Episode 6 The Impact of Technology

In this episode we delve into the evolution of typewriter technology, the introduction of computers, and what impact that had on our interviewees. They regale us with the excitement and difficulties of new technology being implemented, and how swiftly dictaphone recorders replaced Shorthand dictation.

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Find transcripts and more at www.storycollective.nz 

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This podcast is only made possible thanks to the work of the Keystrokes Oral History Project, find out more at www.storycollective.nz/background

Funding support from the State Services Commission (NZ) and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage (NZ). 

Soundtrack with permission and thanks from The Boston Typewriter Orchestra, find their music on bandcamp.com

© Copyright 2017 Meg Melvin as StorycollectiveNZ

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Storycollective, untold stories by unheard voices. [Sound of typewriters clacking]
Keystrokes per Minute, a limited series podcast about the women of the New Zealand Public Service
Typing Pools from 1945 until the present day.
I remember was the manual typewriters typing so fast that all the arms with the letters

(00:22):
would all get tangled up, because I was typing too fast. [Laughter]
Really tiring, I think I read once, somewhere, that it was equivalent of moving, you know,
quite a few barrow loads of coal every day. I'm sure it's true yeah. [Typewriter carriage return]
{Presenter} Haere mai, welcome to episode 6, the Impact of Technology. In this episode, we delve into

(00:43):
the evolution of typewriter technology, the introduction of computers, and what impact
that had on our interviewees. They regale us with the excitement and difficulties of new technology
being implemented and how swiftly dictaphone recorders, replaced shorthand dictation.
We are including shorthand is a type of technology, as this was a work tool that required training,

(01:06):
practice and maintenance to keep up the speed and accuracy of the skill level. [Typewriter ding sound]
To help us understand the context of the technology timeline, I'm very happy to introduce you to our
Guest presenter - Dr. Rachel Patrick. Rachel is a local Wellington historian
who utilised the Keystrokes oral interviews as the basis of her presentation...

(01:27):
'Voices from the Typing Pools' at the New Zealand Historical Association Conference in November 2021.
Rachel explains here how she came to be involved in the Keystrokes project. [Typewriter carriage return sound]
{Rachel} Well, there are two reasons; one, the main one is that I live in Peakakariki,
and the second one is, probably the most important one, is that I learnt to type, touch type, at high school.

(01:51):
So what happened is while I was on maternity leave, with my second daughter,
I answered an ad on the local Facebook page by Judith Aitken, one of the project members,
to do some transcription of some oral histories that they had been doing. So I applied for that,
sent them my CV and then they realised I was also a Historian, as well as a touch typist.

(02:15):
So that sort of started my involvement in the project. [Typewriter carriage return sound]
{Presenter} Now Rachel will give us a brief summary of the evolution of typewriters and the other technologies
used in the New Zealand Public Service. [Typewriter carriage return sound]
{Rachel} So initially technological innovations in the area of typewriting simply served to make the typist work more efficient,

(02:36):
without dramatically transforming the nature of the work. The earliest interviewees for the Keystrokes per Minute 31 00:02:43,088 --> 00:02:49,088 project, worked on manual typewriters. I think the Imperial 66 was released in the '50s.
It was pretty common in the 1960s and updated models of it was still hanging around
New Zealand offices as late as the 1980s.

(02:58):
So that one came in a nice teal or green kind of colour. It's
quite attractive from the 1960s, electronic typewriters like the IBM,
selectric. Which was colloquially known as the golf ball because of that interchangeable
tight balls that are used. Golf balls were fairly ubiquitous and New Zealand offices in the

(03:19):
1970s by the 1970s and 80s. The golf balls were being
superseded by newer electronic typewriters with some inbuilt memory,
which is similar to that Canaan typewriter, which is what I learned to type on. When I was at high school
and the 90s, then you got these dedicated word processors. Others like the wing,

(03:40):
which were common in New Zealand offices in the 1980s. So, that Innovation with them is that
they have a small amount of memory and Little Tex screened on them, so that
you can see any errors as you're typing in. Go back and correct them rather
than having to either start all over again, or use little to pics [00:04:00] things to

(04:01):
erase mistakes. They end up being a little bit of a technologically,
a technological dead end. And they are They superseded with the arrival
of personal computers from around the late 1980s. Of
course, there were computers and New Zealand government officers earlier than that.

(04:22):
So from a, the early 1960s, but they tended to be the fill
up whole rooms that were the kind of once that people with white coats would operate
and so they're large mainframe computers and they are used for processing, large amounts of data.
Yeah, but they weren't something that was economical for everyone to have access

(04:44):
to and they weren't weird processes. But late 1970s a
lot of government agencies start introducing computerized database systems
to centrally manage their information. So the police have the, from the [00:05:00] new, a
computer department of social welfare have to Swift database. And

(05:05):
then finally, the arrival of more affordable personal computers from the late 1980s and
in the internet from the 1990s, revolutionizes the nature of office work,
For most of married, Uli's 43-year Korea, which started a 1950 she
was in a supervisory or management position. Therefore, she has a unique perspective on how

(05:30):
the technology changes affected the typing pool. And this clip Mary also gives listeners
from history about repetitive strain, injury, or res. I Probably
in the seventies on a change and equipment.
Like with that, we had in labor department. We had one golf

(05:52):
ball typewriter that senior Turkish, Ted and all the other typewriters
were except for two. [00:06:00] I think were manual was to electric ones.
I think the senior shorthand typist in the secretary tightest had one each in
the typing pool, the sea. A typist, and I go fool and it

