Abstract of Muriel Elizabeth ERICSON, 2007
Item — Box: 9
Identifier: H00170002
Abstract
Muriel Ericson; Interviewer: Jenny Campbell; Date: 31 July 2007; Abstracter: Jean Hawkes
Track 1 00.00 Interview identification.
0018 Born in WYNDHAM at 'THE CRESCENT' Mother was SYLVIA COOK at DUNALISTER, Dr MENZIES (pronounced MINGIES) home Middle of three girls. Lived at The Crescent until farm sold to PETER CAMPBELL (father's brother). Bought SPUR HEAD on top of EDENDALE HILL. BERT RICHARDSON built farmhouse. Described. Mentions: MENZIES FERRY, MENZIES COLLEGE
02.33 Happy home. Rode ponies to EDENDALE SCHOOL. Born in 1920. Father: ANGUS CAMPBELL. Parents in partnership on farm. Sisters: IONA and ELJEAN (?). Iona boarded at GORE HIGH SCHOOL hostel. Muriel and younger sister to SOUTHLAND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL by public bus.
04.56 EDENDALE SCHOOL – pony paddock, MR CUSHEN headmaster, CHUBBY HOLDEN teacher and rugby player Infants to Standard 6, probably 20 children in a class. Mentions JANET FRAME'S book and 'girls CUSHEN', BILL DE LA MARE at WYNDHAM SCHOOL
06.30 Sports – hockey, marbles 07.00 Rode ponies about three miles to school. Incident concerning IONA. Mentions: GEOFF FINDLAY
07.51 INVERCARGILL 'dry' city. Journey with BERT RICHARDSON, Muriel fell out of car, picked up by another driver. Mentions: LORNEVILLE ROAD
09.43 Mother driving up EDENDALE HILL in snow. Described No Warrants of Fitness for vehicles. Few women drivers. Mentions: LENA COCHRANE, Mrs MACDONALD at 'The Homestead'
11.34 Visitors by train met by car.
11.55 'Dry' INVERCARGILL – no liquor available at all. Went to 'WHITE HOUSE' When at DUNEDIN TEACHERS' COLLEGE no drinking in Dunedin. Visited daughter FIONA, conditions much different.
12.52 High School Years – Enjoyed it. FORTH STREET BUILDING. Willow is supposed to be from a cutting on Napoleon's grave. Uniform described. Five years at SOUTHLAND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL. Long-lasting friendships.
14.04 School subjects – English, French, Maths, Geography, History. Sat Matriculation Sixth Form, Higher Leaving Certificate
15.00 End of Track 1.
Track 2 00.00 Went to DUNEDIN. Remembers start of war. Men from Teachers' College called up. 00.48 Accident before going to High School. In Old Dee Street Hospital for ten weeks, accidentally shot in the back with a .22 when she was 13. Explained. One of nurses 100th birthday in 2007 Mentions Dr OWEN JOHNSTON (?), SISTER SMITH
04.08 Hospital Care – Nurses did lot of cleaning Treated very well. Basic food. In women's ward not children's. Describes nurses' uniforms. Doctors' and Matron's rounds.
05.19 Convalescence – thought she had meningitis found an infection needing an operation. No penicillin.
06.52 Teachers' College – stayed at ST MARGARET'S, all girls college. Big snowfall in DUNEDIN. Student for two year later students there three years. Spent time at GEORGE STREET, NORMAL, ST CLARE, PINEHILL SCHOOLS. On graduation taught at NIGHTCAPS. Read 'How Green Was My Valley' and compared it with miners at NIGHTCAPS and OHAI – very similar. Went down a mine. Daughter Karen talked of 'mixed flatting' when she went to Dunedin.
10.43 Boarded with PURDUE in NIGHTCAPS and about four teachers, then stayed with JOE and MARY PRENDERVILLE butcher in NIGHTCAPS, NINA (?) and FRED CAMPBELL at OHAI. 11.08 Schools had four or five teachers. At Ohai taught in hall, mining had gone under school caused windows and doors to jam. Built new school, now there is no school.
