Interview with Barbara Bridewell, Reg Bridewell and Vallis Peet, talking about beach holidays, mainly at Foxton Beach in the 1950s as children and teenagers.
Summary of interview:
0.00 Background noise sample plus recording details
0.40 Start of general discussion block, what was Foxton like in the 1950s?
2.26 What sort of holidays then? (mainly Reg, also Vallis
6.26 - start of a short clip describing the changes in the river since then
8.13 – describing the rollerskating rink
9.32 - describing the beach front (along the river)
10.43 – old yachting clubhouse now miles away from the water
11.09 – speedboat races
11.44 – activities at campsites
13.19 – organized groups
14.20 – safe to swim in the river
15.00 – children’s life on the farm
15.29 – tadpoling
16.15 – birdnesting (collecting eggs)
16.29 – back to Foxton holidays
17.14 – Vallis’s grandfather’s bike
20.26 – Reg’s final holiday at the beach in 1953 (caught polio)
21.59 – sunburn
23.36 – food
24.07 – thermettes
26.33 – Vallis’s father would go fishing, then the rest of the family had a holiday
27.34 – house with paua shells in the walls
28.29 – later talking children for holidays
30.39 – Reg and Barbara sold the beach house and built a swimming pool (big mistake)
30.58 – Reg and Barbara family caravan holidays in Bay of Islands in 1970s
31.50 – Why Foxton no longer as good by 70s
32.48 – Vallis month-long caravan holidays in S Island in 1970s
33.04 – importance of babyboom period (large families, cost…)
34.40 – no holiday camps like Butlins, etc., in NZ
35.30 – Kaiteriteri for S Island holidays
35.48 – dances?
36.31 - Start of second (more focused) block Who went with you to Foxton Beach?
37.27 – What activities did you do?
39.33 – drinking? smoking?
40.20 – playing in the river and in boats
41.25 – yachts at weekends in the estuary (silted up since then)
42.20 – food
43.35 – fire station callouts
44.37 – BBQs?
45.02 – canned food (because no way to refrigerate)
45.47 – summers longer and hotter then
47.00 – what did you drink?
47.23 – ice cream
47.42 – fruit?
48.32 – lighting?
49.51 – evenings (cards, songs – Reg singing)
51.15 – what if raining?
52.01 – describing tents
56.24 – caravans
57.53 – Reg, holidays later
58.26 – Vallis’s grandfather’s caravan
59.38 - Vallis’s grandfather’s beachhouse
1.00.13 – children amusing themselves (water, not good swimmers…)
1.01.24 – surf patrols
1.01.38 – sleeping arrangements (stretchers/camp beds)
1.03.05 – washing, showers, toilets, solar water heating
1.05.27 – sun screen, sun hats…
1.06.46 – entertainment
1.07.15 – radio
1.07.35 – what the adults were doing (didn’t notice)
1.08.03 – Reg’s father (a baker) working at night
1.08.36 – fishing (Reg’s children fishing at Foxton)
1.09.35 – Vallis’s dad fishing with a kontiki or a crawler