Abstract of Paul John COTTER and Barry Russell MUNRO, 2024
Item — Box: 31
Identifier: H02320002
Abstract
HO230
PAUL JOHN COTTER AND BARRY RUSSELL MUNRO
Interviewer: Seona Craig
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 18 June 2015
(Abstractor note: It was difficult to distinguish between the two interviewees voices, and to know who was speaking. Names have been identified only when it was clear who was speaking)
TRACK ONE
00.00 BARRY RUSSELL MUNRO born in 1937. PAUL COTTER born in 1948.
01.40 Barry joined NEW ZEALAND POST OFFICE in 1963 after school at SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE. Worked in TELEGRAPH OFFICE in Invercargill, then invited in February 1964 to attend RADIO TRAINING SCHOOL in TRENTHAM to become a radio operator. Spent a year at the school, staying in POST OFFICE ACCOMMODATION CENTRE, where board was paid for. Transferred to AWARUA RADIO at the end of the training period in November 1964.
03.20 Barry commenced work at AWARUA immediately – previously had lived in WOODEND. Father employed by AWARUA RABBIT BOARD which included responsibility for the TIWAI PENINSULA, including the land around Awarua Radio. Therefore knew some of the men who worked there.
04.40 What the station monitored was a mystery at the time.
05.20 TRENTHAM COLLEGE had taught typewriting, teleprinting and how to send and receive MORSE CODE describes. 07.20 Job at Awarua full on – Barry shown how to work the RADIO RECEIVERS – not taught radio side of things at College. Training on phones use varied depending on the person and the different tasks being done at the time. Describes
09.50 Also worked with LIGHTHOUSES, copying METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS etc. Describes
11.15 OUTSTATIONS in remote localities dealt with from Awarua – including HAAST, MILFORD SOUND, MCQUARRIE ISLAND, SCOTT BASE. No SATELLITE PHONES at that time. Describes
13.12 In the 1960s, TWO FREQUENCIES FOR SHIPPING, later expanded to other megahertz, for sending and receiving telegrams to ships at sea.
13.50 Four six hour shifts in a day – concentration needed and fatigue would set in.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 The other eighteen hours in the day were free. Worked seven days a week. 42 days on and a day and a half off until 19702, when POST OFFICE UNION improved conditions of work.
01.30 Barry – could hear MORSE when others working, and got a feel as to what was happening in the room. Strict CODE OF CONFIDENTIALITY – could copy TELEGRAMS and immediately forget content after taking the message. Could also exclude other noises from consciousness – useful when message received from ships. Great concentration required. Describes.
05.20 Barry - some bands prone to ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. MAYDAY signal, however, was a speech pattern which immediately set off an alarm bell. Other alerts include PANPAN, alert meaning that a situation was dire but hadn’t happened yet. SECURITAE was a signal used for communication involving meteorological warnings.
08.00 Describes use of MORSE CODE.
09.45 Barry - TELEGRAMS FROM SHIPS at sea included private correspondence, information from the Master to the shipping company re running of the ship, medical knowledge during events. Ships carrying more than twelve passengers required a DOCTOR on board.
13.00 Paul – in 1966 took approval papers to shipping company to become an OFFICER CADET. Friend of the family who worked at the Post Office suggested Paul becoming a RADIO OPERATOR instead. TOM MILE, head radio inspector, interviewed Paul and he started a week later at the POST OFFICE TRAINING SCHOOL.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Paul – describes training at TRAINING SCHOOL, and offer of a job at AWARUA on 4 October 1966. Travelled with an American on the plane who was going to be a lighthouse keeper, and he dropped Paul off at Awarua on the way.
02.10 Received key at the office for the hostel room, lightbulb stolen. Another resident of the hostel discharged a rifle containing a blank. Underwent TRAINING – becoming confident in the job took four years. Describes
04.40 Went to MILFORD SOUND to work at the TOURIST HOTEL CORPORATION HOTEL – most staff were Australians and most of the tourists American. Most of the work was done by MORSE CODE. Signals from AUSTRALIAN RADIO STATIONS were received more clearly than from New Zealand stations.
