MARY MARGARET SMITH

Interviewer: Virginia Henderson

Abstracter: Robyn Powley

Interview: 25 November 2011

00:02 Interview introduction

00:54 MARY MARGARET SMITH born in 1924 - father JAMES SMITH - may have been the first person to be born in WENDON VALLEY – mother ANNA REBECCA HARVEY – married 22 December (year unknown) – Details

03:18 Brother STUART JAMES SMITH – Older sister ETHEL ANNA SMITH – Other sister RUTH FLORENCE SMITH – ETHEL married WILLIAM KELLY from GREENVALE – RUTH married ARTHUR CAMPBELL from WAIMATE, met in DUNEDIN – STUART married BETTY BURNS from CONICAL HILL – Details

04:48 Grew up at WENDON VALLEY – only RUTH attended GORE HIGH SCHOOL – TWO-YEAR gap between siblings – HENDERSONS, HORRELLS, LAMBS neighbours – Details

06:36 BUSHY HILL – KERSE neighbours – WAIKAKA STREAM – SWING BRIDGE – KING SOLOMON MINE, WAIKAIA – MCGREGOR ROAD – SMITH ROAD – WENDON VALLEY – KEY ROAD – left 1955 – moved to GORE – DEVON STREET – Details

09:50 WENDON VALLEY roads – traffic, horse and cart, walked to school initially, then biked – HORRELLS – AIKEN (Sp) family – Describes

12:57 Family home – dairy – cow milked – earthquake – Explains

16:05 Water supplies from the Spring on the farm – Discussed

17:10 Helped with the housework – worked with the sheep – partially sheared sheep – helped with the harvesting – stooks – MOUNT WENDON - chaff cutter – Describes

20:52 Recalls - Horses on the farm – ERIC MASLEM (SP)

21:51 WENDON VALLEY SCHOOL – located at Junction – JIM and STELLA LAMB – Church held at the school until the WENDON VALLEY CHURCH was built – 1929 – CAMP COLUMBA at PUKERAU – Describes

23:43 Discusses a school photo in 1931 – MARY identifies herself and ISLA HORRELL in the photo – describes the scene – first day at school – snowed that day – father picked them up with the Pony and Trap/Gig

27:16 Discusses what she learnt at school – teacher WATTIE WATSON (married ANGUS LAMB) one big classroom divided into sections – homework – Details

31:16 Recalls - Wore a gym frock to school – gumboots, then slippers in the classroom – lunchbox with sandwiches – liked Bacon and Egg sandwiches – school friend ISLA HORRELL – MOLLY McINTYRE lived up the valley – played MARBLES, HOPSCOTCH, SOCCER favourite game

35:04 School routine – lesson – lunch time – ORETI BEACH picnic – END OF YEAR PICNIC – CHURCH met at the school – Explains

38:20 Father – JAMES - Grandfather – DAVID JOLLY SMITH – died 1926 – Grandmother – MARY MARGARET SMITH nee MILNE – both came from SCOTLAND – DAVID went to CANADA – built bridges – came to NEW ZEALAND - MARY worked at McNAB’S - KNAPDALE STATION – DAVID and MARY returned to SCOTLAND – married in MONTREAL 1879 – returned to NEW ZEALAND – lived at PINE HILL, DUNEDIN – Details

42:06 Settled WENDON VALLEY – OTAMA RUN – Block - 320 acres 999-year lease – PETERS FAMILY - CHATTON CNR - THEODORA (big Dora) – JAMES HARVEY’S sister – Details

44:43 MARY’S grandparents died ‘early’ – children split up – went to various families – Details

46:46 UNCLE JIM (Mother’s brother) went to AUSTRALIA then went to WW1 – Mentions

47:05 House moved from CHATTON to WENDON VALLEY – pulled by horses – Explains

49:05 Left school – worked with father – moved to GORE – 1950’s – worked as a housemaid – DALKEITH MATERNITY HOSPITAL – MCARTHURS KNITWEAR – overseas for 9 months – back home – SOLICITORS – Details

50:04 Recalls – Visited Sister RUTH and Brother-in-law ARTHUR CAMPBELL in BIRMINGHAM – went by SHIP – AUCKLAND to SYDNEY on the WANGANELLA – SUEZ CANAL – CAIRO – 1961 –GIBRALTAR – ENGLAND – IRELAND – SCOTLAND

54:16 Recalls – family history – FRED MILNE relation of MARY MILNE (Father’s mother) – SCANDINAVIA – NEWCASTLE to NORWAY – letters sent home by AIRMAIL – felt at home in SCOTLAND – EDINBURGH

58:14 Recalls – homecoming to GORE – PANAMA CANAL – flew AUCKLAND to INVERCARGILL – KELLY’S met her – near GORE SHOW DAY

1:00:47 Recalls - BANNERMAN, BRIGHTON & FALSTER – Gore Solicitors – worked there 1962-82 -mother died 1982

1:01:30 Recalls – WENDON VALLEY is home – describes her mother – QUEEN MOTHER – shock to the leave the farm – FISHING-1 OCTOBER – ponds near YOUNG’S – EELING – UNCLE BILL GRAHAM – KERSES

1:07:03 Recalls – electricity 1945 – kerosene lamps and candles – coal range – Mother had a ‘helper’

1:08:46 Finishes the interview and thanks MARY