Peter Leicester Ayson

Interviewer: Nancy Burnett Abstract: Cathy Onellion

Disk 1

01:22 Born in OTAUTAU, ELLES ROAD, at nursing home (1934).

01: 47 Was a twin, born 2 hours before sister. Born prematurely. Birthweight. Details. Sent to KARITANE, INVERCARGILL. Sister too weak to suck. Mother’s milk bussed daily to Invercargill. Sister fed with eyedropper. Details. ‘We survived that.’ Mentions sister in London today visiting latest grandson. An ‘amazing feat’ to survive those conditions in those days. No incubators.

03:20 Siblings: two elder sisters. One died 1947 age 24. Other sister is retired in PARAPARAUMU.

03:44 Parents: father born in KAIHIKU, 10km south of BALCLUTHA, SH1. Born in 1886. Died in OTAUTAU, 1961. Mother born in NASEBY, 1898. Died in CHRISTCHURCH, 1988. Sister born in Dunedin, 1923. Died in OTAUTAU, 1947. Other sister born 1924. Lives in PARAPARAUMU. Twin sister lives in ROLLESTON, CHRISTCHURCH.

Disk 2

00:03 Grandparents: doesn’t remember them. Explains. Only grandparent remembers is grandfather, HENRY GILL, mother’s father. Stayed with him in DUNEDIN during school holidays. Grandparents on father’s side were pioneers. IMMIGRATED to New Zealand from SCOTLAND. Dates and places of grandparents’ birth. Details. Reason for immigrating. Explains. [References GLENSHEE, SCOTLAND, PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH]

01:40 History of AYSON family book “The Ayson Story from Glenshee to Otago”. Explains. Great-grandfather, PETER AYSON, farmer in CORYDON, close to KAIHIKU, and worked as carpenter building houses in DUNEDIN. Explains. Family of 11 spread all over NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA and CANADA.

03:30 Grandfather on mother’s side, born in Australia, was wool classer. Classed in large wool station sheds in Central Otago and Australia. Explains.

04:45 ‘Peter Ayson’ is a family name. Is the 4th generation. Son called Peter but his line of name may die out. Explains.

05:38 Children: Three children. Son PETER MARK is qualified doctor, born in OTAUTAU, 1964. Went to OTAGO UNIVERSITY MEDICAL SCHOOL. Explains. Lives in WELLINGTON. Does medical research on drugs coming on the market. Daughter BRONWYN born 1967, died 1973. Down Syndrome, heart condition. Explains. Third daughter NADINE has two children. Part-time nurse at MERCY HOSPITAL, DUNEDIN.

07:37 Recounts how met wife Zola. Rugby game, Western v Town. Dance at RSA Hall, Invercargill. Injured hand during game. Met Zola again. Explains.

09:35 Grew up in OTAUTAU. Attended Otautau Primary School. WWII broke out. Recalls young men dressed in uniform. Explains. Recalls effect on town and upbringing. ‘Everything was rationed’. Toys. Had to make own toys and own fun. Explains. Petrol rationed. Allowed so many coupons a month. Farmers allowed more because they did ‘essential work’. Coupons for items of groceries.

11:42 Being on farm. Self-sufficient. Grew own vegetables. Meat mostly ate was bacon. Explains. Recalls incident of father giving meat away because it wouldn’t keep very long. When family needed money for holidays, father would take weaner pigs to Todd’s to be sold.

12:57 Mother was dressmaker by trade. Made all their clothes. In winter, she would make butter and sell it to local grocery. Sold eggs. Anything to make some cash.

13:18 WWII effect on schooling. Recalls morning routine. Flag. Loudspeaker. Marching and saluting. Explains. Air raid trenches dug in playground. Air raid practice. Trenches made it difficult to play cricket and rugby. Explains. Parents on farewell and welcome home committees. ‘Send off’ dances. Suppers. Explains. ‘Welcome homes’ soldiers given gift of socks and cigarettes.

15:26 Sad times because neighbours sons were killed. Explains.

16:15 Shortage of local young men affected farms during haymaking and harvesting times. Army camps would release men during these times. Recalls Army camp at HOLT PARK. Sisters would invite them over. Explains. Father was member of HOME GUARD. Duty at RIVERTON on Sundays. Was a sergeant but became an officer. Was proud of him. More on Home Guard.

18:30 Farm was part of the STRATHVALE soldiers settlement. After WWI govt bought land and divided up for soldiers. Explains. 100-acre lots. Soldiers balloted for sections and developed land. Buildings. Explains. Hardship during 1930s paying rent but survived. Explains.

20:46 Secondary schooling in INVERCARGILL. Bussed into town. Time off departure and arrival. Details. Describes tar seal road. Biked about 7kms to catch bus.

22:06 Boy in school had CEREBRAL PALSY. Had pedal car but had to rely on being pushed. Given job of looking after him. Explains. Recalls how they would collaborate on getting out of class by taking [Neil] to toilet during maths or spelling.

25:03 Neil was ‘amazing’. Explains. Friendship lasted until death a few years ago. Explains. Neil had vivid memory of school days.

26:52 Identifies where old OTAUTAU SCHOOL was, QUEEN STREET, ALDERLY STREET. School cold in winter time. Explains. One open fire. The rest of school had potbelly stoves. Senior boys had to keep fire going. After war installed radiator heating. Other ways to keep warm. Explains.

28:45 Went to SOUTHLAND BOYS HIGH for 3 years. Left school early because father had heart attack. Had to help on farm. Explains.

30:19 Describes chores on farm. ‘It wasn’t just all play; we had to earn our keep’. Recalls ‘Dad and Dave’ show on radio.

