Harold Stanley Young 1924-

The Second World War was in full flight by the end of his first year at home. His older brother Owen was drafted into Military Camp for training and so Harold remained farming until Owen came home from serving in the Solomon Islands in battle against the Japanese forces who had invaded that area.

By this time, Harold had completed a 'pre-entry' correspondence course for the Royal NZ Air Force and was subsequently called in for training in early 1945, the year the war finished. He had completed an eight week course in Harewood Air Base and then moved on to a base in Nelson for further training, until D-day, when the war ended, with great celebrations held throughout the country.

Harold was given three options - to complete the course he was on, to continue into permanent service or immediate release. He chose the latter, having met previously the girl of his dreams, Alma May Erskine, who was later to become his wife. Before then, he progressed to his first love, that of the hammer and nails of the 'building trade', a career he had always wished to pursue since school.

His first employment was with an Invercargill builder, who started him on a senior apprenticeship, which saw him often working the hours of 2 weeks into 1 and living in boarding houses, where he often had to miss meals because of starting early and working long hours.

Those were the days in which you would have to work 8 weeks on basic wages to buy a pair of working boots, but he was lucky there was work aplenty, with 5 years of war having halted progress in all areas.

He can well remember at one stage of his apprenticeship, paying 35 shillings for board and he was earning 2 pounds, which earned a tax take of 2 shillings and sixpence in every pound.

When he was not working too much overtime for his employer, Harold had many contacts which led him to undertake small repair or alternation work in the evenings or at weekends, so he could save for the future. He was all the time keeping in contact with Alma, who had also moved to Invercargill and found work there, about the same time as he had.

While still in apprenticeship, he became engaged to Alma and also found sufficient finance to place a deposit on a 6 acre block of land on the outskirts of Invercargill The couple married on 3 December 1948 and built their first home there, after two of years marriage.

With the experience of working for 3 different builders and an urge to succeed in his trade, Harold accepted an offer from his Uncle Harry (H.S. Young Ltd) to build a commercial glasshouse at his nursery and a new home for his retirement at Otatara.

From that stage onwards Harold never looked back in the trade, building new homes for his brother Owen and Uncle Tom Young on his retirement to Invercargill.

Today Harold and Alma live in their third new home. Now retired, they have plans to construct their dream home. They have three children - Peter Malcolm was born on 18 February 1962, Angi Louisa was born on 27 September 1963 and Rhonda Shiryl was born on 15 June 1967.

With forty-two years of marriage behind them, Harold and Alma are both in good health. Harold says that Alma is the best apprentice that he has trained yet, being good at mixng concrete, keeping up supplies and paying his bills.

They live at 123 Walker Street, Riverton.

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