Michael Heath-Caldwell M.Arch
Brisbane, Queensland
ph: 0412-78-70-74
alt: m_heath_caldwell@hotmail.com
Rev. Capt C.H.Heath-Caldwell DSO RN aged 69/70
Violet M.Heath-Caldwell aged 73/74
Patricia M.C.Heath-Caldwell aged 38/39
Diana Charlton - (Danny) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 37/38
Rosalind Attwood - (Ros) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 33/34
J.A. Heath-Caldwell (NZ) aged 28/29
D.A.Heath-Caldwell (NZ) (ne Jones) aged 23/24
Vice Admiral Alexander Palmer ADC, DSO, OBE, RN. aged 78/79
Irving Palmer OBE, RN.
Lady Genesta Hamilton (ne Heath) aged 59/60
Madeline Marion de Salis (ne Heath) aged 64/65
Rosamond Heath (Posy) aged 64/65
Rev. Frederick M.T. Palmer aged 71/72 Maitland NSW
Farm at Salisbury Road, Midhurst, Taranaki
Letter - Sunday, 1st February 1959
From - J.A.Heath-Caldwell, R.D.6, Feilding, New Zealand
To - Capt. C.H. & V.M. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England.
Dear Pa and Ma,
Well, we've now finished shearing. Three Maoris did all our ewes and lambs in 7 days shearing. Usually they started work at about 6am so of course we had to be up and about an hour earlier. Then we did all the wool sorting and fleece skirting and putting the fleeces in pressed bales. So we never really got finished till about 8 - 9pm.
The Maoris aren't very good at being organised by Trades Union Organisations and we had a visit by the Union Secretary on the second to last day of work. This chap had threatened Mr Gander previously when Mr Gander told him he was not going to use the gang he employed last year. Anyway everybody was very polite and the Secretary was given a cup of tea and cakes etc and not a word was said.
This is normally the dry season but the weather is very unsettled just at the moment. It rained last night quite hard again. Les was going to have his hay cut by the contractor last Friday but luckily the contractor didn't turn up or we would once more be burning hay or or puzzling out how to get rid of mouldy grass.
Colin Troubridge paid us a visit last week - stayed from Wednesday. He seems to be getting on alright with his dairy farmers group - he is a Milk Tester ie. he is at a different farm in his group of 25 every day recording the lactations of the cows - milk weight and butterfat content. Each month he gets about 3 days off - completely off so that he is free to travel a bit.
He brought that Max-&-Min thermometer with him. Dora says that the Max. temperature today did not exceed 68%.
The garden has been growing like nobody's business and so have all the weeds too. We are not too worried about our vegetable garden because we have a tree in it which has got to be cut down so there will be a mess there anway. The early spuds we put in when we arrived have done very well. Tomatoes and cucumbers are coming on now.
The bees have done quite well. I'm now waiting for the next warm day to take off the super of honey. Next year we'll have to have an extractor I think. By the way what roughly is your method of taking honey? We couldn't store it in the house because the bees got wind of it and were all over the kitchen the other day as we are using the killing shed up at the wool shed which is fly proof and reasonably bee proof too.
Michael Gordon Crosby has gone on his annual holiday and we have got his pet pig (due to be eaten eventually) and his cow staying with us. This means a little extra work but not much. His dogs and hers also have to be fed once a day too.
HIlary D. is rather more noisy than usual at the moment - we think she'll start to speak soon. You know the poodle you sent her is a great success - she won't part with it. Has it in her high chair, takes it to bed with her and generally lugs it round all over the place.
I don't suppose you've had any smog - according to the paper it has been pretty bad at home.
Hope everybody is well,
Love Jimmy.
Letter - Sunday, 22nd February 1959
From - J.A. Heath-Caldwell, Fielding, New Zealand
To - Mrs V.M. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England.
