H0377 Ellen Mary Wenham Collinson (Nellie)

Interviewer: Edith Ruddenklau

Date: 1993

Abstracter: Maree Haggerty

Track 1

00.00 Introduction

00.15 Discussion on letter Nellie wrote to her mother. It was the only letter Nellie ever wrote in her life. Nellie reads out content of letter. Mentions helping her Aunty Eddie, Mrs Winning (?) down at WYNDHAM and having a holiday with her. She went to tennis and into town where she had tuppence to spend. She bought a card, stamp and then plums for a penny. Date of letter was unclear.

02.26 Interviewer confirms D.O.B.: 22.05.1898. Interviewee currently 95 years old at time of recording. She was born at Gala Street, INVERCARGILL.

03.00 Father was born in England. Reference to a book/cutting that details where he was born. He came out on a boat when he was 9 years old. Referencing the ‘book’, he went to Port Adelaide and then to Caltowie (by coach for last 60 miles) where he stayed for 5 months before returning to Adelaide. Two years later they came to BLUFF on the TARARUA.

04.18 The Interviewer mentions that the TARARUA sunk at the WAIPAPA LIGHTHOUSE in approx. 1880 something. Fathers name was William Henry Smith.

05.00 When William came to New Zealand, he later became a builder by trade. He built the hospital wing which has since been pulled down. It was the VICTORIA WING of the hospital (on Dee Street where McDonalds is now). Mentions that there is a photo of it somewhere with a Mr Flaws the builder and her dad. He worked for a grocer and then later worked for a barber. Nellie says, ‘he could do anything at all’. He retired very early. He had also built the MATARUA FREEZING WORKS. There was a plaque for the Victoria Wing build, unsure of location. He built the ROYAL MAIL HOTEL in LUMSDEN (still standing).

06.58 Reflection on a photo of a merry-go-round (large). William had built all the horses etc himself. The photo also includes an old-fashioned TRAM and Grandpa Smith, William’s father. The merry-go-round was in GORE. It then travelled around all over the country. It travelled to INVERCARGILL where the GRAND HOTEL is located when it was vacant land.

07.47 Interviewer reads out details on the sinking of the TARARUA. It sunk near WAIPAPA POINT on a reef in 1881.

07.54 Mother was Grace Wilson (no middle name). Sister Lizzy married Mr Gray/Grey (?) and they lived in QUEENSTOWN. They then went to the WOOL MILLS in MILTON that they had shares in. Mother was very good at needle work. There were four boys born after Nellie. First boy; Ernest Hartfield Smith, he was killed. William Erik, Robert Hartfield & Walter Hugh Hartfield. Hartfield was a family name on Grannies side. They were the Hartfield and the Wenham’s.

09.33 Nellie went to Park School, near Queens Park towards Dee Street, she wasn’t there very long. She used to play in the big trees and make houses. They lived in that house for a while before they moved into the house that was built in Biggar Street. She then went to SOUTH SCHOOL. There was quite a lot of children at SOUTH SCHOOL, there is a photo. Nellie was in the school choir. Nellie remembers the teachers’ names. Miss Bellamy taught the primers. She may have also taught Nellie’s children. Mr Sebo. Mr Bain was the head. Mr Webster. Reflects on mother asking teacher about how Nellie was going at school. The teacher replied ‘she might as well keep her at home’. She was no good at school, couldn’t spell. She wasn’t interested in school, she liked painting. She would dawdle to school, picking flowers out of gardens along the way for the teacher. She was a hard case but never got into any mischief.

13.15 GAMES played at school included marbles – explains. Another game involved cutting out pretty pictures from an old books, she called it the ‘dip game’ with the use of pins – explains. Describes what old Christmas cards looked like. The game was a lot of fun. Skipping. Explains game that father called Diabolo with the use of sticks, string, and big sowing reals. Hopscotch.

17.38 Interviewer asked what the teachers were like, if they were quite severe/firm or kindly. Nellie’s response was ‘I don’t think they could do much with me.’ She would ask if she could leave the room and then not go back. She laughs and says she was a ‘little devil’. She’d leave and head off home.

18.22 Talks about cooking class and scone making. She would play with the dough, make flowers out of it and try to fire it up to the ceiling. She never came home with any scones.

18.47 When Nellie left school she worked at H & J SMITHS, she got 7/6d a week. Describes location of the workroom near McKenzie’s shop. Helen Smith married a Mr Broad; she was the boss. Mrs Broad sister was in charge of the workroom, where blouses were made. Nellie worked in the Manchester department. Miss McFadgen was head of the Childrens’ department, she was an old maid. Tells a story about a lady coming in wanting a hat (straw) something a little different. Nellie went upstairs where some flowers were added, and the customer was charged more money for the same hat.

