H0267 DESMOND O’BRIEN

Interviewer: Jenny Campbell

Abstracter: Judith Christie

Interview: 17 June 2016

TRACK ONE

00:12 Interview identification.

00.30 Born GORE in 1937. Only child of DANIEL AND KATHLEEN O’BRIEN nee CONNORS O’CONNER. Mother’s father Australian, Mother’s mother born in the KARAWAU GORGE.

End of Track One

TRACK TWO

00.00 Grandmother KATIE KEEN and Grandfather was FRANK O’CONNOR. Australians not liked, so grandmother eloped. Describes

00.45 Mother second child, lived in Kitchener Street. MOTHER’S SISTER (EILEEN?) was a policewoman describes. Other SISTER FRANCES was a nurse with the Infantry in North Africa and was at the BATTLE OF CASSINO. Protected a Jewish doctor. Describes

End of Track Two

TRACK THREE

00.00 Mother rose through the ranks of H & J SMITHS to become team leader of the footwear department. Father a GREENGROCER – sent from Invercargill to start up a shop in Gore. In 1935 parents married and self was born the following year.

00.50 FATHER suffered an INJURY falling off a horse and had EPILEPSY after. Shortly after self’s birth, mother became BLIND.

End of Track Three

TRACK FOUR

00.00 EILEEN not in uniform – was in Wellington and had a lot to do with American forces. Describes

02.20 EILEEN lived in Gore and never married. Worked in an office.

03.10 Mother contracted RHEUMATIC FEVER, and family had home help and good neighbours.

03.30 Self attended ST MARY’S SCHOOL, and then ST KEVIN’S in OAMARU from Standard 5. Didn’t enjoy St Kevin’s and returned home after eighteen months to attend GORE HIGH SCHOOL.

04.50 BREWERY was over the road from Gore High School, owned by the GRANT family. PHIL LORD ran the brewery and then the brother of the BISHOP OF DUNEDIN, BISHOP O’NEILL. Describes

06.50 GORE HIGH SCHOOL shifted to Coutts Road, which was closer to home. Self could look out of classroom window and watch mother working in the kitchen across the road.

07.15 Mother regained her sight after some time. She worked in father’s greengrocery. Father was a good sign writer, and would label all the fruit. Shop taken over by BOB HERON. Fire burnt the shop down.

08.30 FRUIT AND VEGETABLES purchased from Auction house every morning. APPLE AND PEAR BOARD allocated the apples and pears. Father had two trucks which picked up boxes of apples and would fill up people’s garages to avoid paying commission to Apple and Pear Board. Describes.

11.20 GORE was a ‘DRY’ TOWN WITHOUT ALCOHOL. People brought beer back from PYRAMID, near RIVERSDALE. Trains would leave Gore and Kingston at the same time. People got off at Mandeville and would drink legally there. Connection to MCRAES, the BOOTLEGGERS Describes.

End of Track Four

TRACK FIVE

00.00 Self’s cousin in TAPANUI had a sister married to the MCRAES and bootlegged the whiskey around the area.

00.40 SELF’S GRANDFATHER BURIED AT WREYS BUSH – he was a MCRAE.

End of Track Five

TRACK SIX

00.00 GRANDFATHER was killed (?) by Constabulary and did not commit suicide. (confusion about this). Grandfather was a FARMER and BOOTLEGGER. POLICE STATION used the same chimney as the ILLEGAL WHISKEY DISTILLERY.

01.50 Grandfather was in PRISON in INVECARGILL, possibly after being involved in a fight – Irish troubles.

02.10 Grandfather came out to New Zealand under the name of TIM FINN, because Tim Finn missed the boat. Took up land near LORNEVILLE or MORTON MAINS.

04.45 Grandfather had a family. PADDY O’BRIEN was father’s brother and had twelve children who have all done well. Mentions shell shock. Grandfather O’Brien had three boys and seven girls.

06.30 Discussion re bootlegging. Self’s father drank, but was affected by his EPILEPSY.

07.40 Self went into MILITARY CAMP when he was aged 17 – had been working in the shop. Enjoyed time in military. Was playing SENIOR RUGBY in GORE. Also played CRICKET.

08.40 Joined the CHRISTIAN BROTHERS in AUSTRALIA in 1956. Parents not happy about it. Father accompanied self to Auckland. MR SHEPHERD was the station master in Gore and in Kingston and was a good friend of self’s father. Went by train from Gore. Stayed in SHEPHERDS PUB in AUCKLAND, owned by a family member of the Shepherds. Followed the SPRINGBOKS TOUR up to Auckland, and took a fortnight to get there.

