I was born and raised in Motueka and my first contact with music was through my family. My mother used to invite boys over from Ruakuna Boys. Home and I remember taking the gramophone up to the Home in the horse and cart (didn.t have a bike then) to entertain them. Later I used to do slide shows for them.

I left school early during the war as Dad was sick and I had to help support the family. I worked in a big factory which dehydrated apples, and later worked in the tobacco industry. I built my first amplifier with a friend parts were hard to get. It was 4 watts and had 8. speakers. I got hold of records from overseas and used to earn an extra $5 a night as a DJ, running dances. During that time, I visited Wellington with my family and met my uncle, Clive Drummond, who was a well-known radio announcer. I remember seeing a portable studio set up in a railway carriage they used to travel round the country, broadcasting from this carriage.

I later shifted to Nelson and worked in a biscuit factory. I was still doing shows and dances, using my speaker system, though I had a bigger amplifier by this stage. I.d taken up the drums and played them as well. I then got a job with the Nelson railways, and got involved in the film society, setting up the sound track for the 8mm films they were mostly documentaries. I helped run a show in the Theatre Royal when Queen Elizabeth visited Nelson. I also did announcing for various shows.

Nelson railways closed down but I had taken up photography by then, and made a bit of money from that. I moved to Wellington, and later down to Christchurch, where I built an electronic organ for my partner, and we used to do dances with me on drums, and her uncle played as well. We were called the Devon Old Time Band. We did a lot of private shows all over the place West Coast and Dunedin. Edna.s cousin was an opera singer and joined us on vocals occasionally.

I was also working as a painter, but had an accident at age 62 when some scaffolding collapsed and I broke my lower back. I spent some weeks in hospital, and gradually got back on my feet and walked with a frame, then crutches, and was finally discharged. But my back.s never been the same and I reckoned it was time to retire.

I joined the Christchurch Folk Music Club a few years ago, and have been on the committee for the last two years, officially as host assistant, and still manage to recruit new members to the club.