Sutherland, Jim, active 1960s-1970s

Date: 14 April 1989 - 14 Apr 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Bilkey, Joy Margaret, 1925-2013

Reference: OHInt-0058/09

Description: Joy Margaret Bilkey gives details of her family background and how the families were settlers in Waipu. Talks about her paternal great grandfather's cabinet and furniture making career, which included making furniture for English royalty and about her father's work as a builder and her mother's as a music teacher. Describes her education and details the development of her reading habits and tastes and where she got books from. Talks about working for her future parents-in-law. Describes training as a primary school teacher at Auckland Teachers' Training College, teaching at Maungaturoto District High School Primary Department and then relief teaching both before and after her marriage to Arthur Edward Keith Bilkey in 1951. Details the development of their orchard from citrus to kiwifruit and gives some historical background to the development of the Kerikeri area, Kerikeri Primary School and the beginnings of the orchard industry in the area. Describes how the community changed with the influx of orchard people. Mentions the development of clubs and services and how cut off Kerikeri had been in the early days. Notes that there are very few Maori in Kerikeri. Details her involvement with the Kerikeri Public Library as a committee member from 1962-1980 and the early development of the library before the Public Library was established. Describes how the books were looked after by individuals, then by the Plunket Society and then in the school building, membership charge, source of books from Country Library Service and private donation, lending and overdue policy. Details the members of the committee, its work to establish the library, the volunteers and the paid staff, fundraising, getting the building built, changing use of the library and her own involvement while she had young children and was relieving teacher. Mentions Margaret O'Connor as the first library assistant and other people instrumental in establishing the library. Mentions Dennis (?) Malone, Isabella Godbert and Mrs Bonny Cron. Talks about the increasing popularity of non-fiction books, the importance of the Country Library Service, the visits of the book van, its drivers and their routines. Talks about Jim Sutherland and the death of the book van service. Describes the special collections at the library, the request and reserve system operating, the changing nature of the Kerikeri population and change in library membership. Discusses the use of voluntary staff noting that there has only been one paid librarian in the last few years and that Kerikeri Library is the largest in New Zealand to be staffed by voluntary workers. Describes the role of the Library in the community. Venue - Kerikeri Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe Venue - Mrs Bilkey's home at Kerikeri Accompanying material - Printed abstract contains a photocopy of a newspaper article on the Kerikeri Public Library. Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002065, OHC-002066 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2744, 2745, 2746, 2747 Quantity: 2 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 314. Printed abstract contains portrait photograph of Joy Bilkey dated 1986, photograph of Joy Bilkey inside the bookvan in the mid 1970s, a photograph of the Kerikeri Public Library, a photograph of Bilkeys' grandchildren reading in the book van ca 1984 and two photocopies of photographs of Kerikeri Search dates: 1925 - 1989

Date: 3 May 1989 - 03 May 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Miller, Jean Yvonne, 1930-2017

