These varied greatly partly according to the parents' income, interests and
attitudes.
Freedom to roam
Several of the people interviewed for the articles about growing up between
1900 and 1925 commented that young people had a lot of freedom to go out
alone or go in small groups walking on the hills or riding bicycles or
ponies and taking a picnic lunch without their parents experiencing great
anxiety about their safety.
This situation was the same for most people between 1925 and 1950.
Wendy 's passion was horses.
"Like many girls I fell in love with horses at a fairly young age - ten.
Two friends had ponies and I was keen to join them after school to groom
and feed the ponies, and perhaps have a ride. I just loved their soft
brown eyes, velvet noses and 'horsey' smell.
"My mother had had a pony when she was young and understood my feelings for
these beautiful creatures. She arranged for me to have riding lessons on a
property not far from us. So, on Saturday mornings I would hare round to
the lesson in a fever of excitement and thoroughly enjoy my morning,
starting with grooming, learning how to saddle up, then riding out for an
hour or two. I was twelve years old and I was in seventh heaven.
"Then one Saturday morning my father said there was a pony advertised in the
paper and would I like to go and see it. Would I ever! This pony was an
absolute pet - chestnut with a white blaze, very good-tempered, but with
spirit, and of course I said 'Yes'. His name was Gentle, but I changed it
to General. Fortunately we had a quarter acre section round the corner, so
Dad made it secure and General was ensconced. My parents privately thought
the novelty of caring for General, feeding night and morning, whatever the
weather, would wear off, but it never did. General was always so pleased
to see me, whether I had his feed or not, that it was no hardship. Now I
could go with my friends and we roamed far and wide, often taking a picnic
with us. Victoria Park on the Cashmere Hills was a favourite place.
There were also shows and gymkhanas to go to, although as these were the
war years they were quite small compared to today. I loved these,
especially the novelty races that General was so good at, and we usually
came home with a prize.
In those days we had a bach at Stewarts Gully on the Waimakariri River
where we spent all the Christmas holidays, so I used to ride out there by
myself and ride home again at the end of the holidays. It seems
unthinkable today. Another time we rode from Christchurch to a gymkhana at
Kaiapoi, some 18 kms each way. It seems such a long way for fairly small ponies.
Helen was involved with horses too, riding and going to the race
meetings.
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Helen and Wendy (right) with General
Photo source Wendy Walton
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"Riding ponies and horses around Christchurch and its environs was a
wonderful leisure occupation in my girlhood. My sister and I had ponies
and horses from an early age and kept them at the stables at our home.
There were two big stalls and a feed-room and tack room in the middle of
the roomy stalls. We looked after our animals ourselves, washing,
curry-combing, grooming and painting their hooves. Then we rode off around
the farmlands at hand in those days.
During the war we had a gig with a cart horse and used to bowl along around
the north-west end of town - great transport when petrol was rationed.
Horse racing
" 'Race Week' in November was a highlight in the year. Our parents went to
the races each day! Mother had a new outfit for each occasion. Dad
gradually built up a string of thoroughbreds which he raced at Riccarton
and later round the South Island. He also raced one or two pacers at
Addington Raceway.
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Riccarton Racegoers, August meeting, probably 1937
Photo source A Christchurch family collection
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"Later we girls, also dressed in lovely clothes, went to the races at
Riccarton with our parents and as members of the Canterbury Jockey Club we
enjoyed ourselves immensely.
"In those days the lawns and gardens were beautiful and there were no cars
parked anywhere but in the birdcage. Car parks were provided outside the
course proper."
On-course betting was the only type of gambling on the horses that was
legal. Bookmakers took bets before the races, often in hotel bars, and
placed them on the day but had to be careful not get caught.
City race meetings were formal affairs with everyone well dressed, but
country meetings were a family affair and race day was a picnic day.
There were a lot of country race courses, run by local clubs, most of them
now closed.
Lessons in music, speech and dancing
Parents who could afford it sent their daughters, and much less often their
sons, to lessons in music, (usually piano or singing), speech and dancing -
ballet, tap, or national dancing. Many children sat examinations
conducted by examiners from Britain or took part in competitions in these
arts.
Helen loved performing in the Competitions
"The Competitions Societies all over the country played a great part in
the life of many youngsters in the 1930s and 40s," Helen G recalls. "There
were competition classes for pianoforte, singing, elocution and dancing -
tap, character, national and ballet.
