Aaron and Nana and Great Grandfather
When visiting Nanna’s fathers, (your great grandfather‘s), family farm in Ireland, we went high up into the Wicklow mountains, where we saw where he used to cut turf for the fire.
Later that week we received a delivery of turf, which had all dried out, and we had to stock-pile it for the winter. The farm had no electricity, so this was the only way of heating and cooking on the farm.
Alex and Baba Josa
Josa is my grandmother. I call her Baba.
When she was young, she had lots of adventures.
One time she was playing in the attic, with her brother and sister, when they came across their father’s parachute. Her father used to be a pilot in the war.
They decided to play with the old parachute. They were going to jump off the high roof, when their mother, who was out in the garden hanging out the laundry, saw them playing with the parachute- and said, “Get down from there this instant!”
So they decided that they didn’t want to be in big, big trouble- so they came down.
Alyssa and Nanny Merle
Three years ago, Nanny and papa travelled to Melbourne.
As part of the trip we took a Great Ocean Road tour in a light blue bus. We saw many things but the one that I love the most was when the bus stopped on a bush road so we could see the koala bears in their natural environment.
Everyone on the bus hopped off to take a look. We stood on the side of the road which was covered in old brown gum tree leaves. They crunched under our feet. Just across the wire fence was a growth of thick trunked gumtrees with narrow branches. The tree trunk and branches with silver with some shades of brown. Looking up, we could see hundreds of green, fairly long, narrow leaves of the gumtree.
Then we saw the cuddly koala bears sitting in the trees -one was asleep on a branch and looked like he was cuddling the branch. There was another beer with a handful of leaves munching on them. The bears looked gorgeous. They were dark grey in colour with some white on their bodies. Their round ears had particularly long fur on them. The fur on the rest of their very rounded bodies, wasn’t quite so long. The koala‘s legs seemed quite short with longish, black toes, which helped them to grip when climbing trees. Their eyes were black and their nose was black also and they had a small mouth.
We stood alongside this quiet country road with the blue bus parked -and I photographed some of the koalas. They didn’t mind us watching them. The day was lovely and sunny, and everyone was happy and further down the road we stopped for a barbecue lunch, we could see the sea in the distance, and this was a very happy day.
Amelia and Nana Colleen
When I was a child, we lived beside the railway line in Taumaranui. My father was an engine driver who drove the big steam engines.
Every year, close to Christmas time, he would stop his train in the countryside and chop down a tree and put the tree on the train.
Then when he drove the train past our house, he slowed the train down and threw the tree off the train, where it landed by our back fence.
Amelie and London
When I was seven years old, I travelled with my Grandmother from Dunedin to Moeraki, where she lived. We were in a bright red and silver rail car. As we came around the hill, the field below us were covered in hundreds of mushrooms.
Suddenly the train screech to a stop and people piled out and ran down the hill. My grandmother knotted the sleeve of her cardigan and said to me, “Quick - go and get some!”
Then the whistle blew, and the train was full of laughter and the smell of delicious mushrooms.
Anna and Grandma Margaret
When I was a little girl, my mum and dad took us to visit their friends. They lived on a huge farm so while they were drinking their cups of tea, my brother and I decided to go exploring.
Down at the back of the farm, we discovered an enormous plum tree, towering over us, bursting with juicy red plums. We thought they looked plump and delicious so we climbed the tree, right to the top, to pick the best ones we could see. We scoffed so many plums that our belly started to ache!
Just as we were about to get down, two huge pigs, wandered over from across the paddock and began hanging around at the bottom of the tree. They started to eat all of the plums that we had dropped on the ground. “Oh no!” we thought, “how will we get down?!!”
We thought that throwing plums at the pigs might scare them away but what we discovered, was that they kept oinking as if they were saying “Thanks!” and then started to eat those plums too.
We were up there for hours but eventually mum and dad finished their visit and were beginning to wonder where we were. Luckily they finally came and found us, trapped in the tree and they scared the pigs away.
Finally we were able to get down. We were so relieved to see mum and dad that we gave them a big hug and we went home to bed because we were so full and so tired from our adventure.
Asha and Nana Joyce
(Asha was absent on the painting day unfortunately, but here are some of her wonderful sketches!)
Breakfast time in an old Devonport villa.
Smell of smoke, like burning wire. Panic!
Look here, look there, look everywhere.
Can’t find the cause of the smoke.
Call the Fire Brigade.
Hear the siren approaching.
Fireman at the front door, hoses at the ready.
Discovery!
Nanna Joyce fell in the toaster...
...well a photo of Nanna Joyce fell in the toaster with the toast.
It smelt like burning wire.
Embarrassed explanation to understanding fireman.
Back to normal.