(06:15):
was Major because because you could do a correction without, you know, without
to starting again, but the only problem was that just about everything we did had
to be typed and five copies with onion skin copies
and onion skin, carbons featherweight cabins. There's what we call think

(06:37):
Bill called and if he made a mistake yet to put pieces of paper and
behind James, the back piece and that's it. So the different copies would be
used for different things. Like they'd be fired. Yeah. Well, everything just about everything that went
dealing with the immigration, would would have to be copied to the Diplomatic

(06:58):
post and this and that [00:07:00] the other those places that's how they would go. And that's why they
would have all these copies and they'd have to be annotated
in the same thing used to apply to remove the Real eyes and things like that coffee for The Minister's
file copy for the underpass file, copy with us copies of it. Almost every that stand

(07:19):
on the copy, know that was tightening. It was all typed. Um, yes each copy is,
it was a, it was quite complex and not. Nothing was simplified
in those days. This is between 60 and 70. We were starting to hear
about computers and people got the Think

(07:41):
it was a Commodore something like that. Started out men wing and came along
and they were all the go and remember that, they had a great
big in when computers first came in. I don't want to be jumping, the gun. He was
by the time I'd got to Internal Affairs, the [00:08:00] they did a sort of a survey

(08:02):
and we decided on the one we liked and got the one we didn't, I
remember that say well, I thought what a waste of time that was Did
you work with computers before you retired? Oh, yes. The
thing was that. I had a second trip overseas in 1986

(08:25):
for a month. Took my holidays, you know, I had a week left over from the year before and
I have a year another month overseas. And the day
before I left, they had a demonstration for the types of it,
which I attended of how. Use an Apple Mac pagemaker

(08:47):
desktop publishing. I can remember when I got back. I couldn't even remember how to turn the thing on
if we completely forgotten everything only at day. However, I seen quickly learned
again. [00:09:00] What had to be done because I always considered it was important to know exactly
what the other person had to do. And that was what, I'd always maintained

(09:11):
that you if you can't do the job yourself for really, you shouldn't be asking somebody else to do
it. And so I've made sure I knew how to do things. So after I left work,
I did a lot of voluntary work for schools like, you know, the colleges and that of doing
these School magazines and I enjoyed it and it was like no responsibility. Just

(09:32):
get on with it. And what about RSI? Oh,
yes, and it became really a big black bear. It's a very real thing. In fact, I
probably suffered from it myself. I never ever had any time off for them. But I remember people
coming to work and I can recall one girl. She'd hardly been working three weeks when she went

(09:53):
off with RSI. She was off with practically the rest of the year Dreadful. Wouldn't let me? [00:10:00] Well,
I don't think it was computer so much as you got. People got our esai right
from the word, go from typing all the time. I think they did because often
it was the some you didn't ever use that got a Twist, you know, I could

(10:16):
never work that out 99 times out of 100. That would be the hand and the thumb
that would get pay. When the rain worked in
the curriculum division typing pool, she really put the golf ball typewriter through its paces and
when the Ministry of Education needed a typist who understood today or Mari, they had to think outside the

(10:38):
box to find someone who had the necessary typing and language skills. In
that spirit. I got a golf ball typewriter and it was horrendous because I had to
do German and Spanish and Maori a little bit of and they have those little Dottie
things. Above certain letters and the golf ball typewriter. You had to change the golf

(10:58):
ball typewriter. Every time you came [00:11:00] to one of those little Mark's. My record was changing her 17 times
on one line. I got blisters on my finger. So you type Fred and then you had to put a little something
above the E. So, you take off the golf ball, your take, put on the golf ball. That had the little thing. You
type it in above the E. Then you'd peel it off. Put it back, put your original

(11:19):
one back on there. Um, and then later on, when I got my one of
the in charge of jobs that education they wanted a Maori typist who had
TCB exams and Maori, but it could type. They got a male and he had his TCB exams.
It was perfect. But rare very, very, very rare. The girls didn't want them. They came

(11:40):
to me on mess. We don't want them. When we talk about it t time,
he can't join us. Oh, no weed. No, no, no, no. And they loved
him. I absolutely adored him when he came. Working
in the public service from 1975 [00:12:00] to 2020, Mona has experienced

(12:02):
all the major and minor technological shifts from using manual typewriters to the first
word processes from Telex to email, and from gasps Tecna to photocopier in
this clip minitel zeth about using the Wang and CPT word processors, which
were competitors in the early era of desktop Computing CPT was an acronym

(12:23):
for cassette processing typewriter. As its first model. A jewel. Cassette tape machine
that controlled a modified IBM selectric typewriter. So a hybrid of two technologies.
The CP models used in government were of a generation that use the same floppy disk
operating system as the Wang. So I was owning a typing pool

(12:45):
up to police, all of business, marriages up to police, and then I then I
moved on to defense and other places and from their Department of Maria for years,
the only time, I went to the typing pool is because [00:13:00] by then we were using wing
and I looked after the chief judge of the night of court. And he was also the

(13:09):
chief judge of the waitangi tribunal chief judge a jury. I looked after
her. So, and we were doing a case. It was all put onto on
the wing. So I have to go down to the typing pool and type up all his handwriting. So in births
deaths and marriages, you had manual typewriters. Olivia Olympia's, is it Imperials

(13:29):
in the Olivine and Remington re-released? Well, yes, we struck the Remington,
you know, when I'm into politics because we had a variety of typewriters to
practice on and then you went on to police. What did you have in the way of Technology there?
It was a typewriter and we used to have to do carbon copies. How many? And