31:56 Numbers of milking cows and sheep. Details. Milking machines. Milk went to OTAUTAU DAIRY FACTORY. Explains. Factory made cheese and butter. Factory had good reputation for making cheese. Mentions winning in LONDON. Won prizes. Explains.

33:24 Breed of cows JERSEY, FREISEN JERSEY cross. Describes how took milk to factory. Milk trucks. 10 gallon cans. Horse and cart. Model A or T Fords. ‘The factory was a good place to catch up on the news of the district’. Describes process of washing milk cans.

35:18 Describes making hay. Describes how hay was baled in contrast to today. ‘Today…the product’s hardly ever touched by hand’. ‘It was very physical work.’

37:18 Went back to farm 1951. Took over father’s farm 1961. Explains. ‘Had one weekend off in 10 years.’ Eventually farm too small. ‘Harder and harder to make ends meet.’ Describes how he got job as NOXIOUS PLANTS OFFICER, WALLACE COUNTY.

39:04 Sold farm and bought section in Otautau about 20 years ago.

39:56 HOBBIES: Describes interest in RUGBY. Stopped playing when he got married but became a coach for under-16 boys. Explains. Took up BOWLS. Eventually became green keeper. Explains. Mentions MARY STREET.

41:28 Describes strength of bowling club competition. Declining population affecting club. Explains.

42:34 MUSIC: ‘always loved music’. One of biggest regrets is not learning to play bagpipes. Recalls being given a chanter by a friend of his father’s. Explains regret.

44:00 Mother sent them to piano lessons but not very interested. Explains. Mother also wanted him to take singing lessons. Explains. ‘At the time it wasn’t the thing, a boy’s going to singing lessons.’

45:21 Joined JAYCEE CLUB. Describes what he learned. Meeting procedures, debating teams. Left at age 40. Explains.

46:47 Joined LIONS CLUB. Member 25 years. Enjoys now letting others do all the tasks. Explains.

48:00 Joined ST JOHN AMBULANCE. Describes how group was formed and how he became chairman.

49:25 Received award for SERVING BROTHER OF ST JOHN presented by GOVERNOR GENERAL, SYLVIA CARTWRIGHT. Explains. Didn’t go to investiture ceremony for a few years. Kept it quiet. Explains. ‘One of the few things I’ve done in Otautau without other people knowing about it.’

52:28 Describes NOXIOUS PLANTS job mid-1980s. Weed species. Details. Wallace County geographical coverage of job. Explains. Government subsidised 50% of cost of clearing – mechanical or chemical. Explains. References: SPARTINA GRASS, NODDING THISTLE, GORSE, BROOM; GARSTON, ORETI RIVER, HEDDON BUSH, DRUMMOND, INVERCARGILL, WAIMATUKU, COAST, FIORDLAND, MILFORD SOUND.

54:31 As an ex-farmer comfortable talking to other farmers. Explains. ‘It wasn’t a job where you went in and wielded a big stick; instead went in and helped the farmer with his problem.’ 1985 LANDCARE RESEARCH importing insects to control problem weeds, gorse and broom. Explains.

56:34 Introduce insects to attack gorse and broom to get a balance of control. Explains. Strict quarantine of insects included starvation to see if they would attack native plants. Explains.

59:04 Quarantine also used to screen for insect diseases. Explains. Eventually insects released for gorse, broom, nodding thistle and ragwort. WALLACE COUNTY wanted to try this. Two sites at first. Explains. Describes eradication of weed versus control.

1:00:33 Believes rainfall and temperature related to insect control of weeds. Describes results inland versus coastal areas. Population level of insects. Explains.

1:02:05 Insects ‘never be the answer’. Had to deal with farmers expectations that insects would take care of their weed problem. Explains.

1:03:32 Worked with ENTYMOLOGISTS. ‘There’s a lot of girls doing this work.’ ‘Very clever girls’. Latin names. Explains. Courses at LINCOLN COLLEGE on how and where to release and harvest insects. Monitoring. Explains.

1:05:05 Describes monitoring of RAGWORT sites with LEAF SUCKER. Counting plants and insects. Explains. Monitored all over SOUTHLAND up to GLENARY STATION.

1:07:03 Amalgamation of boards 1989. Transferred from WALLACE COUNTY over to SOUTHLAND REGIONAL BOARD now ENVIRONMENT SOUTHLAND. No one else trained to do work, so contracted to do it.

1:08:11 Kinds of insects used on ragwort. Describes RAGWORT FLEA BEETLE characteristics. Describes CINNABAR MOTH characteristics. Difficulty getting moth established. Explains. Describes effectiveness.

1:10:10 Describes GORSE SPIDER MITE characteristics. Not much success due to predation by wasp. Describes affect on gorse and how they disperse all over Southland.

1:11:50 Describes BROOM SEED BEETLE characteristics and effectiveness. Describes BROOM TWIG MINER characteristics and effectiveness. Describes NODDING THISTLE WEAVIL / CROWN WEAVIL characteristics. Working on CALIFORNIAN THISTLE insects. Some released but haven’t survived. Expensive process. Consultation with MAORI, ERMA and other AGRICULTURAL agencies. Explains.

1:15:05 Insects come from CENTRAL ASIA and EX-SOVIET countries. Currently in SWITZERLAND. Hopes next year to get it released. Financial contributions from ENVIRONMENT SOUTHLAND and OTAGO CALIFORNIAN THISTLE [ACTION] GROUP. Explains.

1:17:04 Describes how insects arrive, packaging. Chooses sites. Explains.

1:18:55 Ends.