What would you children like on your toast?
Asha and Nana Marjorie
I was born and brought up near London in England, and when I was Asha’s age, (7 years old,) it was in the middle of World War II which lasted five years. Sadly there was a lot of bombing from aeroplanes on London, so when this happened, a loud siren went off.
My father had dug a big hole in the back garden and put a roof on it -called an Air Raid Shelter. When the siren sounded, my mum would pick me up and we would all go and spend the night in the shelter. It had steps down into it, and it was the size of a large cupboard. It only had two little beds in it and I had to share one bed with my little sister.
At school, we had to always carry gas masks with us, which we wore around our necks like a pair of binoculars. All of the schools had air raid shelters built underground, just like at home, but much bigger. If we were at school and the air raid siren went off, we all had to run down the steps into the shelter and wait until it was all clear.
My father joined the army and went and served in the war in Italy and Africa for four years. This was before cell phones and email, so the only contact we had with him was by letter which took many weeks to get to him. In that whole four years, he did not come home once -so I was looked after by my mum and grandparents.
Ava, Grandad Dave and Nanny Denise
Grandad Dave used to come home from school and his mother would bring home unsold cakes. They would stick their fingers in them so they could decide which one was theirs
Grandad Dave fixed a teachers moped-and drove it through the school corridor to return it. He got told off by the headmaster.
Nanny Denise picnics up the mountain… beetroot, boiled eggs, biscuits, salad sandwiches - and runs around trying to catch sheep.
Nanny Denise after school, goes to the beach for a swim in her red costume - with all six children and great grandma.
Charlie and Glennis
My father was an officer in the Conservation Department and one day he found two Kaka chicks on the forest floor in Tirau. He took them to Auckland zoo. This was in March 1950.
Papa Keith applied for a special license to raise one of the chicks - he was called Gorky. I grew up with that kaka in Tauranga. He had a very big outdoor cage built around a huge redwood tree on our property. At night, my brothers and I had to take turns to put Gorky in a small cage, and bring him inside the house and put a cover over him. He was a brown bird, but he had the most glorious orange colours when he stretched his wings to fly in his big cage.
When he was 15 years old, he went to Auckland zoo to play with the other Kaka there. He came home to us every winter until he was 20 years old, then he stayed there because he liked being with the other birds and his children.
Charlie and Grandma Ann
I remember watching The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth live on television when I was a little girl in England, in 1953.
Our TV set had a tiny screen and the picture was in black and white, but we were very lucky to have one at all, because they were a great luxury in those days, and broadcasting hours were very short.
The commentators described everything so well that I was able to picture the colours in my imagination, especially the golden coach and the red tunics of all the Guardsmen. It was wonderful!
My two brothers didn’t watch it because they were too busy enjoying the day off school, which all children were granted, in honour of the occasion. I don’t think they could have sat still for hours anyway!
Charlie and Grandma Jenny
Yaya and Pop-pop we’re waiting in patiently for the arrival of Lola-lavender! Inside were their beautiful grandchildren.
The big white caravan arrived at last and Charlie was the first out for a cuddle. It had been awhile since we had seen them. We agreed to meet up at a lovely French campsite out in the country.
We went down to our campsite under the big tall pine trees. There was a carpet of pine needles, which we covered with our big plastic mat and then set out a table and chairs. There was going to be a party later!
Also arriving was Charlie‘s best friend, Lauren from England, with her mum. After everyone had arrived, we had a big dinner for nine of us, with all the children sitting on the mat. Yaya made a Spanish paella and Pop-pop cooked sausages on the barbecue. What a fun night with lots of laughing and talking!
Chloe and Grandma Lynette
When I was three, my twin brother and sister, Roy and Carol, were about 10 months old. My mum, as you can imagine, was very busy with the three of us running around. So when she did the washing or gardening outside, she would hook three Chelsea Sugarbags over the barbed wire, on the top run of the farm fence, and pop us inside.
We were each hanging in our own little sack, perfectly safe and unable to get into mischief. I still remember how warm and snuggly it was in my sack on a cold winters day.
It was lots of fun really -we had a toy or I had my Mary- Mouse book to play with. We were able to peek out and I could stand up by balancing my feet on the wire fence rung. Mum was always in sight. Sometimes we would chitchat or just have a little sleep.
That was in 1953, Martinborough, New Zealand.
Cooper and Pa David
It was a beautiful morning.
I put a lifejacket on you and we took a little boat into the estuary. I rowed the Dingey with you, sitting on the back, towing a string with Nana’s old plastic toy tugboat.
We went past the campground and that tugboat filled with water, and you said, “oh, ohh!... it sunked!” So we pulled it in and shook it out. As we continued up the river, we passed a mother duck with five ducklings.