(13:52):
well, just maybe one or two. So you mentioned also that
you then moved onto [00:14:00] wings or two. Yes. I went to Route them.
Defense are so we were at Polytech. We were always told if someone needs is to you,
if you know what sort of tight water. Would you even light, you always assay where we'd like an IBM selectric,

(14:17):
so you don't, I mean selection. So I would lift please thing that bootcamp
interference and I had an IBM selectric, which was just wonderful,
very different to typewriter, but it was really funny because
I would machine drugged me. That sword throw dishes and things like that. And so we got to technician

(14:39):
and or something and as an important story that's and you said just type and he said
there is no throwing dishes as you're typing too fast. But so
we had this little it Department of money if he is this this this
funny little screen that ring words would come up and you could see if you'd made a mistake and you

(14:59):
could [00:15:00] go back and correct it before you print it out. So that when I ended up
going over to DSi, are we had something called CPT? So it was a word processor.
So unless you've got trained for that because we were all on cvts so
that it was weird processing thing. Which was so big and made a racket that I had to have its own little sound shell honestly.

(15:21):
And they would be some of them had paper, you know, coming out and that was the other thing. We also need. Because other
another jobs, you know, the Telex and the other thing, of course, we had a business tip.
No, because you'd do onions. They called them onion skin. So them mine will be slathered with this
pink to the next Point realizing that read thinking really what it is.

(15:46):
Valerie had spent five years in a typing pool during the 1950s and re-entered
the workforce in 1976, where she found that some of the technology chefs
were not easy to adjust to. So, how did you find the [00:16:00] transition from the manual
to the electric? I don't think I minded that transition.

(16:06):
I did find some of the others later on very, very difficult. And I don't think
I ever really got on top of it. I think possibly due to my
age, but I think possibly the people who came in to teach
us later as sumed when you alot and we didn't like my age

(16:27):
group didn't really know a lot. Where as the young typists did because they had
run into word process and think things at school and I found it very hard later
on. Maureen's career of 47
years started in 1959. In this clip. She starts off by telling s

(16:48):
about the best typewriter in the world. Then as an early adopter of computers Maureen
was instrumental in training, other staff, to get up to speed and we primarily
working on [00:17:00] a manual typewriter. Started off with
on a manual typewriter. It was absolutely

(17:10):
amazing when we went on to electric typewriters. And, and we got
golf ball, typewriters, IBM selectric the best typewriter
in the world. Yep. I love that typewriter. And
then, we became computerized. And then

(17:32):
from there, that lead to someone that needed to train them, train
the staff, how to use computers. So, the boss sent me
on a course and then he sent me on another couple of courses
to do. I did to teaching diplomas so that I

(17:52):
had something behind me to teach as well. Linda's
typing [00:18:00] pool experience began in Mid-1960s and she remembers the excitement
around the office. When a new, bit of Technology was introduced at the ministry of works and
equipment that you use. So what were the typewriters you used in that? Because it was quite a long

(18:16):
period years. It was quiet. I'm thinking that we started off with
the, the old metal Universe were upright ones,
but then we got those flesh. New prosthetic. What would they be? Olympia
could have been, they were rather than the sort of squat Square High ones.

(18:39):
There was a lull sleeker ones and they were still menu. There's dueling
absolutely years or never. We never got to Electric typewriters. When I was
there. I do remember the excitement next door and account when they got the first
digital calculator. And will it

(18:59):
was [00:19:00] huge as about, you know, a foot square and we all gazed
in amazement at this tool, which would mean that they the blokes didn't have to do that
anymore. I remember, that was amazing. But no, but even these new trap
wise, they were so much easier to use years. So that was a real

(19:22):
yoru. Quite excited about those. Genuine
straight from a manual typewriter to an electronic one, which had a small screen that allowed
typos to into several words and then give the opportunity to correct any errors before
committing it to the paper initially, reluctant to learn how to use a computer, some

(19:43):
Sage advice, change, Jen's mind prior
to going to the university. I had started using an electronic
typewriters had. No, right? Good. What you said before, I
never [00:20:00] used an electric typewriter. I went straight from the manual to nearly

(20:05):
the electronic with its we screen our loved it. Loved absolutely
adored and then I got to work out and about 80 minutes later. Suddenly. It was we were going to be wired for sound
like and these complete. Yes. Well, and I don't ask me what the
program was. I can't remember but it was pre. Banks

(20:28):
premix is possibly possibly word. Perfect, but
there was something before that as well as gold key, that you used to create some get other other
things programs and things. I can't remember. But I know I took and I didn't want to move
computers. Thank you very much. And, and Dire Wolf, was worked by Chancellor was with

(20:49):
Malcolm who come from Victoria Professor with the pure mess and
and he said and he had an experience [00:21:00] of his own to
say, if you don't learn you will find yourself going backwards. So spake. So I'm to know
that he went and pulled up and talk some too. Sadie

(21:14):
was in ahead type of stroll for the finance and accounts division at the GPO when they trailed
a customized piece of technology that eventually evolved into an electronic typewriter. Like
many others. She also has distinct and not fond memories of one piece of office
equipment. What about technology? What about the changes? I mean, you

(21:34):
had that special occasion when you were on the golf ball, I, well remember,
being on a golf ball. And you've mentioned the data entry room. You were right at the crossroads
of those years. Massive changes, and we're coming. Okay. So in
finest of the Cavs Division, I was given a machine to trial

