Ashhurst School opened in September 1879, with Mr F. Whibley as the temporary head teacher. The first permanent head teacher was Mr Alfred Gower (1880-1887). The head teachers during the years covered in this log book were Mr Buckler (c.1889-1901) and Mr W. Andrew (c.1901-1921). The school typically had a roll of between 165 and 180 pupils during this period.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 23 July, 2019. Jim Esson, part 2 of 2. Book on history of the Rotary Club of Terrace End, first 40 years. Catherine Hamlin World Understanding Award for the fistula hospital in Addis Ababa. Bringing buffaloes to New Zealand. Qualities for meat and milk, temperament, feed. Swamp buffalo and river buffalo. Valuable hides. Few buffalo in New Zealand. Potential value for New Zealand. Increased popularity of goat. Incident with buffalo bulls on a road. Ability to withstand floods.

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio 16 July, 2019. Jim Esson, part 1 of 2. Entomologist in the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), 1950s. Structure of DSIR, relationship with Massey Agricultural College. Nationality of staff. Selection of research topics. Cicadas. Change when restructured into Crown Research Institutes. Detail on cicadas. Move towards outside funding for research.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 30 July, 2019. Kevin Burrows and Rod Watt, Part 1 of 2. Time at school together from 1948. Polio epidemic. Discipline, mischief. Palmerston North Technical College. Burning the teacher’s cane. Palmerston North Boys High, including use of the cane. Nicknames, good teachers. Trick with onions. Army training at school. School band.

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio 6 August, 2019. Kevin Burrows and Rod Watt, part 2 of 2. School in the 1950s. The cane and notches in belts. Pranks they would do: making bombs, smells from wattle seeds, rubber band guns. Making skeletons in science. Control-line aircraft at Palmerston North Boys High School. Slingshots, fire alarms on lampposts, triggered the alarm in a stone fight. Rod came from Scotland aged 7, impressions of New Zealand, types of fruit not available in Scotland.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio on 15th October 2019. Born in Foxton, on dairy farm, 1950s, 212 cows. Transformed from gorse and lupin. Aorangi Marae, Feilding. Māori roots. Holidays with grandparents. Mother worked in administration at Massey University. Mother looked fair, but understood Māori. Mixed community at school, generally seen as the norm. Enjoyed school, more to play than to work. One teacher was very strict. Māori children picked out. School for her children was different – more choices, punishment different. Social events for the whole family. Musical family. Effects of mother working in 1950s. Working on the farm, ploughing at 11 or 12. Father injured in a car accident, never returned to the farm.

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 24th November 2020. Part 1 of 4.  Came to Palmerston North in 1957 after marriage and a year in Dannevirke. Compared to Wellington. Neil’s education, Huntley and Collegiate. Golf, squash, local club activity. How squash has changed. Jenny’s floral art, changing styles. Mothers not working. Activities in the home, compared to today. 

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 1st December 2020. Part 2 of 4.  Ballroom dancing – learn at school in 1940s, dances in the 1950s. Debutants. Formal dress. Athletics. Milk bars. Drinking age, pubs. Smoking. Neil getting a pipe. Young people have more opportunities now. Perception of 60s music. Entertaining, arrangements with children. Travel to Nelson for Xmas pre-WWII. Christmas meals. 

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 8th December 2020. Part 3 of 4.  Overseas experience with floral arts, president of the NZ Floral Art Society in 1981, to London setting up world association. International gatherings every 3 years. Taking plants overseas. Gender mix in floral art. Changing nature of floral art. Description of recent winning design. Teaching floral art. Exhibit durability. Preparation for competition. Home-grown vs bought plant material. 

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 15th December 2020. Part 4 of 4.  Trip to London to form World Association of Flower Arrangers. Night train to Scotland. Conference in Australia. Books on floral art. Origins of floral art. Fundraising diaries. Plant varieties in NZ. Night school and start of the local club. Training to teach floral art. Design principles. Growing suitable plant material. Flower arranging as an art form. Durability. Online demonstrations by Francine Thomas through the Covid-19 pandemic. Grandmother’s artwork. 

