Michael D.Heath-Caldwell M.Arch.

1960

Rev. Capt C.H.Heath-Caldwell DSO RN aged 70/71

Violet M.Heath-Caldwell aged 74/75

Patricia M.C.Heath-Caldwell aged 39/40

Diana Charlton - (Danny) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 38/39

Rosalind Attwood - (Ros) - (ne Heath-Caldwell) aged 35/35

J.A. Heath-Caldwell (NZ) aged 29/30

D.A.Heath-Caldwell (NZ) (ne Jones) aged 24/25

Vice Admiral Alexander Palmer ADC, DSO, OBE, RN. aged 79/80

Irving Palmer OBE, RN.

Lady Genesta Hamilton (ne Heath) aged 60/61

Madeline Marion de Salis (ne Heath) aged 67/68

Rosamond Heath (Posy) aged 66/67

Rev. Frederick M.T. Palmer aged 72/73 Maitland NSW

Letter - Monday 25th January 1960 

From - J.A. Heath-Caldwell, Co E.L. Bent, No.11 R.D. Hawera 

To Capt C.H. and V.M. Heath-Caldwell 

Dear Daddy and Ma, 

Thank you for the letter of the 19th Jan. last Tuesday. 

The family thrives of course. Jeremy James gets more boysterous every day (is that the right word?). Anyway he can now move about on the floor with his head and heals and he can't keep still. Dora not so long ago said she thought he was so nice and well behaved - not at all like Hilary was but she has now changed her tune. Ma Bailey is enjoying her holiday here and is also giving Dora a good rest too from cooking etc. Yesterday we all went up to the Plateau north of Stratford for the morning taking a sandwich lunch with us. Unfortunately it was cloudy but we did manage to see a little of the panorama through holes in the clouds. 

On Sunday last we fumigated the house using Borafume - a sulphur containing smoke producer. We did this because all the available fleas in the house seem to attack Dora's Ma and the children so we let off these smoke producing generators, one in the loft, two in the house and one underneath the house. The smoke seems to have killed hundreds and hundreds of flies, silver fish and spiders etc etc. I rather think it wouldn't be a bad idea todo the same at the Pound to fix cockroaches etc. 

Tuna is N.E. of Midhurst I think. Actually it is a bit muddling directionally from Midhurst by which statement I mean that the turns and twists of the road make one's sense of direction go astray.

Anyway I shall get hold of a Survey map of the district or (2) and send you one so that you will then be able to see exactly where the farm lies. Tuna is about 600ft above sea level.

The farm near the top along Salisbury Road, Midhurst, Taranaki - 1960

Trees on it consist of two patches of bush, eaten out by sheep and cattle, ie no undergrowth, about 4 spinneys of pine trees which are milleable, ie ready for the saw mill. Also sundry gum trees. In the streams there are willows and poplars.

As I told you before it compares well with Pihama but is it not flat like that. About 75 acres is probably cultivatable or ploughable but these days there are ways and means of reseeding any sort of slope. 

Midhurst does not compare with Opunake at all. It consists largely of a huge, highly organised and efficient casein and buttermaking factory. Plus a few houses for workers and one or two shops. It is bigger than Pihama but much smaller than Manaia or Opunake.

The shopping town is Stratford which is a good shopping place being on the railway - we can get fresh fish there at 1/6 for lb. Stratford also boasts saw mills, a concrete works, a brick pottery and is in fact quite industrialised, more so than Hawera. All farming raw materials can be procured easily at Stratford so this should cut freight costs etc. 

We shall take photographs of the farm from all angles and various positions when we receive or get hold of an exposure meter. This will give you the best possible idea of the farm I think, it will also be a record of the farm as it is now.

Dora's Ma has taken a very good photograph of Dora and I and the children in black and white which will be sent on to you.....  

 Letter - Sunday 27 March 1960 

From - J.A. Heath-Caldwell, Salisbury Road, No.3 R.D. Stratford 
To Capt. C.H. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England 

Dear Mummy, 

Well here we are at last. It is still a bit difficult to believe we are here in our own house. When I climb into the yellow bath in the bathroom complete with matching yellow basin, shower etc, I still feel as if I'm in some new hotel. It really has made living very easy and comfortable. 