(21:57):
because we did a lot of legal work. What's legal [00:22:00] forms? Really that was really for people didn't pay
the telephone bills, but it was like an electric piano,
you know, and it stood on four legs and had the keyboard here, but Running
head sort of, like, a couple of lines running along there that did evolved into the typewriters

(22:18):
that electronic typewriters, but we actually use this computer
thing where you called it, you know, and the girls have got trained up on it, which is really
good because it was just too slow progress into the life
of electronic and computerized typewriters. The

(22:41):
next was Was that the electronic typewriter with the line that ran along?
Yeah, which was excellent. Was that a cannon is? Yeah. I was
actually on the government still support there for a while, but it with cannons. Yeah,
they were big. Big player. Yeah. Held four [00:23:00] pages and you could run the

(23:02):
line along. If it's right. It's amazing. How many letters were five pages?
We have a four-page memory and when you say that,
Trained up on it. How did they do that training? Actually the
marketers, the people who sold it to mus, just ran has a session through

(23:22):
really, you know, it wasn't the marvelous, the rest up for you to lose three
books. But after after I've been in front of the counts for a while, then
placed in the engineering Chief's office here, which was huge type
of pool and in the post office building, it's all right. I was just acting up while a person

(23:43):
was on maternity leave there and that's when we got wearing it. And so
we got two wings and you know, this
is a new way of life. This brings back that horrible.
Bloomin [00:24:00] thing. We had to use it gasps Tecna. Oh, yes. So

(24:06):
remember that with Donald false Gap. Well, it's you know the wax paper.
Yeah and the red ink and to cover up the
mistake so you can re-type the letter just sort of like drew a film
over it really, didn't it? Yeah. Winding the handoff. I know. Such a message

(24:26):
of it was that was and then I remember photocopy is coming in. And you know, that's a
Teen Scene sir page for every page you photocopy at 16
cents. I think so, you know, how much is my time standing at that horrible
testicular? In this clip,

(24:47):
Pamela explains what long Carriage typewriters were needed for how the allocation of new technology,
didn't always go to the typist who needed it most and how production improved once electric
typewriters came into service. [00:25:00] Pamela then, goes on to explain some of the nuances
of shorthand dictation and why you should never chew a biscuit while using a Dictaphone

(25:09):
those those big carriages were Pro counting, okay? So
that notice be in the budget office. Yes. So, you know that Fred she is that we have these days.
Well, in back in the day when forget stetner. Yes, you would the
longest you would have would be a full scat is. Yeah. So you had to have

(25:30):
a carriage that you could fit better than false given two things Gap
just thickness as a full steps last, the edgings on it. Yes the whole. So you would have
the big machines that they would have been in their car. In fact, it's probably the
real hardly times that I came across them. Those were accounting. Yes,

(25:51):
but not in, not in their day-to-day. It was normally the normal, the standard
typewriter and physically what different appended it [00:26:00] make to your work that you had access to
an electric typewriter, speed speed words a big thing.
And if you had a large report to get out speed with the main

(26:12):
thing, I mean, it could be 20. E5 words per minute. Yes. Yes, that's a
big difference, which is a big different, very big difference. And if you better get in those over day, that's a lot of
time. You know, it's a lot, it's a big report. So presumably
the managers all the people who run the reports, their expectations are being able to get it back more quickly. Genius

(26:33):
as well. Yes, there was just thinking if I can remember, when I left Auckland
go to Wellington, the head, typist were the ones who had all
the senior people. The electric typewriters and I can remember thinking at the time, that's
not right, because they would more supervisory. They were not, they were doing

(26:53):
the day physically doing it. The deputy was putting out a pile of burning, but
it [00:27:00] should really be going to the people who are putting through a lot of work and it does.
So I suppose, when I went to gilbey's, I had knowledge of a keyboard typing
end piano I had the Piano, which had taught

(27:16):
me to listen, you all thing of sounds, which is very important
in shorthand. It's told me this exemplify that because no because I
said that in shorthand all the vowels, a tion, or
have a position, or a sound symbol for them. So

(27:37):
if I say, Every consonant has a shape. So
my name is Pamela Pat. So it's a p and it is and
where it's positioned on the lines
is where the vowel is. So it's a it's a short bowel. So, its up back. [00:28:00] If

(28:00):
you put it down into the middle, would be pain. So the speaker
who is dictating the short into you, that voice is obviously really important as
well, your Easter very much. So because if you've got someone who speaks clearly
Doesn't matter if they've got an accent as long as they are not see a clearly, it makes it very

(28:23):
simple. Rid of their gamble or health bills
if they chew up biscuit. I suppose it is worse when you're doing dictaphone
and someone choose into a ginger nut. Believe you met. I've had that happen.
Normal spectacular. And

(28:44):
these next two short clips, Catherine explains to Judith the difference between Pitman shorthand
NT line. And then Friday tells Judith about what motivated him to get creative
with a shorthand style that women that they can then a tiny pool. I
was doing [00:29:00] a lot of debt buying type thing where you and I like that in my training. I've done right?

