Interview with Max Nicol

Max Nicol outlines family background; childhood; early memories of Dunedin; recalls Halley's Comet, 1910; reference to astronomy; interest in music; start to employment as electrical apprentice to Turnbull & Jones, Dunedin, 1910 - 1915; friendship with journeyman, Cyril Brandon; interest in Esperanto; recalls safety procedures, hazards, dangerous experiences, fatalities related to electricity in work experience; personalities at Turnbull & Jones; installation and operation of lifts; role as electrical journeyman, Union Steam Ship Co; role as field engineer in World War I; employment from 1918 - 1935; mention of influenza epidemic, 1918.

Describes working with Thompson Houston & Co Ltd, London, United Kingdom; role as testing engineer, New Zealand Electricity Department; F T M Kissel, Chief Electrical Engineer, personality and appearance; the social conscience of the Department; reference to Bill Gregory; the system of protective relays to measure faults; reference the Hardy brothers; process of parallelling the Waikato and Mangahao systems; marriage of other systems, Waipori Falls and National Grid and West Coast system and South Island Grid; ceremony when Highbank connected to grid; characteristics of linesmen; reference to Sam Styles and Bill Sole.

Recalls work as a testing engineer at Addington; recruiting for sub stations; refers to the philosophy of electricity; being on call; impact of job on family life; giving evidence at the commission of inquiry into the Ballantyne's Department Store fire; result of inquiry; promotion to regulations engineer at head office of State Hydro Electric Department in 1950s; administrative nature of role; routine nature of job; outside activities; relationship with A E Davenport; retirement.

Venue - Christchurch

Interviewer(s) - Hugo Manson

Venue - Mr Nicol's home at 8 Whitfield Street, Sumner, Christchurch

Accompanying material - Copy of a reply made by Max Nicol to the Royal Commission into the Ballantynes fire; Copy of a letter written by Margaret Cairns Nicol (grandmother of Max) to Scottish relatives about settling in the new colony at Otago in 1856; copy of a poem entitled 'A flat-dweller's lament' by Max Nicol; copy of a poem untitled by Max Nicol, 1956; copy of a poem entitled 'Part of the president's speech at the village flower show' by Max Nicol; a copy of a communique entitled 'To all ranks of the fourth army', signed by the commander of the Fourth Army, Nov 1918.

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-001866 - OHC-001869

Quantity: 4 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 3.30 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 289.

Black and white photographs:-. Max Nicol, 1988. Stuart, Max and Olive Nicol at St Clair Beach, Dunedin, 1925. Colour photograph of Max Nicol, 90th birthday celebrations, 1986

Search dates: 1896 - 1988

Alternative form available: An online copy of the abstract is also available to read in the Library's Reading Room