Jack and Floyd,
It is with great sadness and appreciation that I write the following words for you. I asked Grandad Geordie to write down some of his stories because I would love to know them. I didn't think he had and I felt I had missed an opportunity to know him better.
When Grandma was going through Geordie's things she found this with my name at the top. It is such a privilege to share my grandad's stories with you.
Rachel
George was born in Palmerston on 30th December 1923. He was brought up with 3 brothers Rob, Doug, George and Billy. they were all educated at Kyeburn School and TBHS (Timaru Boys High School). They drove to school in a dog cart with few comforts. on a frosty morning one would do the driving and the others would get out of the cart and run behind to keep warm. We would run for miles. The steam would be coming off us after a few miles, we were well and truly fit. The old cart horse was named Dolly she had to be shod every so often and it was one of the jobs we had to do was ride Dolly to Naseby to get shod. Dolly was a bit high for me to climb on she was over 16 hands so would have to line Dolly up to the fence and I would climb on. Dolly would stand like a lamb till I mounted. The blacksmith was Ted Sherp who always liked a joke. We would always be invited to dinner. Ted would say I know if there will be enough for you but if you throw your hat in the door and it doesn't come out you will be alright, you'll get dinner. The hat never came out.
Mrs Sherp was a dear old soul. We had to take the other hacks and ponies there also. When we took Punch up he was a 11 hand cream pony who got tired of standing on three legs when he was getting shod so he thought Ted could help out. So Ted was happy until he began on Punch's back hoof. So all of a sudden Ted would go from a happy man to an angry man. The air would be blue Ted would be calling all sorts of names and banging Punch with the rasp. It was quite a circus must say I was sorry for Punch. Ted would say "I'll fix him. I'll put a twitch on him". Ted would put the twitch on him but Punch never changed. I think Punch won the battle.
George would be eight years old when he started riding horses to be shod. There wasn't much in the way of entertainment in those days so we had to make our own. After dark, billy and I would round up the dairy cows and latch on the cow tales and get them running up through the scrub bushes and around about but there was a time limit on this as the cows got heated up - the cows would start loosening up in the hindquarters and start firing you know what. I can't remember getting caught out but when they started that carryon, it was time to knock off. Our parents wondered why the cows had gone off their milk at different times.
Another prank was to go down to the gate and wait for father to come home and get out of the car and wait until he got the car through the gate and we rush out when father got back in the car and jump on the spare wheel and get a ride up to the car shed unbeknown to father. This always happened after dark.
Another prank was to declare war on the cats. There always seemed to be a massive number of cats around the men's quarters. They kept the place quite smelly. So Billy and I would hassle the cats with a long length of pipe from under their quarters where they camped. After we had been working on them for a while they would seek refuge. The cats would go where they thought they were safe.
Went to TBHS in 1937-39. Then came home. I went out shearing at 16. I shore three seasons on the blades and 14 seasons on the machines. I got my first 100 on New Years day in 1942 in Paul O'Mallery shed at the Styx. George was probably the youngest shearer to ever shear on the maniototo plane at sixteen.
He was called up for the army when he was eighteen. He was appealed for as an essential worker. On reaching 21 he was called up for overseas service and was on final leave when peace was declared. He was discharged in Dunedin didn't have to go back to Burnham. Went back to rabbiting and shearing and casual work. Billy went to John McGlashan college in Dunedin.
_________________________________________________________________________
It is lovely to have these special memories from an amazing man.
I love you so much Jack and Floyd.
Mummy xxxxx
It is with great sadness and appreciation that I write the following words for you. I asked Grandad Geordie to write down some of his stories because I would love to know them. I didn't think he had and I felt I had missed an opportunity to know him better.
When Grandma was going through Geordie's things she found this with my name at the top. It is such a privilege to share my grandad's stories with you.
Rachel
George was born in Palmerston on 30th December 1923. He was brought up with 3 brothers Rob, Doug, George and Billy. they were all educated at Kyeburn School and TBHS (Timaru Boys High School). They drove to school in a dog cart with few comforts. on a frosty morning one would do the driving and the others would get out of the cart and run behind to keep warm. We would run for miles. The steam would be coming off us after a few miles, we were well and truly fit. The old cart horse was named Dolly she had to be shod every so often and it was one of the jobs we had to do was ride Dolly to Naseby to get shod. Dolly was a bit high for me to climb on she was over 16 hands so would have to line Dolly up to the fence and I would climb on. Dolly would stand like a lamb till I mounted. The blacksmith was Ted Sherp who always liked a joke. We would always be invited to dinner. Ted would say I know if there will be enough for you but if you throw your hat in the door and it doesn't come out you will be alright, you'll get dinner. The hat never came out.
Mrs Sherp was a dear old soul. We had to take the other hacks and ponies there also. When we took Punch up he was a 11 hand cream pony who got tired of standing on three legs when he was getting shod so he thought Ted could help out. So Ted was happy until he began on Punch's back hoof. So all of a sudden Ted would go from a happy man to an angry man. The air would be blue Ted would be calling all sorts of names and banging Punch with the rasp. It was quite a circus must say I was sorry for Punch. Ted would say "I'll fix him. I'll put a twitch on him". Ted would put the twitch on him but Punch never changed. I think Punch won the battle.
George would be eight years old when he started riding horses to be shod. There wasn't much in the way of entertainment in those days so we had to make our own. After dark, billy and I would round up the dairy cows and latch on the cow tales and get them running up through the scrub bushes and around about but there was a time limit on this as the cows got heated up - the cows would start loosening up in the hindquarters and start firing you know what. I can't remember getting caught out but when they started that carryon, it was time to knock off. Our parents wondered why the cows had gone off their milk at different times.
Another prank was to go down to the gate and wait for father to come home and get out of the car and wait until he got the car through the gate and we rush out when father got back in the car and jump on the spare wheel and get a ride up to the car shed unbeknown to father. This always happened after dark.
Another prank was to declare war on the cats. There always seemed to be a massive number of cats around the men's quarters. They kept the place quite smelly. So Billy and I would hassle the cats with a long length of pipe from under their quarters where they camped. After we had been working on them for a while they would seek refuge. The cats would go where they thought they were safe.
Went to TBHS in 1937-39. Then came home. I went out shearing at 16. I shore three seasons on the blades and 14 seasons on the machines. I got my first 100 on New Years day in 1942 in Paul O'Mallery shed at the Styx. George was probably the youngest shearer to ever shear on the maniototo plane at sixteen.
He was called up for the army when he was eighteen. He was appealed for as an essential worker. On reaching 21 he was called up for overseas service and was on final leave when peace was declared. He was discharged in Dunedin didn't have to go back to Burnham. Went back to rabbiting and shearing and casual work. Billy went to John McGlashan college in Dunedin.
_________________________________________________________________________
It is lovely to have these special memories from an amazing man.
I love you so much Jack and Floyd.
Mummy xxxxx
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