Navigation for Sounds Historical

8:10 Today In New Zealand History 4’30”

Death of artist Nicolas Chevalier 15 March 1902.

8:17 Artist: Kevin Lynch and the Bruce family with the Don Spence Combo 4’10”

Song: It’s A Lovely Day
Composer: Lynch
Album: n/a
Label: 45 HMV PR 555

Produced in the 1970s for Fiordland Travel (now Real Journeys). Kevin Lynch died at Arrowtown in 2008 at the age of 60.

8:23 Homework

Name at least four New Zealand locations which are named after New Zealand Premiers/Prime Ministers.

8:25 The Home Guard in WWII

The Northland Home Guard in World War Two. Ex-policeman Spencer Gawlor recalls his Home Guard service in the Houhora district in Northland. Recalls that the Japanese were expected to land in Exhibition Bay and that the Battle of the Coral Sea saved New Zealand. Recorded in April 1976.

8:34 1985 robbery in Gore 9’20”

Multiple news flash excerpts from Radio New Zealand's 4ZG station manager, Lance Eccles and announcer, Stu Kelly as they report on an armed robbery and homicide as it happens outside the radio station, in the Main Street, Gore. 6 Jun 1985     

Kevin Fox, aged 32, and his wife Donna, aged 26, were those who died. They were in their car and for 40 minutes Kevin Fox was in the back seat holding a shotgun to his wife's neck. Then he shot her and was shot by police as he left the car. The couple had sent a hostage into the bank to cash a cheque, apparently for a drug deal. And he had quietly raised the alarm. Those appeals over the radio to stay away had little effect and crowds gathered.

8:44 Waiouru Revisited 8’18”

In 1952 Colin McKay visited the army camp at Waiouru and recorded his memories of army training there.   

8:53 War Report 27 6’20”

By early 1915 the garrison on Samoa was being relieved so that men like Leonard Leary could be sent overseas. Leary describes the replacements and his own next move which was to England to join the artillery at Woolwich.
By 1915 songs were beginning to emerge which actually reflected the events of the war, like “The Old Contemptibles” which commemorates the original British Expeditionary Force, wiped out by the end of 1914.

The phrase “conscientious objector” was now being heard more often and one man who refused to serve, Duncan  McCormack explains his attitude. In these early days, before conscription, there was growing pressure on young men to volunteer and in March 1915, as training for the new rugby season was about to begin, some senior club teams had to withdraw from the competitions as so many players had joined up. One Dunedin club was taken to task for still fielding  a team  - back came the  response from the club secretary pointing out that of last year’s senior team, four men were already overseas and two were about to leave, one was up country for his health and six were married men. It’s fair to say that the horrors of war were yet to come. The troops were certainly away from home but only occasionally would a telegram arrive bearing bad news. In January 1915 four men died on active service, in February seven died and in March there were also seven, but in April after the Anzac landings 271 New Zealand soldiers would be killed.

Music:

Artist: John McCormack
Song: There’s a Long Long Trail A Winding
Composer: King/Elliott
Album: Oh, It’s a Lovely War Vol 2
Label: CD41 486309

Artist: Robert Carr
Song: The Old Contemptibles
Composer: Carr
Album: Oh, It’s a Lovely War Vol 2
Label: CD41 486309                                 

9:05 As I Remember 1’46”

Whitebait by Lynette Elphick of Blaketown, Greymouth read by Maggie Hedge.                                         

9:07 The Nurses’ Organisation have just launched their oral history website

In this extract a brief memory from June Rapson (nee Page), an only child, who was born in Dunedin in 1927 before her family moved to Lawrence for most of her childhood. She decided to go nursing as it was one of the few occupations which provided accommodation. June began at Dunedin Public Hospital in 1946, and while she remembers there being a lot of rules for the student nurses, ‘it was fun’ to be in a class with girls she became good friends with.

9:09 Artist: Bunny Walters 3’22”

Song: Brandy
Composer: English/Kerr
Album: n/a
Label: 45 Impact IR 1073                            

Walters born in Katikati and in 1978 recorded a promotional record for the Labour Party called "To Be Free with Labour". Brandy a big hit in 1972

9:14 Homework

Name at least four New Zealand locations which are named after New Zealand Premiers/Prime Ministers.

9:15 This Is New Zealand 11’36”

An episode of a 1950s series in which Jim Henderson reports on the tobacco growers of Nelson province.                   

9:28 The 50th anniversary of the opening of the Benmore power station on the Waitaki River 29:48

This documentary was produced in the studios of the NZBC in Timaru It  includes interviews with the men on the job at Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki dams. Excerpts of a ballad "Song of the Waitaki", sung by The Plainsmen, are interspersed with short interviews with interviewees, who are mostly unidentified. Unidentified men describe Benmore Dam; a shift operator and a station operator talk about their roles at the power station; a man talks about recreational boating on the lakes. An unidentified man talks about the building of Aviemore Dam and work to beautify the surrounding area; a man talks about recruiting the workforce to build the dams; a man talks about the batching plant which has been used at several dams in Central Otago; several men talk about what it is like living and working in Otematata. A man talks about the history of the Waitaki power project which started in 1928. He moves to different areas of the station and dam and describes their functions. He explains how salmon are relocated when they become caught in the dam tail race. Station operator Brian Parsons talks about his role.

Historian William Vance talks about the history of the Waitaki Valley and river and reads a description of the area by an early European settler. He talks about its Maori history and the swaggers, diggers and shearers who passed through the region. An unidentified man talks about future plans to develop canals and hydro stations at Lakes Tekapo, Pukaki and Ohau.

Written and produced by 3ZC announcer Bill Timmings, historical data supplied by William Vance, technical supervision by Richard McClay.