11.47 Shops and Village – Number of race horses around NIGHTCAPS. Bakers, butchers, drapers, barber shop, pubs at both Ohai and Nightcaps, Police Station at Nightcaps, Convent at Nightcaps. Caring community
13.16 Other teaching positions – OHAI, WINTON, OTARA as sole charge with 27 pupils. Stayed with MRS BLAIR and daughter.
14.31 Sister married, Muriel returned to farm and there during the war, Ronald overseas in Italy, Egypt and Occupation Force in Japan.
End of Track 2
Track 3. 00.02 Ronald had three years at WAIPIATA SANATORIUM. Married in 1950. Couple returned to family farm to look after Muriel's father. Lived at DRUMMOND. Choir and Drama Classes. Rural Women (Women's Division of Federated Farmers) running dressmaking classes.
02.12 RONALD ERICSON (husband) – on farm until he went overseas, home to recuperate from tuberculosis contracted in Florence where he got pleurisy not treated. Drugs were introduced that cleared Tb. DR KIDD ran WAIPIATA for many years.
03.21 Ronald's childhood – youngest of ten, went to OTARA SCHOOL, to SOUTHLAND BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL. Described WAIPIATA like being at university.
04.09 Connection with WAIPAPA LIGHTHOUSE – great-grandfather first lighthouse keeper, to PUYSEGUR, to DOG ISLAND. Ronald and Muriel friends with keepers whom they visited. Ronald never worked on lighthouse.
05.13 Ronald's nationality – great grandfather from JOUDABURG (?) in SWEDEN.
05.47 Ronald worked as a drover – TOKANUI sales
06.10 End of Track 3
Track 1 – 6 October 2007 (recorded in Christchurch) 00.49 War Years – at Teachers' College in Dunedin. Returning from holidays when war declared. Farewell male students at station. Reading newspapers re war.
02.04 Probationary teacher at NIGHTCAPS for one year. At time of interview named as Best Named Town in New Zealand. Then to OHAI – five teachers. Pie (?) cart to take miners from NIGHTCAPS to OHAI. Train through centre of town.
03.35 Appointment as sole charge at OTARA. Now consolidated with TOKANUI. Children arrived on milk carts in the morning and walked home. Later school bus.
05.10 Milk cart – farms to OTARA DAIRY FACTORY. Less than 100 up to 200 cows on farms. Hand milking night and morning. Mentions school concert item. EDENDALE DAIRY FACTORY.
07.03 Effects of electricity, demise of coal ranges.
07.26 Milk carried in cans. Taken to factory by horse and cart, then trucks. Staffing at OTARA factory.
08.33 Lighthouse – men not fit for service conscripted as keepers. Four or five miles from home to lighthouse. Recalls incident of light not being on. Mentions DOG ISLAND.
09.53 Met Ronald at functions. Badminton in the hall. Attended farewells. Card evenings. Towards end of war he went ITALY and OCCUPATION FORCE in JAPAN . Returned, admitted to sanatorium at WAIPIATA (his 'university' education).
11.08 Finished at OTARA when sister married. Went to look after father and staff until Ronald discharged from sanatorium. Effects of drugs. He had tuberculosis. Muriel went to DRUMMOND. Joined DRUMMOND choir – traveled to INVERCARGILL, DUNEDIN. Drama classes.
12.29 Films to HALDANE, FORTROSE, DRUMMOND. Saw first film (silent) at WYNDHAM. Describes films.
13.25 Ronald returned to farm at WAIPAPA POINT. Great grandfather first lighthouse keeper at PUYSEGUR POINT and WAIPAPA POINT – lit the light after wreck of TARARUA. Oldest daughter went to OTARA SCHOOL as a teenager, not been to school before, married the teacher Mr McLURE (?). School committee's complaint regarding marital status of appointed teachers. Committee resigned when single male appointed.
End of Track 1.
Track 2 00.12 Ronald's family – youngest of ten. Beach part of Ericson family. Discovery of ambergris on beach by three men, sold in London for about eight thousand pounds. Money used to buy farms. 03.06 Ambergris described.
04.15 Farms bought – BILL BLAIR at OCEAN VIEW, OTARA. FRED ERICSON bought bush section, sawmill. FRANK ERICSON dairy farm at ERMEDALE. Ronald's first trike.
