A part of Glenside’s history

By Frank Neill

An interesting addition to Glenside’s rich history has just been added to the Glenside website.

It is the story of Roy Slack, who lived alone in a little cottage in Glenside from 1960 to 1963 – a cottage that is listed on the Wellington City Council District Plan as an historic building.

“In 1960 I started a degree at Victoria University, Wellington,” Roy says.

“You could do the degree part time but I was granted a final year bursary. My degree was in political science and economics with English as a supporting subject.”

That same year he met Cecil Mason.

“He wanted someone to cut gorse for him and plant pine trees on his farm at Glenside, so I took the job on with about half a dozen others,” Roy says.

Mr Mason owned the cottage at Glenside and it was empty, so Roy ended up living there along with another young man –Robin Caro.

“I don’t remember much about our life here. I was the cook, but not very good. I probably only cooked sausages and mince. I probably ate many of my meals in the Student Union Building at Victoria University where I was studying part-time for my BA and later my BCA in Public Administration,” he says.

“I stayed in the house for the best part of a year. Near the end of the University year I caught chicken pox and a friend offered me a place in their flat closer to town to convalesce to save my energy and reduce travel time getting up early and cycling to catch the train.

“The flat was in Kelburn, near the cable car and handy to University. I wasn’t well enough to come back to the house for some time, but I did return at a later time and lived there on my own,” Roy says.

“I wasn’t lonely living there as a young man on my own. It wasn’t challenging and it was a great place to live.”

The post about Roy is at https://www. glenside.org.nz/slack-1960-1963.html.