Reference: OHInt-0058/08

Description: Jean Yvonne Miller gives details of her family background, her parents' personalities and talks about being the only child of her father's second marriage. Discusses living through the Depression and moving to a State House. Describes her parents' positive attitude to education and reading. Notes her father's musical talents, becoming a compulsive reader, books she reads and joining the Canterbury Public Library at an early age. Recalls how the family read at the meal table. Discusses her parents' views on religion and politics, her own religious and political beliefs and her experiences of being punished as a child. Comments on her father's smoking. Details her educational history and her dislike of school and university. Describes her enjoyment of Library School in Wellington in 1952. Gives details of subjects, salary, board, the teachers, friends, fellow students and their subsequent career development and lives. Discusses how the library students were on a 3 year bond during which time they were discouraged from engagement and marriage. Recalls getting engaged and being summoned to talk to G T Alley. Describes her work at the Country Library Service in Christchurch. Gives details of her work with school exchanges and adult requests. Describes the daily routine and fellow staff members including the book van drivers. Talks about Jean Wright. Details her marriage to Bruce Herbert Miller, his work as a farm adviser, their children, their move to Woodhill, the organisations she joined, being secretary of the local Woodhill `B' country library and involvement in school. Comments on the local population. Details how the library worked, its being housed at the forestry camp and then the school, who used the library and the visits of the book van. Mentions driver Joe O'Neill and the work of the committee. Talks about the family's move back to Christchurch and her work at the Christchurch Public Library. Describes biking around to collect overdue books and the reactions of borrowers. Talks about subsequent jobs at Kaipara College Library and the Helensville Public Library, problems retrieving books and methods of following up overdues. Describes how the holiday activities programme brought more people into the Helensville Public `A' Library, her hours and pay, the racial mix of library users, how few Maori use`B'libraries because they are not invited into people's homes, the visits of the book van, the problems of working with volunteers, her membership of the Library Association and Clerical Workers' Union and the book van drivers' pay rates, routines and boarding arrangements. Mentions driver Jim Sutherland. Discusses in depth problems with the town clerk and the relationship of the library with Rodney County Council. Talks about the demise of the book van service and her feelings of regret. Discusses the general shortcomings of the service. Compares it with the present system with the National Library. Talks about her additional job at Kaipara College Library. Venue - Helensville Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe Venue - Mrs Miller's home at Helensville Accompanying material - printed abstract contains family tree for Miller Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002062, OHC-002063 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2742, 2743, 2748, 2749, 2750, 2751 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 3 Hours Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 313. Printed abstract contains two portrait photographs of Yvonne Miller, dated 1952 and ca 1978 Search dates: 1930 - 1989

Date: 16 March 1989 - 16 Mar 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: Harsant, Florence Marie, 1891-1994

Reference: OHInt-0058/06

Description: Florence Marie Harsant talks about her childhood as the daughter of a school teacher who taught at native schools, her own education and relationship with Maori, learning to speak Maori, her father's attitude to learning Maori and her reading tastes. Notes difference in dialects around the North Island and refers to her autobiography `They called me Te Maari' and the radio programme produced by Alwyn Owen. Discusses her work with the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) as the Maori organiser in the North Island, her personal hatred of alcohol and having to give up this work because of ill health. Describes going to live in Hahei, the horseback and ferry rides necessary to get there, conditions of life in such a remote place, her marriage to Horace Henry Harsant and her life bringing up her children in Hahei. Recalls her history of library membership, writing to the women's pages of various farm magazines, taking a correspondence course in journalism and her subsequent story writing. Describes why and how she came to set up a Country Library Service `B' library in 1952 in her home at Hahei. Gives details of the library systems used, subscriptions, supply of cataloguing cards, selection process, increase in number of books supplied and the changing nature of users and reading tastes over the years. Describes the routine when the book van was there, talks about the first Field Librarian Joe O'Neill and about having the drivers to stay. Discusses the great importance of reading and having access to books when living in such a remote place and the impact the library has had on the community. Explains the continued difficulties of travel in the area, detailing the ferry service and recalling trips out to have children. Details how she looked after other people's children and teaching school in her own home. Describes her husband's accident and its impact on the family. Discusses her favourite book van drivers Joe O'Neill and Jim Sutherland and making friends through the library. Describes the current library service she runs from her home through the National Library Postal Book Service. Talks about the publicity she has received from writing her book and being awarded the Queens Service Medal (QSM). Venue - Whitianga Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe Venue - Mrs Harsant's home at Whitianga Accompanying material - Printed abstract contains list of publication Relationship complexity - Diary and materials held in Manuscripts & Archives at MS-Group-0246 Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-002055, OHC-002056, OHC-002057 Tape numbers - OHA CLS 2714, 2715, 2716, 2717, 2718 Quantity: 3 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2.30 Hours and minutes Duration. Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-0310. Printed abstract contains two portrait photographs of Florence Harsant, one dated ca 1913. Search dates: 1891 - 1989

Date: 12 April 1989 - 12 Apr 1989

From: NZOHA Country Library Service Oral History Project

By: O'Connor, Margaret, 1926-2008

Reference: OHInt-0058/07

Description: 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