22.28 Nellie spent her first earnings at H&J SMITHS. She spent a pound on a dress length, a pair of stockings and two other items. It was exciting to spend the money.

23.05 Story about looking after Mr Whittingham cats in Biggar Street. There were two white cats. There was a brewery on Biggar Street. ROOPE’S BREWERY and WHITTINGHAM BREWERY where the bridge is. It didn’t sell beer, it delivered by the keg. Her dad was building a loft, and she would go with him. For looking after the cats, she got given a wooden box with two pressed figs on the lid. She used to sell bottles found in the trees at the park opposite to Mr Whittingham for a penny or sometimes two ha'penny. He would tell her to put them out the back. He brother Ernie was waiting and took the bottle instead and they would resell the bottle several times back to Mr Whittingham. They were going to go halves in the money. They stashed the money in a tin but when they went to collect it, it was gone.

27.56 Nellie went nursing at SEACLIFF. Explains story about what was served for breakfast when Nellie worked on Ward 4. A slice of bread, and some would have porridge. Some would be singing ‘God Save the King’, anything but ‘Grace’. She wore a blue dress with a white pinny, a belt with a key on it (looking at photo) and a little hat. There were three of them that went to work there, one was called Daisy a Māori girl. She was on a different ward. Shares story of one patient who claimed to be her aunty. The Charge Nurse… (track 1 finishes)

TRACK 2

00.00 The Charge Nurse advises that the patient says she is everyone’s Aunty. Shares another story about another patient that was going to kill nine people. Nellie ran from her, she was scared and shaking like a leaf. ‘A whippet couldn’t have caught me going down the corridor’ she was running so fast.

01.02 Another story where you needed to sign for the patients when taking them out. She signed for three patients. One patient thought she was a singer – explains. She played cards with another using laurel leaves. Some patients were quite violent, talks about one that was ‘as thin as a scrapped match’, that was in a straitjacket. She wasn’t violent towards Nellie. The patient presented Nellie with a crochet gift that she made using the bristle from a yard broom.

04.00 Another story of a male patient who thought he was Jesus Christ; he did have a big, long beard. He painted the padded cell, green with Japonica, it looked lovely. He was cleaver, one time he escaped. Explains

05.33 Unsure as to how many patients were there at the time. Recalls a female patient that had needles marks in her arms.

06.19 The staff were not unkind to the patients, they were looked after. Nellie did see one nurse that was unkind. Explains

06.52 Interviewer asked if they had shock treatment, Nellis responded that she never seen this. Explains what the cells looked like, with thick glass.

08.00 Interviewer asked how long she worked there for, Nellie responded saying, ‘not that long’. She got out and went up to MOUNT NICOLAS. Referring to a photo, of the original SEACLIFF building, how lovely looking it was.

08.30 Tom (future husband) came to see Nellie one time, she shares story of a patient that kept busy with a wheelbarrow, fulling and emptying it (imaginary).

08.46 Looking at photo again, referencing a conservatory, where they took the patients through, it had pot plants. Recall story about a patient called ‘Lilly’ who had the most beautiful things. She had a standup wardrobe full of cloths. All Lilly wanted was to get her liberty back and to get out of ‘here’. She was at SEACLIFF because she had had a baby out of wedlock, which didn’t suit her family. Nellie wanted her to ‘slip away’ and escape, but the patient wouldn’t do that to ‘Nellie’. But the story goes that she did get out. Explains that the windows had wrought iron work on them, a piece had been unscrewed. This led onto a landing with steps down, she got away and went to Dunedin.

11.26 Following on from Tom courting Nellie during her employment at SEACLIFF, they were then married at Biggar Street. They got married in the sitting room and the wedding breakfast was in the dining room. Nellie doesn’t recall the name of the person that married them but says it will be on the marriage certificate. He was the minister from Teviot Street Church on the corner, a METHODIST CHURCH.

12.12 After they were married, they went to a house that was owned by a Policeman. The house is still there. The house was rented, they paid 10 shillings a week. Nellie says she could cook. She could make a jelly and cook mince. She can still see (in her mind) the little old house with a toilet at the front. There was a monkey puzzle up the front which was taken down as Nellie couldn’t stand it. She had a colonial sofa, table and some chairs that were as hard as a ‘goats’ knee’ to sit on. They had a sideboard that was purchased from Moya(?) a big furniture place, around the corner from a bike shop, Wensley’s. She thought the sideboard was lovely but had cheap ‘stuff on it’. Everything was ‘cheap and nasty’ in those days. Reflects on wedding presents (a lot of rubbish), saying she’d just given the last thing away, a pair of scales. She got three jugs and odd plates with nothing matching.

