Oral Histories

Helensville Museum holds a substantial collection of recorded interviews available on cassette tape or CD, featuring memories of people from Helensville and the surrounding districts, or from public gatherings.

These provide both individual and general information on early families, the lifestyle of their times and records of significant events since the start of Helensville settlement. Begun in 1988, these oral histories are intended as an on-going project.

Copies of the tapes or CDs are available for listening at the Helensville Museum, the Turnbull Library in Wellington, and the Auckland Public Library. Individual copies, together with transcripts of material, may be purchased from the Helensville Museum at a cost of $25.00 per tape or CD ($20.00 members’ price).

A list of recordings so far is as follows, with an indication of most significant topics covered by speakers.

Oral histories are available for the following: (information in parentheses is an indication of most significant topics covered by speakers.)

• Helensville A&P Show Memories
• Barr, Neil [ Memories, Maori Customs, Beginning of Farm Forestry ]
• Bishop, Zoe and Margaret [ Evans family history
• Cochrane, Bruce [Balloted farming after WWII at South Head]
• Cohen, Adah [ Early Auckland c 1900, Helensville after 1924, Plunket, Sport ]
• Cohen, Tom [ Early Auckland 1916 Pharmacy, Flu epidemic, Helensville Community Service ]
• Composite Memories Open Day 25th June, 1994 [ details of early Helensville buildings and activities. Speakers: Mollie Pikett, Tom Cohen, Hec Nicholls, Doris Becroft, Roger West ]
• Corcoran, Rachel [ Earliest Ararimu Valley settlers, Kaukapakapa, Helensville ]
• Davidson, Edna [ Early Auckland, Depression, Napier Earthquake, Woodhill ]
• Dickson, Mary [ Early Glorit 1906-1995 ]
• Donohue, Heather [ head farming after WWII, Library, WDFF ]
• Ellett, Gordon [ Parakai farming 1902-1984 ]
• Entertainment Over the Years Open Day, 4th July, 1999 [ from Victorian to recent times ]
• Eteveneaux, Miles [ Pioneering of early New Zealand film after WW1, Southland, Gisborne, Pacific in WWII, Helensville ]
• Eteveneaux, Vearl [ Pioneering of early New Zealand film after WW1, Southland, Gisborne, Pacific in WWII, Helensville ]
• Fletcher, Marina [ Maori background to Kaipara Harbour history. Speech to 1994 Forest & Bird meeting ]
• Hall, Alice [ Nurse for Maori health ]
• Henley, Frank [ Early Kaukapakapa ]
• Heritage Walks [ pamphlet launch. T Cohen, I Hines, M Pikett, M Ryan, M West, H Nicholls ]
• Higham, Les & Joan [ South Head farming from 1937 ]
• Hill, Ruihi (Lucy) [ Marae, Maori Women’s Welfare League ]
• Holst, Patricia (nee Smith) [ Early Kaukapakapa, Woodhill before and after WWII ]
• Hooper, Phyliss [ Early Wayby, music career ]
• Hospital Memories Open Day, 25 June, 1995 [ Speakers: M Pyatt, R Ellett, Sister Morrell, Glen Hoare, B Connolly, A McKenzie ]
• Jenkins, Doris (nee Becroft) [ Early Helensville, WWI, WWII, many activities ]
• Jordan, Winifred [ English transposed to Jordan’s Island, later Kaukapakapa ]
• Kaipara Harbour Shipping Memories Open Day 29 June, 1997 [ Speakers Isla Willis, Flora Thirkettle ]
• Kaukapakapa - Pioneer Kaukapakapa Open Day 28 July, 2002
• Luckens, Audrey [ Early Massey memories - AUC, early teaching Kaipara College, community service ]
• Makarau Memories, 90th anniversary of Makarau Hall, 3 November, 1996 [ 14 speakers ]
• Manakau, Mohi [ Whakapapa established, early Kaipara Maori memories ]
• McLean, Murdoch [ Kaukapakapa since 1900, railway, and Makarau tunnel, farming, schooling ]
• McLeod, Murdoch & Yvonne [ Early Parkhurst, Helensville, South Head 1920s ]
• Milling - early milling in Helensville [ McLeod family, timber companies: Wests, Douglass ]
• Nicholls, Hec [ Early Helensville, Parakai, South Head farming ]
• Parakai - extract from 'Taking the Waters - Early Spas of New Zealand' by Ian Rockwell
• Parakai Memories Open Day and interview with Ian McLeod, 29 July, 2001
• Pioneering Women of South Kaipara - book launch, 30 July, 2001
• Primary Schools Open Day - primary schools of the district (includes closed schools), 26 June, 1998 [ Te Pua, Lochnorrie, Waioneke, Maraetahi, Kaukapakapa, Helensville, Woodhill, Waitoki ]
• Pyatt, John & Mary [ Helensville after WWII, many aspects of social and public activities ]
• Quarrie, Jessie [ Family background, early nursing, WWII, Helensville Nursing Hospital ]
• Railway - celebration of the 125th anniversary of the arrival of rail to Helensville, 29 October, 2000 [ Launch of 'The Kaipara Line' by Peter Reaves ]
• Rembering Sunday 29th August 1993 - Women's Suffrage Day [ speakers: Murdoch LcLean, Rita Sanson, Phyliss Hooper, Doug Honore, Rev Pat Jacobson ]
• Robertson, George [wide range, early Parakai & Helensville]
• Robinson, Jean (nee McLeod) [ early family memories, Helensville & Maraetahi ]
• Sanson, Rita [ early pupil teaching, the Depression, move from Te Aroha to South Head, schooling, farming ]
• Sellars, Alf [ Spectrum memories of Sellars family harbourmasters, early shipping ]
• Sellars, Ross [ family contributions to Kaipara Harbour activities, shipping details ]
• Shanks, Ella
• Smith, Norman [ early Helensville, Woodhill Forest Service and village, Muriwai & South Head ]
• Southernwood, Brenda (nee Screaton) [ Screaton family, primary & secondary schools, developments pre and post WWII ]
• Tall Spars, Steamers & Gum - book launch
• Tangaroa, William [ Maori background, Rewiti marae, Woodhill forestry ]
• Thirkettle, Flora [ personal history, fishing with family on the Kaipara ]
• Thompson murders [ Kaukapakapa tragedy ]
• Waller, Malcolm [ Early Buckland farming at South Head, Changes ]
• Warner, Pamela [ Maori memories of marae, Woodhill forestry ]
• Watts, Molly (Mary) [ family background in Kaukapakapa, Waimauku Primary, Helensville District High School, WWII, Women's War Service ]
• West, Roger [ early milling in Hoteo & Helensville ]
• Young, Roy [ Air Force service in WWII, subsequent farming at Parakai, St John Ambulance ]