05.44 Ronald's took over part of family farm at OTARA. Mostly sheep. Loved the beach. Fond of fishing. Describes effects of refrigeration on farmers.
07.15 Beach finds described. Mentions TORERE at WAIKAWA, CURIO BAY
09.05 Grandfather JOHN YOUNG COOK farmed at MOKORETA with family of ten, mother youngest. Accident with horses in WYNDHAM RIVER. Described Grandmother MARY MATHESON moved family to Wyndham at DUNALISTER - Dr MENZIES farm. Described Mentions – MENZIES FERRY, SOUTH AFRICA
12.14 Rabbit problems. Abolishment of Rabbit Boards. Possums.
12.48 Returned to teaching when own children all at school. Did relieving work. New two-teacher school.
14.08 Lived at DRUMMOND (did not teach there)
14.23 Own family – three son, one daughter. One in AUCKLAND, others in CHRISTCHURCH. RAOL (?) KAREN, ARNEY, LARS
15.00 End of Track 2.
Track 3 00.00 Great grandfather Frederick from JOTERBURG (?) near the sea in SWEDEN.
00.24 One overseas trip to LONDON and SWEDEN Describes cemeteries
01.33 Raising family on farm – initially no power or telephone. Coal range, later electric one. Preserving. No freezer or refrigeration. Baking. Now difficult to sell farms not close to cities. OTARA head librarian commutes from INVERCARGILL each day. Today nurses travel in and out.
03.33 Friendship and support of other women. Took children to lighthouse to go swimming. Later to WAIMAHAKA pool, pool at OTARA eventually covered. Covered, heated pool at TOKANUI.
05.12 Organisations – Churches, Women's Division (now Rural Women), Status of women on modern farms. Much cultivation now done by contract. Catering. 06.55 Rural Women – dressmaking classes, speakers, bus trips through New Zealand, gardening groups. Important for young people coming to district. MURIEL DAVIDSON'S garden.
08.33 Groceries – rang and delivered from TOKANUI, then supermarket shopping in INVERCARGILL. Weekly orders – fruit, bread. Milk delivered for a while.
End of Track 3
Track 1 00.00 Interview identification.
0018 Born in WYNDHAM at 'THE CRESCENT' Mother was SYLVIA COOK at DUNALISTER, Dr MENZIES (pronounced MINGIES) home Middle of three girls. Lived at The Crescent until farm sold to PETER CAMPBELL (father's brother). Bought SPUR HEAD on top of EDENDALE HILL. BERT RICHARDSON built farmhouse. Described. Mentions: MENZIES FERRY, MENZIES COLLEGE
02.33 Happy home. Rode ponies to EDENDALE SCHOOL. Born in 1920. Father: ANGUS CAMPBELL. Parents in partnership on farm. Sisters: IONA and ELJEAN (?). Iona boarded at GORE HIGH SCHOOL hostel. Muriel and younger sister to SOUTHLAND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL by public bus.
04.56 EDENDALE SCHOOL – pony paddock, MR CUSHEN headmaster, CHUBBY HOLDEN teacher and rugby player Infants to Standard 6, probably 20 children in a class. Mentions JANET FRAME'S book and 'girls CUSHEN', BILL DE LA MARE at WYNDHAM SCHOOL
06.30 Sports – hockey, marbles 07.00 Rode ponies about three miles to school. Incident concerning IONA. Mentions: GEOFF FINDLAY
07.51 INVERCARGILL 'dry' city. Journey with BERT RICHARDSON, Muriel fell out of car, picked up by another driver. Mentions: LORNEVILLE ROAD
09.43 Mother driving up EDENDALE HILL in snow. Described No Warrants of Fitness for vehicles. Few women drivers. Mentions: LENA COCHRANE, Mrs MACDONALD at 'The Homestead'
11.34 Visitors by train met by car.
11.55 'Dry' INVERCARGILL – no liquor available at all. Went to 'WHITE HOUSE' When at DUNEDIN TEACHERS' COLLEGE no drinking in Dunedin. Visited daughter FIONA, conditions much different.
