Interview with Bert Horrell

Bert Horrell was born in Gore in 1917. Describes how his grandfather emigrated to New Zealand in the 1880s. Talks about their farm across the Mataura River and the difficulty of crossing it to get to school. Mentions how his father, as a child, had learned how to cross the river with a horse and dray full of school children. Talks about his father buying a farm at Mandeville. Describes going to Mandeville school, conditions, teachers Alan Prentice and Miss Barclay and sitting Proficiency. Recalls that his mother was a member of the Hargest family which settled at Mandeville. Mentions John and Jim Hargest. Notes that there was no money in farming at the time and his parents operated the Mandeville store for a period. Talks about the farm house they built. Mentions that his father was religious. Recalls the vicar Hoani Parata. Talks about his father's religious convictions, Sunday School in the Mandeville Hall, Presbyterian strictness and the no dancing rule. Mentions the importance of the railway and the work of the gangers. Talks about the Mandeville Hotel. Recalls travelling by train in segregated carriages to Gore High School for two years before working on the family farm. Describes milking cows and the separator used to separate the milk from the cream. Mentions the use of lime on paddocks to increase productivity at the end of the Depression and experimenting with grass seeds. Recalls going in to military camp after the Battle of Britain and the entry of the Japanese into the war.

Talks about the history of the area written by Herries Beattie. Mentions a Maori raid at Tuturau, George Meredith Bell, gold seekers, the Croydon run, the Wantwood homestead and run, Peter McLeod and the flour mill built by Mr Doull. Describes what happened to the mill. Recalls the music at dances, balls, bachelor balls and wartime farewell functions and traditions such as reserving dances, the last dance, taking your partner home and romance. Describes the alcohol consumed in cars at these events, corrugated gravel roads, curtains on cars because it was cold and the difficulty of crank starting cars. Mentions going to the pictures in Gore. Describes duck shooting with the Colett family of Invercargill.

Interviewer(s) - Avis McDonald

Quantity: 2 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 2 Hours Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-2604.

Original recordings not available for playback. Surrogate copies will be provided.

Alternative form available: Listening copies OHLC-007007 - OHLC-007008