New Zealand Memories Issue 151

EDITORIAL
Dear Readers,
As with many of our readers, David and I have grandchildren living overseas.
Although the virus has prevented our frequent reunions, the likes of Skype and
inexpensive phone calls enable us to keep in regular contact. It was not always this
easy. I am reminded of my childhood when my parents emigrated from Britain
with two young children; I never saw either of my grandmothers again. With
the high cost of airfares in the late 1950s, and ship voyages taking 5-6 weeks,
there was no real expectation of a return visit. Even to phone ‘Home’, to listen
to a loved-one’s voice on a long-distance booked toll call, was astronomical. No
face-to-face communication then!
The US Marines stationed in New Zealand during World War II certainly had an impact on New Zealand
society, often with mixed feelings from local citizens. Wartime necessitated family separation: Mark Pacey’s
leading article looks at the Marines located at the Solway showgrounds in Masterton during 1943 for a period
of rest and retraining. Young men far from home.
I am always inspired by the stories of fortitude when we examine New Zealand history. Gordon Campbell’s
Fiordland road construction account offers a prime example of sheer determination where tools were picks,
shovels and wheelbarrows. Weather conditions brought added hurdles, “Ice picks were needed in the winter
when severe frosts turned the drums of drinking water into solid ice”. We reap the rewards of their labours today.
Readers will appreciate Jilleen Bradley’s charming story, Personal Reflections of Pahi. During a recent visit to
Dargaville, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to take a detour to the sleepy settlement where romance once
blossomed for a young fair-haired schoolteacher.
Special holidays are with us forever, and Beverley Bassett Broad holds fond memories of farming vacations on
Banks Peninsula. The wonderful cover photograph of milking at Onawe Farm immediately transports the reader
back to another era. Bruce Anderson’s camping adventures – and later caravanning – at Auckland’s Piha were
typical beach holidays with little in the way of luxurious trimmings but providing plenty of fun over Christmas.
God bless you until my next editorial, and may our shores continue to remain safe.
Wendy Rhodes,
Editor
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