(29:04):
Well with that. Yeah, so did you have a short it? Yes. We did. I had
T line, and put man. And still use it. Someone
asked me last literally last night what the difference was between t line? And Pittman, I said, I'm going to ask somebody
tomorrow. What was the difference? What is not much, but nuns was Furious and

(29:26):
t9k Malaysia and I preferred T9. It
was just almost like short end of shorthand. Okay, so it's to do with
the language, you learn. It's great. If you know, I couldn't do Pittman's now I can only do
10. So don't get it out. Mmm and it's it's fine. If so putting this

(29:46):
would be like a language that has a symbol for every word. But the T line is a phrase
or something is the case. Yeah. Okay. Yes, and they
both got the whole of the beach the Pittman's [00:30:00] uses a lot more language around words.
Yes. What was your shorthand speed like, um, it was good back then it

(30:09):
was good. But then because I was I realize
it in terms of the leaders which they would take tight Tango basically the same really
enjoy the time. So I kind of made up my own. You know, I showed him my own short haired. Yeah,
but snail like having a template and it's now I think was a bad mistake because I

(30:31):
saw use it because no one else can read it. Yeah.
Do you have standard short, and you had your own other language other language Island?
Island Tree Line. How did you know, I was gay when

(30:57):
I started with social welfare. I was [00:31:00] the only one that it's the T line for. Yeah, it's
like everyone else that pigments 2000 peppermints. Depends. What? You're not
quite sure enough to have some preference. Yeah, because it's quite a significant differences.
All the really is like a different dialect. It's Ali. Despite

(31:23):
a rocky start Nikki learn to love dictaphone typing in this clip. She explains why
she got the best training and support to learn new skills. This was unusual. Most of
the interviewees will talk about how they were expected to find their own solution for learning on
the job. Another thing that I was called upon because I did dip the phone, when I was

(31:44):
first taught dictaphone. I didn't like it and then I thought if I'm going to get anywhere, I
have to learn it. So I learned And then the industry's Commerce Commission. They
asked me to go in there and start typing up dictaphones and to have it's been three times three months
with a as [00:32:00] part of training industry. So I won't dare to work for three months. Just did the phone tapping and

(32:04):
I loved it, but I can honestly say my be straining. Ever was
in the Ministry of Transport. There was another rule when I cause they were actively,
they were more advanced because Ministry of Transport had more Advanced Computers
than trading industry, the Ministry of Transport. They will send you like two years. The few years difference

(32:26):
that when I walked in there, they had computers and my sister said, Come here. We've got computers,
you still on the golf balls and I went East. So when I went there while I just
moved quickly through the ranks, he was amazing. And in those days when they inducted you and they
monitored your, your training and your development. They recorded

(32:47):
every three months ketchup on how while you're done in your head carbon paper. Then the green you had carbon
paper to say, you need to develop a bit more on this. So you take that on board and you do something
about it. So, hopefully, by the next three months, [00:33:00] you would have achieved that when
Sally see was introduced to dictaphone technology. She was showing how to use the tape playback

(33:09):
once. And then expected to learn, as she went later. She explains the joy of
moving from mono to stereo and how important proofreading is for ensuring quality.
And we all did that phone typing. So, how did I you self-taught
on the debt year? Yeah. It was just he's the dictaphone, you

(33:32):
know, you put the tape in the and you got a foot controls and you plug your ears
and Away. You go, right? So it was a completely. So yeah, there's no formal
training in those days. You just picked it up. Did they the men? I assumed
used the doctor phase. Little portable duct phones and then gave us the tapes.

(33:54):
Yeah, that stage. There was no nice. He's or no. No, and the
other thing too [00:34:00] is that you know light years later working in the hospital.
We went from mono to stereo in that just changed life. So much.
It was so much better because in those days, you know, a lot. Everybody speaks differently

(34:15):
in these speak people speak clearly, or
Or, you know, in a Mumble or they spit unto the microphone. No, it's not and
they've got people got different accents and, you know, so did they just
curious? So they'd be dictating. So would they say full stop new paragraph?

(34:38):
Or did you have to do some people dirt and others didn't? So,
you know, like there was a lot of that's where I actually live in the booth of proofreading leaders.
And you could tell, I reckon, you can tell a good typist from a not-so-good one. By the proofreading
that they do. A lot of people just being stuff out and then [00:35:00] off it goes and they don't

(35:01):
even spell. Check in the interesting thing. In those days. We used to use carbon copies
and twank. So some of the things we now it was like
a sister re-type or how much twink do we use, you know, and then
yeah twins. Could come and buy the seventies obviously. Yeah, we do here in

(35:24):
the six days. Oh no. No. No. I said all had to be pretty accurate. Linda
H also had to just learn on the job when faced with new technology and she
even still remembers today. Some of the keyboard commands for the Dos. Operating system of
the weighing word processor. What technology? Will ya? So if we go back, when I

(35:48):
was at the typing pool, we had, I Go forth and then we had the cannon
typewriters. We could save a memory or a paragraph. And then when I went to Iraq, students,
I think I had a [00:36:00] typewriter. I think it went back to an IBM and then they
had a very, very old computer upstairs that was for data entry

(36:10):
for calling the details of the aircraft accidents. And they had a Telex
machine, very old clunky thing. And then they had had when we were Processor.
Which I so I had a type. What? Anna? We processor the wing we process. It was interesting. So
did you get training for that? No. No. So what did they do? Put

(36:32):
it, put you in front of that. Say off you go. I was someone must have showed me how to turn it on and
do stuff in it, but it was just learn on the job. That Lou knowledge on manual or cover
me, but I must have done, I suppose. I mean, Ron Ron was pretty up on how to use
it. But we just used to have laughs. Um, I'm speakers, you know, you had to

(36:52):
put a code to start bold and I code to in bold and, you know, you print something out on
the on the line paper, you know, with the holes [00:37:00] it sides or just spit out the other. Oh, look. It's all in bold
and italics When
Sally L left, the typing pool to start a family in the mid 1980s. They were still

