Robert (Bob) Theodore Black

Interviewer: Janice Templeton

Abstracter: W. Brent Coats

First Interview: 24 November 2011

DISC 1: TRACK 1

00:00 Interview identification

00:38 ROBERT THEODORE BLACK born 1921

00:49 Interview agreement

01:41 Born RANGIORA

01:54 Father WAS DANIEL MCCULLOCH BLACK born 4 January 1884 - Shepherd Mother MURIEL HOPE GREENFIELD born 8 April 1894 – Trained as teacher Lived at AMBERLEY until May 1922 - Details

03:38 Father served in BOER WAR – After war family moved to QUEENSLAND to work on SUGAR PLANTATION – Did not work out – Parents returned to New Zealand – Some family remained in Australia – Explains

08:13 Parents moved from AMBERLEY to ERMEDALE – “17 shifts in 11 years” 08:47 [Information about book used for reference on Black family and ERMEDALE]

10:02 Family moved to DIPTON may 1924 – Cheaper land available - Self six months old – Took parents seventeen days to move - Two horse wagon, cows, chickens - Describes 11:41 Self forth of six SIBLINGS in family – Brothers ELLIOT and PETER born in ERMEDALE – Mentions

12:06 ERMEDALE FARM overgrown with gorse and rabbits – Self trapped pests with mother – Collected rabbits for freezing works – 2 shillings sixpence per pair Mother stewed rabbits occasionally - Describes

13:45 FARM had sheep and cows and pigs – Children milked by hand before and after school – Hand-separated cream from milk – Cream sent to FARMERS DAIRY COMPANY INVERCARGILL - Describes

14:42 End of Track 1

DISC 1: TRACK 2

00:01 FARM continued – Fattened pigs for income

00:29 FAIRFAX dairy factory – THORNBURY Dairy Factory - Bought £339 truck for deliveries – Describes

02:05 Self began SCHOOL at seven - Attended for six years – Rode ponies to school Mother insisted on homework before chores After school jobs – Milking cows – Describes

03:46 Story about galloping to school fast after lunches – Recalls

06:05 SCHOOL had between 30-40 pupils – Teachers included LINDSAY STEWART, AGNES ?, IAN ?, ? FRASER

07:29 WEEKENDS mixture of work and fun – Built huts - Riding ponies and rabbiting – Collected BIRDS’ EGGS to reduce numbers before cropping – Make holes in each end and blow out insides - paid tuppence per dozen – Explains

10:10 Not much sport as child – School travelled for sports – Pupils took tram to bush, walked through bush to jigger, travelled to GRANITY (sp?) school - Describes

11:06 School not big enough to have RUGBY team – Self played after war for THORNBURY – Describes

11:54 Self volunteered for WAR at age 19 in 1940 – OTAGO MOUNTED RIFLES – Trained at BURNHAM – Camped at ADDINGTON – Returned home – Asked to train at DUNTROON as Tankie – Two brothers at war - Self needed on farm – Returned to ARMY in 1945 – Explains

14:20 Brother LEON killed in 1944 – Self tried to console mother – Recalls

14:47 Father never drove cars – Mother bought vehicle

15:00 End of Track 2

DISC 1: TRACK 3

00:00 MOTHER drove until age 80 – Father not involved in machinery – Describes

00:51 Self played violin – Taught at CARMICHAEL family’s home – Describes

01:41 Self met WIFE RITA late1940s – Her family lived at PAHIA – Her father died and family moved to RIVERTON – Worked at MCNAUGHTON garage Went to DANCES together FAIRFAX and THORNBURY – Describes

03:26 RATIONING during war – COUPONS for butter and petrol – “very difficult years” – New inventions during war – Self good in workshop - Explains

04:35 RITA in INVERCARGILL with mother - Self bought Chev car with friend ELLIOT – MARRIED in 1950 FIRST CHURCH INVERCARGILL – Bought FARM at GROPERS BUSH off BILL MEADOWS (sp?) – Honeymooned at QUEENSTOWN, CROMWELL and CHRISTCHURCH – Describes

07:21 MARRIED life – Paid for farm – Borrowed £1150 for STOCK and PLANT – Self also worked CONTRACTING and SHEARING – Milk cows in morning, shear about 8am to night, RITA milked at night – Describes

09:20 SHEARED with blade and machine – Self had portable MOTORISED SHEARING equipment – Shearing 300 sheep per day Number of FARMHANDS has DECREASED - Explains

11:43 Had been TEAMSTER – Feeding HORSES before breakfast – PLOUGHING throughout day – Had hut on farm and fed at house - BILL FRASER taught Self to break in horses – Worked 6am to 9pm – Unshod horses – Six horse team - Describes

14:25 CHILDREN – First child STANLEY born 1951, RAINE (sp?) born 1954, GILBERT born 1956, GRAEME (sp?) born 1960, CAROL ? born 1963 - Details

15:00 End of Track 3

DISC 1: TRACK 4

00:00 FAMILY HOLIDAYS – After Christmas and New Year at home - QUEENSTOWN camping ground – Cabins first then bought caravan – ALEXANDRA probably for 15 years – Describes

01:17 FIRST FOOTING around neighbourhood - NEW YEAR EVE pranking - Put dead horse behind ALAN HAY’s tractor – Painted stripes on white horse to look like Zebra – Lots of fun, but never destructive - Recalls 03:47 ALCOHOL not serious – Not allowed in hall – Police checked in cars – Describes

04:34 SOCIAL activities at FAIRFAX with family – Beach was popular – Describes 05:13 CHILDREN willing to work on farm – Had own flocks of sheep - Mentions 05:48 Original FARM 100 acres – Self wanted bigger farm – Had 200 acres at GROPERS BUCH - 400 acres in WAIPANGO, then bought neighbour’s land - £70 per acre – 400 acres at ERMADALE Bought first portable HAY BALER in area – Worked WALLACETOWN to COLAC – baled thousands per year Ended up with 2000 sheep – Split up land for children - Explains

08:53 1972 bought land at ERMADALE off FRASERS - $850 per acre leasehold – Cost to freehold Travelling to WAIPANGO was a day trip – Two houses on section – Self built new house - Describes KAREN family had lived there – Mentions 11:37 WAIPANGO farm underdeveloped – Needed “brought in” – Hired two bulldozers – Pushed growth over – Left for 12 months and burned – Seeded and cleared – Explains Property had sheep and cattle - Self made woolshed Son STANLEY has 320 effective acres – Contains shelter - Describes

14:21 WAIPANGO property not too wet – ‘good rolling country” – Draining gulley helped

End of Track 4

DISC 1: TRACK 5

00:00 WAIPANGO farm continued – Clearing “rotten rocks” – Sold rocks for roadways – Farm very successful – Explains

03:16 FRASERS farm at ERMADALE – Condition of farm “sad” – Many gullies and gorse – Self drained, filled and fenced property - “Easy job with bulldozer” Original HOMESTEAD still existed – Demolished because of condition – 400 acre section sold to son GILBERT - Describes

06:09 Son bought property at TARARUA, then MILTON – Drives cartage – Sold ERMADALE property to LLOYD BARRON, resold to NIGEL BLACK –Good farm – Describes

08:25 Lived in old GROPERS BUSH house until new one built in 1967 for £9000 – c.1991 swapped houses with son GRAEME and family – Explains 10:15 RITA enjoyed GARDENING – About 100 roses, dahlias, large vegetable garden – Granddaughter Laura looks after garden – Describes

11:42 Interviewer mentions Bob’s 90TH BIRTHDAY celebrations – More information about life

11:56 End of Track 5