Courtesy of Radio New Zealand - Thursday 11th March

Presenter (Wayne Mowat): Work has finished now on "Pearl, Florrie and the Bull", a ten minute hand-drawn, 2D, animated film using the voices of identical twins Pearl and Florrie from Paekakariki who tell their story of a bull attack just before their 80th birthdays back in 1996. Courtesy of Radio New Zealand - Thursday 11th March

Presenter (Wayne Mowat): Work has finished now on "Pearl, Florrie and the Bull", a ten minute hand-drawn, 2D, animated film using the voices of identical twins Pearl and Florrie from Paekakariki who tell their story of a bull attack just before their 80th birthdays back in 1996.Hello, Florrie.

Florrie: Hello.

Presenter: And hello Pearl.

Pearl: Hello.

Presenter: The bullfighters extraordinaire, welcome to my programme. Tell me what happened on that day in '96.

Florrie: We were out for a walk in the evening. It was a beautiful sky and we set off with our dog. My property joins to... onto a pony club so we have a gate through and we just are at liberty to use that paddock so we were out for our nightly walk and we went... We walk three paddocks usually and then when we came to the third one we said well, this view is so beautiful tonight with the sunset that we must go back to where we came from and go back that way instead of doing the circuit right round to our home. So off we went and back through the paddocks and admiring this beautiful, beautiful sunset and as we came up to the last paddock we got over the stile and started to walk along and up a little rise and just over the rise there was the bull standing right in our pathway.

Presenter: A large black bull?

Florrie: Well, he was a two-year-old or so..

Pearl: He was black but black and tan.

Presenter: Black and tan, okay.

Florrie: Yes, black and tan, yes, and he was just standing there so we stopped in our tracks and we decided we would... What would we do? Will we carry on or will we detour and go back? And we thought nah, we've seen that bull grow up from a calf and he's harmless so we thought we'll go on. But we forgot that he was two-years old. And so we came up and approached the bull and Pearl... I was walking behind her and as Pearl came up level to the bull she put out her hand and she patted him on the nose and she said you're a lovely boy, and I was coming behind and I said I don't think I would have done that.

Presenter: [laughter]

Florrie: And so she just marched on and carried on without a thought; thought just that I was following, which I was, and as I came right up level to the bull, out of the corner of my eye I saw him move and so I called out to Pearl. I said he's going to follow us but she didn't hear me. So I was just walking down. I think I thought I'd better get a move on because I didn't want him following me, and the next thing he came round the back of me and put his horns under my buttocks and then he ushered me down the track for 40 metres.

Presenter: Wow!

Florrie: And by that time I was getting that I couldn't run any faster, and of course the faster I went the faster he went until we... And then he tipped me over the edge of the bank and I went down over into the grass and I called out to Pearl and I said, Pearl, "This is getting serious", and so she just swung round and she saw the situation and she came tearing back and she made one grab for the bull's horns and she held onto them. So I scrambled up and got up to Pearl and took one of the horns and she had the other.

Presenter: You were still wrestling with the bull at this stage, Pearl?

Pearl: Yes, yeah, just starting.

Florrie: Yeah, so we just wrestled like this for 10 minutes, backwards and forwards. He was trying to get into our bodies with his horns but fortunately we had a heavy coat on and mine was at the top of my legs, Pearl's was down to her knees so she came off best as far as bruises were concerned. And I got black and blue from the ending of the coat to..[indistinct].

Presenter: I'm not surprised. What on earth made you Pearl, want to grab the bull by the horns so to say?

Pearl: I don't know, I don't know. I just thought well, I've got his horns, he can't get at me.

Presenter: But he did and you held on for 10 minutes, getting awfully tired by this time. What happened next?

Florrie: Then Pearl said to me, Florrie, do you think we'll get out of this? And I said oh, I never gave that a thought. And she said well you know.. You know, he's stronger than we are and he'll last longer than we can and we'll have to have help and she said you go. You've been on the ground more than I have and she said you go and get help and she said go for your life. And I said no, I'm not going to leave you with him on your own.

Presenter: So in the meantime you're having a bit of a row while you're hanging onto the bull's horns? [laughter].

