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1950s on a Dunsandel farm
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Title1950s on a Dunsandel farm 
DescriptionIn 1916, Owen Gardiner (1873-1956) (my Great Grandfather) moved his family to a sheep and cropping farm on Wright’s Road, 8 kilometres west of Dunsandel. I spent the first 20 years of my life growing up there in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
From about 1948 to 1955, Owen lived with us for 3 months of every year. When my siblings and I were growing up we were often shushed so that he could hear the news and horse races on the radio. In 1926, his family had been one of the first in Dunsandel to get a radio. It was large, immovable and powered by one wet and five dry cell batteries. Before they had the radio one of Owen’s children read the newspaper to him every night after he had finished working with his team of horses. Owen never had the opportunity to go to school and could not read.
In my memory, Owen always wore a 3-piece suit. The cream/white shirt under his waistcoat had a detachable collar and in the waistcoat pocket was his fob watch attached to a thick chain. On his way to the Dunsandel Bowling Club, Owen never looked both ways to see if a train was coming along the main trunk line before he drove across it. Rather, he would stop his car, pull out his watch and drive across the railway line only if a train was not scheduled!
I also remember Owen smoking a pipe. His white moustache was yellow from the nicotine. Late in his life, a cancer on his bottom lip was successfully treated by radiotherapy and he just swapped to smoking his pipe on the other side of his mouth.
From 1948 to 1960, William Gardiner (1900-1993) (my Grandad) lived in Highfield Avenue, Dunsandel initially with his wife Sarah (my Nana died in 1955) and then with a housekeeper. He came to work on the farm every day.
While I was growing up William kept his draught horse, Dolly, at the farm. Dolly was used for pulling the dray around the lambing ewes so they were not disturbed. We grandchildren would sometimes be allowed to take turns at holding the reins and driving Dolly slowly around the paddocks. Dolly was also used for pulling farm implements around the rough edges of paddocks where it was difficult for tractors to reach right up to the fences or water races.
We were in luck if our school bus delivered us home while William was brushing down Dolly after her work for the day had finished. We would run up the drive and take turns at brushing Dolly while William put away the harness and put a simple lead on Dolly. He would then assist us up onto Dolly’s broad bare back where all four of us sat in a row as he walked her back to the paddock where she lived.
Sometimes William would take Dolly to Dunsandel and put her to graze in the Dunsandel railyards. He managed the journey by holding the lead out the driver’s window of his car as he drove home slowly along the shingle roads. Dolly would walk/trot on the grass verge beside the car. There was not much traffic to challenge William driving on the wrong side of the narrow roads!
Helen Stevenson nee Gardiner
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date18 August 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandel
DescriptionIn 1916, Owen Gardiner (1873-1956) (my Great Grandfather) moved his family to a sheep and cropping farm on Wright’s Road, 8 kilometres west of Dunsandel. I spent the first 20 years of my life growing up there in the 1950’s and 1960’s. From about 1948 to 1955, Owen lived with us for 3 months of every year. When my siblings and I were growing up we were often shushed so that he could hear the news and horse races on the radio. In 1926, his family had been one of the first in Dunsandel to get a radio. It was large, immovable and powered by one wet and five dry cell batteries. Before they had the radio one of Owen’s children read the newspaper to him every night after he had finished working with his team of horses. Owen never had the opportunity to go to school and could not read.
In my memory, Owen always wore a 3-piece suit. The cream/white shirt under his waistcoat had a detachable collar and in the waistcoat pocket was his fob watch attached to a thick chain. On his way to the Dunsandel Bowling Club, Owen never looked both ways to see if a train was coming along the main trunk line before he drove across it. Rather, he would stop his car, pull out his watch and drive across the railway line only if a train was not scheduled!
I also remember Owen smoking a pipe. His white moustache was yellow from the nicotine. Late in his life, a cancer on his bottom lip was successfully treated by radiotherapy and he just swapped to smoking his pipe on the other side of his mouth.
From 1948 to 1960, William Gardiner (1900-1993) (my Grandad) lived in Highfield Avenue, Dunsandel initially with his wife Sarah (my Nana died in 1955) and then with a housekeeper. He came to work on the farm every day.
While I was growing up William kept his draught horse, Dolly, at the farm. Dolly was used for pulling the dray around the lambing ewes so they were not disturbed. We grandchildren would sometimes be allowed to take turns at holding the reins and driving Dolly slowly around the paddocks. Dolly was also used for pulling farm implements around the rough edges of paddocks where it was difficult for tractors to reach right up to the fences or water races.
We were in luck if our school bus delivered us home while William was brushing down Dolly after her work for the day had finished. We would run up the drive and take turns at brushing Dolly while William put away the harness and put a simple lead on Dolly. He would then assist us up onto Dolly’s broad bare back where all four of us sat in a row as he walked her back to the paddock where she lived.
Sometimes William would take Dolly to Dunsandel and put her to graze in the Dunsandel railyards. He managed the journey by holding the lead out the driver’s window of his car as he drove home slowly along the shingle roads. Dolly would walk/trot on the grass verge beside the car. There was not much traffic to challenge William driving on the wrong side of the narrow roads!
Helen Stevenson nee Gardiner
Dunsandel Historic Society
Date18 August 2022SourceThe Ellesmere EchoLocationDunsandelConnections
CollectionHistory of DunsandelOrganisationDunsandel Historic Society
OrganisationDunsandel Historic SocietyAttribution
Researched ByHelen Stevenson nee GardinerWritten ByHelen Stevenson nee Gardiner
Written ByHelen Stevenson nee GardinerClick on the image to add
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1950s on a Dunsandel farm (18 August 2022). Selwyn Stories, accessed 15/06/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5236