06.00 Paul spent six months on the CHATHAM ISLANDS. Barry also worked on Chatham Islands, in 1968, arriving the day before the WAHINE STORM. Paul arrived a couple of months later. Station manager was DAVE BOYCE, a radio inspector. Paul dressed in the fashion at the time, which shocked Dave. Describes
09.00 Time on Chatham Islands enjoyable. Primary function was to SAVE LIVES AT SEA, and SEND AND RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS. .
09.30 Sound of Morse code on recording. Paul and Barry describe a TYPICAL MAYDAY CALL and how it would be dealt with.
14.15 RADIO PROCEDURE not always used when ships in distress. LOCAL FISHERMEN’S NAMES used, and charts not available to consult.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 Barry and Paul had fresh ideas to bring to PROTOCOLS DURING EMERGENCY EPISODES. Every word of messaging had to be written down VERBATIM, because might be used in COURT later. Did not know SHORTHAND, so written in log in their own shorthand. Describes
02.00 AUDIO RECORDING became available in the 1960s, updated in the late 1970s. Tapes had to be kept for a month, and tapes containing distress information were set aside.
04.00 Great concentration required. Some technicians had HEARING PROBLEMS and struggled to hear signals. Strange place to work – although they worked for the POST OFFICE, did not socialize with other Post Office staff. Post Office resented Awarua staff, because they didn’t know what to do with them.
06.00 In 1990, BRITISH SYSTEM used of UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL PROCEDURES during distress episodes.
07.00 A bad move when Post Office pulled out of the ROLE OF MONITORING DISTRESS EPISODES. Describes.
08.20 Various other places assisted with distress episodes, including fishermen’s associations, MERI LEASK in BLUFF, MURRAY PATERSON, MAUREEN WALSH in STEWART ISLAND, people in CURIO BAY, TE ANAU, WAIKAWA. Describes. Southland had a very good communication service.
09.50 In later years, RIVERTON VOLUNTEER COASTGUARD SERVICE.
10.00 Believes that if the Awarua service was available at the time, there would have not have been fatalities during the time of the FOVEAUX STRAIT LIGHT PLANE TRAGEDY (ROBIN ANDREWS was pilot). Police turned down the Riverton Coastguard which should have been called.
11.20 A distress call may not be received for a year. Dumped in at the deep end with no radio experience. Once on a Morse watch with KEITH RAMSAY, listening to the same receiver. Was asked to answer a ship’s call, hadn’t realized because didn’t recognize it. Describes.
13.40 MCQUARRIE ISLAND message received, had to decipher message. Discussion regarding different words used in messages.
End of Track Four
TRACK FIVE
00.00 More discussion re terminology and phraseology.
01.50 Unusual distress incident in 1969, Union Steamship 6,000 tonnes coal carrying VESSEL KAITAWA was out of WESTPORT travelling up the west coast and around CAPE REINGA. 9.00 pm a ship called MELBOURNE RADIO (ship called something like MARCO POLO, an Italian passenger ship) sent out a MAYDAY SIGNAL. Ship was travelling over the PANDORA BANK, which rises under the seabed and can change sea conditions. Was sending SOS to CAPE REINGA LIGHTHOUSE. Confusion with Australian station. No CHARTS available, so did not know position. Afterwards discovered the wreck of the Kaitawa at the Pandora Bank on the seabed, no bodies found. Affected, as was the last person to hear captain’s voice.
08.10 Was on small ship’s watch. JOE BELL, a senior operator was on 500kz watch and heard a message from CAPE HORN which also heard the distress signal regarding the Pandora Bank incident.
09.30 Developed a SIXTH SENSE when important messages came through. Once had a message from a KIWI ON THE ST LAWRENCE RIVER wanting to send a message to his mother on Christmas Day. Another time, message from ship coming out of the THAMES RIVER received because it was QUICKER than using the British system.