(37:13):
typewriters on desks. And word processors were big clunky machines with noisy printers attached,
when re-entering the workforce. Force around the year 2000, she knew she had to upskill herself as
so much had changed. So in that period of time, before you stopped her family,
you had the trends for from manual to. He had have

(37:35):
a big clunky machines to. I can remember their wings or I mean the
whole range of them that were out there. I couldn't remember I couldn't tell you what it was. But I do remember that
we type on this thing and then it would print out on this great, huge printer. That was It's
a roof box. Yeah, but it gave you that first working on a screen,

(37:56):
being able to correct before you print it, if that's true. [00:38:00] Yeah, so that was that
was a change. That was a change and just before I left. I bought him
PCS and five. I think I did
a little bit. What on them, but not a lot, right. So if I lift

(38:18):
him in course, technology just Took off. So, a
few layers later you had to face it again. I did, what did you do?
Because yes, I was scared to eat. So, I know what you're talkin about. What did you do
tonight, plaintiff? I went to night classes, to learn how to type,

(38:38):
or how to work a PC
and being came. I still knew people at the council, which
was great. And I happened to run one one day and I put on you. She was still here and I just start looking
at wanting to get back into the workforce. I've just done it this night class [00:39:00] and I just

(39:00):
wondered if there was any opportunity. She said sure I'd love to have you back so effective.
Thanks to her. She got me in and I worked part time for about 12 months, but I had the school holidays
off. I mean, because the job got too busy and they needed someone full-time, but I was
at that stage in a position to do that by lifting and

(39:22):
go. Yeah, so we need the night school as that when you learned word
or Word, Perfect. Or it was weird, weird. I think. Yeah,
I'm pretty sure it was weird and that would have been Actually not was 2000,
starting work, and 1978 at the department of Statistics. Yvonne could see changes

(39:47):
starting to happen. And she was curious about the data management system that was housed in a room
of its own a Natural Curiosity continued as she adapted to all the rapid changes
in modern office equipment during the 1990s, [00:40:01] by the time Microsoft Windows
operating system was the Mainstay for government departments training was being provided. Did regularly.

(40:10):
So, how long were you in the darkness? So probably you probably would have been only about 18
months and I think because I think that's the changes started happening there. So
but I do remember being there. Like to remove it next door. I don't know why they showed
me. But next door was the big data processing center where they have the big computers.

(40:31):
Yeah, and so because you could hear this whirling sound and so me I think being nosy
just See to the guy who's going into that door is going what's in there? And he said, I'll come, I'll
show you because I think it must be. Do you miss on the door? So data management systems and it
was huge, these big huge machines computers. You only see these are the ones that process

(40:52):
all the data from the Census and and we just put stuff into them and they printed out on little cards
or just awesome. Yeah, and I was just like, wow, he [00:41:01] said and this is a big computer.
And I think, probably now probably no bigger than my laptop could do the same thing. That whole big room.
Actually. It's no bigger than our phone. Yeah, probably. Yeah, which is just,

(41:14):
but that was like, amazing. You could just see technology was just moving
forward and Leaps and Bounds. And then, so I end up being, I
think, like over the years, like 10 years in Australia and just moving forward, studying
got homesick and then came back to New Zealand and worked for what was, then

(41:35):
the employment service. And so, and then it was like, yet there is a computer
on your desk and it's yours, then you use it, and you do everything yourself, but old
dos systems, and blue screens, and all weird things, and they just
got bigger and better. Even smaller. They use big big, huge things on your desk, took up,

(41:56):
half your disk. Then you can back here. Was that about 1990 [00:42:01] 91
or about 91. I came back, then we just like new systems, would come in. And so all the sudden
things got looking more like, you know, your little boxes to fill out. You don't have to Tab and you
can use funny codes to move to different pages like time. I'm like by

(42:19):
d29 to get to this page or D to get To that page, you don't have to do commands.
He is, we had, we did have trainers at work and income that would come in and would
take had like, who knew probably like weird and things. So I think for you to
move and learn more, they did have workshops that you could go to, like, for a day

(42:41):
or half a day. So I think eventually that came and they just realize they had all this technology
people were using it to its full advantage. You know, they're do a basic leather, but it was hideous.
It looked ugly. No one you had a full met. Anything. And so I think they very
quickly, got trainers, and and employee trainers, and [00:43:01] had training. Like we

(43:02):
had a sweet. Probably have about six to eight computers, where they were then
teach people how to use the work and income system. And then you, if
you didn't know how to use word, or Excel, or emails, you could go in from and that book you into
other classes, but I think most of us, we just learned it as we, as we did, as we

(43:23):
read, even reflects. How technology changed over her working life and
how the younger generation see the typewriter today? Yeah, just fascinating. When you look back
now though the change and how quickly, you know, it was years. We had that
same typewriter, you know, school. It was the same and it was a manual typewriter. And then

(43:43):
all the sudden, you know that we would have liked to Electric typewriters that you could use
at the at the Polytechnic and then you got into your job and your head starts, the
golf ball and then different ones. Came in and the ribbons that you could just slot in you didn't have to feed
and through and oh, my goodness. [00:44:01] It was just amazing and they you know that technology

(44:03):
when we just within tight Riders change so quickly and then computers came and then they
just they just got smaller and smaller and smaller and I think I remember being on holidays
with my friends. Cousins children and we
wait to like pack and head old houses in it and it had a typewriter

(44:25):
and it had a plug-in switchboard and the girl win, who would have used that I went?
I did. I did my first job, my first couple jobs. I use that and
I use that typewriter and I'm horrified at sitting here, nearly a museum because I did,
it was a mile, you know, and my lifetime. I've, you know, they had all these different

(44:47):
typewriters and I said I've used And that one and that one, and that one. And she said how
it's just what you did. Now,
we hear from a representative [00:45:01] from the other side of the typing pool. Someone whose job depended
on the services of the typists pat. Sullivan had a 30-year career with New Zealand,

(45:10):
Police Rising through the ranks to become detective. Senior Sergeant with the CIB
before leaving the service. In 2001. Pat starts off this clip talking about the
pros and cons of the transition to handheld dictaphones. So dictaphone.
Can you talk about the difference between the short? Dictaphone that kind of change.

