Wally's tales

Do you think that the cell phone companies have given up erecting new towers? Just because there is no longer any clamour against building them. Think again, their coverage as time goes on, just gets better, and better, so they must carrying on with their programme of erecting towers to get this coverage. Well what have they done? For a start, they have become a little more subtle and devious. In the City daily, I see signs of them being hidden away even in street light poles. And anything that is sticking into the air and has a suspicious bulge in it, ten to one it will mask a cell phone tower. Overseas, they are being disguised as palms and trees, and all manner of things that we are used to seeing daily, and doesn’t raise suspicions. This hides the fact that there is a Cell tower concealed in all manner of things. Should they get found out, they just shrug off their deed, and say, they were only trying to beautify the installation. In one way I suppose we are lucky to have these self imposed guardians who do the complaining for us. But in my opinion they always go too far, and only a couple, providing they are vocal enough, can stop all manner of things which could be for public good. Such as fluoridation of our water supply. I remember a long time ago when Port Chalmers was considering fluoridation. A very small minority mounted a campaign to prevent it, and they did just that, and stopped fluoridation in it’s tracks. We for one family really wanted the fluoridation to proceed, but knew it was never going to happen. So we went out and obtained tablets from the Chemist to make up one of the many missing trace elements, that we are unfortunately lacking in New Zealand. The lack of this element caused most of our Nation’s population to lose all their teeth by the time they were twenty years of age. Or the many campaigns the medical people mounted to eradicate many diseases; say with mass inoculations of the population. Some will always see harm in this, and everything else since their relations, the ‘Luddites’ first arrived on the scene.

Cell phones themselves even came under severe attack, they were said to be the prime cause of brain cancers, tumours. If you think about it, there is no need really to have the phone pressed against your ear. An ear piece which is allowed and if used will remove the perceived danger. I notice no one doing this, although most phones provide this facility. There is no end of the functions today’s phone is able to support. Now they can take a photo, and transmit same. Tell the time, give Internet access, TXT messages, send Emails, act as a radio, some even have GPS ability, and of course it can act as a phone. So long as you have your phone turned on it will receive messages, and if you don’t, your mail box will store them. When turned on it is also silently tracking you, whether you are walking, riding in a car, or flying in an air craft.

I do, so help me, see harm with the amount of noise the young folk subject themselves too. Currently, it is considered real smart to play any appliance or sound system at full blast. There is a real danger in this. On one occasion Laura and I were forced to leave a function because of excessive noise levels. The people in charge wouldn’t turn the amplified noise level down, in our opinion it was so loud that it was offensive, so we just up and left. Maybe the smart thing to do today is to go out and invest in the ‘Hearing Aid Business’ because in the future that’s where the money will be. Many of today’s young people in the future are going to be deaf. In traffic while stopped at the lights I have at times been able to hear a base thump, thump, from an adjoining vehicle which is so loud, it beggars belief, only the base notes are apparent and coming from it’s sound system. So loud that one would think that it would be possible to observe the car’s body actually moving in sympathy. I have been told that I would be eligible for a pension as many of my fellow fliers have been deafened with Aircraft engine noise. I don’t think personally qualify, sometimes it’s very handy to be just a little deaf. As Granny once said. ‘There’s none so deaf than those who don’t wish to hear’.

We do have another source of youth noise, and that’s from our so called ‘Boy Racers’. The police and council seem unable to do much about it. It’s back to the old ‘saw’, They have their rights and everyone is ‘pussy footing’ around to protect these clowns, who with their mates the taggers, seem to be hell bent in destroying our way of life. While the police are busy rushing to the site of their latest outrage, they have already arranged another meet via their cell phone flash messaging ability.

This past weekend I was returning from visiting Laura at ‘Wesley Care’ a Methodist hospital situated over in the Northlands area of Christchurch. If you didn’t already know this, it’s where Laura is currently a patient. When everyone who worked at Princes Margaret Hospital, had returned from their Christmas leave, they decided that they had taken Laura’s treatment as far as they were prepared to work on her, it was now time for her to go and seek somewhere where she could receive 24 hour care. We did this, and she was found a room at Wesley Care Hospital

On Sunday after visiting her. It was about 5-00pm, and there was some light rain falling as I left the Hospital. On looking around I could see nothing but towering Classic Cumulus Nimbus Clouds. Bad weather had been forecast, but in reality what I saw looked very ominous indeed, the sky was getting blacker and blacker by the minute. I could also see many lightening flashes coming from the clouds. This is another bad sign, and normally a precursor to heavy rain and hail. What happened to me next, was an under statement.