The kitchen has 2 huge windows with good views over a good sector of the front of the farm. It has in it a very modern electric cooker, our small fridge (ex Grandma's), a stainless steel sink, cupboards and drawers galor to hold all our utensils and odds and ends. the lighting is fluorescent in here. 
The sitting room is big, and again has large windows - by the way all windows are complete with venetian blinds and nearly all the floor is carpeted, fitted carpets. 

The house is quite warm too -having a courtier type of fireplace in the kitchen which heats the water and whose chimney goes up through the hot cupboard, thus making a very hot hot cupboard. 
Beside the kitchen is the wash house and lavatory. There are four usable bedrooms - one will be a workroom for sewing and for writing etc. Jeremy J. has one - Hilary has one room and we have one in between while Dora's Ma sleeps in the workroom cum guests' bedroom. All the windows have venetian blinds, all the flooring practically, is covered. 

The garden is small - lawn right round the house and a hedge round that on two sides. The house and garden overlooks a small stream about 30-40 feet below the level of the house. Just next door to the house is a double garage and workshop and annexe which can either be used as a double garage or could be converted for use as a batch. But I'm not keen on batches. The garage roof is lined with building paper etc and the garage is warm. 

The cow shed is 50 yards away from the house - and is just the right distance away. It needs a bit of work done on it - namely the yard is not cow proof until I have put posts in it and railings between. 
Please thank Daddy for sending on that book by Voisin about grass and cows which is very readable thanks to going to the D.F.I. I can understand it. It certainly covers things not adequately covered there perhaps. 

the children have not been very well lately - Jeremy was upset by his teeth and a cold and Hilary is at the moment off her food and is generally scratchety. I think she might have worm perhaps. 

Dora's Ma is off to Rotorua today and I think she's off to Auckland soon to visit some friends. 
The dogs are behaving themselves. 

Thank you very much for the clothes for Hilary. The shirts fit her to a T. Please thank Daddy too for his present to us and for all his recent business managing at home which has been of very great assistance to us - in not having to worry about that side of things too much. 

Hope you are all well, 

With Love, Jimmy 

Salisbury Road, Tuna, MIdhurst, Taranaki- 1960

Letter - Monday, 11 April 1960 

From - J.A.Heath-Caldwell, Salisbury Road, Midhurst, Taranaki, New Zealand 
To Captain C.H. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England 

Dear Pop, 

The Bank Manager - a new one at the bank here - has asked med to get hold of my Royal Insurance Company Insurance Certificate. This is held, I think, by Lloyds Bank at Dorchester. The insurance policy is their security on the overdraft which is to be used to buy the rest of our stock. I think that is quite in order. 

I don't foresee any difficulty in paying back your mortgage in sterling. 
Here I'm just getting estimates etc for putting in power to a pump at the end of the farm. The back of the farm - though possessing a well - it did have a petrol pump there - has nothing else. If a petrol motor was installed also, that would be the best part of £70. Altogether electricity offers the best set up and will also be more convenient. 

Other things are receiving attention ie shed, troughs, alkathene pipes, bridge etc. 
The car's tyres are now in need of a re-tread - before we have to get completely new tyres. Re-tread tyres would make it sell better too I think. Really after its been properly polished on the outside it looks very flash. 

Both H.D. and J.J. continue to thrive here. They don't get half so dirty as they used to.  
The house, by the way - is better than Ivan's, I think it is as good as the Gardner's for whom we worked. When you see it you'll agree, I think. 

Hope you are all well, 

Jimmy 

The farm House, Salisbury Road, Midhurst, Taranaki, 1960s

Letter - Wednesday, 20 April 1960

From - J.A. Heath-Caldwell, No.3 R.D. Stratford. 
To - Capt C.H. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England 

Dear Daddy, 

Thank you for your letter of the 12th April - about the mortgage. 

As we have now transferred our banking to the Bank of N.S.W., Stratford, could you send the mortgage there, your proposal does suit us, thanks very much. 

Today Dora and I have been busy concreting the bridge here. The approaches - 5' either side - we've covered to a depth of about 8" - and reinforced it. This has been to hold the bridge together and make it a bit stronger for the tanker when it comes everyday at about 7am. 