10.20 Before left for Sydney, had a meal with the son of Mr Shepherd – six months later he arrived in Australia. JOHN SHEPHERD was a funny person, and became the BEST LOVED TEACHER self had seen.

End of Track Six

TRACK SEVEN

00.00 Enjoyed being in military camp – great group of people. TINY HILL was SERGEANT MAJOR. Priest in camp suggested self take up vocation. Parents upset, but visited self in Australia.

01.10 Unusual for self to study at the teaching order seminary in Australia – CHRISTIAN BROTHERS. Entered the order as a LAY BROTHER. Was send to fill up classes when someone was sick. CHRISTIAN BROTHERS SCHOOL in SOUTH DUNEDIN, ST KEVIN’S in OAMARU, and ST PETER’S in AUCKLAND. Went to teach at ST EDMUND’S in DUNEDIN, didn’t get on with the boss. Had 49 pupils in the class, two special pupils STEVEN BOOCK (CRICKETER) and JOHN MINTO (ACTIVIST). SOUTH DUNEDIN densest part of New Zealand re population – hard working people.

03.50 DES HILL and self ran the school for years. Mentions DON MURRAY.

End of Track Seven

TRACK EIGHT

00.00 Corrects Don Murray’s name.

End of Track Eight

TRACK NINE

00.00 Five or six boys from ST MARY’S GORE attended ST KEVIN’S in OAMARU, after a decision was made to keep them back a year in Gore, possibly because there were too many pupils. Parents decided together to send the boys to St Kevin’s instead. Age thirteen.

00.50 Self became sick after two years and returned to Gore. Went to GORE HIGH SCHOOL.

01.18 Self’s GRANDMOTHER was an influence on self. Loved a good time, but very good Catholic Christian. Describes RELIGIOUS PREJUDICE in Gore at the time – no prejudice in his home, and many denominations on his street. Discouraged attending PROTESTANT WEDDINGS, but went anyway. GORE a stronghold of PRESBYTERIANISM.

04.25 Taught by NUNS at ST MARY’S – some good, some not so good. Discipline.

04.50 CHRISTIAN BROTHERS had a reputation for being tough, but self vowed not to lay a hand on a pupil – not always agreed with. CORPORAL PUNISHMENT in state schools too.

05.50 CHRISTIAN BROTHERS who graduated from AUSTRALIA and then taught in NEW ZEALAND became a province of Australia as Brothers. Two or three priests from Gore, including DON MURRAY, now in his nineties.

06.20 Brothers at ST KEVIN’S, and three lay teachers. Didn’t enjoy St Kevin’s, especially CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. Enjoyed GORE HIGH SCHOOL. Other children who attended St Kevin’s from Gore stayed until the end of school.

08.20 Went to Australia in the mid year and joined as a lay brother. Was told that he would be a teacher, and returned to study. Went to NOVITIATE in MONGOA (sp?) Novice Master was wonderful and self enjoyed time there.

09.20 Was sent to sweep the handball fence and spotted a SNAKE. Hit it with the broom, and then put the snake on the top of the broom and put it in the shower block where someone stood on it. Was nearly sent back to New Zealand because of it. NOVITIATE was like an ARMY BOOT CAMP. Strict routine of prayer, work and silence for a year. Second year at Mongoa. Parents visited in the second year.

11.30 Self considered that he was never a great teacher, but taught in lots of places.

End of Track Nine

TRACK TEN

00.00 Travelled on the WANGANELLA [confusion?] to Australia to be a lay brother. Self filled in for teachers when they were sick. Failed most of the exams at first. Sent back to New Zealand, got the train in PICTON to GORE, and ended up in DUNEDIN and taught at ST PATRICK’S.

02.10 TAUGHT for a year in OAMARU, then BECAME ILL. Did not return for final profession of vows in Australia.

03.00 Children in BELMAIN were great when self was there. Raffles held to pay the lay brothers. Shipbuilding area. Also taught from an old house next to the SYDNEY CRICKET GROUND.

05.15 Was permitted to go teaching even though not all exams passed.

06.00 Five brothers returned to New Zealand. Mentions TERRY IVES, MICK DOCHERTY.

07.10 Left school at 17, four years training in Australia, then taught, then left the profession.

End of Track Ten

TRACK ELEVEN

00.00 Mentions reading a poem.

End of Track Eleven

TRACK TWELVE

00.00 As a child, lived in HERBERT STREET and COUTTS ROAD in GORE. Knew all the kids in the area. RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES, but parents would not enter into any animosity. 25 or 30 families with an average of four children in each family. Self an only child but not lonely. SHOP important part of lives. SUNDAY was MASS DAY and shop didn’t open on Saturday or Sunday.

