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On one of his rare trips to the eastern Bay of Plenty coast, Tikiatou “Sonny” Biddle met Jack Perkins and they talked about Biddle's life in the Matahi Valley, deep in the Urewera country.
Sonny explains how he and his grandfather would travel the roads, camping under canvas and sleeping on manuka leaves. His grandfather didn’t wear a watch, he just looked at the sun to tell the time of day. They lived off the land which was, back in those days, in rich condition and particularly good for growing watermelon and maize.
Sonny acknowledges the work he and his friend, Basil Tamiana from Ruatoki used to do which involved siphoning a poison called 245T has caused him headaches and sinus issues later in life. He will turn 60 in January and is not able to work well due to these side effects.
At home his wife lives in the house whilst Sonny prefers to live in the woolshed along with two of his grandsons. The shed has an open fire, they wash clothes by hand, he cooks meals for grandsons and for the last eight years they’ve had power. Sonny explains he has 37 grandchildren, eight of which live at home. He only moves into the house once a month to be with his wife.
Sonny describes his routine at the woolshed. He has a few sheep and cows. He’s asked if he has had any trouble with hunters to which he acknowledges the pig hunter’s dogs damage the sheep, once he lost 30 in a day and probably lost 400 in 20 years. Sonny explains he can’t really do much about it because they are his relations, he just has to apply to Inland revenue to get some money back.
He remembers how in the old days he would milk sixteen cows by hand to make forty-seven pounds a month but now, you’d need a hundred cows to make a living. Sonny says you also used to be able to make a living hunting venison, a dollar a pound of meat. He used to pig hunt with his koro, back then there was plenty of pork.
Sonny describes how they used to sleep on the ground in grass sacks, however on hunting trips now he sleeps on a stretcher and mattress and travels by horse pack. He still gets a little work from the Park cleaning tracks. He comments on the amount of dust that the 300 - 400 passing cars nowadays produces outside his home.
Sonny admits that there is crime up the valley but acknowledges this is due to a lack of work. In the old days, he explains, they used to run 24 guys, but as work dried up Black Power and the Mongrel Mob “all went to the pack”. Criminal activity includes breaking into vehicles, stealing from holiday makers and livestock.
Sonny says as a young man he would argue with his koro, pack his bag and disappear for a bit but always return. He loves the valley. They need to travel to the nearest town of Whakatane for the doctor or when it’s time to collect his pension.
Sonny remembers the time he was in hospital with gangrene in his leg and the doctors planned to cut it off. His koro came and dragged him home and treated the leg that was manunu (in pieces) with traditional remedies. He was out of school for nine months however he kept his leg.
Sonny describes other remedies his mother and koro would use like boiled flax roots for worms in the gut to karakia for melancholy. Sonny says he always says grace for kai, that karakia bolsters faith though sadly some karakia have disappeared with the old people.