A fabulous day with my first grandson.
Daniel and Pompi
When I first started school and lived in South Africa on a really big farm, we used to go to school on a horse and cart!
We had a driver and we used to go on the road that the cars would go on. We would sing really loud and wave happily to the cars that went by!!
We sang songs about Zulu warriors and our driver used to laugh and join in!! There were four of us in the cart and it was fun going to school.
It was only four miles but it seemed such a long way.
David and Grandfather Alexey
Many years ago we lived in a small village in Russia, in a house made of wood and heated by a huge stove made of bricks.
We had a small piece of land where we grew vegetables and also we had some animals- a black and white cow with big sad eyes, edged with long lashes, several rabbits with fluffy fur, 2 or 3 cats, 2 dogs and many hens guarded by a brightly coloured rooster. One of the cats had six kittens!
Our animals lived in a barn adjoining the house- typical of Northern regions because of the frost and snowy weather -and there was no need to go outside to feed the animals.
One winter the frost was really hard so we bought the animals inside the house. With open plan, there was lots of space for everyone around the stove-& this was a funny time together!
Denver and Mary about Great, Great Grandfather
Denver‘s Great Great Grandfather found out that Tāmaki Drive was going to be built in the depression, so he bought some land in Mission Bay opposite the Mission House and built a petrol station before the road was built!!
It was the first petrol station in the Eastern Suburbs.
Denver and Priscilla
As I was the number one grandchild, I was the favourite. My aphaw - grandmother - spoiled me rotten. I got the best of everything and everybody had to listen to me. Yes, I was the bossy one!
But it had cons as well: I had to go where ever my aphaw went, as a constant companion and helper- to carry all her shopping & believe me, her shopping trips were always 6 am in the morning. You have to go at that time to get the best veggies etc - so I had to get up at 5 am.
The same applies to visiting the monastery. It had to be dawn, to offer the first meal to the monks and nuns, so I always had to get up early.
My aphaw had her favourite trishaw peddled-he gave the cheapest price and he patiently listened to her ranting and raving with a nod, and no disagreeing.
The Trishaw- a three wheeler bike with a peddler …I always sat in the backseat, while my aphaw sat in the front, and one occasion when I was sitting in the back, I was nodding off and woke up with a fright-When the pedestrian yelled out, “hang on to the child, she’s falling asleep, and soon she will be falling down!”
Yes, those remarks saved my pretty face from hitting the tar-sealed road. My aphaw put her arms around me from the front seat and sternly told me, “Don’t fall asleep again!”
I dared not.
Emily and Grandad
When I went to Vauxhall school 60 years ago, I can remember on Mondays and Fridays, we were allowed to run down to the shops at Vauxhall and buy our lunch from a small bakery which was opposite Tainui motors.
For a few cents, we could buy a meat pie and a jam doughnut. Then we would walk slowly back to school, eating our lunch, always eating the jam doughnut first.
Emily and Grandma Pat and Grandad Eric
When your mum was three years old, we lived on an island called Saint Helena. One day we all went fishing of a very rocky beach. All the family sat on the rocks and Grandma Pat caught lots of fish. Uncle Philip caught lots of fish. Your mummy caught lots of fish, but poor old Grandad sat on the rocks all day, with the waves crashing around him and never caught anything (except a cold!!).
He was very grumpy and even carried on fishing when the rest of the family cooked and ate their fish for lunch. He went home cold and very hungry!
Another day Grandad Eric was showing your mum how to moor a very colourful canalboat. After a long day on the canal, he jumped off the boat, holding the mooring rope, missed the bank and ended up, waist-deep in the smelly canal water. He wasn’t a very happy Grandad!
Ethan and Grandpa Roger
I grew up on a farm in Rai Valley, which is at the top of the South Island. The farm was close to the Marlborough Sounds, which is an area covered in bush and rivers. I had two horses called Pilot, and Bellboy. Pilot was my favourite. He was light brown with a white star on his forehead.
I spent a lot of time riding the horses. I would go further up the road and through the valley. It was always very green with lots of bush on the hills. One day when I was riding, I heard some pigs squealing in the bush. I galloped back to my friends farm to tell them, and when the farmer had finished bailing the hay, I got my bike and took him up to where I had heard the pigs.
It was getting quite dark by then, and all we could find was a young piglet. We couldn’t hear the mother pig anywhere, so I picked the piglet up and put it inside my singlet. I hopped on my bike to ride back home -the piglet was still inside my singlet. On the way home, the piglet must’ve got a bit scared and it bit me. I got such a fright that I fell off my bike, but I didn’t let the piglet go!
