| Description | Tape 1 Side A HELEN MILNE DAVIDSON born 15 May 1930 Aberdeen. 5th of 7 children, one died. Moved to Torry when 2, then Polwarth Road in 1939. Explains overcrowding in house with relatives. Father a fisherman, cook. He later worked in prison, died aged 52. Mentions wartime bombing of Aberdeen trawlers. Went to Victoria Road, then Walker Road schools. Memories of schooldays. Went to Torry Academy. Mother's attitude to education. Left school at 14, joined solicitors' office. Details of work routine. Went to night school, studied accountancy, got RSA exams. Describes parents. Recalls brother's escapades. Close family. Church was important. Father liked a pint. When father died mother worked in a cafe. Maternal grandmother illiterate, had 13 children. Details. Reference to People's Friend magazine. Some of family went to Canada during Depression. Attitude to coloured people there. Recollections of grandparents. Changes to Torry when the oil came, cottages knocked down, replaced by storage tanks. Feelings about this. Changes needed for progress. Explains difference between Old Torry, fishing area, New Torry, posh area. Mother worked in wood yards making fish boxes. Sister made nets. Childhood memories of Torry, going to church. Few new houses in Torry. Details about law office. Move to Aberdeen Motors (1946-55) to do bookkeeping. Details. Employers' attitude to married women. Recalls Aberdeen before the oil. Details re wages, social life. Parents strict. Wanted to travel. Meeting with husband Norman Davidson. Moved to present house 1954, been there since. Norman worked in fish market. Familiar with fish because of father's experience. Details. Norman had a pick-up truck, unusual in community.
Tape 1 Side B Recalls Norman bringing people home for lunch at short notice. Difficult economic times. Norman went to Yarmouth 3 months a year. Effects of this on family. Took family holidays. Details. Own children's education. Background to going back to work part-time at Aberdeen Motors (1967). Details of duties. Company taken over 1971-2. Impact on own job. Enjoyed accountancy. Son a chartered accountant. No opportunity for university. Negative attitude of great aunt to education for girls. Help in home from family when working. First sign of oil industry was seismographic ships. Describes them. Recalls birthday visit to one. Norman was agent for Heerema, invited to join them. Details re Salvesens, Norman's long work hours. He didn't have much to do with bringing up the children. Explains. Own reaction about this situation. Details re Salvesens. Norman moved to Heerema, replaced by 3 people. Oil was all about money. People changed. Aberdeen spoiled by oil. Explains. People in Torry not used to a lot of money, cars. Details re Norman's salary etc. Recalls living conditions when bringing up children. Changes to house. Reason for going back to work - to educate children. Details re their work. Explains negative reaction of Aberdonians to arrival of Americans. Own experience more positive. Met Americans at social events, barbecues. Heerema office opened bar on Friday. Enjoyed Dutch people, went to Holland. Didn't know people were American till they spoke. Effect of oil industry on Torry. Example of one Torry person's experience. Effect of industry on house values. Details re own home situation.
Tape 2 Side A Competitiveness among oil companies to make an impression in Aberdeen. Oil people were down to earth. Example of local social climber. Most people saw oil situation as a chance to better themselves. Explains housing situation in Torry. Most Americans lived in West End of Aberdeen or in the country. Dutch, American personnel had everything paid by company. Changes to shopping patterns. Recalls old firms, loss of Aberdeen's character. West End people phoned in orders to shops. Before the oil, hard to get work in Aberdeen. Effect on marriages of absence of spouses through work. Attitude of Americans to spending etc. Oil brought people to Aberdeen. Pressure sometimes bad on home life. Example of a Christmas Day, Norman called away because of an accident offshore. Explains arrangement with Norman re looking after children. Feelings about impact of oil on family. Phone never stopped. Asked by Norman to help with business. Details. Norman's reputation for reliability. He is a workaholic. Gives examples. Recalls summer trips in pickup, driven and collected by Norman who would not stay. Details. Effects of big spending oil workers. Oil brought disaster as far as marriage concerned. Effects of oil on local prices. Everything changed. Effects of changes on ordinary people not connected with oil. More social life associated with oil than with fishing. Details. Incomer oil people acted easy-come easy-go with money. People milked the oil companies. Own family had known hard times. Recalls own careful financial upbringing, attitude to spending, saving, bringing up children to respect money.
Tape 2 Side B Stayed at home for 11 years with children before returning to office. Big changes to patterns of bringing up children. Became mother figure in office. Example of role. More changes when oil came, crime etc. Mentions effect of television. Increase in people in debt. Importance of family control when children growing up. Nephew worked offshore, his wife had lonely life. Explains their economic situation. Recalls following monthly budget routine, working with trusted friend who was paid weekly. Nowadays you're a unit on your own. Lot of jealousy in oil trade. Recalls home when first arrived, saving for furnishings. Effect of credit cards. Feelings about pensions, current medical services. Since oil came people able to buy friends. Explains. Salaries of non-oil people did not go up. Torry did not change much when oil came. Own quality of life improved with the oil, better holidays. Details of overseas trips. Sometimes Norman didn't take holidays, a workaholic. Recalls Norman's retirement. Surprised that he didn't go back to office. Details re keep fit classes. Change in lifestyle. Mentions getting cancer, involvement in charity collections, flower funds etc. Mentions knitting hobby. Recalls, during Norman's hernia operation, his continuing with work, being asked to help. He was a taskmaster at work. Recalls way he spoke to people, his helping people. Comments on marriage, current situation, changes in Norman since his illness. Mentions name of own grandmother, names of children, their spouses, grandchildren, ages, jobs etc. Granddaughter Caroline swimming for West of Scotland. Reference to Alec Jappy, fishing boat skipper. |