Thelma Catherine Eaton

Interviewer: Ailsa Dawson

Date: 4 October 2007

Abstracter: Jean Hawkes

Track 1 00.00 Interview introduction.

00.47 Father FRANCIS JOSEPH ANDREW SMALL born 1900, died 1976. Farmer. Mother FLORA MARGARET MCDONALD (?) born 1893, died 1963. BALFOUR – LINTLEY, LUMSDEN

01.49 Thelma born 1924 LUMDSEN, there for 3 years, moved to Lintley until married. Played on her own, next sibling 3 years younger.

02.43 Schooling. LUMSDEN. Father organised petition for school bus service. Children on KINGSTON FLYER to GORE for BALFOUR SCHOOL. Describes High School students travelled on 'Flyer' to GORE Mentioned: MISS BROTHERSTON of CASTLE ROCK

05.35 Did not go to high school. Man-powered onto home farm. Girls man-powered to where the needs were – Flax mills, bakeries, nursing, etc. Girls man-powered to farms called LAND ARMY Father too young for WW1 And too old for WW2.

07.04 School Picnic once a year. Train to BLUFF, RIVERTON, COLAC BAY, QUEENSTOWN. Described

08.00 Not many cars.

08.40 Country girl at heart. Keen on animals. Father rode horse to his father's farm. Small farms, enlarging as land became available. Mentions ORETI RIVER

10.06 Land set aside for school at LINTLEY – SCHOOL GLEBE (?). Describes the move from small school bus (car) to larger vehicle (?Service Car) MOUNT COOK BUS COMPANY

11.18 No slates at school. Three-roomed school, extra room/s added

12.10 LUMDSEN (THE ELBOW) railway line put through in 1876. Later to KINGSTON Mentions: INVERCARGILL, QUEENSTOWN, DUNEDIN, CENTRAL OTAGO

12.50 LUMSDEN SCHOOL opened in 1878. Earlier schooling in 'The Loft' at THE ELBOW STABLES, one teacher, language below 'a bit rough' caused a move to house near Presbyterian Church, then to Station Master's residence. Original school demolished in 1974 replaced by new primary school. Grandfather first day pupil LUMSDEN DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

15.00 End of Track 1 Track 2

00.05 Grandfather: ALEXANDER SMALL Father rode a pony across ORETI RIVER to go to school. Describes problems of rising river. Three sisters also rode ponies to to school.

01.40 CASTLE ROCK children rode ponies to school. Travelled to LUMDSEN by school bus.

02.28 School trips once a year. Holiday on SHOW DAY in INVERCARGILL. 02.56 Sports: strong football teams, hockey teams, basketball (now netball) 9-a-side, Played hockey. Inter school games on Thursday afternoons. Played games on Saturday in women's hockey team. Effects of WW2 on sporting activities.

04.53 Father grew a lot of wheat. Single men worked on Railways. Neighbour support. Harvesting January to March.

06.25 RT (Radio Transmitter) heard. Explained why Thelma has it. 07.00 Community support with farm tasks. Grass harvest (Chewings Fescue) came to LUMSDEN, originated in MOSSBURN, source of money. Grass for playing areas golf courses, a good hard-wearing turf. Better grasses needed as stock introduced. 09.01 SHEEP SALES in LUMSDEN, BALFOUR. Special trains for transporting sheep. Restrictions on road freight until demise of trains. Described. Mentioned: Milk transporters

11.30 Rationing – petrol, food, tea, clothing – family situation explained.

12.46 Depression years – clothes for school, clothes for town. As child not aware of the problems. Learned that people walked away from farms not able to meet mortgages. 'Swaggers' in the neighbourhood.

End of Track 2

Track 3 00.00 Continues conversation re 'swaggers'. Usually looking for food. Some would work. 'MAD HARRY' Description

01.34 Not sure if there was Dole Payment available. JOSEPHILLE HILL ROAD built by unemployed men., wheelbarrows and pickaxes. Site of DIPTON shops Mentions: LUMSDEN, INVERCARGILL, CASTLE ROCK, DIPTON

04.09 Farewell and Welcome Home concerts for soldiers. RSA HALL, attached to CRAWFORD'S SHOP

05.06 Rehab(ilitation) farms – two or three men and their families placed on large farms. Creation of communities.

06.07 Married in 1947 to a BALFOUR lad. Husband in Home Guard, not eligible for war he had flat feet Worked on farm at TAPANUI for a year. Bought land in BALFOUR, gradually added more land. Had been a dairy farm. Work involved to prepare for sheep farming. Thelma's son and his two sons working the land. Grows quite a lot of grain for cows.

08.48 Family – Thelma had three girls, one boy. Attended BALFOUR SCHOOL. School buses. All her children to GORE HIGH SCHOOL. Sporting involvement. School trips. Parent involvement with transport using private cars. PLAYCENTRE rolls increasing. Mentions: LONGRIDGE, LUMSDEN AREA SCHOOL

11.07 BALFOUR always well served for transport especially for stock and grain. Many photographs.

12.00 Suitability of land for cattle. Described. MOSSBURN, FIVE RIVERS. Mentioned.

12.45 Involvement in country activities – Historic Society information for BALFOUR book. Describes attitudes of community. Early research done by Mrs PAULINE SOLOMON, ROSALIE MCLEAN (?), ELAINE GRANT plus a committee. Possibility of second book due to amount of extra information received.

15.00 End of Track 3

Track 4 00.01 LIONS CLUB – 50 year celebration, BALFOUR project to name all cemetery plots, erected a kiosk. Members of Historic Society gathered plans of BALFOUR CEMETERY and visited other cemeteries in Southland. Found little information on display at sites. GORE plan with Plot Numbers. WOODLANDS kiosk, plan of cemetery, book with information (disappeared). DONNA HAWKINS graphic designer at Southland County Council. Plans to update information every five or ten years. Taking care of cemetery grounds. Provided floral plantings in township. SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL. Mentioned

07.33 Golf – still playing after about thirty years. Men told there was to be no shearing on golf days.

09.26 Gardening – much to do. Likes trees, birds, animal life. Not a town person. As a child lay in the grass watching skylarks. Mentions WEST DOME

11.50 THOMSON surveyor commented on prolific bird-life in LUMSDEN.

13.30 End of Track 4