Unedited interview with Cam Cummings on his life as a goldminer from the turn of the 19th century to the 1950s. He mined in Matakanui [Central Otago] and on the West Coast from 1907-1960.
He says Matakanui was originally called 'Drybread' or the 'Tinkers' and tells the story of how it got that name. He started gold panning at the age of seven, with his father selling any gold he found.
He went to WWI and then came back and worked on a gold dredge, but says he preferred alluvial mining. He says "gold is a fever that gets in your blood and you never lose it." He talks about a Chinese miner who struck it rich, named Loke Yeong [?] He was married to a European girl and made it rich overnight.
He says Matakanui was a rough place then. Mining was more exciting on the West Coast. He had a claim at Goat Hill near Marsden on Big River, which was good and he explains how he worked it for several years. He explains the sensation when he discovered gold in 1923 - a tingling in his fingers.
The only other miner near him was 'Sharky' Smith who had a claim at Gun Hill, where he found sharks teeth, 400 hundred feet above sea level and made a necklace for his daughter. He talks about the strong bonds between miners. They always met in the pub.
After his claim dried up, he went prospecting and describes how he discovered his big claim in 1932. He describes what the 'wash' looked like and how he knew it would be gold-bearing. He went home and sold everything and moved to his new claim, although his family stayed in Greymouth.
It took him three years to build a water-race for sluicing. His claim was assessed by the Mines Department at 2/8d a yard, which was a good claim. He was 'man-powered out' during the war and when he returned the claim had fallen into disrepair and his heart wasn't in that claim any more so walked off.
He left the Coast in 1946 and went brick-laying. He built a holiday home at Luggate and kept his hand in prospecting there. He tells the story of the Ross Nugget of 92 oz that was used as a door stop.
He talks about the miners he knew and warmly recalls Bill O'Brien and Bill Ryan who he learnt a lot from about gold prospecting and living in the bush. Davy Stewart, a great violinist, talker and remittance man, was one of the original founders of the Waiuta Mine, along with Tom Bannon, Jimmy Martin and Joe [Falla?]
He believes there is still plenty of gold in the hills of the West Coast. He says several big mining companies have tried to buy out his claim, but wouldn't sell as he wanted to get it out himself.
He recalls several times when food was short, and talks of hunting deer, goats and mountain trout and how he caught them (with gelignite.) He says he has only been to a doctor only twice in his life - and both times were due to accidents - not sickness. Loneliness never bothers him - he once went 3 months without seeing another man, although he did tame a wild cat for company.
He would scatter turnip seed, which grew quickly and he could eat the greens and the roots. He also ate wild watercress and a vine he calls 'gigi' which has a fruit that tastes like banana [banana passionfruit?].