Interviews with Bessie Turnbull

Interviews with Bessie Turnbull, born in Mosgiel in 1885, the youngest of eleven children. Talks about her parents emigrating from Scotland in 1863 or 1864, and owning bakeries at Mosgiel Junction and Mosgiel township. Comments on the family living between the town and Mosgiel Junction, and the children helping in the shop. Refers to her mother having a hard life and her father being "the Laird" of the family. Discusses bread making, their living conditions, the domestic routine and having help in the home. Comments on birthdays, holidays, Christmas, leisure, weddings, funerals, shopping, Sundays and attending East Tairei Presbyterian Church. Mentions religious tensions in the community, and compares English, Scottish, Irish and Dutch settlers. Talks about social classes in Mosgiel. Refers to horse and cart transport, the family's cows and family pets. Comments on health and home remedies, epidemics including the 1918 flu epidemic, cleanliness and poor sanitation. Comments on low wages and poverty in Mosgiel, and her mother taking in sewing during hard times. Mentions swaggers including "The Shiner".

Discusses attending East Taieri School from age six until she was 14. Talks about the school day, lessons, using slates and discipline. Refers to wanting to be a school teacher but not being able to because of family circumstances and working as a domestic for a year for 3/- per week. Discusses getting work in the Mosgiel Woollen Mill where she was paid 24/- a fortnight. Describes at length working conditions and the working day at the mill, staff picnics and other entertainments.

Talks about living with her mother until she died, and going together by train to Dunedin on Saturdays for shopping. Comments on changing living conditions and the impact of electricity. Mentions leisure activities including going to the pictures. Discusses shopping, clothing, relationships, and feeling it was her duty to care for her mother though she did not mind being unmarried. Mentions the impact of her mother's death and moving to a house she had had built, which had electricity but no washing machine or telephone (by choice).

Recalls the Boer War and longer hours being worked at the mill to make socks and clothing. Remembers shops being draped in black when Queen Victoria died. Comments that she has never been to see any of the royal family and gives her opinion of them. Mentions that none of her brothers fought in World War I but they sent letters and food parcels to local men serving overseas. Refers to women being employed in men's jobs during the war, and the mill working overtime. Talks about food rationing. Discusses men returning from the war finding jobs hard to get, and not talking about their experiences. Reflects on the 1930s Depression, it's impact in Mosgiel, and only working half time. Recalls World War II, hearing about it on the radio, attitudes to Hitler, and longer hours and more jobs for women at the mill. Mentions hearing Vera Lynn sing at the Dunedin Town Hall. Refers to war as "a hell's disease". Talks about adjusting readily to retirement after working for 57 years at the mill. Comments on a flight in an aeroplane, never having had television, and keeping chooks and a garden until she was 100. Reflects on her life and the position of women today (1980s).

A preliminary interview (OHC-018655) and a joint interview with Aggie Korner on 16 Apr 1987 (OHC-018656) are not abstracted

Interviewer(s) - Helen Frizzell

Accompanying material - card from the exhibition "Bessie Turnbull - her story"

Accompanying material - folder OHA-6469-2: information about the Bessie Turnbull Exhibition and interviewing Bessie; photocopy of a paper about the exhibition delivered to the 1988 Oral History Seminar by Helen Frizzell; a partial transcript (some handwritten); research notes for the interviews (some handwritten)

Accompanying material - folder OHA-6469-3: text from the exhibition "Bessie Turnbull - her story"

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHA-018657 - OHA-018669 - tapes 1-13

Tape numbers - OHA-018655 - preliminary interview

Tape numbers - OHA-018656 - joint interview with Aggie Korner

Quantity: 15 C60 cassette(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2 folder(s). 14 interview(s). 14 Hours Duration. 1 C20 cassette(s). 1 5" reel(s).

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-6469.

B&W photographs of Bessie Turnbull with Aggie Korner at the opening of the exhibition, and of Helen Frizzell in front of a display of photographs of the young and old Bessie Turnbull.. B&W photograph clipped from newspaper of Bessie Turnbull on her 103rd birthday.. Colour photograph of Aggie Korner aged 96 years

Search dates: 1885 - 1986

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