11.00 Once had a DISTRESS SIGNAL when working with a younger person on second phones. Went away, then a Mayday call received from the boat called the RIMU which lost a rudder at the bottom of STEWART ISLAND which needed to be repaired. Later saw the boat on a television programme.
13.00 MORSE CODE was overtaken by SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY, but Morse Code was a very good service at the time. Describes
End of Track Five
TRACK SIX
00.00 Received a fax message regarding a stores order from ship WORLD DISCOVERER which was in the BALLENHAUSEN SEA in the ANTARCTIC. Ship based in Bluff. Latterly found a photograph on the Internet of a wreck of a ship in NEW GUINEA, and realized it was the World Discoverer. All ships that they had contact with were probably now ‘razor blades’.
02.00 Once took a message off a British ship providing weather conditions for round the WORLD YACHTSMEN. Supervisor at the time was from the UK, and stated that it was the OLDEST BRITISH NAVAL SHIPS at that time. Describes
03.15 Another message from was a ship in the 1990s called the DAVO[?] built in the 1920s. It the oldest registered ship still in service. Was used to carry out charity work. Describes
04.20 Once called by a FRENCHMAN SAILING SOLO around the world. Was able to speak French to him. Also contacted by a GREEK called KOSTOS and his wife, and used Greek Morse Code. Describes
06.16 COLOMBUS ships sent messages in GERMAN. Describes
07.00 Official Morse Code language is English, backed up with Q codes. Describes use of Morse Code.
10.15 POST OFFICE also had codes for different places. Describes
11.00 PHONE CALLS overseas and within New Zealand were a big thing at the time.
12.45 Changes were not allowed when messages were received. AMUSING ANECDOTES re this, including one regarding Prime Minister at the time NORMAN KIRK.
End of Track Six
TRACK SEVEN
00.12 Continuation of anecdote regarding PRIME MINISTER NORMAN KIRK.
End of Track Seven
PAUL JOHN COTTER AND BARRY RUSSELL MUNRO
Interviewer: Seona Craig
Abstracter: Judith Christie
Interview: 18 June 2015
(Abstractor note: It was difficult to distinguish between the two interviewees voices, and to know who was speaking. Names have been identified only when it was clear who was speaking)
TRACK ONE
00.00 BARRY RUSSELL MUNRO born in 1937. PAUL COTTER born in 1948.
01.40 Barry joined NEW ZEALAND POST OFFICE in 1963 after school at SOUTHLAND TECHNICAL COLLEGE. Worked in TELEGRAPH OFFICE in Invercargill, then invited in February 1964 to attend RADIO TRAINING SCHOOL in TRENTHAM to become a radio operator. Spent a year at the school, staying in POST OFFICE ACCOMMODATION CENTRE, where board was paid for. Transferred to AWARUA RADIO at the end of the training period in November 1964.
03.20 Barry commenced work at AWARUA immediately – previously had lived in WOODEND. Father employed by AWARUA RABBIT BOARD which included responsibility for the TIWAI PENINSULA, including the land around Awarua Radio. Therefore knew some of the men who worked there.
04.40 What the station monitored was a mystery at the time.
05.20 TRENTHAM COLLEGE had taught typewriting, teleprinting and how to send and receive MORSE CODE describes. 07.20 Job at Awarua full on – Barry shown how to work the RADIO RECEIVERS – not taught radio side of things at College. Training on phones use varied depending on the person and the different tasks being done at the time. Describes
09.50 Also worked with LIGHTHOUSES, copying METEOROLOGICAL REPORTS etc. Describes
11.15 OUTSTATIONS in remote localities dealt with from Awarua – including HAAST, MILFORD SOUND, MCQUARRIE ISLAND, SCOTT BASE. No SATELLITE PHONES at that time. Describes
13.12 In the 1960s, TWO FREQUENCIES FOR SHIPPING, later expanded to other megahertz, for sending and receiving telegrams to ships at sea.
