Eric Claude Whittington
Some early recollections of his early life from eldest Brother Keith.
He grew up living with his parents & siblings at 32 Bexley Road adjacent to the River Avon. Was educated at the New Brighton Primary School where he did excel at playing Rugby for the School team. Was nominated & played in the final trial held at Lancaster Park for the selection of a Canterbury Schoolboys Representative side.
At the southern end of Bexley Road, about a half a mile from where we lived the local New Brighton Motor Cycle Club had established a dirt track where the held their races. The local kids were attracted to this track when it was not being used & on their old made up bicycles soon began organising their own races. Eric was one of the top riders & his photograph appeared once in the NZ Motor Cycle Magazine with him in the lead during one of their races that was held before one of the Motor Cycle meets. (Did have a copy of this magazine at the time. Think it was about 1948)
Eric left Primary school after attaining the age of 15 years to find work. At this time the Aranui Motor Cycle Speedway was in the final stages of construction & opened that year 1949. A neighbour Bill White was the Track Maintenance Manager & it was he that obtained Eric his first job as a maintenance worker. The Speedway was located beyond the rear of where we lived, but the main entrance was from Rowan Avenue. The Speedway only operated in the summer months so Eric moved on.
Then he went to work on a farm at Allandale near Governors Bay on Banks Peninsular. Can remember going over with Mum & Dad to Allandale to pick him up when he finished there, as we took him to the Inter Island Ferry where he sailed for Wellington & going on to his new job at a farm at Hunterville. Not sure how long he stayed there but the next move was to Matapu near Eltham in Taranaki. Uncle Ron BOUNDY had arranged a position on the Dairy Farm owned by Roly HENRY. Roly was a cousin of Uncle Ron & of course our Mother.
The Compulsory Military Training Act was passed in Parliament in 1949 & that required all male youths who attained the age of 18 years to register for Military Training. Eric served his initial Training of 14 weeks at Waiouru in the Army. Then was placed in the Territorial Reserve, which entailed some weekend camps & one annual camp each year for the following five years
10th May 2004
The Family, 1970
Tony, Eric, David, Keith, Joy, David Culverhouse, Christine, Peter, Denis,
Maurice, Mother (Elsie May nee BOUNDY)
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