History – Pouto childhood

Excerpts from the memoirs of Clarence Irvine Curel (1898-1991)

My father, Edwin Curel was harbour pilot, signalman, then lighthouse keeper at Pouto from 1885 until he retired in 1910. He married 16-year-old Annie Grant (of the Albertlander Grants) in 1884 and they raised a family of five daughters and six sons.

We lived in a Government house at Pouto which was described as ‘rather crude’. The inside walls were plain dressed kauri boards, unpainted at first, but painted after a routine Government inspection. Edwin was a self-taught blacksmith, painter and plumber. In addition to his official duties, he spent his leisure hours making beautiful wooden furniture, woollen rugs and many other items used by a large family.

Annie, a competent mother and housekeeper, was proficient at handiwork, especially crochet. She would light a fire in the cast iron stove in the morning to do the day’s cooking. This meant cleaning out the previous days ashes, brushing the stove up with black lead, filling the cast iron kettle with water, then cooking porridge and breakfast. Bread came from Helensville twice a week (weather permitting). There were also boiled eggs, bacon and eggs, and fish.

My jobs were to bring in the kindling (called sticks), empty the ashpan, set the table and do the dishes. The school was only 150 yards away so we children often came home for lunch and we did the dishes before going back to school. After school I fed the fowls, collected the eggs, got kindling in before tea and, because was my father was very lame and suffering from rheumatism, I would change his socks and put his slippers on for him. After tea the dishes were once again done, then the children washed their feet (we were all barefooted) and did school lessons before going to bed.

Of course, there were other chores. Once a week we made butter. Cream was skimmed off from milk set in pans, then stirred in a white enamel billy with a wooden paddle – sometimes for two hours. Later, the family had a wooden churn with a handle, which turned wooden beaters inside – a huge improvement.

Heritage exhibition

The Albertland Museum and Heritage Centre is again taking part in the Auckland Heritage Festival between September 27 and October 12 with a new exhibition in the Harold Marsh Gallery. Sponsored by La Padella Restaurant and Peppers Cafe, Wellsford – ‘Albertland, the Special Settlement’ will be an exhibition of photographs, archives and memorabilia celebrating the Albertlanders’ diverse cultural heritage. Admission is included in entry fee. Group bookings outside normal opening hours can be arranged by contacting Peter Marsh at museum@albertland.co.nz or phone 423 8181.