02.00 WOODWORK TEACHER at GORE HIGH SCHOOL was JOCK KIDD - a Scotsman who was anti Catholics and would use CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. DENTAL NURSE feared. Discipline at Gore High School. Mentions teacher CURLY RICHARDS.

End of Track Twelve

TRACK THIRTEEN

00.00 BESS LOGAN GORE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER who looked after girls with an iron rod. CURLY RICHARDS another teacher. Some teachers went on to be PRINCIPALS at other schools. Some children came from GLENORCHY and lived at the hostel.

00.40 Self’s back yard was used to store fruit boxes, which were used for playing. 6.00 pm was when Dad and Dave played on the radio.

01.20 BLACKOUTS – cups on street lights. People courted under the street lights. NIGHTMAN MR VOIGHT would come around with his night cart to collect sewage – cars crashed with the night cart. Describes

03.20 BLIND EVANGELIST, who rode a horse through the town. Well respected.

03.40 Children played on the site where the school now stands. A man on a bike travelled towing a horse, and then mowed the lawns. Another character was WINGIE WILLIAMS, with one arm and one eye.

05.00 Drums at the back of the shop used to store the rotting fruit and vegetables would be emptied to feed pigs.

End of Track Thirteen

TRACK FOURTEEN

00.00 GOVERNMENT SCHEME for BUILDING HOUSES, which were BALLOTED. Lots of children in the area, nicknamed RABBIT AVE. Father addressed fruit boxes Rabbit Ave rather than Churchill Street. Everyone had a bike.

01.15 List of families on Herbert Street included HAYES, MORTONS, PAWSONS, BURNS, TAYLORS, GARRICKS, BISHOPS, TUTTIES, HOFFMANS. Holes in fences for visiting between houses. A little slagging of religion. Mother was very ecumenical.

03.00 Self travelled home on the boat WANGANELLA on her last trip [confusion?] which then went to DEEP COVE to serve workers on the power scheme. Then travelled from Lyttleton by to DUNEDIN to teach by train, after visiting Gore.

04.30 Self refereed a RUGBY TEAM from DEEP COVE called UTAH. Four or five men from GARSTON – mentions SANDY MCMILLAN, MURRAY PURI (sp?) who helped to referee. Teams from TE ANAU and MOSSBURN, COUNTRY PIRATES, BALFOUR, LUMSDEN, RIVERSDALE, and WAIKAIA all had teams in the competition. ALL BLACK came out of Utah team. Incident when criticized by Te Anau team after refereeing, including a bus driver. Describes

08.30 MATT MENLOVE would take sheep and load them on train. Bus drivers would show tourists. Describes

10.00 Self left teaching after becoming unwell and went home to Gore and filled in at GORE HIGH SCHOOL. Married KATHERINE MCLEAN (Kitty) from LUMSDEN – had known her all her life. Engaged for nine months. MARRIED in QUEENSTOWN, COLIN HAY best man. Moved to the farm, and built on to the cottage on the farm. SHONELLE born in Lumsden, the rest of the children born in Queenstown. Shifted houses when Kitty’s father died.

14.00 Ran the farm themselves, wonderful district. [farm in Garston?] MURRAY PURI, SANDY MCMILLAN and KEVIN COPELAND were very helpful when learning to farm. Everyone helped each other.

14.00 Residents of the district keen on education and sent their children to good schools

End of Track Fourteen

TRACK FIFTEEN

00.00 Further information on education for children in the District. Lots of children boarded. CHILDREN - SHANELLE is now 48 years old, PHILLIPA is 46, SALLY is 43, TOM is 41 and CLAIRE is 36 years old. Great time when they return home. Six grandchildren.

01.50 Self has written POETRY. Reads poems. Has published a book of poetry. Describes. Is continuing to write poetry, some about ALZHEIMERS disease, which self has been diagnosed with.

End of Track Fifteen

TRACK SIXTEEN

00.00 Emotions well up easily with ALZHEIMERS and fewer people visit. Frustrated sometimes. Routine important. Describes

End of Track Sixteen

TRACK SEVENTEEN

00.00 Reads another poem.

01.20 FARM has been leased to DAVID NIND.

01.45 Was going to shift, but decided against it, as both still fit and can drive a car. Drive to GORE a lot, rather than QUEENSTOWN.

02.30 Shortly going to AUSTRALIA for a holiday. Describes

03.40 People attended the SEMINARY from PAPUA NEW GUINEA called MARK BOONGAI (sp?) and LEO TARBUK (sp?) both wonderful people. They experienced Japanese occupation. Describes

End of Track Seventeen