"'The Comps', as they were affectionately known, were held each year in
Christchurch in the May school holidays, often on cold frosty mornings with
a blue sky. Most music classes were held in the Civic Theatre, Manchester
St. The judges sat in the Dress Circle while anxious parents and teachers
occupied the stalls.
"Every evening those who were recalled to perform again in the 'Finals'
repeated their performances and found out the eventual winners. Children
who played the piano or sang gazed in wonder at the colourful costumes and
make-up of those in the tap and ballet classes."
Pipe bands and Scottish dancing
With many New Zealand families descended from Scottish forbears playing in
pipe bands was a popular activity. By 1950 there were eleven pipe bands in
Christchurch alone which meant that there were more pipe bands in the city
per head of populations than in any other city in the world, including
Scotland! There were four other pipe bands in Canterbury in the smaller
centres.
Contests were held annually throughout New Zealand with Provincial Contests
held in each area prior to the New Zealand contests. Originally the
contests comprised Dress Inspection, Street March, Quickstep, Test
Selection (comprising Slow March, March Strathspey, Reel), Drum Major's
Display, Staff Flourishing followed by Massed Bands.
This hobby took a lot of time as there were regular weekly practice nights,
with marching practices September to March most Sunday mornings from 9 am
to noon. Bands were very popular at school and church fairs which meant
that they were booked for most Saturdays during the spring and summer
months.
Margaret G began learning to play the pipes when she was thirteen,
practising first on the chanter, learning finger movement, arm movement,
breathing control and finally marching.
The uniforms worn 1925-50 were traditional. Pipers wore black shoes,
tartan hose, spats, kilt, jacket, full wrap around plaid and glengarry,
with hat badge and shoulder brooch, and skeine dhu, permissible. Pipers'
jackets were either green, black or blue. Drummers wore black shoes, red
diced hose, spats, red jacket, short shoulder plaid and a feather bonnet.
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City of Christchurch Ladies Highland Pipe Band taking part in the quickstep
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Competitions for speech, music and fancy dancing were usually held only in
the May and August holidays, but for national dancing there were frequent
competitions sponsored by groups like the Caledonian Society and
Agricultural and Pastoral Shows. Competitors danced the Highland fling,
the sword dance, the sean triubhais, the Highland reel, the sailors
hornpipe, the Irish Jig and other dances, preferably to the music of the
bagpipe. This meant that good solo pipers were in great demand to play for
the dancers as well as performing with the band. At most competitions
medals were awarded to the most gifted performers, so many dancers were
photographed with long ribbons filled with medals pinned to their jackets.
The Winter and A & P Shows
The Winter Show held in the August school holidays and the Agricultural and
Pastoral Shows held in towns large and small featured sideshows as well as
the industrial or farming exhibits, and were a highlight in many young
people's lives - something important for which to save up pocket money.
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Having parked the car a Christchurch family sets off for the annual treat -
a visit to the Canterbury A and P Show (1938)
Photo source a Christchurch family collection
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Being photographed looking through the cut-out in a comic scene at the New
Zealand Industries Fair
Photo source - a Christchurch family collection
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Quieter at-home hobbies
Writing to penfriends and stamp collecting
These hobbies often went together. For most young people stamp collecting
was a low key affair. They exchanged stamps with friends and family and
valued the stamps on letters from pen-friends. Schools sometimes had lists
of possible correspondents from other parts of the world and Hays Junior Leaguer
would publish requests for pen friends.
Handcrafts
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Adelaide's hand embroidered
dressing table set
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Many children enjoyed making things from wood, fabric, wool or paper and
gave their own handwork as presents, especially among the family. Many
girls were encouraged to learn embroidery and begin to build up a
collection of embroidered tray cloths, supper cloths, dressing table sets,
and even towels and tea towels to put in their "glory box" - their
collection of linen and household goods being prepared for their future
marriage. Adelaide still has beautiful embroidery she did for her box
during her school years, especially when a problem with her knee prevented
her from taking part in sport.
Films and live theatre, church activities, collecting autographs,
picnics, fun in the snow and on the ice, trips to the mountains
These all feature strongly in people's memories, but will be the subject of
later articles.