Dear Mummy,
I'm not certain of the date that (ink blot) but it must be around about you birthday - so Happy Birthday to you. I sometimes wish that you hadn't come to see us at Pihama so that you could come to see us here instead - however, Dora's Ma will no doubt see us here and will give you a full report when she gets back - however, thats some time in the future.
Here we have been pretty busy lately with stock - luckily we have nearly finished the busy season with stock - ie shearing, drafting out the older sheep to be sold and sorting out the younger sheep to be joined up with the main flock for being put to the rams. With fewer sheep these things would not take such a long time - but when we have so many really things do take up time.
Dora seems to think the climate here suits her. It is not so hot as we had been led to suppose it would be. The height here above sea level sees to that. We must be 1000ft up I suppose.
This year has not been noted for its dry hot period. We have had sporadic wet days all through the normal 'settled dry' period. In consequence of course the growth of everything has been phenomenal and somewhat of an embarrassment on the farm.
Michael Gordon-Crosby and June and their three children have returned from their holiday. They came back to find that all the hay was in but that we were just starting to dose 2,000 lambs for worms - and also just in time for shearing of the last lambs and the 2nd shearing of the 2 tooths (Daddy will tell you what they are). We here hard at it all last week and so I had yesterday off and today. Rain today has kept me in so that's why I'm writing!
Hilary D. is full of beans as usual, but last night she was a bit constipated and had a tummy ache we think which kept her and us awake. However, as I've said, she's alright now.
Our garden -the vegetables specially - are a bit overgrown now and I' ve got to do some real re-organisation in the veg. garden entailing the felling of a tree which is right in the middle of it. After that the layout of the veg. patch should be more manageable.
Heidi has turned out to be an excellent sheep dog, particularly when working sheep yards (ie when we are sorting them out in pens which involves a lot of moving). Her puppy has now been taken over by Michael who is very pleased with him because he is so faithful and stays at heel well. His name has been Sinbad, Roaster and is now 'Help' I believe. Our sheep dog Bell's puppies are growing up well. We rather think the two we have kept are the result of two separate unions with different dogs! One is fat, black and has long hair - the other is smaller, thinner and has short hair! Ron Gopperth is coming down soon we believe to collect one puppy. Ivan and Barbara (Gopperth) have had a boy - 8lbs 6 oz. Barbara was in hospital early because of Toxsemia I believe. They are coming down to see us later too.
Our two kittens weigh 2 1/2 lbs each now and are house trained but we shut them out every night. Their main function is anti-rat we hope.
Michael (GC)'s pig is still with us but is going back home today perhaps if it stops raining. He is big, brown with black spots and is due to become bacon soon.
Dora is very well - but a bit unwieldy. Thank you very much for the present - couldn't understand where it was from till your letter explained.
Love Jimmy
Letter - Wednesday, 11th March 1959
From - D.A.Heath-Caldwell, No.6 R.D., Feilding, NZ.
To - Capt. & Mrs Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, UK.
Dear Ma & Pa,
Thank you very much for the lovely material - I think I'll make it into a dress when I get home - it really was kind of you to send it - the material here is getting more and more expensive with import restrictions etc. Thanks also for the telegram.
Jim and I are absolutely thrilled with our son who is going to be called Jeremy James. He doesn't look at bit like Hilary did - in fact he looks far more like you Pa than anyone else in the family. He weighed 8lbs at birth - Hilary weighed 8lbs 10oz. Everything went off fine - all very short and sweet - thank goodness. The hospital is very nice, foods good and Jimmy comes to see me every evening which is just fine.
Hilary is staying up at June's (June Gordon-Crosby) and apparently she is enjoying herself very much - too busy playing with Anna and Susan to bother about being homesick. She is being extremely well behaved so June is pleased.
Its been awfully hot and thundery here but I should imagine that the cooler weather will come soon as Autumn changes to winter.
