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Tough times of past recalled A trip down memory lane by former Masterton man ROYCE DOYLE takes us back to the days when times were tough and rationing was needed to survive. I was born in 1930 during the Great Depression when life was not easy but there were improvements in terms of jobs available and the country was making progress after the difficult times of the depression. Appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators were not in many homes, very few people owned cars or had telephones and there was no television — all information came from radio and the press. I started school in June 1935 and one of my first recollections of an unusual incident was the great storm of that year when a lot of damage was done, particularly to the Masterton Park (now Queen Elizabeth Park). Large and very old trees were uprooted with large sheets of corrugated iron being torn from St Matthews Anglican Church in Church St, where my family lived at that time. Masterton was a great place to grow up, the economy was improving, everything was available including sporting development, and schooling was good for both primary and secondary. However, there were no luxuries in life and people worked hard to make ends meet, but difficult times were accepted as part of life, but if you never had something you didn’t miss it.
Some of the widespread damage in Masterton caused by the 1942 earthquake.
From 1938, the world scene showed some very worrying signs with the rise of National Socialism in Germany, and the threat of war loomed large which culminated in the declaration of war by Great Britain on September 3, 1939. Things would never be the same again. Although I was quite young at this time, my father kept abreast of what was happening and I remember many discussions with him on the situation — the likely outcome and what the future would bring.
PHOTO/FILE
With the advent of war, rationing was introduced which included clothing, food, and petrol. Everyone had a ration book from which coupons were taken out at the time of each purchase.
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Royce Doyle.