Florrie: Yeah, yes, yes.

Pearl: Yes.

Florrie: So anyway, we argued backwards and forwards like that for some time and then finally she persuaded me to go so I made an effort and started to run and as soon as I started to run my legs collapsed under me and I went down onto the ground. I went to get up and my feet felt as... Very much like a strained foot. The ground felt like sponge rubber and I realised I couldn't run.

Presenter: Sure.

Florrie: So came back to Pearl and said well, I'm not going anywhere. I said you'll have to go and she said oh, I'm not leaving you, so back it went again and we argued like this for quite a wee while. And she said no I'm not, I said well I'm not going anywhere so you'll have to.

Presenter: So you did in the end, Pearl?

Pearl: I did in the end.

Presenter: And what happened?

Pearl: Well, she was at me to go and she swung round what I had said to her, she swung round and gave it back to me just as I'd given it to her about him being bigger than us and stronger than us and so on and we'd have to have help, that we would tire before he would. So I put that back to her and... Or she put it back to me, that's right...

Presenter: So you took off anyway?

Pearl: No, but not for a while because I argued good and proper because the last thing I wanted to do was to leave her because she had been on the ground so many times.

Presenter: And pretty injured at this stage?

Pearl: Yes, and so I said no, I can't go and all of a sudden she was at me, but you'll have to go. And a voice said to me as clear... I can still hear it, you've got to go. And I thought oh, where did that come from? But anyway she was at me. A second time this voice said you've got to go and I said no. I said I can't leave her, I can't leave her. She'll be dead when I get back and so anyway Florrie was still at me and then the third time this voice said you've got to go and that's when I accepted it, not wanting to but I had to and I realised that...

Presenter: You had to get out and get help.

Pearl: I had to go.

Presenter: Where did you find help?

Pearl: I ran along the path and I ran sobbing. I was literally hysterical because it had hit me; the severity of it had hit me; the fact of leaving her.

Presenter: The shock of it all, yes.

Pearl: Yes, and I was just running desperately and I just... All of a sudden I was sobbing and then I called out to God and I said please, please don't let Florrie be hurt while I'm gone. Keep her safe till I get back, and I was doing this all the way down to the... Till I came to the fence and then I tried to get through but I got stuck. But in the meantime Florrie had got a message to tell her what to do and this is what's so miraculous.

Presenter: What was it?

Florrie: It was just a few words and it said throw your chest over his face and of course she'd gone, I had both horns and I was desperately trying to hang on and so when this voice said that to me I just dropped my hands, put them round the back of his horns and grabbed him under the neck with both hands and there I was over his face.

Presenter: Where did... What do you think? Where did this voice come from?

Florrie: Well, I knew it wasn't anybody around because it was dark by then and so therefore I knew there was nobody around and a voice had to come from somewhere; it came from the air somewhere, I don't know but it told me clearly to throw my chest over his face.

Presenter: Amazing story. And in the meantime Pearl, you found help, did you?

Pearl: Yes, I got to the fence and got... Or tried to get through and got stuck and it was very tight wires and I couldn't go forward and I couldn't go back and I thought I've come for help, I cannot stay here. I've got to get help, and I put one mighty effort into forcing myself through that fence. I got through it; round the house; down and up to the house and banged on the door and these people came to the door. I didn't know who they were and they came to the door and they said whatever is the matter? And I said oh please, I said we want help and we want it fast and I said we've had a bull attacking us and I said my sister is up in the paddock with him now and we've got to have help and we've got to have it fast so... And then I looked round and I saw this young fellow and I said to him oh, please, would you come? And I saw the look on his face, he doesn't want to. I knew straight... I said don't worry, don't worry. I said if you can't come yourself, get help for us but I can't stop, i've got to go back to my sister.

Presenter: And then?

Pearl: And then I out and over the fence and up the hill and got into sight of her. There she was, over the bull's head.

Presenter: Hanging on?

Pearl: Hanging on and I thought, she's alive.

Presenter: And did help follow?

Pearl: Yep. He did come out.

Presenter: This young fellow?

