Abstract of James Bernard {Jimmy, Jag) DUNCAN, 2023
Item — Box: 15
Identifier: H02790002
Abstract
HO279 JAMES BERNARD DUNCAN
Interviewer: Jenny Campbell
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 13 October 2016
TRACK ONE
00.00 Born 1946.
01.30 Father JOHN HAROLD DUNCAN. Involved in horses and worked for the MINISTRY OF WORKS as a labourer in SOCKBURN. Self in a family of 10. Mother MARGARET ELIZA DONALDSON, who was a very loving and maternal person.
02.15 Mother had a lot of tragedy in her life. One child died at birth. One son died at the age of 14 months of POISONING from COPPER ARSENIC PAINT found in a neighbouring rubbish dump. Self was taken to Court as a witness at around six years of age, but case lost. Brother buried at RURU LAWN CEMETERY in CHRISTCHURCH. Describes
04.20 Self seventh in the family of ten. ROSIE oldest sister, then DOREEN, then MARY who moved to ROTORUA after marrying PETER MOREHU(?), then KITTY, then BRIAN who self worked with in AUSTRALIA. Describes siblings further
05.45 Self worked in TIN AND NICKEL MINES, and PICKED GRAPES in Australia. Self kept having to bail out brother, so they parted company as good friends. Went to PERTH with an Austrian man and worked in the SALT PANS, DRIVING TRUCKS to cart salt for loading to JAPAN. Also worked as a COOK AND DECK HAND ON COASTAL TUG AND BARGE for six months.
07.15 Returned to ROTORUA and worked in the WAIPA STATE MILL, then worked in HOUSEHOLD REMOVALS. Was asked to work in AUCKLAND in posh areas, working with ANTIQUE FURNITURE REMOVALS. Rented a house in MISSION BAY for $16 a week, and MARRIED JACKIE, but marriage didn’t work out.
08.30 Returned to ROTORUA and stayed with sister Mary, then moved to CHRISTCHURCH and worked with GUTHRIES FREIGHTWAYS doing long distance household removals.
09.00 Crashed on the HAYWARD HILL which unnerved self, so stopped driving trucks and MOVED TO SOUTHLAND. MOTHER, who lived in OHAI, was unwell and died while self was up in Christchurch for a break. Self working in COAL MINES at the time. Brother KEVIN also lived in Ohai, married to VEDA EVERETT. Describes
11.40 Self went to SINGAPORE on holiday with brother Kevin and a friend describes Kevin’s life and death.
14.30 Self describes SISTERS, including JO, and EILEEN who stays with self. Also describes YOUNGEST BROTHER.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 Intermittent contact with brother who lived in CALIFORNIA
00.30 Made REDUNDANT from the OHAI MINES in 1998 after 23 years, believes because of involvement and disagreement with management regarding SAFETY MATTERS describes
06.00 Difficulties with other miners regarding SAFETY MATTERS describes. Mentions STRONGMAN MINE TRAGEDY and a meeting in the OHAI HALL.
07.15 Describes WAIRAKI MINE and flooding, water saturation and fire issues.
08.50 After redundancy self worked at BRIGHTWOOD SAWMILL – soon after a boy called ROBERT KINGI-POTIKI was killed in the part of the mine self had complained about. No records found of self reporting his concerns.
09.45 Initially not keen on working at the SAWMILL, but ended up enjoying it – got on well with management. Describes timber called FLITCH which was exported to CHINA. Self improved processing of this timber.
11.30 Worked with manager called JOHN CRANE – self had a good trust relationship with him, and was left to his own devices.
12.25 AMERICAN TIMBER MARKET fell apart – staff numbers needed to be reduced, but self kept on. Then mill closed while self was on compensation after a work related injury describes
14.00 Friend called KEITH VALLI (aka KOJAK) suggested self find a job at PIKE RIVER MINE and self started application process.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 JOHN CRANE contacted self to ask him to work on MAINTAINING MACHINERY AT SAWMILL, despite money at Pike River being more generous. Three or four weeks later Pike River mine disaster happened – word had got around about this mine being unsafe describes
02.00 RETIRED at 65 years of age and enjoyed first five years of retirement. Pruned trees on local GOLF COURSE, and worked intermittently on the FILLETING MACHINE at the sawmill. Describes.
03.25 SOLID ENERGY needed 3,000 PELLETS for new mine opening, which self made from eucalyptus wood and showed younger workers at the sawmill to make them. Describes
06.00 Diagnosed with lung cancer after five years of retirement. Self feels very lucky with his life.
06.40 When young and living at WIGRAM, and saw TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDING mid-air, resulting in seven men losing their lives describes. Mentions another air accident during the war, when the chimney from the family home was shorn off by an aircraft.
Gap in tape
14.10 Self had 29 different jobs, although no paper qualifications. Enjoyed SCHOOL YEARS.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 General discussion about what self would talk about in future interviews.
02.45 Attended XAVIER COLLEGE in CHRISTCHURCH, strict teachers. ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY wanted to sponsor self to attend university.