(45:31):
Yep. That I guess that probably would have been in the 80s as well. We we got the
personal. Well, when I say personal that was small don't you didn't have one each dick
defines where you could sit at your desk or even sit in the car and in
dictate and, and that was quite a, almost Revolution, I suppose, because it

(45:52):
just made that whole process. So more mobile and in in so more 24-hour because
the type of First obviously didn't have to be there, too. [00:46:01] So you could, you could dictate
pretty much a whole file. Some people are a lot better at it than others. So, I personally, I didn't like dictaphones
that much. I like to see things on paper. I like to see what I've said in,

(46:14):
think about that in terms of where I'm going next. Whereas once you've spoken it it's gone. And
so I was never that Keen on the dictaphones that principally I guess because I just wasn't all that confident
with them. Whereas some people were brilliant and I could just float away and In. So,
the dick defines work that bigger Revolution for me, what they were really useful for and didn't have

(46:36):
a lot to do with the typists was say, at the scene of a crime. For example, a few of the o.c. Seen
doing examination, being able to walk around, talk your observations into a machine and then come back and listen
to them later and type them out or have someone else. Type them out. That was a great thing. With dictaphones
mainframe computers, those large room size computation machines were introduced

(46:59):
into New Zealand and the 60s. [00:47:01] The first was an IBM 1620 installed
at the University of Canterbury in 1963 and in the Bank of New Zealand purchase. The country's
first commercial computer in 1966 by 1976,
the state Services Commission set up a database called the national law enforcement system

(47:20):
better known as the wanganui computer. It held information which could be accessed by
a New Zealand policed land transport, Safety Authority. Justice department, and it
was eventually closed in 2005. In this clip pet O'Sullivan
tells Rachel about how information was submitted to the wanganui computer in the early days

(47:42):
and whose job it was to ensure it was done correctly computers, you know, the
police were one of the first of the, you know, you'll remember the wanganui computer there. That was the,
the mess of Mainframe. That was really the first. I think the first government Department
that moved into a big centralized mainframe [00:48:01] system like that, and

(48:04):
From feeling early on, we pretty much all had access to that, but it wasn't typing.
As such it was it wasn't a word processor. It was just a database. If I remember
right in the early days, at least we couldn't input, but we could, all we could do, was in choir
put in a search to use name vehicle, registration numbers, Etc. This

(48:26):
is and then sit there and wait for the response. Where was the do we deal with
specific people who did that but not A typing pool /. Say no, they
were getting the information from from like we would take notes of whatever
of people's names, what we call turnovers, which were, we stop

(48:47):
someone in the street and get the details. And that sort of thing. That was all input by specific
clerks that did that work because they knew the system and so they were non-police non-sworn.
Mostly. I think they were [00:49:01] from memory year. Clerical people. Yeah. I
used your notebooks. Yes, they use a notebooks or you dictate it to them. Or

(49:10):
did you have to do this every soul nor? Did you do it? Every shift? Oh, you pretty much do it every shift, but they
were forms. You have to fill in as well. Which you do longhand. You don't have to talk. I see. So you possibly filled
in a form, which then we're to somebody and someone who wouldn't put it and then in someone up and down the country
cookies, look at exactly which, of course, has all changed now. Anyone can input and so on and

(49:31):
that's why the police for many years I've had An entire section called vetting and validation
which is supposedly charged with correcting. All the rubbish that's piled
into the systems by keyless and unqualified people. Rosemary

(49:52):
also had a 30-year career with the New Zealand. Police Service starting out in a typing pool in 1976,
taking a break to work in parliamentary services, [00:50:01] and for Telecom before returning as a relief,
shorthand, typist and Nelson in 1991. Rosemary tells Judith about
doing both shorthand and dictaphone typing before. Word processors changed, everything

(50:14):
for the better at the police, but also shorthand
and typing Oh, and that typing pool was very small. There's only three of us. Yes,
it was quite different to the tweenty you and the 40/40 that I started, the
others were a wee bit older than me. So they might have come through a different yes route and to

(50:37):
but they had a professional type Us in short hair all
have salt and and I think it was a police that computers
were first introduced. I'm sorry, that was back in the Telecom.
Word processors would president and Telecom. Yeah, with those

(50:58):
doctor Matrix printers that used to make such a [00:51:01] record. Hmm. So
there was quite life-changing. Actually, we process it. And yeah, it was just,
you know, fantastic thing. I'm too tired or if you made a mistake backspace and just
carry on. We did have training

(51:22):
today are weighing was the fuse system. I use it to Wellington
for a whole week to learn how to use it. Was a telecon. Big
was quite excited. It was always really exciting. Actually. I loved
it. Just all this new technology that is coming in. So by bit by the time they get