Jim has started burning the paint off the house - I'm a bit scared of the house catching fire but Jimmy is very careful and always has buckets of water handy. By the time I get out of here most of the burning should be done then I'll be able to give a hand with the painting. the garden has got a bit neglected but I'll be a bit more energetic and pliable to tackle such jobs now.
Hilary plays havoc with the flower - she pulls them to pieces and scatters the bits.
I must finish here as it is now lunch time.
All my love,
Dora
D.A.Heath-Caldwell on horse at farm
Letter - April 1959
From - D.A.Heath-Caldwell, No.6 R.D., Fielding
To - Capt C.H. Heath-Caldwell and V.M. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock
Dear Ma and Pa,
Thank you so much for the sweater - it's lovely and fits me perfectly - it makes me look like Marylin Monroe!! I've always wanted one like it but never been able to find one big enough! Thank you Pat for the sheets for Jeremy James - you must have had a premonition that No.2 would be a boy - I wonder what the next will be - we want 4 children so hope we can manage 2 lads and 2 lassies - nice and tidy that way.
Jeremy James is growing fatter every day - he's very good now and doesn't wake me up till 6.30am - he goes down at 9.00pm so that's not bad going. Hilary D. thinks the world of him - we are endeavouring to get her house trained and I feel we are at last getting somewhere - I have got her reduced from 8 pairs of wet pants a day to 2 - she knows what her potty is for now and will go to it (if she remembers).
It is autumn now and the leaves are turning - our patch of bush looks quite lovely with all the autumny tints. We've been ripping into the garden and planting flowers for Spring - the flower garden is my job and Jim does the vegs. he doesn't have a lot of time as he is trying to get the paint burned off the house - a long job especially as he has to be so careful - if a spark lodged in a crack and he didn't notice - whoof!! And that would be the end of the house and our possessions.
I think Jimmy has mentioned that we hope to get a deep freeze - it would be a great saving to us especially in the meat line - it's far cheaper to buy one's meat alive and slaughter it at home than to buy butcher's meat. We could also put down any excess vegetables - beans, peas, sweet corn, brussels etc etc. Instead of letting them go waste when we have too many. One can spend a whole day baking cakes and pies etc and them put them in freezer where they keep beautifully and are always on hand for when visitors drop in out of the blue. There is no end to the uses. We are hoping to get the largest - 20cu.ft. Jim has worked it out and it is cheaper per cu.ft i.e. an 8cu.ft one costs £19.13 per cu.ft freezer space (anyway that is far too small) a 14 cu.ft costs £15.7.0 per cu.ft and the 20 cu.ft costs only £12.15.0 per cu. ft. At the moment I am up to my in sewing - mainly for Hilary - no sooner have I make her one set of clothes than she has grown out of them and needs more.
Thank you for the letter - I will let you know when the cover arrived - I've always admired that Bere Regis weaving.
Did Jimmy tell you how sick out cat was - she got cat 'flue - we thought she would die but our Infra-red brooder lamp and some pills from the chemist have pulled her through. At one point she was so thin we could count her ribs a mile off, she was literally a bag of bones and refused all food but once we got her to eat she didn't stop and now sits on the stove all day devouring anything in sight and is putting on weight. Fortunately she doesn't mind dry milk - our cow Betty is going dry and we only get enough fresh milk for tea so I have to use milk powder for cooking and the cat. We've got no cream now so my ice cream making has stopped - with a deep freeze we will be able to store cream and ice cream - milk is too bulky.
We are having mushrooms for lunch - there are lots of them on the farm - I've dried a lot of them - very nice in stews and soups, they just add that bit of something. Jim usually picks them as he goes round the sheep.
Well, thank you both once again for the presents.
All my love,
Dora, Jim, Hilary and Jeremy.
P.S. So pleased you like the name Jeremy - so long as he doesn't get call "Jerry" for short.
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Heath-Caldwell All rights reserved.
Michael Heath-Caldwell M.Arch
Brisbane, Queensland
ph: 0412-78-70-74
alt: m_heath_caldwell@hotmail.com