When I got home, my parents suggested we give it to another farmer who already had some pigs. I did this, but instead of putting it out with the other pigs, they kept it inside the house - and it lived there for the rest of its life! The last time I saw it, it was very large, but very happy
Felix and Opa Dr Klaus
Life can be up and down.
After the World War 11, in 1947, I was undernourished and needed to gain weight. During the war, there was not much food and my family struggled to feed all of us.
So, when I was five, my parents sent me away to a clinic. My mother came with me. We had to go by ferry to an island in the North Sea.
I was very anxious and scared because I had to live in a children’s home. Most of the children were older than me, I had to share a room with five other boys.
My mother promised to stay with me, but she was sleeping in a hotel nearby. During the next days, she visited me a lot: we walked along the dyke, observed the low islands in the distance, enjoying breathing the salty air and admiring the cloudy autumn sky.
Suddenly, after three days, my mum disappeared as she had to go home. I missed her and got really homesick. I had to spend 12 weeks on the island from October to January, because my brother had a severe infectious illness at home - diphtheria.
I couldn’t understand the situation because I was still a very young boy. I felt lonely, especially during Christmas time.
In 1948, I started school. Half of my classmates were refugees. About a dozen of the boys had no father... These men died during the war. In the first class, there were 52 students and one teacher! But it was a very special time and I learned to understand what orphans must feel like.
Grace and Mary
My name is Mary. I was born in 1932 in Cheviot. I had six sisters and we lived on a farm. My mum died when we were six. My dad couldn’t look after us so we went into an orphanage in Christchurch. My dad died when I was eight.
I played basketball and netball and was very good at athletics. I was the school champ at high school for four years. Then I went to training college to be a kindergarten teacher.
I married my husband, Malcolm in 1955 and had five children. We bought our house in 1957 and still live in it today. I am 84 and Malcolm is 85 When I am with Grace, we love to play “monsters”
Henry and Nana Colleen
When I was a child, we lived beside the railway line in Taumaranui. My father was an engine driver who drove the big steam engines.
Every year, close to Christmas time, he would stop his train in the countryside and chop down a tree and put the tree on the train.
Then when he drove the train past our house, he slowed the train down and threw the tree off the train, where it landed by our back fence.
Isla and Craig and Ann
Annie and grandpa went for a camping holiday around the east coast of New Zealand. They carefully set up their tent on a lovely grassy spot overlooking the beach. When they went to bed, it was a calm night, but in the middle of the night, they were suddenly woken up by a different kind of wave sound...
When they looked outside, the wind was making the waves splash right on the side of the tent! They had to get out of there fast! In the pitch black, holding torches, they pulled out the tent pegs and moved the whole tent further away from the beach. The man camping next to them said they were a great team!!
Jack and Grandfather Dan
My first pony was a friendly little black Shetland pony called Rua, which is Maori for “2”. One of his ears was twisted and small as his mother had chewed it when he was a foal. He could slip his bridal off over his twisted ear, and he did this to escape, if he got tired of being tied up.
When I was six, I was very ill with chickenpox and spent time in bed with itchy red spots all over my body. I was very unhappy. My mother asked what I would like most in the world, and I said a visit from Rua.
She went out into the paddock and bought Rua into the house through the back door. I heard his sharp little hooves beating on the wooden floor! Rua came to my bedside and insisted on standing on the carpet while I fed him carrots that mother had given me.
I stroked him, and he put his nose so close to me, I could feel his warm breath and I soon felt a lot better and happier. As mother led him out, he was very naughty, and lifted his tail and pooed on the soft carpet.
Jack and Grandma Marlene
When I was little, I used to visit my elderly neighbours a lot. Often they would invite me in for their midday dinner, which I loved to be invited to. In those days. There were no fridges and food was kept cool in a safe.
My neighbour used to make jam tarts for dessert quite often, and often they would have ants in and on them. I was too polite to tell them about the ants and just ate the tart, despite the terrible taste. I still continued to have meals with them, as I liked them very much.
Janek and Grandfather Hans
When I was a young boy, we didn’t have computers in the classroom. We didn’t even have ballpoint pens. We had ink pens and to use them, we had to dip them into a well of ink, in our desks.
I used to sit behind a girl with beautiful, long blonde plaits, and one day, I dipped her plaits into my inkwell, instead of my pen.
I was in a lot of trouble!!
Jessie and Granny Denise
Once upon a time, a long time ago, when your uncle Jeff was a very small boy - not at school yet - this story happened. He and I went to a pet shop and saw two little wild birds in cages.
We were very sad and angry because those birds belong outside, flying freely. So we bought the birds and took them to a safe place with lots of trees, and then we opened the little cardboard box they were in, and let them go.