12.52 High School Years – Enjoyed it. FORTH STREET BUILDING. Willow is supposed to be from a cutting on Napoleon's grave. Uniform described. Five years at SOUTHLAND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL. Long-lasting friendships.
14.04 School subjects – English, French, Maths, Geography, History. Sat Matriculation Sixth Form, Higher Leaving Certificate
15.00 End of Track 1.
Track 2 00.00 Went to DUNEDIN. Remembers start of war. Men from Teachers' College called up. 00.48 Accident before going to High School. In Old Dee Street Hospital for ten weeks, accidentally shot in the back with a .22 when she was 13. Explained. One of nurses 100th birthday in 2007 Mentions Dr OWEN JOHNSTON (?), SISTER SMITH
04.08 Hospital Care – Nurses did lot of cleaning Treated very well. Basic food. In women's ward not children's. Describes nurses' uniforms. Doctors' and Matron's rounds.
05.19 Convalescence – thought she had meningitis found an infection needing an operation. No penicillin.
06.52 Teachers' College – stayed at ST MARGARET'S, all girls college. Big snowfall in DUNEDIN. Student for two year later students there three years. Spent time at GEORGE STREET, NORMAL, ST CLARE, PINEHILL SCHOOLS. On graduation taught at NIGHTCAPS. Read 'How Green Was My Valley' and compared it with miners at NIGHTCAPS and OHAI – very similar. Went down a mine. Daughter Karen talked of 'mixed flatting' when she went to Dunedin.
10.43 Boarded with PURDUE in NIGHTCAPS and about four teachers, then stayed with JOE and MARY PRENDERVILLE butcher in NIGHTCAPS, NINA (?) and FRED CAMPBELL at OHAI. 11.08 Schools had four or five teachers. At Ohai taught in hall, mining had gone under school caused windows and doors to jam. Built new school, now there is no school.
11.47 Shops and Village – Number of race horses around NIGHTCAPS. Bakers, butchers, drapers, barber shop, pubs at both Ohai and Nightcaps, Police Station at Nightcaps, Convent at Nightcaps. Caring community
13.16 Other teaching positions – OHAI, WINTON, OTARA as sole charge with 27 pupils. Stayed with MRS BLAIR and daughter.
14.31 Sister married, Muriel returned to farm and there during the war, Ronald overseas in Italy, Egypt and Occupation Force in Japan.
End of Track 2
Track 3. 00.02 Ronald had three years at WAIPIATA SANATORIUM. Married in 1950. Couple returned to family farm to look after Muriel's father. Lived at DRUMMOND. Choir and Drama Classes. Rural Women (Women's Division of Federated Farmers) running dressmaking classes.
02.12 RONALD ERICSON (husband) – on farm until he went overseas, home to recuperate from tuberculosis contracted in Florence where he got pleurisy not treated. Drugs were introduced that cleared Tb. DR KIDD ran WAIPIATA for many years.
03.21 Ronald's childhood – youngest of ten, went to OTARA SCHOOL, to SOUTHLAND BOYS' HIGH SCHOOL. Described WAIPIATA like being at university.
04.09 Connection with WAIPAPA LIGHTHOUSE – great-grandfather first lighthouse keeper, to PUYSEGUR, to DOG ISLAND. Ronald and Muriel friends with keepers whom they visited. Ronald never worked on lighthouse.
05.13 Ronald's nationality – great grandfather from JOUDABURG (?) in SWEDEN.
05.47 Ronald worked as a drover – TOKANUI sales
06.10 End of Track 3
Track 1 – 6 October 2007 (recorded in Christchurch) 00.49 War Years – at Teachers' College in Dunedin. Returning from holidays when war declared. Farewell male students at station. Reading newspapers re war.
02.04 Probationary teacher at NIGHTCAPS for one year. At time of interview named as Best Named Town in New Zealand. Then to OHAI – five teachers. Pie (?) cart to take miners from NIGHTCAPS to OHAI. Train through centre of town.
03.35 Appointment as sole charge at OTARA. Now consolidated with TOKANUI. Children arrived on milk carts in the morning and walked home. Later school bus.
