JEFFREY WILLIAM LAMB

Interviewer: Virginia Henderson

Abstracter: W. Brent Coats

First Interview: 22 February 2012

DISC 1: TRACK 1

00:01 Interview identification

00:46 WILLIAM JEFFREY LAMB born 20 July 1944 in GORE

00:57 Paternal family history - Father - JAMES ALEXANDER LAMB - Born on LARG FARM – Mother – STELLA LOUISE OLIVE MCLEOD – From MABEL BUSH Grandmother – AGNES HENDERSON - Born possibly OTAMA – Married JAMES LAMB Grandmother’s father - THOMAS HENDERSON – bought LARG FARM - Details

03:02 Maternal family history – STELLA’s father – GEORGE ROBERT ROGER MCLEOD – Lived at MABEL BUSH - details

03:40 LARG FARM – run by AGNES after THOMAS died in 1929 – Helped by sons – JAMES and STELLA bought farm off AGNES late 1950s AGNES and THOMAS had six children - Details AGNES “pretty determined woman” – Loved farming – Explains

05:15 Self had good relationship with AGNES – “great friend” – played cards and told stories about goldmining – Recalls 05:58 Grandfather JAMES LAMB - dredge equipment – Details

07:00 THOMAS HENDERSON – Sons had land in WENDON VALLEY – AGNES given LARG FARM – Describes

07:29 JAMES AND STELLA LAMB – Lived with AGNES – Mentions

07:55 Little house – No power – Coal range – Washed outside – Copper drum heated by fire for bath and washing clothes – Tank water used – Describes

09:57 WENDON VALLEY water springs – Spring at school – LARG FARM water from house roof into tank – Mentions

10:29 Description of house four bedrooms – Sitting room – Kitchen – Back kitchen – Wash house with copper – Outside buildings – Dairy storeroom with preserves and separator – Details

11:35 Family milking cows – Milk processed through separator for cream – Making butter – Describes

12:18 Butter stored in safe - Hole in ground for storage Outdoor meat safe – Big enough for sheep – Describes

13:54 No electricity – Read at night by candle – Tilly lamp above dining room table – Two candles a “luxury” – Describes

14:39 Tilly lamp fueled by “clear petrol” – Lit by wick or filament – Explains

15:40 Self played cards with AGNES – Patience, canasta, 500, euchre, snap, cribbage – Details

16:20 AGNES had ring made from WAIKAKA gold – Talked “a lot” about goldmining days – Recalled hard work of mining to Self “for hours” Agnes could keep Self interested in stories – Recalls

18:11 Self began WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL in July 1949 – School closed 1950 Mr. BRACEFIELD teacher – “good guy” – Nine or ten students before it closed – Young children used slate boards – Older students used ink – Describes Describes ink bottle found – STEPHENS INKS – Explains

20:18 School sports – Swimming at WAIKAKA river – Next to children’s pony paddock – Describes Recalls BILL NICHOL (sp?) presenting school awards

22:23 Lined up before school saluting flag – Childhood thought of KOREAN WAR being close to NEW ZEALAND – Recalls

23:57 GEORGE LAMB killed at SOMME – Brother of JAMES LAMB – Self found name on memorial wall – Details

24:58 Father had leg broken by dray – Could not go to war – Describes

25:39 Self visited LARG FARM in NEWTON STEWART Scotland with wife – Learned about HENDERSON family - Great great grandfather HENDERSON and son THOMAS lived in farmhouse attic – Describes

28:02 WAIKAKA SCHOOL after WENDON SCHOOL closed – GORE HIGH SCHOOL – Left 1960 – Worked on IVAN HORREL’s farm – Could shear sheep and drive tractor – Explains

29:28 Self played rugby for WAIKAKA 10 years senior; six years under-19; EASTERN; COUNRTY; SOUTHLAND team 1973 – Began as halfback, fullback, forward lock - Reference

30:56 WAIKAKA ROUNDUP RODEO – Self, LINDSAY TEWWDIE (sp?), CURLY RUSSELL discussed idea – BOB HENDERSON, IVAN HORRELL, BILL LOWE joined – Held on IVAN HORRELL’s farm – Trees cut down for posts and rails – Created yards for rodeo before arena built – Explained Rodeo ended for financial reasons – “biggest event” for WENDON VALLEY – Aeroplanes, ponies for children - Recalls

34:21 Fishing in WAIKAKA RIVER – Lots of eels, small fish – Bigger fish now – Drunk out of it as child River has changed – no big swimming holes now – Still fishing – Recalls

36:20 Self first saw wife NGAIRE at rodeo with people Self knew Bought farm in BLACKHILLS at age of 20 - Moved to LARG FARM in after marriage to BLENHEIM 1973 – Returned to WENDON VALLY 1995 – Details

38:27 “Good to come back” to WENDON – Some old friends still there – Children GREG and KERRY - Born and schooled in BLENHEIM – Daughter farms in OAMARU – Son farms south of WAIKAKA, same place great-grandfather JAMES LAMB worked – Describes

40:08 Sense of cycle in life – Self returned to WENDON – “Good to wake up in the morning and look out and see [MOUNT WENDON]…same thing as a kid” – Recalls

41:15 End of Track 1