| Description Summary | Victor Sunde talks about his father’s emigration from Dalmatia to New Zealand at 16, digging gum in the Dargaville area, building the family orchard in Shaw Road and his uncles service in WWI. Victor describes his memories of Oratia School, his childhood at the orchard, the treatment of Dalmatians in NZ during WWII, government support of the orchard during the war, working at the orchard and the improvements he made, the beginnings of the wine industry in NZ, family wine making and selling wine, the Oratia Fruit Growers Federation, his role on the Apple and Pear Board, international fruit growing conferences, selling and shipping fruit overseas, and building of ships. He recalls meeting his wife as children, social life as a youth, the lawn bowls club in Oratia, dances in Oratia, playing in the family band at dances. He recalls his father was the president of the Croatian Society, participating in Society events and dances, attending Seddon Memorial Technical College in the city, shopping in Oratia, selling fruit at produce markets in the city, his father’s work with the All-Slav Union, visiting Yugoslavia after the war, difficulty leaving the country and dealing with the Secret Police. He recalls the decline in the number of orchards, the growth of Oratia School, the settlers hall and Oratia Catholic Church, the founding of the West Auckland Hospice, activities of the Henderson Heritage Trust and the railway in Henderson. He briefly describes his memories of Henderson as a young man, school life at the College and American soldiers coming to NZ. |
| Other Notes | 29 photographs accompany the oral history. Subjects: Oratia: Sunde family and home, orchard, school, Oratia Swing Kings (musical group); Dominion Conference for fruitgrowers at Hastings and Alexandra; trip to Yugoslavia; other overseas trips connected with NZ Apple and Pear Marketing Board. |
