Interview with George Dick

George Dick describes family background, father's work as a miner at Denniston and Kaitangata, father's work accident. Details childhood home and life in Kaitangata in the late 1890s and early 1900s, pastimes, food, smoking, education and early jobs.

Recalls work as a message boy in rural post offices, uniform and clothing, salary, promotion to postman then a telegraph cadet at Takaka, learning morse and telegraphy techniques. Talks about the press wires, handwriting, confidentiality of telegrams, the Post and Telegraph Association, Post Office Savings Bank methods of balancing interest, post office life pre 1914, women in the post office, morse telegraphy, salaries, working hours, early colleagues - Mr Mahoney.

Describes service in World War I at Gallipoli with Canterbury Infantry, Quinn's Post, evacuation because of typhoid fever, Hornchurch Camp and post office, Zeppelin airships over London, the war years and service in London at the Records Office. Recalls returning to New Zealand in 1919, marriage to Gertrude Martin, work as a telegraphist, work in Post Office Savings Bank, salary cuts during the Depression, Post Office building design, lack of training, motor registrations, original ledger offices. Recalls time as Postmaster in Opotiki and Lower Hutt and talks about retirement.

Venue - Ngatea

Interviewer(s) - Judith Fyfe

Venue - Held at RD 2 (Pipiroa Road), Ngatea

Accompanying material - Copy of a letter from the Director-General of the New Zealand Post Office to George Dick (included in printed abstract)

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHC-000736 - OHC-000739A

Quantity: 4 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2.27 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete AB 113.

Black and white photographs as follows:. George Dick in uniform, World War, 1914-1918. Group photograph including George Dick, Post & Telegraph Guard, 1914. Group photograph including George Dick at Hornchurch, England, 1916. George Dick, 1948. George Dick, 1984. Opotiki Post Office (1940s). Opotiki flood, 1945

Search dates: 1894 - 1984

Alternative form available:

Listening copies available OHLC-006647 - OHLC-006650