William Smith was born in Lumsden in 1917. Gives details of his father's gold dredging in the Waikaka Valley. Describes a dredge, its operation and the shareholding of three companies - Lilysleaf, Rosedale and Star Dredging. Discusses associated industries including coal carting to feed the steam engines on the dredges. Mentions the coal came from the Waikaka Valley. Describes the dredge on Cummings' property owned by J A S Aitkin. Recalls the sound and smell of dredges. Describes the landscape of the Waikaka Valley in the 1920s and 1930s with dredge tailings and gorse. Mentions his father's belief that dredging and replacing the top soil and gravel helped drain the valley. Talks about the opposition to dredging. Explains the living conditions of workers on the dredges. Details houses that rose up round the dredges becoming the communities of Maitland and Willowbank. Describes wages of the workers and shareholders and how the gold was extracted by the dredges. Mentions Chinese operating in the area. Recalls what happened to the gold after it was mined and his father bringing home gold from King Solomon's Mine. Details the location and scale of King Solomon's Mine and reasons for its closure. Describes conditions in the mine and jobs of those involved. Notes his father was a director of this mine. Mentions that labour was plentiful as a result of the Slump. Describes transport of the dredges from Dunedin to the Waikaka Valley. Discusses the social life of the settlements including a church and two hotels in Waikaka. Mentions dances and rugby. Discusses availability of police and doctors and explains telephone connections.