I remember an occasion when a visitor left his keys in the ignition of his car. When he returned, the keys were missing. Two of the lads were immediately called and asked if they knew anything about the keys. Both boys looked with guiltless eyes into the face of the staff member and declared their innocence. "Turn out your pockets" they were told and there the car keys were in one of their pockets. Those boys had been in the orphanage from early childhood. I am sure that any child of spirit would need to rebel against the loveless pressures and poverty of the orphanage. They never were tucked up in bed by a loving parent. They never received hugs or words of love and affection; just rules to comply with. Perhaps these boys had few other options but to lie and steal.

The toilets were outside among Macrocarpa trees-A seat along one side with two holes to sit on was positioned over a deep trench. The girls' unit was similar. There was a concrete urinal in the boys' toilet which tempted us to compete to see who could pee the highest. It was rather a smelly uninviting place. Flush toilets were installed toward the end of our stay in the orphanage.

My parents had promised that we would have "lots of children to play with". That was especially true while we were young. It was easy then to find someone with whom to play cricket or to paper-chase over the hills. I was not a saint and joined others in robbing an orchard. 1 wagged school one day and even entered an empty house by a window. I felt very guilty about the dart I took and kept. Such behaviour was exciting but tinged with the fear of being caught.

As soon as they were old enough, children were responsible for manual duties. I was on dishes for a long time. Among other duties, I had turns at peeling potatoes, cleaning windows, ironing, gardening and finally, when older, the job of chopping the firewood which was no small task. That was a job I enjoyed although it took a great deal of my time. As the years went by I tended to remove myself from close contact with the other children- 1 was just marking time and not feeling very happy.

Occasionally a kindly local Christian family would invite a couple of children for an evening meal in their home, Edwin and I were invited to Mr. and Mrs. Fairbrothers' home one winter evening. They had two smalt children. That one family experience was very important to me. I will never forget sitting in front of the fire before eating a nice meal. The warmth, love, humour and gentle caring for the children seemed to fill the house. What a contrast to the emotionally cold orphanage meal at one of those long tables where the children were not allowed to speak except to ask for something to be passed. That one evening gave me the determination that when I grew up 1 also would have a happy home and children who were loved. It was a dream I carried for many years. The Fairbrothers never knew the importance of their gift to me of that one evening. I felt very sad when Mrs. Fairbrother died a year or two later.

It was while we were at the orphanage and not very long after the First World War that swagmen appeared in the neighbourhood. Men who could not find work would put a few things into a haversack, and walk around the country offering to do odd jobs wherever they could. Often they would have a billy hanging from their pack. Farmers and town folk would usually try to help them or at least give them some food or a cup of tea. They would perhaps ask if they could sleep in a shed or barn. Some men came to enjoy the life and the occasional meeting of their friends. They usually slept rough. There are several books about the swagmen, John A, Lee was one author. I doubt that we will ever see them again,

I was about thirteen when Dr. Pettit came to Hunterville to preach against the theory of evolution- I could not see what all the fuss was about. The Bible did not say how God created the world, it only claimed that he had. Evolution seemed to me to be a very reasonable explanation. T could accept it without losing my belief in God or the Christian faith. I was still able to go on believing that God had created the world. Much later 1 learned how unscientific the Bible story of creation was. How could God create day and night and plants four days before creating the sun, moon and stars? Nothing could grow without sunlight.

The 'Chinaman' was almost always a greengrocer or laundry man. Instead of being sent to the greengrocer, we would be told to go to the Chinaman's. In those days shirt collars were made separately from the shirt and would be attached by front and back studs. They also would be starched as stiff as cardboard. My father always sent his collars to the Chinese laundry.

About the same age I decided to get baptised-Edwin had already been baptised and was included in the circle of believers who were entitled to participate in the communion service called 'the breaking of bread'. Those of us who were not baptised sat in the back of the hall during this service. I also wanted to be baptised and join in the communion service. One of the elders spoke to me and asked me questions to make sure that I was 'saved' and understood the meaning of the ceremony.

I will never forget the experience. Three persons had asked for baptism. After a regular service the whole congregation walked to a place near the railway station where the Council had widened the little stream to make a swimming pool and build a changing shed. It was a dull and cold day. The water was brown with silt after the recent rain. The elder who was to perform the ritual and I walked into the water up to my chest. As the water chilled my genitals and stomach, I could only think how cold and uncomfortable it was. "Stephen Cooper I baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost", I stiffened my body and was leaned backwards to be completely submerged under the brown water. I was lifted back onto my feet and walked out as the people sang a hymn. I was now a full member of the Open Brethren faith.