They flew up and up in the sky, singing and singing! We felt so deeply happy. It was a truly memorable experience, watching the birds, flying higher and higher, looking and sounding so jubilantly happy to be free.
Joseph and Abau Jude
Grandad Pep was teaching his son Robert to drive a car. Robert hit a concrete post with the car... oh dear!!!
...and even though Grandad Pep could have got insurance to repair the car, he would have had to lie -and say he was driving -and he said we wouldn’t tell a lie, because even if no one else knew he lied, he would.
Julia and Grandad Laas
When I was much younger, I often stayed with my Grandfather (Pake) and grandmother (Beppe) in Friesland, in the north of Holland.
My uncle Laas lived next door. He was a dairy farmer and had about 12 or 14 cows. Back then they were still milking by hand - there were no milking machines and milk was collected in cans.
In the winter, the cows were put inside stables because it was too cold to keep them outside, and they were fed hay and silage.
Leah and Grandma Audrey and Opa Hans
Soon after we were married, we went to Japan to live in Kobe- a pleasant town on the seaside, with a large port. Soon thereafter, our first child, Andrea was born, who became the mother of Leah and Janek.
Our second child Alex was born three years later and we lived a happy family life in Kobe for 10 years -after which we were transferred to Tokyo, where we spent another four years.
While in Japan the children went to school, and we had time to visit a number of interesting places: Kyoto with its temples, the southern island of Kyushu, with its volcanoes, Kobe itself, with its history of early contact with the west, and finally, Tokyo, with the most modern buildings in the world, and the incredibly large population.
The children showed a great interest in all that happened around them, and we are happy that they had the opportunity to grow up in such interesting surroundings.
Leila and Nana Karen
When Nanna and Poppy lived in Paihia, Nana went on a boat and they entered a three day big game fishing competition.
The sea was very rough and a storm came in on the third day. The officials were thinking of cancelling the competition because it was getting too dangerous.
On the last day of the competition Nana’s fishing rod went wild! The noise from the reel was so loud, no one could hear anything else. Nanna had hooked a bronze whaler shark and it was very big!
After three hours, they finally got it aboard and took it immediately to the weighing scales at the Russell dock. They hung it upside down so they could all have pictures beside the shark.
The shark hung on the hook up side down for a couple of hours. Then the captain took the shark down and put it in the boat and took it out to Deepcove to get rid of it. Well guess what?… after two hours hanging upside down and being out of the water for three hours, the bronze whaler shark was thrown overboard and it swim away!
Nana can say she caught a big shark, took pictures with it and then it got away!!!
Leo and Oupa Rene
Oupa was born in Holland and lived in a small village until he was 10 years old.
Almost everyone in Holland rides a bicycle, and they ride to work, to church, to school, to shops…so there are many bicycles, and most of them have panier-bags, also called side or saddle-bags, attached to the sides of the bicycle, to carry shopping and books.
When Oupa was about seven and was walking down the street, he saw a lot of bicycles parked outside the local church. He started opening the bags and swapping all the contents around from bike to bike.
That evening, there was a loud knock at the front door and his dad opened the door, and there was a policeman!
Standing at the top of the stairs, Oupa saw him and started, “I didn’t do it! I didn’t do it!”- and his dad turned around and said, “You didn’t do what?” In fact, the policeman was not there about the bicycles, but another small matter, and Oupa then had to own up for what he had done.
Leon and Cliff
A grandparent’s story about the day I became Leon’s Poppy...
It was a Sunday, and in the morning we got a phone call from Leon‘s mother saying that she thought that she was ready to have her baby.
We were all excited to find out what this new human was going to be like. We did not know whether it was going to be a girl or a boy, big or small or what it was going to look like... none of those things mattered - our main concern was that it would be healthy.
We were looking after our four year old granddaughter Mia that day, so we put her in the car and drove off to the North Shore Hospital to wait for the new arrival. Mia and I waited outside in the corridor while grandma was inside, observing the action. After a couple of hours, Mia and I heard a baby cry from inside the room and knew that the wait was over. We were all thrilled that we now had a healthy baby grandson - and for Mia, a boy cousin.
Since that day I have enjoyed watching Leon grow from a baby into a toddler and now a big boy who goes to school, play sports and is a very kind and loving person. I am extremely privileged to be Leon‘s grandfather.
Lilly and Oma Christel
- A lovely father
Once upon a time, there were two little girls about the age of six years. Their names were Christel and Gesine. They were best friends. Christel had a very nice gentle father. He was a great storyteller and often told stories to his four children and their friends.
One day Christel asked her dad to tell a short story to her and her friend. Both girls were sitting on Christel’s father’s lap, listening attentively, while the dad was sitting in his big armchair.
