Mother: "As a very little girl, living at Kiawharawhara, I must have jammed my fingers in the gate or something. I remember my hand was all bandaged up and I loved showing it to everyone".
I remember when driving past, Mother would point out an area on the hill-side over-looking Wellington Harbour, saying they lived in a big (rented) house with huge beautiful gardens.
"Where else did you live?"
"We moved from Kiawharawhara to by Newton, No -- where J (3yr old sister) broke her arm. She fell off the step at the back (house was on a hill-side). We then moved across the road to a nicer house, No -- , John St."
"Do you remember moving to Island Bay?"
"I remember moving to Island Bay when about 9 or 10 yrs old. Dad had lived in a little house along from the grocer shop. The M's (his family) lived there, and he knew all about the Island Bay house. All the Italians and fishermen hang around the grocery shop. They called me "smiler" because I was always smiling.
You'd walk to where shop was, you went down the road, around the lamp-post and further down and then you could see my place (Island Bay home). The people (previous owners) were old and left stuff in the cupboards. We found interesting things when we moved in. The bedrooms and bathroom were down stairs. The toilet was in the bathroom and another one was outside, joined to the wash-house shed. Then you went up the steps (stairway), turned, then up more steps into the kitchen and dining room. There was a range in the end of the dining room, and you went into a scullery where there was a gas cooker and you washed the dishes. The boarders would have missed me when I left home, because we used to have all the books up and singing as we did the dishes. I always sang doing the dishes.
The was a fire-place in the corner of the lounge. The piano was at the other end of the lounge. Out of the lounge on the balcony, there were two beds down the end. I slept there when I was little. J (sister) slept in the other one. J and I moved into the big double bedroom, next door to mum's, after the boarders went, except a couple, including F that stayed."
The day Mother's father died:
Mum and Dad were wanting to go to the theatre, but she had to do all the dishes, so she stayed, with F, doing them and Dad went ahead to get seats. Mum went on the tram to go, F stayed doing the dishes. The trams were held up and she didn't know i twas because Dad had died on one. The tram (with Dad) had stopped outside an emergency centre, and a lady recognised Dad and told the police. But the police went home and pulled D (youngest brother) out to identify him. Mum was mad about that. That police got young D (about 9-10 yrs old) to identify Dad, when there were men (boarders) in the house that new him. He (D) went naughty after that, I think it was such a shock.
"I remember the day you got the phone call and was devastated. We lived in Taumarunui along from the swimming pool. I was a pre-schooler and got frightened because you were crying so much and didn't stop. I was very afraid that my mother was so upset and I didn't know what was wrong, and who was going to look after (older brother and me) us."
That's right, they rang me up. I never went to Dad's funeral because I had no money and no way of getting there.
You mean my father (your husband) wouldn't let you attend your own father's funeral and be there for your own mother?
He was unsupportive and wouldn't allow it.
Married women were so dependent and powerless in those days..
Mother's Wedding day
Grandma M was there when I got married. She was really Maori. I looked up as I went out on the path and saw her looking down, from the balcony, and I waved. All the people were out on the street waiting for me that day, lots of people were there.