(51:44):
back to release his and you're working, relieving was it computers?
It was, there he is, that was computers. But here's police police that was computers,
dictaphone work out, a Dictaphone work, but [00:52:01] we still usually
still use shorthand as well at the time of interview in 2019, Rosemary

(52:07):
was an executive PA to a district commander and he or she catches Judith up on the latest
technology police. And now don't do their own typing. I have to say
it goes into the wind scribe system. So I talked us to pick all that up. So
police can use the telephone at this cell phones or landline

(52:29):
and set, dictate something and it goes into an electronic system called once cried.
So we have wi in. You see ibe?
Yeah. And so our across the whole bleep. Yep. Across the whole place. Our
police staff just Transcribe it from inscribe daily. So,

(52:54):
but before that, we used to have police sitting down at tightrope computers.
Banging out their own L. [00:53:01] Banging, these summaries of facts or whatever it is that
he's doing, and nobody else has raised them and scrubs and
it's great. Its interests in probably five or

(53:17):
six years ago. So, about 2014. Translationally
2014. I look at that today. All this beauty
of it is like a for police's out of the scene or something on the road. They can just
go to anyone scribe ahead. Yes, type in the code. What they are seeing straight

(53:42):
away and it goes into the system and then the typist can type it beautifully. So
they still in pools. Know, we've got some work groups. It's called
a file management center. Okay, so we've got three type. Well, actually.
So we've [00:54:01] got three dedicated typists. But anybody in the file management group

(54:06):
can pick up any of that website again, so the dedicated typists of the ones
that do the transcription of the DVDs and other specialized
typing, but the others pick up the ones who I am. And I do the ones. As well, so do
you okay? So that presumably the other in the process is like when the

(54:26):
materials that goes to court, assign, a debt, that must be much better guarantee. Quality is my
grandma is very interesting so that the typist will, you know, make
it make sense, really is whatever their hands. We
close out this episode by spotlighting, a unique interviewee Louise who started

(54:50):
her career in the mid-1970s as a data processor. For the GPO
Louise was part of a team known as automatic data processing, or ADP
[00:55:01] and to job consisted of punching cards to upload data, to a Mainframe computer. Moving
on, from the GPO Louise took the recommendation from a friend, to join the broadcasting computer

(55:12):
center as they had. Computers over here, the broadcasting computer center
required, specialized purpose-built systems, some of, which were developed locally.
And by today's standards Louise and her colleagues would be considered entry-level programmers.
There was jobs going over at broadcasting, you know, broadcasting computer center. So I applied

(55:35):
for a job over the year. We went I went and worked over there. That was 19, end of 1974.
We went on to a new system, we learned they brought in, it was cool. In for x and that was a great system. In fact, that would be
the best system. I worked on. I reckon. Well, it was you could program it to do
things your way so you could change it and you just it all came on. I think it was like a tape type

(55:57):
thing. I can't remember exactly now. But it was Kiki, do your stuff [00:56:01] like what is it was washing machine?
A machine. That was a keyboard. Like a, it was like a, it was like a keyboard
crowd that made him for X. It wasn't borrows. It was an outfit out in the Hut
and they I understand Retreat system. It was the next thing after the cards, and it was

(56:19):
fantastic because each person could program it to do the things. Like, if you wanted to Jeepers,
if you did a job and your head all these duplications, you could program it to copy the previous one. So
you didn't have to key it and it was all that sort of thing and everyone could everyone every different
machine could program the machine accordingly. And we did like all the all the TV advertising.

(56:40):
So we keyed all the TV advertising every day that had to be done before lunch every day. Day, and then
that was run through in the computer room. And then if there was any errors, they came back and they got
done saying that they were always, we're all everything was verified. Everything was
verified and we used to have broadcast and we have to do the election results. We worked

(57:00):
on clean the [00:57:01] election results and that was quite an interesting little little job. But first,
we did the first time, we did the first few times we did them in the office and we'll get the results and keep them all
in and they'd go into the computer center, Etc and run them through. Whatever. And then we worked
out a TV and said out at Avalon and the Studio's out there. We keep them all in

(57:21):
there. We got that quite a bit. So they would their structure of the confusion of the screen. Hmm. And
just to prove that a type of Love of the typewriter, Never Dies. We let Carolyn have the
last words of this episode about the impact of technology. Did you ever work
on an IBM? Golf ball? No, but I have one here. I own one. I

(57:44):
got nothing because my husband had bought them and love them so much when I was throwing them out, decided
to keep one, and I still have one, and I still have all the pots of golf balls that came with it. Well,
stock prices have spent decades, studying Dusty on back room shelves or [00:58:01] sent to the scrapyard.
There has been a recent Resurgence of Interest amongst a new generation, but listeners interested

(58:07):
in finding out more. I highly recommend watching the 2017 documentary, California
typewriter, which by the way features. The Boston typewriter Orchestra who kindly
permitted us to use their music for the closing credits. And for those of you with a more
activist leaning, search for the typewriter Insurgency Revolution, Manifesto

(58:29):
in the next episode, the public service and Woman's Work, we hear about what it was like to work
for the New Zealand Public Service. How the standards bureaucracy and culture shaped working
lives of many typists and then take a broader view of woman's work through the ear.
Has the key strokes per minute project was made

(58:49):
possible by funding support from the ministry of culture and Heritage and the Public Services Commission.
The listeners can find out more about the project by visiting websites dub, dub dub, dot story,
Collective .m. [00:59:01] Z the soundtrack was kindly provided by