GYM Building the water race at Wylie Bros scheelite mine

GYM Tot Lucky Captain and Mac McInnes Engineer of TSS Earnslaw

VOICES FROM THE PAST

This month we’re taking a little detour from our usual to share some links to some voices from the past.

Ngā Taonga, the National Sound and Film Archive, have been kind enough to digitize and make available to us their whole collection of interviews with some of our early settlers and old identities in the district. In 1948, the Mobile Unit came up to the Head of the Lake and conducted a series of interviews with George Shaw, at Elfin Bay; Tom Bryant, at Kinloch; a Mrs Clark, who was friends with the Gollops (and was taking someone down to Queenstown on the TSS Earnslaw for Mrs Gollop); scheelite miners Ernie Gaskill, Mr Paulin and Mr Wylie; and Captain Luckie of the TSS Earnslaw among others. They also interviewed Nicholas Von Tunzelmann, son of the first Nicholas Von Tunzelmann (for whom Mt Nicholas was named), who was one of the earliest explorers and settlers with William Gilbert Rees.

We’ve also included two other wonderful links. The first is to Alice McKenzie, who was born at Martin’s Bay in 1880. She tells a fantastic story of her experience of seeing (and petting!) a moa in her childhood on the beach.

The second is a story from 1929 of a Dr EL Bone who’d come up to Glenorchy to ride out what he believed was going to be the end of the world with two ladies with whom he planned to repopulate (except the ladies were already in their 50s). Dr Bone was not the first nor last to believe that the best place to ride out the end of the world was up here. Peter Hodgson tells the tale with great pleasure and it’s very entertaining listening.

Please come join us for more voices from the past and never-before-seen films of life in GY from the 1950s and 60s at our Vintage Viewing night. Sunday 8 July at 7:00 pm. (Ten dollar admission)

We hope you enjoy this month’s collection of Voices from the Past. A big thanks to Camilla Wheeler at Ngā Taonga for doing all of this work for us.

Dr Bone and the End of the World (1996)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=218108: Peter Hodgson tells the story of Dr EL Bone who came to Glenorchy to ride out the end of the world and then to repopulate it with a pair of lovely ladies (who were well past re-populating age!)

Alice McKenzie (1950)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=191727: Alice McKenzie was born and raised at Martin’s Bay. At 80 years old she recounts the experience of seeing and petting a moa on the beach there. More information on Alice McKenzie’s story if you’re interested: https://cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/blue-moa

George Shaw of Elfin Bay and Mrs Clark on the TSS Earnslaw (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=240208: George Shaw talks about life farming at Elfin Bay. Mrs Clark is interviewed on the TSS Earnslaw and there is a little conversation with Tom Bryant towards the end.

Tom Bryant on Kinloch History (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=240230: Tom Bryant’s parents founded Kinloch. Tom tells stories of their life and his own life growing up at Kinloch.

Clark McConachy, Snooker Champion (1940)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=193045: One of Glenorchy’s most famous residents. McConachy was the world’s professional billiards champion (and runner up snooker champion) and he was on his way to England to compete.

Paulin and Wylie on Gold and Scheelite Mining (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=240242: An interview with one of the Paulin brothers and one of the Wylie’s talking about the history of both gold mining and contemporary scheelite mining.

Ernie Gaskill on Scheelite Mining (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=240267: Ernie Gaskill, the manager of the scheelite mines, talks about mining and the history of scheelite mining.

Captain Luckie of the TSS Earnslaw (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=239998: An interview with Captain Luckie about his experiences as captain of the TSS Earnslaw and other boats on which he sailed. He also talks about his father, who helped to build Kinloch and was well known at the Head of the Lake.

Early Days in Queenstown with Nicholas Von Tunzelmann, Jack Thompson and Frank St Omer (1948)

https://www.ngataonga.org.nz/collections/catalogue/catalogue-item?record_id=239967: Nicholas Von Tunzelmann, Jack Thompson on gold mining in the early days; Frank St. Omer on early life in Queenstown.

Photos this month include: Captain Tot Luckie; Tom Bryant on the Kelvin; scheelite miners Jas Reid, JF Reid and Ernie Gaskill; George Paulin and Jim Reid at Precipice Creek; Jack Wylie, Bill Torrey and Herb Sheehey building the water race at the Wylie brothers' mine; and Clark McConachy.