Interview with Travis Flint

Interview with Travis Flint, born in Invercargill in 1924. Talks about growing up in a farming family, his schooling, and the family moving to Tauranga ca 1939/1940. Refers to working in the family citrus orchard until his call up by the Territorials aged 18, being transferred for a period to the Air Force, and travelling to Egypt in 1945. Discusses serving briefly at Forley in Italy, before being based in Trieste. Recalls hearing about the atom bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, returning to New Zealand before going to Japan in Jayforce. Discusses returning to New Zealand in late 1946, and studying at Lincoln College on a Department of Agriculture bursary.

Talks about working for the Department of Agriculture as a horticultural field officer in Alexandra. Mentions taking a Plant Quarantine Officer course while in Alexandra, and then transferring to Palmerston North as a horticultural and agricultural quarantine officer. Mentions his work inspecting imported plants and incoming international mail and handling hunters' trophies. Talks about staff training at Palmerston North covering entomology, plant pathology, animal health, jurisprudence, fish identification and fumigation. Mentions treating aircraft at Ohakea. Refers to the Palmerston North seed testing station and intercepting cannabis seed.

Discusses a promotion to deputy in the Port Agricultural Inspection Service in Auckland in 1963, and later becoming Regional Office Manager. Talks about the work involving boarding ships, checking larders, clearance of passengers, and control of transfer of goods between vessels. Comments on problems in the organisation three years after its establishment, and the lack of office space as the staff increased after the opening of Mangere airport. Reflects on the difficulties finding qualified staff in the early years of the Service, the number of university graduates with suitable training increasing but their need to be practical. Mentions that the staff was male and mainly Pakeha at the beginning. Comments that the Auckland office was responsible for the area from the far north to Taupo. Mentions checking food and pets on yachts in Northland, and checking mail for food at Taupo during the Tongariro hydro development project. Mentions the problem of bird smuggling on wheat ships from Australia, fish smuggling, and the dangers from meat imports. Refers to staff travelling to clear exports and their need to know the standards of importing countries. Mentions boarding the Royal Yacht Britannia, and President Lyndon Johnson wanting to bring his dog with him. Talks about the Auckland fumigation centre which lacked a training programme in 1963. Refers to cargo inspection in wharf sheds or in the holds before containerisation, and having to get shipping people to accept that ship sweepings and garbage could contain pests. Discusses the changes in treating cargo after the introduction of container shipping and air cargo, the problems with moving cargo off wharf to approved areas, and his preference for pre-treatment of goods. Describes airport processes for spraying insecticide in incoming aeroplanes and checking disembarking passengers. Comments on the development of risk passenger profiles to target passengers likely to try to bring in food, language difficulties, amnesty bins and Beagle sniffer dogs. Refers to being sent to the Islands to check practices with crops and exports.

Describes relations with head office, time spent in Wellington, and meetings of regional managers. Talks about their relationship with the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service, interchange of staff between Australia and New Zealand, and development of pre- and post-clearance systems for produce and vehicles. Describes the effects of the restructuring of MAF (Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries) in the 1980s on his situation, retiring in 1987, and setting up a company Horticultural Quality Services. Recalls other managers he worked with in the Service including Julian Brown, Gordon Halson, Don Possin and Neil Hyde. Reflects that his role was to improve the agriculture quarantine service of New Zealand and that educating the public is one of the most important aspects of the work.

Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching

Arrangement: Tape numbers - OHDL-002011

Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s). 1 printed abstract(s). 2 digital photograph(s). 2 electronic scan(s) of original black and white photographic print(s) 1 of black and white cartoon. 1 interview(s). 2.33 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHA-7306.

Two digital photographs of Travis Flint (17 April 2008). Scanned B&W photographs of: Travis Flint with confiscated stuffed animals; Travis Flint in a display room of confiscated items?; scanned Lonsdale cartoon about a new type of ant found in a ship's hold

Search dates: 1924 - 2008

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