13.50 Four six hour shifts in a day – concentration needed and fatigue would set in.
End of Track One
TRACK TWO
00.00 The other eighteen hours in the day were free. Worked seven days a week. 42 days on and a day and a half off until 19702, when POST OFFICE UNION improved conditions of work.
01.30 Barry – could hear MORSE when others working, and got a feel as to what was happening in the room. Strict CODE OF CONFIDENTIALITY – could copy TELEGRAMS and immediately forget content after taking the message. Could also exclude other noises from consciousness – useful when message received from ships. Great concentration required. Describes.
05.20 Barry - some bands prone to ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS. MAYDAY signal, however, was a speech pattern which immediately set off an alarm bell. Other alerts include PANPAN, alert meaning that a situation was dire but hadn’t happened yet. SECURITAE was a signal used for communication involving meteorological warnings.
08.00 Describes use of MORSE CODE.
09.45 Barry - TELEGRAMS FROM SHIPS at sea included private correspondence, information from the Master to the shipping company re running of the ship, medical knowledge during events. Ships carrying more than twelve passengers required a DOCTOR on board.
13.00 Paul – in 1966 took approval papers to shipping company to become an OFFICER CADET. Friend of the family who worked at the Post Office suggested Paul becoming a RADIO OPERATOR instead. TOM MILE, head radio inspector, interviewed Paul and he started a week later at the POST OFFICE TRAINING SCHOOL.
End of Track Two
TRACK THREE
00.00 Paul – describes training at TRAINING SCHOOL, and offer of a job at AWARUA on 4 October 1966. Travelled with an American on the plane who was going to be a lighthouse keeper, and he dropped Paul off at Awarua on the way.
02.10 Received key at the office for the hostel room, lightbulb stolen. Another resident of the hostel discharged a rifle containing a blank. Underwent TRAINING – becoming confident in the job took four years. Describes
04.40 Went to MILFORD SOUND to work at the TOURIST HOTEL CORPORATION HOTEL – most staff were Australians and most of the tourists American. Most of the work was done by MORSE CODE. Signals from AUSTRALIAN RADIO STATIONS were received more clearly than from New Zealand stations.
06.00 Paul spent six months on the CHATHAM ISLANDS. Barry also worked on Chatham Islands, in 1968, arriving the day before the WAHINE STORM. Paul arrived a couple of months later. Station manager was DAVE BOYCE, a radio inspector. Paul dressed in the fashion at the time, which shocked Dave. Describes
09.00 Time on Chatham Islands enjoyable. Primary function was to SAVE LIVES AT SEA, and SEND AND RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS. .
09.30 Sound of Morse code on recording. Paul and Barry describe a TYPICAL MAYDAY CALL and how it would be dealt with.
14.15 RADIO PROCEDURE not always used when ships in distress. LOCAL FISHERMEN’S NAMES used, and charts not available to consult.
End of Track Three
TRACK FOUR
00.00 Barry and Paul had fresh ideas to bring to PROTOCOLS DURING EMERGENCY EPISODES. Every word of messaging had to be written down VERBATIM, because might be used in COURT later. Did not know SHORTHAND, so written in log in their own shorthand. Describes
02.00 AUDIO RECORDING became available in the 1960s, updated in the late 1970s. Tapes had to be kept for a month, and tapes containing distress information were set aside.
04.00 Great concentration required. Some technicians had HEARING PROBLEMS and struggled to hear signals. Strange place to work – although they worked for the POST OFFICE, did not socialize with other Post Office staff. Post Office resented Awarua staff, because they didn’t know what to do with them.
06.00 In 1990, BRITISH SYSTEM used of UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL PROCEDURES during distress episodes.
07.00 A bad move when Post Office pulled out of the ROLE OF MONITORING DISTRESS EPISODES. Describes.
08.20 Various other places assisted with distress episodes, including fishermen’s associations, MERI LEASK in BLUFF, MURRAY PATERSON, MAUREEN WALSH in STEWART ISLAND, people in CURIO BAY, TE ANAU, WAIKAWA. Describes. Southland had a very good communication service.