The next door neighbour has lent us his concrete mixer and is very helpful indeed. On Friday we have the top dresser in again - via the neighbours farm so that the bridge can have a fortnights rest and the concrete can set. 

At the cow shed I have nearly built the tank stand - partition is completed and it should be done completely inside very soon. Outside a certain amount of excavations have still got to be done - by the neighbour's bulldozer. This will provide a place for the tanker to come alongside the milk room - and provide a loading ramp for cattle right next door to the shed. 

The 34 heifers will be with us by the end of the month - as the farmer who has got them at the moment is short of keep for his sheep - due to the rather dry season. 

The pump which supplies the farm with water is a 500 gal/hour pump - that is a large one and it will be quite big enough to supply the whole farm plus the house and cow shed. Polythene pipe will be put in with the mole plough to take the water to where it is require - soon I hope. 

The forage harvester should arrive any day now and is regarded as being a good model - many improvements having been incorporated in the model. 

Dora's Ma has met ladies of the W.I. here and they are off to a big W.I> do here next week. Mrs Bailey is off to Auckland in a week or so to visit W.I.'s at Auckland - she is certainly getting about. 

There is a waiting list for the local Farm Improvement Club. These clubs - which have a membership of 25-50 farms - have a technical advisor who makes it his duty to keep his 25-50 farmers up to date in farming technology. This means that one does not have to rely on the somewhat biased advice of stock and station agents all the time. These blokes are all very well but they can, of course, only sell those things which their agency has in stock. Anyway on Friday there is some sort of a demonstration near here run by the local Farm Improvement Club and I have been invited to attend. On the same day I'll have a look at the herd of cows out at Toko - and the heifers. 

Hope you are all well, 

With love, James 

The mountain from Midhurst direction, Taranaki, New Zealand - 1960s

 Letter - Monday, 8th May 1960 

From - J.A. Heath-Caldwell, 17 Salisbury Road, Tuna, Taranaki. 
To V.M. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England. 
Dear Mummy, 

Thank you very much indeed for the pyjamas and the sweater or windsheater which is just what we were talking about the other day. The jumper is a very good washable kind for use on the farm - after I've worn it for best for a bit. 

Here we have had a few light frosts and winter is only just round the corner. However the weather has been very pleasant throughout April during which time we didn't even get a full inch of rain. It was, as usual, a record breaking month for the weather. The dry has, of course, not encouraged the grass to grow but it has enabled me to get a move on with putting in 16 new water troughs on the farm. So far I've put in and connected up 8, so have got another 8 to put in place and connect up to water pipes. Putting in the pipe is no trouble with the tractor and a plough but I find the most difficult part is putting in the connections - having to heat up the plastic pipe then jam it onto brass connections like this (sketch) Invariably the hose pipe gets cold before I can push it onto the connectors and of course it is then no longer pliable. To heat the pipe up I take round with me a cyclinder of acetylene and a burner and heat up a small aluminium jug of water like this (sketch). Anyway I'm gradually getting things connect up.  
Having got the water round the farm we are then going to alter the paddocks a bit to make them all a little smaller using electric fence. 

Last Sunday - when I wrote no letter to anybody, Dora and I arrived at a farm near Inglewood at 6.30am and collected our 34 heifers which had been on grazing there. It was only just getting light and we couldn't see properly to count them. However as it got lighter we counted 34 of them. Dora then returned 14 miles to home and got Hilary and Jeremy up and I drove the heifers through Inglewood where everybody was in bed because nothing stirred anywhere and I saw no signs whatever of human beings. I drove them through the centre of the town after a little high jinks when they decided to get loose just in the County Council road depot. Then in the High School grounds over a low wall and then into the back yard of a garage near the centre of the town. Traffic started to get thicker round about 8 o'clock on the main Auckland-Wellington road between Inglewood and Stratford.  

Dora met us at Tariki with the children in the car - at about 9.am with some sandwiches for me. From then on all was plain sailing as Colin Trowbridge turned up. I might say that I owed most to Bell, our old dog bitch who took everything in her stride and brought up the rear - I lead walking in the middle of the road. 

We all got back here for lunch at 1 o'clock. The 34 heifers had fresh grass and choumodlier.  
That was the main event of the past two weeks. 

 
Love to all, Jimmy. 

