Interview with Lynda Robertson (nee Fussell)

Interview with Lynda Robertson (nee Fussell), born in Christchurch in 1958. Refers to her father working for the Post Office and the family moving frequently. Comments on working for the Bank of New Zealand when she left school, and getting a job as a telephone toll exchange operator in Christchurch c.1974. Talks about her training, how the switchboard operated, and putting calls through to manual and automatic exchanges. Comments on shift work, swapping shifts, and operators taking 111 calls on the 'doggo shift'. Refers to the role of supervisors. Explains how they would answer a call at the toll exchange, the standard phrases, toll tickets and person to person calls. Describes transfer charge calls and collect calls. Talks about the urgent call service and how the calls would be placed. Describes working in the Auckland exchange for six months when it had partially migrated to subscriber toll dialing. Comments on the equipment used and why operators were still needed after the introduction of subscriber toll dialing.

Mentions spending 10 years in Australia and getting a job in directory assistance in Auckland when she returned. Describes the work done there, and spending a period on international directory assistance. Comments on transferring to the toll exchange. Talks about 111 emergency calls and when they would use technicians or the police to trace the calls. Talks about the change from the Post Office to Telecom. Comments on her subsequent career with Telecom in business credit control after the call centre was outsourced to SITEL. Reflects on changes in technology over the years.

Accompanying material - Scanned copy of Lynda Fussell's certificate from the Post Office Telephone Exchange Training School (dated 2 December 1975)

Accompanying material - Recording of greetings used when answering calls put through a telephone exchange (track 3)

Interviewer(s) - Megan Hutching

Quantity: 1 digital sound recording(s). 3 Electronic document(s) (abstract). 1 printed abstract(s). 1 interview(s). 1.10 Hours and minutes Duration.

Finding Aids: Abstract Available - abstracting complete OHDL-001716, OHA-7523.

Search dates: 1958 - 2010

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