Pearl: Yep, he came out and he got into view of where we were and he got a vision of what was happening and he thought... Suddenly realised... That that's when his adrenalin started and he just went to get a broom and... Back home to get a broom and then back up to us and Florrie... I got up there and ran to Florrie. When I got there I ran to Florrie and I said to her you get off and leave him to me, I'll take him over now, and so she was mighty glad to get off; she didn't need any second telling.

Presenter: Meantime you were injured pretty seriously, Florrie?

Florrie: Well, yes.

Presenter: Both of you were injured?

Florrie: Yes, obviously I had a broken arm and as I got off the bull's face I think that's when it had to happen, was that he... Releasing his face he just... Head came up and caught me in the face and broke a bone down there and up there.

Presenter: On your cheek and your forehead.

Florrie: Yeah.

Presenter: And the boy sort of got the bull away did he somehow?

Florrie and Pearl: Yes, yes.

Presenter: And you guys got... That's when you, that's when the ordeal was over. And it inspired film-makers, Phil and Geoff Simmonds, on reading the story back in '96, to do something about it. Is that what happened, Geoff?

Geoff Simmonds (film-maker): That's right. We were making a short film called "Paekakariki, Centre of the Universe" and we were interviewing a whole lot of people in Paekakariki about their stories and Pearl and Florrie, they were some of the people we interviewed. They told the story and we thought yep, this is the story we want to make a short film of, so "Paekakariki", that short film never quite got finished but it evolved into this.

Presenter: Which is called...?

Geoff Simmonds: Which is called "Florrie and the Bull".

Presenter: "Florrie and the Bull".

Simmonds: That's the one.

Presenter: And tell me Phil, how did you approach it? I mean this is a story of sisterly courage to the nth degree?

Phil Simmonds: Yes it is, it is, true. The twins have been really great to work with and it is a great story. The first thing we did was to go to Creative New Zealand and we put a proposal for funding and... From the Screen Innovation Production Fund and they agreed with us that it was, you know, a classic Kiwi story that should be told and then we... Well, the next stage was taking... Editing sound down because we had oh, I don't know, it was perhaps 10 minutes of the story, edited that down to about half of that; took a whole lot of digital photos for reference; starting drawing and so yeah, there was just hours and hours and many, many, many late, late nights at the lightbox.

Presenter: That's your studio isn't it, yeah?

Phil Simmonds: Yeah.

Presenter: So what's going to happen now? The premiere is to be held when?

Phil Simmonds: The premiere, the world premiere is actually the...

Florrie or Pearl: Ten minutes

Presenter: It's all right, it's a ten-minute film but that's fantastic.

Geoff Simmonds: Yep, we will show "Paekakariki, Centre of the Universe" as well and a few other bits and bobs at Lindale on the 20th of this month so yeah, and it will be a bit of a party. We have the band that will be playing because we've done our own music for it as well.

Presenter: And will you have the young man who saved the day there? Neil Johnston is his name.

Geoff Simmonds: Neil Johnston, yes, he'll be there, he will be there. And the twins are going to turn up in a Model T Ford and yeah, so it should be great.

Presenter: So Florrie and Pearl, film stars? You're famous, you're film stars.

[twin sisters laugh]

Presenter: Does El Cordobes know about your bull-fighting exploits? He should.

Pearl or Florrie: I suppose so [laughter]

Phil Simmonds: I hope he does actually, if he listens to your show.

Presenter: I hope he does. Well, what a delight and may you have a wonderful evening at the world premiere "Pearl, Florrie and the Bull". Film-makers Phil and Geoff Simmonds have done it in what they call documation isn't it? It's a documation style; animated and sort of unrehearsed?

Geoff Simmonds: Yes, yep.

Presenter: And unscripted audio, that's what we've just had today from the twins.

Phil Simmonds: That's right.

[all say thank you]

Presenter: Thanks a lot. The premiere will be at the Lindale Tourist Centre, March the 20th, and then another showing in Wellington on April the 20th too for those interested in that incredible story.

These excerpts are from a National Radio programme supplied by Replay Radio, RNZ Ltd. If you would like to order a copy of this programme, please call 0800 REPLAY (737 529).