A three part programme on the Whekenui Whaling Station in the Marlborough Sounds recorded in 1955 following a record whaling season in 1954. Actuality recordings capture members of the Perano and Hebberly families, who’ve been whaling since the 1880s. [Commentator throughout is believed to be David Kohn of 2YA].
(00:00:00-00:10:34) Part I. Gil Perano the head of the whaling station company, talks about the role of the whale lookout and going out to hunt the whale during the season from May to August. The whales are spotted in Tory Channel, coming in from the east before they head up the coast towards Norfolk Island. Most are generally humpback, though occasionally there are sperm whales. Three vessels are used to chase the whale, the Cachelot, the Narwhal and also the Tuatea, the latter acting as a mothership to tow the captured whale. Gil calls up the Tuatea via radio telephone and is heard talking to its captain, his cousin Charlie Perano, once a whale is spotted. Charlie explains the Tuatea's role during the chase. The chasers have a harpoon, harpoon bomb (to kill the whale) and an airline (to pump up the whale once killed to prevent it sinking). Mr Charlie Heberly describes how the modern harpoon gun operates.
(00:10:34-00:20:58) Part II. Commentary on board the chaser as they wait for the whale to surface for air before moving in closer. When close enough, the chasers fire the harpoons and once hit, the whale runs free, until it tires and allows the harpoon line to be drawn in. A harpoon bomb is released to finally kill the whale and tail up, it is winched part way out of the water and towed by the Tuatea back to the factory plant. Whales less than 35 feet long are not killed but tagged with a dart, numbered by Discovery, Admiralty, London. Back at the factory, the dead whale's features are described. The factory plant which the commentator compares to an elephant’s graveyard can process up to four whales a day, about 6 tonnes from each whale, extracting 1,000 tonnes of oil in one season and the Tory Channel employs seven people all year round, twenty-five in the season. Aussie Huntly [?], the leading hand, describes the butchering process.The whale meat is used for dog food.
(00:20:59-00:29:18) Part III. Aussie Huntly describes how the whale is cut up, processed and extracted. The reporter describes the scene as workers carve up the whale's body with knives, wading in two to three inches of blood and the sound of the winch dragging the rib cage to the ‘digester’ where the oil can be extracted. Ted Huntly explains how the whale bones are carved down so they can be boiled in a vat to create manure and oil. Mr Pannett, a representative from an Auckland company is interviewed about the process of transferring these bones to Auckland to be made into bone dust and used in Pukekohe market gardens. The engineer, Cairo Huntly describes the process of how the blubber and fat are cooked in the 'Cavanah', a new digester from Norway. The oil is siphoned off and stored in drums to be sent to Australia, New Zealand and Rotterdam. The oil is used for margarine, leather and rope making and explosives.