When the funny story was finished, Christel got a comb, and both girls started combing the Dad’s hair-though he had not much hair! The girls made little plaits and they were extremely happy with their live doll.
When Cristel’s mum entered the room she was not amused at all about the short plaits on her husband‘s head, and immediately the mum tried to loosen the plaits, but she did not succeed.
In the end. She took the scissors and cut most of her husband’s hair -and that was already not a lot!!
Christel’s dad was not angry at all as he had a good sense of humour. Instead, he laughed. “What a cool dad.”
Lucia and Nadja
When I was small, I lived with my family high up on a mountain in Switzerland. The nearest school was a long way down the mountain in the village, and I had to wait till my eldest brother was old enough to go with me, before I could go to school. So I was eight, and Roddy was 6 and a half before I could go to school.
In summer, it took us about an hour to walk down the mountain and half an hour longer to walk up the mountain. But in the winter, we went on skis, and we could sometimes do it in a quarter of an hour, (but much longer to walk uphill on skis).
One day while we were at school, a big snowfall happened, and all the paths were covered. So when we walked up the mountain, we could not see the path at all. Ronni hurt his leg badly when he skied into a big hole, and we did not know what to do, till a big boy from one of the farms found us.
He carried Roddy all the way home, up the mountain, and I had to carry both pairs of skis. So it took us a long time to get home and it was quite dark by the time we got there. But the snow had stopped and a full moon had come out and it was very beautiful on the new snow.
Maddie and Nana Marlene
Dear Maddy,
My button jar is full of old buttons -not strange odd -as we all know, buttons are cute. “Cute as a button” is the saying which also describes my little granddaughter Maddie!
They are odd, as it is difficult to find any two the same. This is why the jar is always full; as there isn’t much use for one button on a garment.
Some of the buttons in the jar are from your mother’s clothes when she was small, and many from my clothes. Some may be from a magpie, which will often take wonderful objects and collect them.
Love from your Nana/Magpie.
Marcus and Grandma
I am Marcus’ Grandma, and like Marcus, I also went to Vauxhall School.
It was very different then. I started in the junior school at the age of five years in 1958. The classes went primer 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Then at eight years old, I went to standard one, then standard two, then standard three then standard four.
We didn’t have intermediate schools. In those days. We went to form one and form two and then secondary school - which for me was Takapuna Grammar School - at the age of 12 to 13 years depending on when your birthday was. I found that quite hard as it was so different from Vauxhall Primary, which I had been to since I was five years old.
One of my most treasured memories of attending Vauxhall School was going to cooking lessons. We began in form one, which was every Wednesday afternoon from 1 pm to 3pm - and the form two, which was Monday mornings from 9 am to 11 am.
The boys attended woodwork and the girls went to cooking. We made some lovely things and we looked very smart in our crisp white dresses, which crossed over and tied at the side. We wore black flat shoes and our hair tied back. We all look the same.
Our teacher was called Mrs Scott and she taught us to cook. I learnt how to make a white sauce. She said, “Put a little butter in the pot, add a little flour, mix it and add milk and then continue making a figure 8 with your spoon.
To this day, I always make a white sauce this way and it is great - it never sticks and you just keep stirring in a figure 8. Thank you Mrs Scott! You taught me something I have never forgotten
Max and Poppa Ian
One day Max and I were tidying up my office/toy room. When we came across a large magnifying lens, I showed Max how to concentrate the heat from the sun, through the glass, to get the dry leaves smouldering. The look on his face was that of disbelief and surprise!
Then Max suggested we melt some brown sugar using the same technique. We soon had the aroma of burnt toffee and a beaming Max- very proud of his idea. The look on his face when he tasted his toffee, was definitely a memorable moment, one of absolute bliss!
Melissa and Grandma and Grandpa
For the first six months, I lived in a shanti over by Ruawai. My dad was working in the rock quarry. My mum spoke no English as she had just come from the old country. The “Dali” community helped out the new mum with baby and learning a new culture. We moved around for Dad‘s jobs, either working in quarries or clearing paddocks to build stone walls. One time while dad built stone walls in Maungatapere, we lived in a tent and I remember being chased around a thistle paddock by a pig.
During my early years, I lived in either a shanti or a tent, depending on where dad‘s job was. We moved into Tawera Road when I was around four years old, and didn’t move out until I married Baba.
Mia and Grandad Paul
When I was little, I lived in the Hawke’s Bay and I went to a rural school, that was about a mile from where we lived on the farm.
My brother Peter was older than me and had started school already when I turned five. On our first day of school. I took my lunch in a paper bag and we walked by ourselves along the country road to school. I was very nervous.