04.00 BROTHER DAVID in London now retired, but was a teacher of special needs children.
05.00 Mentions WIFE COLLEEN AND CHILDREN.
End of Track Four
Interviewer: Jenny Campbell
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 13 October 2016
TRACK ONE
00.00 Born 1946.
01.30 Father JOHN HAROLD DUNCAN. Involved in horses and worked for the MINISTRY OF WORKS as a labourer in SOCKBURN. Self in a family of 10. Mother MARGARET ELIZA DONALDSON, who was a very loving and maternal person.
02.15 Mother had a lot of tragedy in her life. One child died at birth. One son died at the age of 14 months of POISONING from COPPER ARSENIC PAINT found in a neighbouring rubbish dump. Self was taken to Court as a witness at around six years of age, but case lost. Brother buried at RURU LAWN CEMETERY in CHRISTCHURCH. Describes
04.20 Self seventh in the family of ten. ROSIE oldest sister, then DOREEN, then MARY who moved to ROTORUA after marrying PETER MOREHU(?), then KITTY, then BRIAN who self worked with in AUSTRALIA. Describes siblings further
05.45 Self worked in TIN AND NICKEL MINES, and PICKED GRAPES in Australia. Self kept having to bail out brother, so they parted company as good friends. Went to PERTH with an Austrian man and worked in the SALT PANS, DRIVING TRUCKS to cart salt for loading to JAPAN. Also worked as a COOK AND DECK HAND ON COASTAL TUG AND BARGE for six months.
07.15 Returned to ROTORUA and worked in the WAIPA STATE MILL, then worked in HOUSEHOLD REMOVALS. Was asked to work in AUCKLAND in posh areas, working with ANTIQUE FURNITURE REMOVALS. Rented a house in MISSION BAY for $16 a week, and MARRIED JACKIE, but marriage didn’t work out.
08.30 Returned to ROTORUA and stayed with sister Mary, then moved to CHRISTCHURCH and worked with GUTHRIES FREIGHTWAYS doing long distance household removals.
09.00 Crashed on the HAYWARD HILL which unnerved self, so stopped driving trucks and MOVED TO SOUTHLAND. MOTHER, who lived in OHAI, was unwell and died while self was up in Christchurch for a break. Self working in COAL MINES at the time. Brother KEVIN also lived in Ohai, married to VEDA EVERETT. Describes
11.40 Self went to SINGAPORE on holiday with brother Kevin and a friend describes Kevin’s life and death.
14.30 Self describes SISTERS, including JO, and EILEEN who stays with self. Also describes YOUNGEST BROTHER.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 Intermittent contact with brother who lived in CALIFORNIA
00.30 Made REDUNDANT from the OHAI MINES in 1998 after 23 years, believes because of involvement and disagreement with management regarding SAFETY MATTERS describes
06.00 Difficulties with other miners regarding SAFETY MATTERS describes. Mentions STRONGMAN MINE TRAGEDY and a meeting in the OHAI HALL.
07.15 Describes WAIRAKI MINE and flooding, water saturation and fire issues.
08.50 After redundancy self worked at BRIGHTWOOD SAWMILL – soon after a boy called ROBERT KINGI-POTIKI was killed in the part of the mine self had complained about. No records found of self reporting his concerns.
09.45 Initially not keen on working at the SAWMILL, but ended up enjoying it – got on well with management. Describes timber called FLITCH which was exported to CHINA. Self improved processing of this timber.
11.30 Worked with manager called JOHN CRANE – self had a good trust relationship with him, and was left to his own devices.
12.25 AMERICAN TIMBER MARKET fell apart – staff numbers needed to be reduced, but self kept on. Then mill closed while self was on compensation after a work related injury describes
14.00 Friend called KEITH VALLI (aka KOJAK) suggested self find a job at PIKE RIVER MINE and self started application process.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 JOHN CRANE contacted self to ask him to work on MAINTAINING MACHINERY AT SAWMILL, despite money at Pike River being more generous. Three or four weeks later Pike River mine disaster happened – word had got around about this mine being unsafe describes
02.00 RETIRED at 65 years of age and enjoyed first five years of retirement. Pruned trees on local GOLF COURSE, and worked intermittently on the FILLETING MACHINE at the sawmill. Describes.
03.25 SOLID ENERGY needed 3,000 PELLETS for new mine opening, which self made from eucalyptus wood and showed younger workers at the sawmill to make them. Describes
06.00 Diagnosed with lung cancer after five years of retirement. Self feels very lucky with his life.
06.40 When young and living at WIGRAM, and saw TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDING mid-air, resulting in seven men losing their lives describes. Mentions another air accident during the war, when the chimney from the family home was shorn off by an aircraft.
Gap in tape
14.10 Self had 29 different jobs, although no paper qualifications. Enjoyed SCHOOL YEARS.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 General discussion about what self would talk about in future interviews.
02.45 Attended XAVIER COLLEGE in CHRISTCHURCH, strict teachers. ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY wanted to sponsor self to attend university.
04.00 BROTHER DAVID in London now retired, but was a teacher of special needs children.
05.00 Mentions WIFE COLLEEN AND CHILDREN.
End of Track Four
Dates
- 2023
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
From the Record Group: English
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
