Heartland - French Pass

Television (Full Length Episode) – 1994

Heartland host Gary McCormick visits French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds, where he attends the local sports day, and visits a couple who have lived on remote D'Urville Island for 46 years. Pat and Phil Aston met on the mainland, but have lived their whole married life on D'Urville. Phil helped her nine children study remotely through correspondence school, and Pat has done everything from fishing to putting up power lines. McCormick partakes in other local pastimes, from motocross to beach strolling to the sports day — the latter an eclectic mix of running races, children's games and battle reconstructions.

I’ve done everything. Put the power lines across in ’75, and I’ve done the mail run. I took on everything. Had a big family, I took on everything to make a bob.
– Local Pat Aston on living on a remote island with a big family