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 17th September 2019. Keith Clark, part 1 of 4. Born Nelson 1928, early pioneer family. Tricycle to shop for sweets, whitebaiting. Spearing flounder. First day at school. Aratika dairy factory. 2 mile walk to school, 50% Maori. Dances. Hop picking. Dairy factory maintenance. Moved ahead in school, with older children. Caught in storm. Athletics, sport. Cadets. Work/school mix. Sharing community. 1945, Canterbury University at 16. Trek with race horses in the bush, yellow jaundice.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 8th October 2019. Keith Clark, part 4 of 4. Work as advisor to country schools. Travelling round, also meeting parents. Grouping schools for teacher workshops, field days. New Maths, Social Studies. Practical workshops at Teachers College. School advisors. Job at Teachers College. Practical experience for trainee teachers. Exchange time in Australia. Sea Camps in Australia, Country camp in NZ. Teaching NZ history.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 24th September 2019. Keith Clark, part 2 of 4. Serious illness, just survived. Recovery. Teaching, sole charge school, 9 children. Social life. Teachers’ College. Back into sport. Learning to swim. Returned soldiers training as teachers. Meeting his wife. Teaching respected then, strong discipline. Greymouth. Moved to Bulls, then Kaitieke. Travelling to meet future wife at weekends.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 20th August 2019. Derm Buchanan, part 2 of 4. Post-war shortages. Oil exploration near Feilding. After school, working for wool company, wool scouring. Went to Bradford. Airedale Combing Company, 5 canteens by social class. Displaced persons (refugees) arriving in Britain. New job sorting wool. Story of a sorter’s war service, D-Day and liberation of Belsen.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 2 July, 2019. Raylee Murphy, Part 1 of 2. Bank work from age 15. Early effects of polio. Hospital experience. When in early 40s, took university papers. Married at 19, 3 children. Divorced about 40. Volunteer and then work at Victim Support, organizing jobs, etc.. Description of Victim Support. Interaction with police. Reduced mobility, need for a stroller.

Broadcast on Manawatu People's Radio, 13th August 2019. Derm Buchanan part 1 of 4. Grew up in Feilding. Impact of WWII. Rode a horse to school. The Boarding at Wellington College, many rules about behaviour. The cane. Big attendance at reunions. Teachers’ nicknames. Swaggers. Rationing, but farmers could grow things. Trips to Feilding. ANZAC Day. Fear of invasion. American servicemen; one with malaria; different approach to discipline. Few trips to Palmerston North. Parents wanted him to get a trade, went into wool at 14 or 15.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 23 April 2019. Tom Stoneley, part 1 of 2. Stoneley Brothers general carriers 1951-1961. Type of vehicles, roads. Hours worked. Items carried. Stock crates. Loading goods by hand. Customers, orders. Driving plus business management, long hours. Interaction with other drivers. Police. Income. Adopted sons – adoption process. Early life, how ended up as a carrier. Dodging school. Lytton Street School, the Palmerston North Tech. Getting carrier jobs.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 14 May, 2019. Bruce Markwell and Malcolm Busch on the history of the Rotary Club of Terrace End, Part 1 of 2. Early membership, age, occupation, criteria. Formal meetings. Sergeant’s sessions. Family involvement. Women’s participation. Community service, establishing the Kidney Foundation. Wildbase, Milson Rotary Club. Broader Rotary structure, districts, international. Polio.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 27th August 2019. Derm Buchanan, part 3 of 4. Moved into the ordained ministry about 1970. Chose to become a hospital chaplain. Clinical pastoral education (CPE) training. Also did supervisory training, so spent 3 years in the US (South Carolina). Interaction with medical profession. Types of cases. Some religions giving feelings of guilt and the health effects. Beneficial effects.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 3rd September 2019. Derm Buchanan, part 4 of 4. Clinical pastoral education, focus on the “human story” and feelings. Current social issues, family, work, policies affecting families. Declining community activity. Church communities. Churches’ participation in politics. Activity on return from US. Hospital chaplain funding. Need for specialist training.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 30 April, 2019. Tom Stoneley, part 2 of 2. With Gwen Stoneley. Gwen left school in 1950. Office work. Tom had identical twin brother. Little social life. Worked long hours. Ewe fairs. Holding paddocks. Size of loads. Gwen’s work dress code. People building own machinery. Farming in 1950s, farm advisors. Community life. New home when married. Feilding Little Theatre. Churches. Schools, limited parent involvement. Ride to school, 6 on a horse. Giving teacher a hard time. Bad behaviour. Holidays. Gwen’s father died when she was 4. Later Gwen to boarding school, strong discipline. School milk. How young couples could buy a house in 1950s. Cost of petrol. Petrol stolen. Description of house in 1954.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 18 June, 2019. Moved a bit when young, 10 schools. Remembers parents splitting when 4 years old. Effects of changing schools. Desire to finish school. Maori mother. Social background very mixed. Pregnant at 15, mother at 16, in a teen-parent unit. The child’s father. Financial and other support. Second child in 1917. Mixing with other mothers (age difference). Moved into own (rental) house at 17. Social pressures as young mother. Daughter thought of her as very old at 23. University after school. Finishing degree and working in mental health as social worker.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 21 May, 2019. Bruce Markwell and Malcolm Busch on the history of the Rotary Club of Terrace End, part 2 of 2. Rotary Club of Terrace End Memorial Educational Trust. Mike Hansen taking a team to Namibia. International students. Manawatū Enterprises (Sheltered workshop). Fundraising, catering for events. Mini-bikes. Opening the bridge. Crunchie Bar Express. Top Schools.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 16 April 2019. Cliff Simpson, part 3 of 3. Grandfather coming to New Zealand, coal miner from Australia. Great-great-grandfather a convict on the second fleet. Social life with children. Lost 3 children, effect on wife. Siblings in the South Island, maintained contact. Other social life. Pubs and clubs declining and closing – effect of drink-driving restrictions. Affected social life. Now Probus Clubs for older people, and Lions. Sheep breeds, changes. “Ram alley”. Farmers and farming experts. Twin lambing. Growth of dairying.