Edwin and I did not suffer to the extent of the orphans. We were not subjected to the threat of physical abuse. We did at least have loving parents with us and during the latter years we had a proper bedroom and a living room to retreat to in the evenings. At the end of the school year Edwin and I would go back to Manawaru to stay with our relations on a dairy farm until a few days before school reopened. To be with a cousin was a relief from orphanage people and discipline. We went eeling in the creek behind the milk factory; horse riding;

swimming; shooting with an air gun; helping with the milking; hay making and al! the other farm activities. I could easily have become a farmer and may have been one if it had not been for my father's religious aspirations. 1 did enjoy the open air life,

In those days, farmers would get up early in the morning to milk the cows, have breakfast, catch the horses, load the cans of milk on to the wagon and head for the milk factory. A sample was taken from the can for testing and the milk weighed and accepted. The factory was a place for social gossip and community news. You could hear someone say, "Where is George this morning, I wonder if his bull got out again." Perhaps someone else would say, "Peter's wife was taken to hospital last night, hope she is O.K.'' Perhaps another man would offer to call and see if Peter needed a hand. The factory experience had a local bonding effect. There was humour, information, comradeship as well as news and gossip. It filled a social need. Today the horse has become redundant Large tankers collect the milk from the farm and quickly disappear to the next farm. Now the farmer has an early morning paper or magazine to read and the radio to give him news. He need seldom meet or even see his neighbours.

Hay making time was also a community activity, a group of farmers would take turns to help each other to bring in the hay. Together they would build a hay stack in the middle of the field. We children would play in the hay out of the way. When allowed, we would ride around on a two horse hay sweep. The 'Samson' stacker was an upright pole with a swinging adjustable beam. From it hung a metal hay grab on a rope at the outer end. The rope ran from the grab, through pulleys at both ends of the beam to another one at ground level. A man with a horse was stationed there to pull the loaded grab of hay to the top of the hay stack. Hay would arrive at the base of the stacker via the hay sweeps. The horse working the stacker was backed to lower the open grab, then moved forward to lift the hay to the height of the two men on top of the stack, where it would be released and skilfully spread. The final layer would be built into a ridge which would shed most of the rain.

The orphanage was not totally without value. I learned the benefit of having a few clearly set boundaries of behaviour for children. I realised the value of having consistent rules. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was to sympathise and understand the pressures deprived children suffer. I observed that intense religious indoctrination did not improve the children's behaviour, it only confused the meaning of social ethics in their minds, I know that I felt confused When children later rejected the religion which had been presented as an integral part of ethics, they tended to reject social ethics together with the religion. While I was there, those older children who left the orphanage, just seemed to disappear into the cities. Some of the boys got into trouble Perhaps some of the girls might have done better. I don't really know. When I left the orphanage, I did not want to follow its history or have anything more to do with it ever again. I came out vowing to myself that 1 would never allow myself to be poor or allow my children to go to an orphanage. Fortunately most prison sentences come to an end. Mine had lasted for almost seven years. For some unexplained reason, Norman Hyde wrote a letter to my parents asking them to leave the orphanage. They lived in the same building. Why he wanted to write instead of just talk, I don't know. Under those circumstances my father would never argue.

So we left the orphanage and lived in a rented house in Hunterville for a couple of years. The rent was 15 shillings ($1.50) per week. Father, who still owned the printery building, walked to and from work each day.

Mrs. Buick, who lived next door to the north, had a cow. In payment for milking the cow. Father was entitled to take sufficient milk for our family. I think he enjoyed the exercise, Mr. Green who lived next door to the east was a bee keeper. It was interesting watching him working among the hives and to see the bees all flying back in the evenings,

When we left the orphanage 1 wanted to join the Boy Scouts movement but was not allowed. My father explained that he did not want me mixing with the church people where the Scouts were centred. I would have to attend services at the Anglican Church and he did not want that. Mother explained that they did not preach the gospel and she doubted that many of them were 'saved'. Neither was I allowed to go to the local cinema. As well as other more sinful acts, drinking, smoking, gambling, swearing, dancing, going to the movies and playing cards were all considered to be sins. They said that no true Christian person could engage in such behaviour. We were taught that the people of this world were divided into two groups, the 'saved and the damned. God and Jesus headed our group of the 'bom again'. The Devil led and deceived all the rest. Only the 'born again' would go to heaven. Most Christians are not so narrow in their thinking as my parents were. There are, however, still many fundamental 'bom again' Christians who would agree with their narrow and intolerant concepts.