Interview with Peter Brown

Interview with Peter Brown, born in Takapuna in 1938. Refers to growing up in Takapuna and Devonport, and attending Mt Albert Grammar School to study agriculture. Talks about his early interest in farming and outlines his early career in farming, as an ambulance driver, and having a milk run.

Discusses becoming a Port Agriculture Officer in 1966 and the long hours worked between airport, town office and shipping duties. Describes their uniforms. Refers to staff training through short training courses at research stations around the country as well as in-house training. Comments that the people initially employed had a horticultural or agricultural background, and later people with higher education levels were hired. Talks about Mary Middleton, the first woman Agricultural Officer in Auckland, and how her presence changed the atmosphere at work.

Describes post office mail inspection. Talks about inspecting ships and sealing any foreign meat while ships were in port. Mentions the early practice of dumping ships' rubbish beyond Rangitoto, and naval garbage going to a pig farm until an incinerator was built after an outbreak of swine fever. Comments on procedures for inspecting produce ships from the Islands, and on the risk of fruit fly introduction with the freeing up of trade. Refers to procedures when (potential) pests were found in incoming produce. Mentions training at the fumigation centre in Tinley Street, and writing a manual on resuscitation and first aid which was added to the staff procedures manual. Comments on checking imported cars and machinery, teaching Army personnel in Singapore how to clean their vehicles before bringing them back to New Zealand, and checking Australian Army vessels during joint exercises at Great Barrier Island. Discusses the shift work meeting international flights during the night, processing incoming passengers, the different types of food various nationalities would try to bring in, and the advent of amnesty bins. Refers to the introduction of dogs, and mentions special treatment for VIPs. Talks about disinfection of aircraft (including Air Force One), changes in procedures over the years, and passengers not liking being sprayed. Comments on disposal of food and garbage from incoming planes. Refers to the setting up of an office at the Mangere Airport cargo terminal as air freight increased, and the process for clearing cargo. Mentions dealing with race horses arriving by air, as well as their owners, trainers and drugs. Refers to zoo animals coming in and the Auckland zoo being a quarantine zoo. Discusses checking export produce and issuing phytosanitary certificates, the need to keep up to date with the requirements of importing countries, and manager Travis Flint's ability to find pests. Remembers co-workers Alf Davis, Charlie Cooper, Neil Hyde, Don Possin, Albert Tolliday and others. Explains that he left the Service in 1989 because of the bureaucracy and the difficult rosters and hours worked.

Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching

Accompanying material - Photocopies of handwritted roster schemes for Port Agriculture Officers at Auckland International Airport, 1966, 1968, 1988 (4 p.), with printed abstract

Accompanying material - Scanned images of: job advertisement for Port Agricultural Officers and letter Peter Brown received in response to his application asking for more information; Peter Brown's fumigation operator's certificate; Peter Brown's qualification to issue phytosanitary certificates; letter Peter Brown received in 1988 agreeing to his early retirement when MAF was restructured.

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-001098

Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s) digital sound recording(s). 1 Electronic document(s) - abstract. 1 printed abstract(s). 4 electronic scan(s) of original black and white photographic print(s) - scans of documents. 1 interview(s). 3 Hours Duration.

Physical Description: Sound files - wave files; Textual files - Microsoft word

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHDL-001099, OHA-7300.

Search dates: 1938 - 2008

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

Alternative form available: Both printed and digital versions of the abstract are available