Letter  - Saturday, 19th November 1960 

From - D.A. Heath-Caldwell, Avon Maternity Annexe, Stratford,  
To Capt & Mrs C.H. Heath-Caldwell, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, UK 
Dear Mama and Papa, 

Another wee grandson for you (MDHC), a bit bigger than the last and much darker. I'll try to get a photograph of him as soon as possible. I have sent off another box of slides to my mother, and there are more of Jimmy on them so I hope she'll be able to borrow the projector and pay you a visit. 

So pleased that the floods didn't affect you, we were a bit worried each time we heard the BBC new. The weather here is gradually getting warmer and warmer so hope we get a good summer. 

Jim is very pleased with his forage harvester - I've had a go on it too - a bit noisy but it does the job very well and seems to have very little to go wrong with it. The tractor is very comfortable to drive and even in my advanced state I felt no jarring. 

Hilary and Jeremy are as full of life as ever. Hilary walks (insides?) with Heidi and goes off with Jim whenever he can manage with her. She seems to be very strong in mind and limbs and frowning steadily taller. Yesterday she picked me some flowers and sent them in with Jim - bless her. She loves flowers and I have shown her the ones which she can pick and how to pick them with long stems. When she has enough she sits down at the table and arranges them one by one in a pot - far more artistically than I can, and gives them to one or other of us to put out of the reach of J.J. She's just longing to see the new baby. I don't know what his lordship will think of his new brother - knowing J.J. he'll probably screw up his nose and look the other way - he really is a dear we chap. Mrs Rogers says she's never met any child so determined to do his own way. 

Pood old Tito, I bet you miss him a lot, it's hard to imagine the Pound House without Tito, he seemed to be part and parcel of it. What a ripe old age he's lived to - he must have been well cared for. Will you be getting another cat. Our Smokey is still with us - she lives mainly in the cow-shed but has a bad habit of climbing telephone poles - alright in the daytime when we can see that it's the cat but at night it is hard to tell the difference between her and opossums so if she doesn't mend her ways she's likely to get shot at. Jim shot an opossum in the middle of the night a week or so ago. The doges had chased it up to the top of the garage doors and as it was bright moonlight he was able to get a good aim. It was quite the most moth-eaten possum I've seen - they usually have beautiful coats. In shooting it we also made a couple of holes in the garage but they can be patched up. 

Everything is growing well in the garden which is a good thing as we were very short of vegetables. Our first peas will soon be ready and so will the lettuce. I managed to get the hedges cut before I came in here - they grow wiht an alarming rapidity. I also managed to somehow break the lawn mower so I'll probably find a hayfield waiting when I get back. I could always put the forage harvester over it if it got too long. 

Been doing lots of sewing lately. Hilary is a great morale-booster where my sewing is concerned as she adores pretty dresses and new clothes and seem to think that everything I make is just wonderful!! 
Our love to you all 

Dora and Jimmy 

1Letter - 16th December 1960

From J.M.Donalson, "WIlga," Armstong Street, Wentworth Falls, N.S.W.

To Miss P.Heath-Caldwell, The Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England

Darling Pat,

It was such a joy to have your letter. I was beginning to think you had forgotten me altogether - what a lovely trip you must have had. It was indeed a privilege, especially being with kind friends. Yes, I agree 6lbs,for D is a big strain - but your rest afterwards does compensate somewhat. Yes, Beryl is a dear brave un-complaining lass. She is a great sufferer and has an incurable complaint, 3 things in one. I'm afraid she has too much to do. Her mother fell and fractured her wrist and she has cataracts. Dr Price is operating as soon as possible. She also keeps at the Hospital and is a Member of ?, is it the Nurses's Guild. I'll let you know. I've never heard her complain yet. 

You will be very happy to know Irene Mills is now Matron of Royal Newcastle. She took over from Matron Porter. It made me very happy. Madge Merrick is married to that (Plue Coreau?Coolan?). I'm not very happy about it. He is not good enough for Madge. Leora Wilson is married too. He was a widower. She said she has a ready-made family. Mollie is still at Wallsend Hospital. Her father has been very ill and she had to go home for a time. Dorothy (Eadrington?) and her John sent me a lovely photo of their 4 children - they really are lovely. 