09.50 In later years, RIVERTON VOLUNTEER COASTGUARD SERVICE.
10.00 Believes that if the Awarua service was available at the time, there would have not have been fatalities during the time of the FOVEAUX STRAIT LIGHT PLANE TRAGEDY (ROBIN ANDREWS was pilot). Police turned down the Riverton Coastguard which should have been called.
11.20 A distress call may not be received for a year. Dumped in at the deep end with no radio experience. Once on a Morse watch with KEITH RAMSAY, listening to the same receiver. Was asked to answer a ship’s call, hadn’t realized because didn’t recognize it. Describes.
13.40 MCQUARRIE ISLAND message received, had to decipher message. Discussion regarding different words used in messages.
End of Track Four
TRACK FIVE
00.00 More discussion re terminology and phraseology.
01.50 Unusual distress incident in 1969, Union Steamship 6,000 tonnes coal carrying VESSEL KAITAWA was out of WESTPORT travelling up the west coast and around CAPE REINGA. 9.00 pm a ship called MELBOURNE RADIO (ship called something like MARCO POLO, an Italian passenger ship) sent out a MAYDAY SIGNAL. Ship was travelling over the PANDORA BANK, which rises under the seabed and can change sea conditions. Was sending SOS to CAPE REINGA LIGHTHOUSE. Confusion with Australian station. No CHARTS available, so did not know position. Afterwards discovered the wreck of the Kaitawa at the Pandora Bank on the seabed, no bodies found. Affected, as was the last person to hear captain’s voice.
08.10 Was on small ship’s watch. JOE BELL, a senior operator was on 500kz watch and heard a message from CAPE HORN which also heard the distress signal regarding the Pandora Bank incident.
09.30 Developed a SIXTH SENSE when important messages came through. Once had a message from a KIWI ON THE ST LAWRENCE RIVER wanting to send a message to his mother on Christmas Day. Another time, message from ship coming out of the THAMES RIVER received because it was QUICKER than using the British system.
11.00 Once had a DISTRESS SIGNAL when working with a younger person on second phones. Went away, then a Mayday call received from the boat called the RIMU which lost a rudder at the bottom of STEWART ISLAND which needed to be repaired. Later saw the boat on a television programme.
13.00 MORSE CODE was overtaken by SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY, but Morse Code was a very good service at the time. Describes
End of Track Five
TRACK SIX
00.00 Received a fax message regarding a stores order from ship WORLD DISCOVERER which was in the BALLENHAUSEN SEA in the ANTARCTIC. Ship based in Bluff. Latterly found a photograph on the Internet of a wreck of a ship in NEW GUINEA, and realized it was the World Discoverer. All ships that they had contact with were probably now ‘razor blades’.
02.00 Once took a message off a British ship providing weather conditions for round the WORLD YACHTSMEN. Supervisor at the time was from the UK, and stated that it was the OLDEST BRITISH NAVAL SHIPS at that time. Describes
03.15 Another message from was a ship in the 1990s called the DAVO[?] built in the 1920s. It the oldest registered ship still in service. Was used to carry out charity work. Describes
04.20 Once called by a FRENCHMAN SAILING SOLO around the world. Was able to speak French to him. Also contacted by a GREEK called KOSTOS and his wife, and used Greek Morse Code. Describes
06.16 COLOMBUS ships sent messages in GERMAN. Describes
07.00 Official Morse Code language is English, backed up with Q codes. Describes use of Morse Code.
10.15 POST OFFICE also had codes for different places. Describes
11.00 PHONE CALLS overseas and within New Zealand were a big thing at the time.
12.45 Changes were not allowed when messages were received. AMUSING ANECDOTES re this, including one regarding Prime Minister at the time NORMAN KIRK.
End of Track Six
TRACK SEVEN
00.12 Continuation of anecdote regarding PRIME MINISTER NORMAN KIRK.
End of Track Seven
Dates
- 2024
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Extent
From the Record Group: 1 box(es)
Language of Materials
English
Creator
- From the Record Group: Craig, Seona (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Southland Oral History Project Repository
