AT HOME AT OAMARU

Evening Star, Issue 21992, 30 March 1935, Page 5

AT HOME AT OAMARU

Dear Big Brother Bill, —Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to write about how I spent my holidays at home. Seven weeks seems a long time, and one might think it very uninteresting to spend it at home, but Oamaru is a wonderful place, especially when the weather is fine. There is a variety of places to go for walks or picnics, as there are hills and the sea. There was Christmas shopping to do, and then the Christmas holidays and all sorts of surprises for Christmas—a real happy day - . We all went to Friendly Bay on Boeing Day, and I went in for a dip On the last evening of the year we were allowed to stay up until it was dark so that we could set off some crackers. On New Year’s Day my parents took me to Waitaki Hydro. I had not been before and had a most enjoyable day. Two buses full of people left Oamaru at 10 a.m., and there was much to see on the way. About If hours after we arrived at the Waitaki dam. We were glad to have a walk around while the billy boiled. After lunch the bus driver said he would take anyone who wished to go to the top bridge, and dad explained how last year the river flowed quietly along, but now it is a big lake, and where there had been a road and farm property was now under watei By this time the sun had come out and it was very hot, so we just lazed and enjoyed looking at the water When the bus driver was rpady we returned to the dam. We then went’to the power house, where one of the men showed us round. The noise of the turbines made it impossible to hear very much, but the machinery looked wonderful. After another cup of tea, or ice cream, I should say, we left at 4.30 p.m. On the way home we called at the biggest orchard in North Otago, I was astonished at the number bf trees I could see. It was cherry time, and in the packing shed there were quantities of cherriSs being packed for the market, and a young lady yras selling some. Most of the passengers bought some. They were delicious. We came home by a different road. Dad pointed out where the Oamaru stone came from. There is much more I could write, but time does not permit. Other days I spent by the sea or fishing, though this year the trevalli were not so easily caught, for the dredge was in the harbour. 1 liked watching the dredge at work. One day the Diomede came in, and it was open to the public. Dad took me over, and we were very interested in competitions between the local fishermen and the men from the Diomede in rowing and sailing. The local men won. The Duke of Gloucester visited Oamaru, and we went to the station and saw him arrive, and then walked to the Gardens, where the public welcomed him. Wo all wished that he could have stayed longer. The days passed too quickly. We all went for a nicnic one day in the Gardens. and another day we went out to the Waitaki Boys’ High School. We had visitors from Hororata, and in every spare moment we took them down to the sea. They collected a lot of pretty stones. We live quite near the sea, hut it is not safe to bathe on the foreshore. Quite often I went up the hill and collected pine needles for the hens to scratch in. At last one day mother said: “Yon must be ready to come with me and be enrolled for school.” Tt gave me quite a thrill when T saw such a number of important-look-ing teachers and a lot of hoys all in prey shirts and navv trousers waiting their turn. I realised my holidays