I had a letter and gift from (Mea Frost?) today. God has gracious raised her and her dear husband to a new lease of life, for which we praise him. They are going down the South Coast for 2 weeks from Saturday, their 1st holiday for many years. 

I  had to go down to "(Bevonie Pines)," the new Bush Mission centre on the South Coast. My sister was sent there, though I was going for 10 days, but it streched out for 7 weeks. My sister here (strice? since?) has her wretched varicose ulcer on her leg.  She has been doing two much, while Miss Stephens was in England and Ireland. She only returned on December 5th. Had a lovely time.

We. my dear, we have had very little sun lately. Storms and rain. Thousands of pounds damage in Sydney yesterday through storms and hail.

I must send you a copy of the B.M.S. news. It will show you the "Hotel" It is proving a wonderful opportunity for meeting people who never darken a church door. Also they have about 100 children in the British Boy Brigade and Life Guards. They are keen (iles?) and through them the Fathers and Mothers are being heiped.

I would so want you to have a gift but only got home last Friday and haven't had a moment to do anything. It may come later. I am so glad you will be home for Christmas. It will make all the difference to your parents. Now I must away, my sister is very weary tonight and is amost ready for bed. So I must away. Dear Dorothy Parish has a fearful experience in (Mutea?) Pernia, India. A flood came and she has lost all her earthly possessions, spent 36 hours on the roof top.

Dear girl, may God bless you and give you a really happy Xmas and 1961. 

Letter, Saturday, 24th December 1960 

From JAHC, Salisbury Road, Midhurst, RD3, Stratford, Taranaki, 
To CHCH, Pound House, Cattistock, Dorset, England 

Dear Ma and Pa, 

We hope this finds you recovered from the Christmas surfeits of goose, plum pudding etc. It should be a more comfortable Christmas, anyway, with the oil heating now showing its benefits. 

Here we have just had a cold and dry spell - which was just like a return to winter. We haven't had any really rainy weather now for about 2-3 months and the grass stopped growing altogether at the beginning of the month. However, the cows, though affected seem to have recovered their form. The calves have certainly benefited from the dry, we now have 31 - including 6 bought a week ago and 1 bull and 1 steer. The bought calves were injected with anti-black leg serum yesterday and as they were scouring(?) badly we guessed it could have been caused by worms so we drenched them with plenethiozine so that if it is indeed caused by worms they'll not spread to the rest of the 25 which all look very well. 

The race, which was completed by the bulldozers in October is proving to be just what was wanted. It was made quite wide enough for double traffic, not that it'll ever be used to that extent and the grade is good. It does bring the back of the farm within easy range of the cow shed instead of being over the hill and far away.  

We intend, over the next few years to get many of the numerous small gulleys flattened by bulldozer, so that paddocks that can at the moment only be grazed and which are difficult for either making hay in or cropping - without waste ground all round, can be made into easy contours. 

To this end we are felling 3 groups of fine trees, now 32 years old by the rings and mature for milling and the gulleys on which they are growing can then be dealt with. 

We intend to plant poplars as wind breaks instead - they are more efficient really for this purpose because they grow quickly and are easy to grow from cuttings. The wind breaking effect of clumps of pine trees is not good. The wind simply whistles around them and further more they are shallow rooting and sour the ground and shade it too. Anyway I am looking forward to hearing from you that you are thinking of coming out here once more to have a look at your bit of empire. We are settled now. 

About the farm. It is intended the season after next to be milking about 80 and we think that we ought to be able to stock up to about 90-100 but that any larger numbers to be carried would entail finding somewhere else to put the heifers and followers. Our farm improvement club advisor wants us to go in for pigs so that we don't have all our eggs in one basket and he wants us to do this within 2-3 years because he thinks that if we don't do it within this time all available supplies of whey from the factory will have been ear-marked by other would-be pig farmers. If we do go in for pigs we shall have to built pig fattening houses for about 400 pigs per year at the min - because it will have to be worked by labour - which also means building a house. I have not yet gone into this thoroughly but have a rough idea how we should build using existing shed.  

Anyway, we hope you'll be able to see your way to getting out here sometime in the not too far distant future. Come sensibly in comfort - and don't rush here and rush away again to dig spuds.  

Love to all 

James and Dora.