15.00 Recalls going on a trip to BLUFF with her parent when young. They travelled in cattle trucks with long seats. They went to ARGYLE BAY. She was allowed to get ‘over my ankles wet, that’s all’. They took sandwiches (egg or Belgian sausage) in a little tin trunk that locked, along with buns and biscuits. They always took tea to drink. They would get hot water from a copper that you paid for.

16.27 Husband was THOMAS COLLINSON, no middle name. Nellie was unsure as to where he was born. He drove a Naughton motorbike with a side car for Millers Bakery. There was a box on the side of it. It is now at the QUEENSTOWN MUSEUM. The brand of bike was confirmed as being a HARLEY DAVIDSON, not a Naughton. Recalls a memory about being at the MILLERS TEA ROOMS which were opposite the POST OFFICE (old) where she was standing. Tom walked past and says ‘get out of the road’, as there were ‘old hens’ in front of the building including Nellie. Another time he was going around a corner and the door opened (to the carrier box) and all the buns fell out. The kids gathered them up.

18.14 One time when Tom was delivering a two-story wedding cake, he was going around the corner and he damaged the top layer, when it fell off. He stuck it back on but the lady from Eye Street wasn’t happy with it, so he returned it to the MILLER BAKEHOUSE, which was on Tay Street, along from the Salvation Army Hall, where Pak N Save is now to get the lattice icing repaired. Mrs Prentice ‘done it all up again’

19.31 The next shift they went down to TOKANUI and then to CAMPBELL’S SIDING. Tom worked in at BAUCHOP'S TIMBER MILL in TOKANUI. Nellie remembers the Twaites that owned the store or cake shop. Recalls a Mrs and Mr Tui Toogood, that she knew long after she was married.

20.45 Nellie remembers that she used to love going out. Talks about her lovely long hair. She has since had 22 treatments of chemotherapy; her hair and eye lashes fell out. Recalls a story of going to the mill and tom tits would flutter around her long hair and land on her head.

21.40 The next shift to where she had a lovely time. Recalls CAMPBELL’S SIDING. She has photos. There was Lattice Mill, Smith’s Mill, Lockaby Store, McLennan’s. Nellie reflects, saying ‘TAHAKOPA what a place, what Rafferty's rules, if I could write a book’. She had a cat on the train with her, they got whiskey by the gallon. Some of the mill hands got away with some of her ducks. She could smell then being cooked. Explains.

23.19 Nellie talks about a wee shop on the side of her house that Mr Campbell put it there for her. She would make her own cakes and sell them, getting the ingredients from Rattrays. She sold chocolates, cigarettes, tobacco, socks and shirts. Nellie added a little extra to the mill hands accounts to make up for what they had done to her ducks (they paid for them).

24.02 The sawmill houses belonged to Mr Fraser, Mr Aicken, her own, Mr Smith and Mr Bell at CAMPBELL’S MILL at CAMPBELL’S SIDING. She has photos of timber being loaded onto trucks. There was Mark Campbell and all the boys, they were all good boys, hardcases.

21.50 Mr Bell was a sawyer. Mr & Mrs McCoy (?) were posh people, they had nice furniture, didn’t belong there. Mr McCoy (?) used to get on the ‘plonk’. One time when Mrs McCoy wasn’t there he was found sleeping up on top of the engine. He’d given a couple of their chairs away; they did get them back. ‘What a place’, Nellie reflects.

21.50 When asked if the men were mainly married or single, Nellie explains. Mac Rosie and Eddie Rosie were both married. Mentions a Jimmy Riddle (old), bald with a bit of red hair. He would take Jip (Chip), the horse up to empty the sawdust over the hill. Tells a story about her daughter Doreen when she was three.

27.23 There were dances up at the Hall. Nellie herself did not dance. The school was at TAHAKOPA.

27.57 Doreen was born at OWAKA. Pat was born in town. The Doctor that delivered Doreen Grace (eldest daughter) was Dr Stenhouse. Coleen Roberta was born at OWAKA (Doreen was living in town and went back to the Nursing Home). Patrica Julie (Pat) was born in Southland Hospital, Dr Brough. She didn’t like him. She got a ‘sniff of something’. When the baby was born it went into a big pool, like a Para pool in its bed.

