The Country 06/11/24: Annette O'Sullivan talks to Jamie Mackay

The author of Woolsheds - The Historic Shearing Sheds of Aotearoa New Zealand reflects on “the story of the rise and rise and then regrettable fall of a once great industry - one that kept a small, far away colony with limited resources from insolvency and which, at its peak, made many families who ran stations fabulously wealthy”. [Wool 1860 - 90% of export income, 1920 - 26%, 2023 - 1.4%]

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, at the moment on the Country, we're giving away
all sorts, including bear and potato chips. But I think
I might even go one better on today's show. And
I'm not going to give this book away until I've
read it. It's a cracker. It's called Woolsheds, the Historic
Sharing Sheds of alt rowa New Zealand. The author is

(00:20):
Annette O'Sullivan. Now, Annett, there's a bizarre story in a
way behind the making of this book. You did a
doctorate on the branding history of sheep stations and the
net result is this wonderful pictorial book. Good afternoon. Hello.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yes, it's quite an unusual story. The book was originally
going to be on branding histories, but you know, I
decided that those amazing wallsheds needed to be recorded in
some amazing way, and the branding story comes into the

(01:00):
bullshed story as well.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
I read on you forward and this sums it up.
You reflect on the story of the rise and rise
and then regrettable fall of a once great industry, one
that kept a small, far away colony with limited resources
from insolvency, and which at its peak made many families

(01:22):
who ran stations fabulously wealthy. And if we go back
to eighteen sixty, ninety percent of our export income came
from wool Now it's one point four percent. And these
vast stations built beautiful old woolsheds, obviously many of which
are still standing.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
That's right, and I think you know, the credit to
the builders that they are still standing. A lot of
them are in native woods and they're beautifully made, some
architecturally designed, and of course you know, I'm just quite
keen to capture some of them different materials, like the

(02:05):
brick wallshares at Home Bush and Stone down South. Yeah,
they are incredible places and I think a lot of
New Zealanders are aware of wolsheds. They see them often
in the countryside, but they never usually look inside.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
They are a thing of beauty. Look, there's fifteen woolsheds
that you've documented, and you've told their stories. And Jane Usher,
of course well known photographer's done some beautiful photographies. It's
such a good book pictorially I'm talking about and you've
done the writing around it. I've singled out a couple
one on the North Island, one on the South Island,

(02:44):
just to be fair about it. And I was fascinated
by the story behind the Bell families woolshed at Shagg Valley,
and of course the Bell family are famous for Young
George at the moment being over in the UK well,
amongst other things, Young Joe George being over in the
UK at the moment with the All Blacks. But gee,
they've got a storied history, that family.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
Yeah, they have. It's an incredible history.

Speaker 1 (03:09):
You know.

Speaker 2 (03:10):
We've also captured some of the outbuildings, the historic buildings,
and we've actually got the Bells chemistry lab. You know,
they were incredible scientists in their day. And yeah, it
was also a very big wallshed at the time when

(03:31):
I think forty two sharers could work in there in
the days of blade shearing. So it's you know, it's
a beautiful wallshed, but it's an incredible family story as well.

Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yeah, yeah, the intellect and the family and I think
one of the Bells was New Zealand's first New Zealand
born Prime Minister and in nineteen twenty five. Magnificent woolshed
because as you say, it's part of it built of
schist and it still exists. The other woolshed I had
to look at was the from Bowland's in the Warra

(04:08):
Rapper and that is from the Falun family, and I think,
well there's a family with the storied history also in
New Zealand agriculture. Of course the late John Falloune, former
Minister of Agriculture under the Bulger government.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
That's right again, and I think all of the stories
in the book have had incredible histories of which a
lot of people don't know about. And well, Boland's wallshed
is also very beautifully architecturally designed wallshed. It's original corrugated
iron steel and the architect was John Swann from Wellington

(04:47):
and he designed Erskine College Chapel and Saint Jerrard's Monastery.
So you know, not all of the wallsheeds but were
architecturally designed, but you know the Bolan's what was, And yeah,
it's a beautiful.

Speaker 1 (05:07):
It is an absolutely beautiful building. The book is called
Wall Sheds, the Historic Sharing Sheds of r t Row
in New Zealand. It isn't a bookstore somewhere near you.
You might be lucky enough to win it. In a
week or so's time. When I finished reading it, Annett
O'Sullivan and to Jane Usher your photographer. Congratulations. This is
wonderful history captured. Well done, lovely to catch up.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Thank you,