It was 1945, and news of World War II was still being broadcast on the radio. I had heard all about the war from my parents, who talked about soldiers fighting in Europe and other far away places. My uncle Jack had fought in the desert and was still overseas - so on our way to school, Peter and I pretended to be soldiers and shot at each other with stick guns.
When we got to school, there were lots of kids running around. I didn’t know who my teacher was or what classroom I should go to. I followed Peter around the playground until the bell went.
The bell was ringing when a teacher ran outside, yelling something about the war. Children started yelling and other teachers ran outside. There was so much noise and commotion and I couldn’t see Peter anywhere.
I was very scared because I thought the war must’ve reached New Zealand. I ran out the school gates with my heart pounding. I ran the whole mile back home in my bare feet. I didn’t even stop when I stood on a sharp stone.
When I got home my chest was sore from breathing so hard. Mum was standing on the front porch with a friend of hers. She looked up when she saw me and had a big smile on her face. “The war has ended darling! Uncle Jack is coming home!” she said. She hugged me to her and I realised that the teachers at school must’ve been yelling, “The war has ended!” And everyone had been celebrating!
Nathan and Grandma Mary
Many years ago, when I was eight years old - about Nathan‘s age now, I wanted to be a boy, because I love horses and wished I could be a jockey.
But, back then girls were not allowed to be horse jockeys. So instead, I used to put a pillow and a leather belt on my grandmother’s Veranda railing, and pretend I was riding a horse around the race track.
Nova and Grandparent
A loud knock on the door woke me up. Oh - it was so black outside!... Only 4 am, and so dark. I couldn’t see the other people gathering around me. We all piled onto the bus, wrapping scarves around our necks for warmth. I sat with my cousin and tried not to think about the morning to come.
A short drive, brought us to a blue lit room where coffee, tea, toast and croissants were provided for our breakfast. Then back on the bus for another bumpy ride through the black night. “Hey!” - suddenly a shout - and we had arrived.
In front of me was a huge basket and quickly we were pushed and lifted into it. I lost my cousin in the rush, and felt quite alone. Almost scared. We were told to hold onto the edge of the basket, as there was a sudden WHOOOSH of flame and hot air from the centre, and a massive balloon lying beside the basket, began to inflate.
We bumped up, down, up again and began to lift into the cold night air. Within minutes, I was watching the sunrise over a distant range of mountains from a hot air balloon!
Olive and Nana Kay
Olive, can you remember the island in the middle of the harbour, that you and Neve look out to, when you visit pop and I in Wellington?
This island was once a farm and very bare, so many years ago, people I knew, started planting trees on it, to bring back the birds.
I joined that group and we went over there on a boat with lots and lots of plants, and started digging the holes and planting. The planting of trees has gone on for many years.
Sometimes when we were planting, it was really wet, and the work was hard. Sometimes when we were going on the boat, if the weather was rough, the waves were high and it was rocky ride!
It is lovely to go there now and see all the big trees. We now also see little blue penguins, tuataras and lots and lots of lovely birds. One day, when you are down visiting Pop and me, I want to take you over there.
Oliver and Grandmother Maureen
I was born in September 1938, in Manchester,England.
The Second World War started in 1939. We had to have ration books for food and eggs were dried egg powder.
I was three when my auntie and uncle took me to a toy shop. They asked if I liked the doll in the window. I said “Yes!” and they bought it for me. It was a pot-doll, so I had to be very careful with it.
We had a gas lamp outside our house. The man used to come around and light it every night. The children hung ropes from it, then made a seat. We used to swing around the lamp.
I didn’t know what a banana was. My auntie who lived in Bristol, England, sent one to me. It was from the first batch of bananas that arrived in England after the war. She had cut the middle out of a loaf of bread and place the banana inside to protect it. When I tried it, I didn’t like it -as it was hard, and not very sweet. My mother and auntie were surprised, as they loved them.
Ollie and Grandma Maxine
When I was a little girl, (and that was a very long time ago), my favourite game to play after school was to play boat races down the gutter.
We made paper boats and on wet rainy days, we would race them down the flooding gutters. We would chase after them in our gumboots to see who the winner was.
When we got home. We would have to have a bath to get clean again. Sometimes our mums would be cross, but they would make us warm again and give us a hot cocoa to drink.
Osis and Nanny Janey
When I was a little girl, my sister (Liz) and I used to stay with my grandmother, who lived on Waiheke Island.
We didn’t have to have a bath or wash our hair until the night before we went home.
Peri and Grandma Judy
Judy grew up in Wellington in a suburb called Island Bay. It has an island in it which was good for fishing. She lived on a big hill with one brother and one sister.
To get from the car to the house, you had to go up 16 steps, along the path, past the two spaniel dogs that barked at you, and then up another path to the house on the top of the hill. (The dogs were friendly.)
