Manawatū Conversations

An oral history interview looking at the past and present of Palmerston North and the Manawatū, produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.

John Jones, Part 2 of 3. Friars Grammar School in Wales. School structure in Britain. Woodwork, recently carved furniture. The 11+ exam in Britain, grammar schools and secondary modern schools. Apprenticed as a fitter and turner. Broke apprenticeship after 4½ years to do a Higher National Diploma. Getting paid, pay packets. Skipped 2 years’ national service by going into the merchant navy for four years. In the engine room, travelling to S America and back.

An oral history interview looking at the past and present of Palmerston North and the Manawatū, produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.

Ivan and Muriel Allott, David and Margaret Beere, David Bertram. A bike repair shop with “courtesy bikes”. Adults using bikes in 1950s and 60s. Dating in time of bikes. Boys escorting girls home. Bike lights. Police checking school children’s bikes in 1990s, plus training track. Mid-50s traffic police. Bike bells. Bike repairs, punctures. Resoling shoes. Children allowed to roam. Bike pumps. Types of bikes, gears. Saddles. Traffic lights for cyclists. Helmets for bikes and motorbikes.

An oral history interview looking at the past and present of Palmerston North and the Manawatū, produced by Manawatū People's Radio with the support of New Zealand On Air.

Mary Roberts Part 2 of 2. Came to Palmerston North 1969. First impressions compared to Wellington. Working when younger, giving pay to mother. Benefits of Palmerston North’s location. Liking to be active, but not sporty. Being a “Why” child. Banned from the library. Good and bad children. Memories of childhood. Overhearing adults’ conversations. Walking to school. Social life in Palmerston North. Accounting work in the 60s and 70s. Calculating machines, mental arithmetic.

Mary Roberts Part 1 of 2. Came to New Zealand in 1962, £10 Pom. Work in government Statistics Dept.. First observations of NZ. Casual attitude to work, like in Roger Hall’s “Glide Time”. Going to a Ball. Dance etiquette. A rugby team party. Comparison with English parties. Experience of work in England compared to NZ. Equal pay in 1962. Contact with family in England, letters and aerograms. Friends mainly English and Dutch. Social life. The Kiwi weekend, shops closed.

Hugh Nolan, Part 5 of 5. A Beefeater, given the uniform and had his own special hat made. Learning the script for a 6-stop tour of the Tower (about 30 pages). Language issues (Patrick was the first non-British Beefeater). Beefeater No.351. Unusual questions from the public. Public misconceptions (Braveheart). How tours work. Noisy distractions. Blue regular and red ceremonial uniforms. The red uniform is heavily padded. Accents. Breeding somali kittens, featured in a Japanese article.

Hugh Nolan, Part 4 of 5. Return from the Antarctic and seeing water from rain. Staffing Brookfield Scout Camp: an angry rat; bookings and developments. Trained to be a driving instructor. Why stopped instructing civilians. Sold up and went to England to be a Beefeater. Living in the Tower of London. A kestrel. The Tower ravens: character; and death; chasing a cat.

Visit to the Tower of London. Applying to be a Beefeater. 6 months in Base, Scott Antarctica, 1982: working in the cold; deceptive distances; leisure activities; whales; radio shifts talking to field parties; scallops can see; fresh fruit.