Interview with Margaret O'Connor

Margaret O'Connor describes her family background and gives details of her parents' jobs as teachers, noting the effect of having her father as headmaster at her school. Talks about being in Napier during the 1931 earthquake and the family moving to Wellington for a period after the earthquake. Discusses her parents' involvement with the Church of England, their lack of interest in politics and how important reading was to the family. Details the books she read as a child, her membership of the Napier Library, reading the newspaper as a child and comments on how her reading patterns have changed. Details her schooling, her father's opposition to her becoming a nurse, her subsequent shorthand training and her eventual training as a nurse. Describes her time in the Women's Auxilliary during World War II. Talks about her nursing career, including her time at Lister Private Hospital in Gisborne, nursing in the Australian outback, becoming a Sister at Tauranga Hospital and notes the reasons she did not continue nursing.

Describes meeting and marrying Basil (Snow) O'Connor, his background and decision to become an orchardist, their move to Kerikeri and the orchard they took over. Comments on the roads in the North. Gives first impressions of the Kerikeri area. Comments on the many clubs in the area and lists those she became involved with. Talks about the number of Europeans there, particularly Dalmatians and Dutch, and notes that there were not many Maori. Talks about land values and climate.

Gives background details of the development of the Kerikeri Public Library and various buildings it was housed in, the people involved, the school room library, introducing the Dewey System and subscription, rental fee, fine and reservation systems. Discusses bequests, donations and Country Library Service book van selections. Mentions Bonny Cron, Isabella Godbert, Dulcie Hutton and Sandra Kemp. Talks about the voluntary nature of the library work and details the work done by the paid library assistant.

Talks about the growth in library membership, increase in membership fee and opening hours and popularity of various types of books. Describes the book van visit routine. Mentions the van drivers including Jim Sutherland and describes the end of the book van service. Talks about budget considerations in decisions made about requests and the numbers of books borrowed. Describes young people's library use pattern. Talks about the committee raising money for the new building.

Venue - Kerikeri

Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe

Venue - Mrs O'Connor's home at Kerikeri

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002058, OHC-002059

Tape numbers - OHA CLS/ 2734, 2735, 2736

Quantity: 2 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1.30 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 311.

Printed abstract contains photograph of the Kerikeri library, a photograph of Margaret O'Connor with grandaughter Alice and husband Basil dated ca 1987 and a photograph of Margaret O'Connor and son David in Whangarei dated ca 1958.

Search dates: 1926 - 1989

Alternative form available: Digital copies of the recording and abstract are also available in the Library's Reading Room