She had a caravan and their family would go to Paraparam in the caravan. Uncle Mark’s dog, Prince, would lie across the back seat and take up all the space, and the kids would have to perch on either side- and he stuck his head out the window.
Rhys and Karen
Remember... you can’t fly on one wing!
And,
Always check your bed before you hop in... my brothers with pop anything prickly into mine - thistles, or a hairbrush. We drew the line at hedgehogs though!
Rooster and Great Uncle Roy
Three little boys, Roy, Rex and Wag thought up a joke to play on passers-by. They wrapped up an old shoebox in brown paper and string and left it on the pavement near a bus stop. They tied a long piece of strong string to it, and fed it under a solid gate and waited until a bus arrived.
It was dusk and gloomy. Rex was on lookout and saw a man coming , and when he saw the parcel and went to pick it up, Rex said 'Now!' and the others pulled the string, and the parcel jumped about 2 feet away from the man. He went on his way swearing ***, and the boys couldn’t stop giggling for ages!!
Sam and Grandad Mike
One time we were skin diving off some rocks off BreamTrail, just north of Mangawhai.
I was in the water when I became aware of a school of kingfish approaching. When they got about 4 m away, they proceeded to skate around me. I was carrying a speargun, and I took aim at one of the fish and fired. It was right on the edge of my speargun range, and although I hit the fish, the spear failed to pierce the fish. But it hit it with enough force that it stunned the fish and it commenced to just waft around. So I was able to swim over and grab the stunned fish and lift it out of the water.
I then proceeded to swim back to the rocks, with a big story of how I caught it with my bare hands- which nobody believed! I have been dining out on that story for years.
Sam and Nana Lyn
My brothers were all much older than me. They couldn’t be bothered with a kid sister.
Our family had few toys; no modern technologies, no car, no money for treats, BUT I did have a bike, and I did have cousins my age, living on a dairy farm 15 miles away. I thought nothing of cycling this distance to share the fun of eeling, swinging off willow branches into the creek and horse riding through the bush.
One holiday, my eldest, the most annoying, “I am always right” brother, was working on my uncle‘s farm. So I made this an excuse to go and visit my cousins. Riding carefully along the rutted gravel road, I spied my brother driving the tractor.
He had just finished feeding out hay to the cows, when he saw me coming. He accelerated the engine, weaving crazily across the paddock, showing off, racing me to the farm house. Just as we both headed up the drive, my brother now in the lead, he turned to jeer and pull faces, swerving, pulling on the steering wheel, too distracted to notice the cabbage tree looming right in his path... too late!
In his panic, my brother accelerated instead of braking. The velocity shot the tractor right up the trunk of the cabbage tree. It stopped -nose in the air, towbar tail in the mud, wheels revolving, engine racing, Rob clinging onto the steering wheel, his gloating jeering look was now one of disbelief!!
Now when we have family gatherings, share photos and recall past events, my brother becomes very quiet when the tractor incident is retold.
As the kid sister, I laugh and laugh every time I gaze at the photograph of the tractor up the cabbage tree, with my “always right” brother, clinging on for dear life.
Skye and Grandma Louise
When you have a lovely bunch of tulips, you may be disappointed when the flowerheads droop after one or two days.
To avoid that happening, insert a pin horizontally through the stem, just below the flower head, and then pull the pin out again.
This will give your tulips extra air, and they will straighten up and stand tall for much longer.
Skyla and Grandma Pamela
When I was a little girl, my brother and I used to walk to school along the railway line, because we wanted to see the men go by on the jig (one pushing, the other pulling).
As we walked along, we used to pass an old house, with an old lady. The house had a very high hedge and an overgrown garden, and we used to think a witch live there.
We were a little bit naughty and used to call out to the witch. One day when we were passing, the old lady must have been fed up with us, and so she came out into the garden with a pot of cold porridge, and started throwing porridge at us over the hedge.
That was the last time we called out to her!
Toby and Grandparents Diane and Rodney
~ The story for this artowrk was to be emailed in... It’s not too late! Please send to infoart@xtra.co.nz ~
Will and Poppa Hilton
On 23 January, Poppa Hilton got married to Vivienne.
The Westgate family travelled from Devonport to Melbourne for the wedding.
Will was Poppa Hilton’s best man, and was smartly dressed in a long sleeve shirt and tie. He was responsible for giving the rings to the celebrant.
Scarlet and Georgia were flower girls for Vivienne and we’re dressed in pink tutus.
Barbara woods, an old school friend of Vivienne’s made a garland of flowers for Scarlet and Georgia, and posies for them to carry and a buttonhole for Will.
Uncle Neil and a friend cooked the meal for the guests.
There was dancing late into the night.
Vauxhall Primary School
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