Entertainment and Socialising

Didn't feel she had much spare time; played tennis with people, did errands for her

mother, exchanged books with friends, visited an elderly woman, reading. Always had a lot of homework; essays, went to the Library. Didn't get home from school till late, played sports afterwards. She was a prefect and had to go on duty "...and watch that naughty girls weren't walking through the town." Went on lots of picnics, "That was my favourite occupation so I had lots of picnics all over the place", Sanatorium Hill was one of her favourite places, biked out to the country which was then where Swarbrick's Landing is. Biked out to Whatawhata, Cambridge, Te Aroha from Morrinsville. Menuhin came to her school, also Heifetz. Sports people also came; Fred Perry (tennis player), Jean Batten.

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Tape 2 Side 1

At about age ten went up in an aeroplane with Kingsford Smith; a birthday present.

Followed any world events; radio. Did not often go to town on a Friday night, not encouraged by her parents; thinks it was quite an important way for other young people to meet each other. Got fashion ideas from seeing dress patterns; McCalls, Butterick. Also got ideas from fashion magazines; Vogue. Films were also an influence.

Difficult for young girls during the war because of the lack of fabric, she made a coat out of an old grey blanket, others made clothing out of curtains, brides had dresses of parachute silk. Still managed to have pretty clothes, ginghams, linens, thinks that girls when she was young were far more feminine. The `in' thing was to get a Horrocks frock, always made a point of getting one every year. Smith and Caugheys had linen samples to order material and make up frocks, Milnes did also taffeta the most popular for evening frocks (discusses getting an evening frock she had wanted for a long time).

Had a gramophone; remembers `Singing in the Rain', does not think she got carried away by movies stars.

Went to a lot of films; liked Katherine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Clark

Gable, Lesley Howard, Clara Bow, Norma Shearer. Remembers one of her sisters was crazy about Rudolph Valentino, the other liked Mary Pickford. Brother liked Tom Mix. Film; "It was pretty important because that was one of our chief entertainments."

Remembers her first `talkie'; `Tiptoe Amongst the Tulips', at the Civic Theatre in

Auckland (describes going to the Civic Theatre), saw first talkie in Cambridge.

Describes going to the Strand which became the Regent. Went to a lot of plays, (discusses her sister's play group). Radio was important to teenagers, she was outdoors more, (describes her gramophone and her records).

As a child read Pipsqueak and Wilfred, brother had Chatterbox, sister got School Girl

Annual, got Rainbow. Remembers longing for an Arthur Mees Encyclopedia, got a less expensive version.

Had a lot of parties in school holidays, more like a dance, went with friends. War changed dating because the people you met were those on leave at the time, she was a bit too young during the war to make the most of dating.

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