Recollections of Dennis George Marsh - Part 3

Third part of a series contributed by guest author Dennis Marsh
(continued from Part 2)

Dad & Ron Brown at First Farm, Te Puke
Collection of Dennis Marsh

In 1949 when I was 10, Dad and Mum bought a farm at the top end of Number 2  Road in Te Puke. I think it was about 50 acres and Dad milked 25 cows on it. This provided a living for our family for about 4 years. Mum used all her handiwork skills to feed and clothe us but I do not remember going without essential things. After Dad got the farm into the shape he wanted, he used to help the neighbours out and sometimes got paid for it. On the town side we had Bob and Doris Thompson with sons Graeme and Brian. On the gorge side was Ron and Francie Brown who had two daughters. Francie was from Scotland and was a war bride. Across the road on the town side were Ted and Jean Tanner with kids Margaret, Ann and Terry. On the gorge side was the Sigley family and they had about six kids. Further up the road were Olive and Keith Day with kids Ian and Colleen and further up again were the Lapwoods and, across the gorge, the Prendergrasts.

Back door of house, First Farm, Te Puke
Collection of Dennis Marsh

The farm was only about 60% in grass; the rest was in native bush. Ted Tanner was a conservationist, although the word was not in use at that time, and managed to persuade Dad to leave the bush standing. It’s ironical when Dad sold the farm, the new owner had cleared the entire bush within the first twelve months. The bush was really great – I loved walking through it and watching for tuis, bellbirds, and native wood pigeons.

Dennis with Chip, First Farm, No 2 Road, Te Puke
Collection of Dennis Marsh

In the early 1950’s the country had a rabbit infestation and  I remember when Dad invited Tom Fowler, Clarrie Kiddie and some of his other Tauranga friends up for a rabbit shoot. I was allowed to accompany them but not allowed to shoot. We got over 100 rabbits on that day. Dad used to go out on his own regularly, he owned a Savage single shot .22 calibre rifle and he taught me how to shoot with this. When Dad bought the Thompson farm, I was allowed to shoot on my own. I used to take six shots with me and bring back six rabbits. This was in the days prior to poisoning, so the rabbits I shot fed the dogs or occasionally Mum would roast them for us to eat.

Dad on First Farm, Te Puke, before the Tractor
Collection of Dennis Marsh

Dad farmed with horses and did not get the first tractor till some time later. He bought a Farmall Cub and a mower for it. All the other implements were adapted from horsepower to tractor power. Dad decided to get the herd tested to better manage the butterfat yield. The herd tester would arrive regularly to test which cows were performing the best. As we could only milk a maximum of 32 cows, he had to get the best return he could.

One herd tester named Joe Brough was a ‘Pom’ and he could really play the piano in true picture theatre style. Mum used to invite the neighbours whenever Joe was due and we would have a long night singing around the piano and the old folks would have a few drinks. Getting up early the next morning was a challenge.

(To be continued)