGE which supported hot water system. More LIGNITE burned – probably from Pine Bush mine. ‘Various little mines around.’

10.08 FARMING with father.

10.59 SHEARING own sheep with blades. Fear of DEPRESSION, Father not a practical farmer, held on to land for boys. Approximately 1,000 EWES.

11.05 WOODLANDS PRIMARY SCHOOL and SOUTHLAND BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

11.24 Caught TRAIN at 9 am. Very seldom opened any HOMEWORK.

12:04 ‘Didn’t take a hell of a lot of interest in education.’ No sport. Missed all SBHS sport.

12:28 In Dunedin for the formation of YOUNG FARMERS CLUB. Had chairmanship in the second year. Had scholarship to attend 2 years at LINCOLN COLLEGE. Only had one year. Had to come home.

13:29 Talked about FOOTBALL GAME with Jim McCaw. 14.31 TILE DRAINING with spade and shovel.

Track 5

0:02 Enjoyed partnership, friendship of Lincoln people. Still keep in touch. ‘The catch now. I’m 94, not many of my cobbers around’

0:42 Home from Lincoln. Helping father.

1:25 Went to YOUNG FARMER’S BALL in Invercargill. Met MARGARET COWIE and they married in 1947. ‘Been a wonderful lady to me’

1:59 Margaret has written many books, helped on the farm. Very lucky we had four daughters and then we had John.

2:33 Son John considered ‘ROSLIN’ not big enough for his two sons. Sold ‘ROSLIN’, went to ‘KAIWARUA’ Station, inland from Waimate.

3:52 Describes ‘Kaiwarua’ and John’s accident – thrown from horse after wallaby jumped out in front, back injury. 5:23 ‘Kaiwarua now for sale.

6.09 Arthur worked for Auntie Jessie Couser and Uncle. Jessie’ s accidents. Sister Bessie, ELIZABETH TROTTER, sent to OAMARU HOSPITAL to start nursing. Later in charge of Outpatients, KEW HOSPITAL.

6:10 Arthur going out to PINE BUSH to help relatives. Auntie’s injury.

9:03 Talked about life on the PINE BUSH farm including the 27 Cooks. ‘One walked off with Bill’s bottle of whisky.’ Arthur came home as foot injured. Was four years there in primitive conditions. Lived on salt meat and spuds. No electric light, no power, no telephone.

9:55 Started farming with father

10:22 Learnt to do BLADE SHEARING from an old Australian shearer.

11:15 ‘Until I got married, sheep went down the road to get shorn.’

11:39 ‘Had to do so much on my own. My father was always talking about the DEPRESSION – held me back from my style of farming.’ During Depression.

12:42 FATHER not a practical farmer. He hung on to the farm to keep it for the boys. Approximately 1000 ewes.

13:13 Not fully stocked. “Should have done all my work by contract.” Reared a family of five.

14:31 Tile draining with spade and shovel. ‘I used my time valuably.’ Put in ‘thousands of tiles …it was a good effort.’

Disc Two

Track 1

0:20 Built new SHEARING SHED – four stand. Also IMPLEMENT SHED. Improving the farm. JIM CAMPBELL did a lot of the fencing.

1:20 CUTTING GORSE HEDGES with a hedge knife. Trying to keep sheep in … one hole and then another… endless job. ‘Training myself to be physically fit.’

2:15 Bought section in WANAKA and put a house on it. Coach on golf course said ‘You’ve got the best arms … ‘ – wanted to teach him to play golf, but Arthur couldn’t afford the time. Still got very good muscles.

3:15 BOWLS PLAYER.

3.30 Discusses his health.

3:48 Coming to live in town – fell over in kitchen – saw Dr Bishara who said he would make 100.

4:50 GORSE HEDGES replaced with CONCRETE and TIMBER POSTS. Re concrete posts, his father asked, ‘How long do you think you are going to live?’

6.57 WHEAT GROWING not long lived because of difficulty with weather when heading. During war grew LINEN FLAX. Had to stay AT HOME DURING WAR. ‘Should have been over there with my brothers. Out helping neighbours as very little labour.

9.08 Farming STORE CATTLE. Also milked cows for milk for family. YOUNG FARMERS CLUB. Farm discussion group.

10.48 JUSTICE OF THE PEACE. Is a JP, father was one too. Explains the JP work. Mostly witnessing signatures. ‘Tried to do my best for the local JP organization. Went to Masonic Lodge. VICTORIA LODGE now closed down.

14.0 Elder at the Presbyterian Church at Woodlands. Fundraising for WOODLANDS CHURCH. Now go to the Windsor Community church. BOWLING. Member and Patron of Woodlands Bowling Club. Losing balance and and now having to give up playing.

Track 2

Singing involvement. JIMMY SIMPSON in Woodlands Hall every Friday night during the war, Was going to give him private lessons. ‘I could have been singing to the Queen’ Regret.

4.11 Trip overseas in 1978– research of SCOTTISH COUSINS.

5.0 SERVAS organization hosting visitors in own home – explains the system. Daughter Ann is also a host.

6.12 FISHING Took in American fishermen.

7.13 BILL TODDS AUCTIONS frequent visitor. Father went to Todds on Fridays too.

9.30 Supply of FIREWOOD, chimney fire. Cooking – COAL RANGE for cooking and hot water. LIGNITE FROM PINE BUSH burned.

11.10 SOUTHLAND BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

12.47 YOUNG FARMERS CLUB CHAIRMAN. Scholarship for Lincoln for two years. Only had one year. Made lots of friends.

Track 3

1:06 ‘Men of Trees’ organization with Alec Campbell - planted trees at Te Anau. Also fruit trees on Wanaka section

3:24 Margaret, his wife, books

4:18 Life in town. ‘People don’t visit like they used to’. Overseas League once a month

5:00 Probus

6:02 Meals on Wheels

10.55 Moved to Invercargill.

11.42 Illness. Trip in helicopter to Dunedin. Recovery.

13:00 Attends Rowena Jackson and Abbotsleigh retirement homes at times.

‘Gratefulness that Margaret and I are together and for the family.’

Corrections / additional notes

Isabella Dalrymple, Arthur’s grandmother, came to New Zealand from Scotland in 1853 on ‘Rajah’ with father, two sisters and brother

Re brother John Trotter and medical exams ? in his second year of study, not final year

Ewen Trotter sent home after his brother John killed at El Alamein. Ewen didn’t die shortly after the war. Died in ……

Old house built in 1873. After Arthur’s family moved out of the house, it deteriorated over time and part of it was pulled down for safety reasons. Did have borer in it. Some of it was still standing when Arthur and Margaret moved to town. Now there is no part of it left standing.

Holidays at Wanaka not Dunedin

Mother born in Auckland.

Father, JOHN DALRYMPLE WHITE TROTTER died in hospital in Invercargill. Lived with Arthur and Margaret, and also with daughter Isabel in Invercargill.