05.10 Milk cart – farms to OTARA DAIRY FACTORY. Less than 100 up to 200 cows on farms. Hand milking night and morning. Mentions school concert item. EDENDALE DAIRY FACTORY.
07.03 Effects of electricity, demise of coal ranges.
07.26 Milk carried in cans. Taken to factory by horse and cart, then trucks. Staffing at OTARA factory.
08.33 Lighthouse – men not fit for service conscripted as keepers. Four or five miles from home to lighthouse. Recalls incident of light not being on. Mentions DOG ISLAND.
09.53 Met Ronald at functions. Badminton in the hall. Attended farewells. Card evenings. Towards end of war he went ITALY and OCCUPATION FORCE in JAPAN . Returned, admitted to sanatorium at WAIPIATA (his 'university' education).
11.08 Finished at OTARA when sister married. Went to look after father and staff until Ronald discharged from sanatorium. Effects of drugs. He had tuberculosis. Muriel went to DRUMMOND. Joined DRUMMOND choir – traveled to INVERCARGILL, DUNEDIN. Drama classes.
12.29 Films to HALDANE, FORTROSE, DRUMMOND. Saw first film (silent) at WYNDHAM. Describes films.
13.25 Ronald returned to farm at WAIPAPA POINT. Great grandfather first lighthouse keeper at PUYSEGUR POINT and WAIPAPA POINT – lit the light after wreck of TARARUA. Oldest daughter went to OTARA SCHOOL as a teenager, not been to school before, married the teacher Mr McLURE (?). School committee's complaint regarding marital status of appointed teachers. Committee resigned when single male appointed.
End of Track 1.
Track 2 00.12 Ronald's family – youngest of ten. Beach part of Ericson family. Discovery of ambergris on beach by three men, sold in London for about eight thousand pounds. Money used to buy farms. 03.06 Ambergris described.
04.15 Farms bought – BILL BLAIR at OCEAN VIEW, OTARA. FRED ERICSON bought bush section, sawmill. FRANK ERICSON dairy farm at ERMEDALE. Ronald's first trike.
05.44 Ronald's took over part of family farm at OTARA. Mostly sheep. Loved the beach. Fond of fishing. Describes effects of refrigeration on farmers.
07.15 Beach finds described. Mentions TORERE at WAIKAWA, CURIO BAY
09.05 Grandfather JOHN YOUNG COOK farmed at MOKORETA with family of ten, mother youngest. Accident with horses in WYNDHAM RIVER. Described Grandmother MARY MATHESON moved family to Wyndham at DUNALISTER - Dr MENZIES farm. Described Mentions – MENZIES FERRY, SOUTH AFRICA
12.14 Rabbit problems. Abolishment of Rabbit Boards. Possums.
12.48 Returned to teaching when own children all at school. Did relieving work. New two-teacher school.
14.08 Lived at DRUMMOND (did not teach there)
14.23 Own family – three son, one daughter. One in AUCKLAND, others in CHRISTCHURCH. RAOL (?) KAREN, ARNEY, LARS
15.00 End of Track 2.
Track 3 00.00 Great grandfather Frederick from JOTERBURG (?) near the sea in SWEDEN.
00.24 One overseas trip to LONDON and SWEDEN Describes cemeteries
01.33 Raising family on farm – initially no power or telephone. Coal range, later electric one. Preserving. No freezer or refrigeration. Baking. Now difficult to sell farms not close to cities. OTARA head librarian commutes from INVERCARGILL each day. Today nurses travel in and out.
03.33 Friendship and support of other women. Took children to lighthouse to go swimming. Later to WAIMAHAKA pool, pool at OTARA eventually covered. Covered, heated pool at TOKANUI.
05.12 Organisations – Churches, Women's Division (now Rural Women), Status of women on modern farms. Much cultivation now done by contract. Catering. 06.55 Rural Women – dressmaking classes, speakers, bus trips through New Zealand, gardening groups. Important for young people coming to district. MURIEL DAVIDSON'S garden.
08.33 Groceries – rang and delivered from TOKANUI, then supermarket shopping in INVERCARGILL. Weekly orders – fruit, bread. Milk delivered for a while.
End of Track 3
Dates
- 2007
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 folder(s)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Campbell, Jenny (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
