Pioneering Days

New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 417, 20 June 1947, Page 11

Pioneering Days

N dealing with the subject of "Pioneer Homes" in 3YA’s Winter Course series on "Canterbury from the Early Days," Mrs. Cecil Wood was not, as one might have been led to expect, concerned with the question of pioneer architecture, (That, we imagine, was rather on the lines of Henry Ford’s early models"they had a piece of rubber and a little bit of board".) But in her two comparatively Short talks, Mrs. Wood managed to pack more interesting information from. more varied sources than one

would have thought possible. The speaker appears to have the knack of selecting those particular details which can convey an impression of the situation far better than a long-winded description. To illustrate the shortage of materials, for instance, and the comparative freedom from convention, she told us how Dr. Barker in desperation bought up yards of mattress ticking to be converted into shirts and dresses for his family. And what better light could be thrown on the stock situation than by this quotation from a_ pioneer woman’s letter: "I don’t wonder that the Hindus worship cows; I do!" The talks covered every aspect of pioneer home-life, from bread-making and the unsuitability of women’s clothing to the reliability of the weather (Ah, we knew things had changed since the good old days!), and the inevitable feeling of loneliness that all these pioneers experienced.