Broadcast on Access Manawatū on 9 April, 2019. Cliff Simpson, part 2 of 3. Focused on sport in school, athletics, rugby. Middle distance running, training methods, successes up to 1950 Empire Games. Racing Australian half-mile champion. Rugby for King’s High School, then Feilding Old Boys. Social life – 6 o’clock swill. Rangitikei Club. Alcohol consumption, drink driving. Cars, driving licences. Pat driving from about 11 years old. Traffic cops. Evening activities - working late, phoning clients. Long work hours. Area covered. “Killing space allocations” for incoming stock.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 1st October 2019. Keith Clark, part 3 of 4. Teaching experience. Bulls, then to a sole charge school. 22 children, 20 coming on horseback. Monthly school trip to Taumarunui. Injured kiwi at the school. Using the new rifle range. Future wife, Leslie - travelling to meet at weekends. Job at West End School, getting married, 1952. Leslie able to teach after marriage. West End mainly men teachers. Motorbike.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio 9 July, 2019. Raylee Murphy, Part 2 of 2. Overcame early effects of polio. Polio support group, on the board, learning about late effects of polio. Doctors now unaware of polio. The Duncan family polio rehabilitation hospital. Post-polio assistance needed. Supporting each other. Case of ongoing pain, although look fine. Mobility and accessibility issues. Impact of polio on families. Isolation, schools closed. Polio sufferer June Opie, book, _Over My Dead Body_. Iron lungs.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 7 May, 2019. Trish Keiller on the history of Caccia Birch House, interviewed by Alison Mildon. Sound of cicadas in the background. Caccia Birch Trust Board member. House uses, history display. Original purchase and clearing of land, building house and occupants/owners. Polo grounds, rifle range. Governor General living there. House called Woodhey. Billiard room, tennis court, sentry boxes. Army use in WWII. Convalescent home, swimming pool. Then rest home, but fire risk. Victoria University use until about 1976. 1980s bought by city council. Subdivision, Ryder-Cheshire property, etc.. Awhina room.

A broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 2 April, 2019. Part 1 of 3. Cliff Simpson. Move to Feilding about 1948. Stock agent in South Island, then stock buyer for Longburn freezing works. Nature of the work and training. Father had dairy farm, 35 cows, brought up family of 5 boys. Grew own vegetables, had pigs. In South Island, North Islanders called “Pig Islanders”. Activities with father, spear fishing. WWII, father in home guard. 30 years as stock buyer, plus sheep farming at Halcombe. Nature of work, clients - old families (Pat’s family came in 1883), rehab farmers (returned soldiers got land on a ballot). Rehab farmers, one ex-pow in Japan, another on Crete who lost both legs from frostbite, another in Colditz. Floods.

Broadcast on Manawatū People's Radio, 10th September 2019. Early life. Airforce cadetship. 1 year initial training at Woodburn. Further year at Wigram, then permanent appointment to Ohakea as instrument fitter. Time serving in UK.