Alice (Vera) Cross interviewed by Tom Scott in 1991

Date1985Reference NumberAV 22-196/2DescriptionVera recounts her family's move from Wellington to Tauranga in 1913. Her father bought a newspaper there and the family moved to manage it. Vera didn't think much of Tauranga at first, as it was a small town with only 1,200 people. She recalls her mother being homesick and how difficult it was to be accepted as strangers in a town where outsiders were not welcome. They initially lived in a house near the boys' college, but after a year, they moved to a rented house on Devonport Road. Vera mentions that the orchard on their first property was lovely, but the roads were terrible. She also reminisces about her mother's sewing and how they eventually settled into the town's activities, including croquet. She worked with her father in a newspaper office during the First World War, where she wrote news that was delivered by telegraph boys. She recounts the traumatic announcement made by the vicar in church on the night the war started. Her husband volunteered for the war but was delayed by his bank for two years. She also shares her experience of travelling to Rotorua in a coach, which was a tough trip through mud and the Oropi Gorge. After getting married, she and her husband lived in a small house located in the country with nothing but paddocks around them.

AV 22-016/2

CreatorCross, Alice VeraInterviewerScott, Tom

Screenshot from 19 minutes 45 seconds

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Kaitiakitanga StatementWe ask that, in addition to normal copyright and privacy considerations, users of our heritage resources uphold the mana and dignity of the people, communities and places depicted within.Cultural/Ethical StatusNoaCopyrightCross, IanLicenseCC BY 4.0AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries AV 22-016/2

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PeopleCross, Alice Vera née Gifford, 1897-1992 (Person)KeywordsBay of Plenty Times

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Alice (Vera) Cross interviewed by Tom Scott in 1991