TRACK 3

(start of tapes sounds like it has been fast forwarded and subject changes)

00.00 Talking about child abuse. It was not heard of back then. Nellie was on the committee at the school. There was nothing like that there.

01.02 Interviewer asks Nellie to share a story she’d told previously. A Mr Dowling died at the mill and the men dug his grave, he is buried there, at the mill. He was buried ‘facing the wrong way round’.

01.51 Nellie shares a story where she went to buy some eggs. She went to the back door; the hen house was attached to the house. The hens were all inside. Explains.

03.06 Tape stops. Restarts at 03.24

03.24 Story about Tom when he was a lad, going to get some eggs from Irish people. When they discussed the price of the eggs, Tommy said 6 pence a dozen, the lady says ‘that wouldn’t pay for the wear and tear on the hens’. Another story about Tom when he was older at Tussock Creek. Explains.

05.38 Talking about Tom being ‘a character’ ‘as well’, he was a happy person. Nellie reflects that she has had a lovely life. Tom passed away in 1965.

06.17 Nellie was given an opal ring, set in Hokonui gold. Nellie gave it to her mother. She never got it back again. Explains,

07.30 Tom served in the FIRST WORLD WAR. When he returned home the government made a payment, a big payment (ironic), 5 pound to buy a suit. They offered him a section out at Tussock Creek, where all the logs were. His brother George took one, it had to be cleared, a lot of hard work. Tom wasn’t having any of that.

08.11 Nellie’s father always wore swallow tailed coats. They were handed down from his father. Grandpa Smith, dad’s father, he has the woodware factory, on the corner opposite the Senior Citizens, it is a hardware place now. Nellie’s aunty worked there. Dad would always have a bell top hat when he went out (photo).

08.44 Interviewer asked if her mother wore bonnets, Nellie response was ‘no way’. Mum had lovely white hair. She had cut off as she wasn’t well. Nellie looked after her mum and was with her when she died, she watched her die. Explains.

09.44 Nellie’s fathers house was the first house to have gas lights. He made his own gas out at Avenal (?), he had a gas house. Explains. They had a gas lamp out front of the Biggar Street residence, number 39. Biggar Street, now Balmoral Drive. Her dad didn’t need to make his own there, it was laid on. After the gas was taken out, an electric light was put in.

11.10 At the end of Biggar Street was PLEASURE BAY. Nellie had heard it was going to be the main part of Invercargill. It was nice at PLEASURE BAY, now it is all rubbish. Dad took us down fishing on Sunday, lovely red cod. There used to be baths at PORT CRAIG.

12.29 OTATARA isn’t what it is now, it was all open. They built the cycle track using the men from the Borstal at Mr Cleve’s suggestion. There used to be a little steam tram on wooden rails. It went as far as where Coupland’s place is now. Nellie reflects that she could have bought land, as plenty as she wanted if she’d had any money at 5 pound an acre, as it was offered to her. Mr Baton (?) owned it. It was MARAMA AVE NORTH. It was all bush. No one wanted the land; you couldn’t give it away.

14.05 Nellie had a place on Selwyn Street, it was then sold to Dr Mathewson. She didn’t want to sell it. Explains. Next owner was Hughie Richardson. Dr Mathewson owed Nellie for furniture.

15.10 Nellie never owned land. Doreen got the place at OTATARA for Nellie, which she lived in for years. From there they (Doreen and Nellie came here, current residence). Mr & Mrs Matt Henderson got the place in MARAMA AVE. Tom puts the plants in. There were three sections, with one for Doreen and one for Pat. Alan Young (Doreen’s husband) built the SNOW WHITE MILK BAR. Nellie used to serve in it.

17.02 Reflection on having a long full life, with many of Nellie’s favourite memories being from TAHAKOPA. ‘It seems like yesterday’. She remembers having the place looking very nice with curtains that two pieces of gold ribbon. She had REDELL’S TRAVELLER from Dunedin come for dinner. They had suits and all sorts of things.

18.02 There were hawkers. Nellie shares a story about a fish seller who sold her Greenbone. She didn’t eat it as it has gone green. When he came back a fortnight later, he explained this was normal. There was another hawker who odd bits and pieces from a big old caravan. When asked what their names were, she replied ‘she wasn’t interested in that’. He was a foreigner with cotton, ribbon and lace, all that kind of thing. They were all in tin boxes. A horse would pull the caravan. He didn’t stay long.

END OF INTERVIEW