I had been wondering if I would make it home before the bad weather really got under way. Rain we badly needed but only when it’s the gentle kind, and means only a damping down. Heavy rain the kind you can get from CN clouds generally means, heavy rain that can come bucketing down and cause flash flooding and really serious bad weather. That was exactly what I ran into in when crossing the Center City. Waist deep water at intersections all in a matter of minutes. This caught many motorists unawares as one by one their cars ‘puttered’ to a stop in the deluge. Nobody it seems, had told them that the water on roads is the deepest alongside the gutters, and the shallowest part is on the crown which I clung to. Add to this situation, several dozen clowns that I encountered in their SUV’s driving around at high speed making huge bow waves. Behaving just like kids in their paddling pools. The authorities who arrived on the scene quickly, they were busy diverting cars to alternative streets, away from the deepest water. This only kept moving me further and further from where I wanted to go. I finally made Cashmere Hill to find sheets of water cascading down the roads and rafts of hail on the road side. I have no idea how much water dropped on the area in under an hour, but it must have been a couple of inches or more.

Laura and I had a similar experience that very nearly cost us our lives a few year back. We had been returning from Wanaka where we had been to attend a Bank Dinner. A hot dry day, we were driving along in the dusk, not a care in the world having enjoyed a great day out. That was until we reached Lowburn. A cloud burst up in the Mountains miles from we were, and several thousand feet above us as was about to change all that. It had sent down a huge wave of water and slurry which I drove into, unaware of it’s presence until I was it the middle of it. It was so thick and deep that our headlights couldn’t shine through, as it actually covered them. You could say I was up to my neck in trouble before I realised what was going on. It surprised me as it wasn’t even raining where we were. Laura didn’t help when she said, ‘There are trees going past my window’. We were being swept relentlessly towards the river, which was not far away, then the engine cut out. I said, ‘I have one more trick to try’, and I turned on the key which controlled the starter. This kept the car moving again albeit slowly, and hopping like a rabbit from time to time when the engine occasionally fired. I could also see the tail lights of a car who had also struggled through earlier, parked at the side of the road and it’s occupants were now watching our progress. I aimed for their tail lights and safety. The driver greeted us with the words when we struggled clear, ‘I thought you were going to be swept down the river, you were very lucky.’ We thought so too, but our number wasn’t up that day.

I was lucky on another occasion when out in the family’s dinghy off Purakanui with brother David and Tony Trotter. The sea was as calm as a mill pond and we were out at sea and ‘puttering’ along side the point with the cliffs towering above us, looking at the wild life perched there. I heard a strange whispering sound, and looking out to sea I was horrified to see a huge wave heading our way curling and preparing to break. Had it broken before it reached us, we would have been swept onto the nearby rocks and the boat turned into matchwood. I immediately turned on full throttle and headed for the wave and deeper water. We arrived there before the wave broke, the boat stood on it’s end when we met. Once over the top and surfing down the other side which seemed just as steep as the waves front, we half filled with water, but we had escaped. I once attended a course on boating where the lecturer in response to a question, said, There was no such thing as a rogue wave.

I thought, ‘Little do you know’. As far as we are concerned they do exist. Let your guard down and they can be deadly.

The other day a truck from the local council dropped off another wheelie trolley. It’s a large trolley too, being part of the new garbage salvage system that’s being implemented here, and in most other parts of our City. It’s all part of a rubbish salvage scheme that the city is entering into in grand way. A huge specialist sorting building and machinery have been constructed. Unfortunately it would seem they may have left their entry into this up market salvage campaign a little late. Possibly the produce from the multi million sorting machinery will have to be stock piled or dumped. The market to where we once sold our recovered plastic and metals has collapsed. Further to our recovery of material, Bunnings the Building Supply Store, have stopped giving out plastic bags. I suppose it’s a reaction to the plaintive cries of the do gooders, who never stop trying to save the planet, then push their kids in their gas gobbling vehicles, and drive them to school. Sometimes I wonder if today’s kids actually have legs. The absence of plastic bags for me is damned inconvenient, some merchants will give you an empty box, which only ends up cluttering the garage at home. We require a supply of plastic bags at home for our own rubbish recycling.

Well what ever happens now is going to be interesting, the market for all recycled material seems to be going, or gone. Recycled aluminium cans used to bring in up to $200 a ton. Today’s price I’m told, is only $10, when freight is factored in. At this price it’s no longer worth the effort. People in some countries in the past actually made their living by picking up cans. I noticed in India, a Bar where we were drinking a beer, wouldn’t let us depart from the bar with the ‘left over’ can to finish out in the street. China has been until recently in the market buying recycled metal and paper. They until recently had been a main player, but have announced that shortly they will be self sufficient in this area, sadly no longer interested in buying product overseas.

Thieves too will be having a hard time. Nothing was sacred here when salvaged metal prices went sky high. They stole and plundered copper and lead off Church roofs. Copper guttering and down pipes from domestic homes, metal names and dedications were chiselled off tombstones, manhole covers lifted from roads, in fact, nothing was safe from these villains.

May I add more to the current financial upheaval, someone once asked me what did I think of investing in Wine? This was about two to three years ago. My reply was that even back then, I could see signs of an ‘over supply’. People everywhere were then scrambling to get into this latest stairway to financial riches. All in the know were busy buying blocks and planting vines. I replied, it would not be an area that I would want to put my money into. I also remembered three years back when we had dined at a Winery Restaurant, just out of Fremantle. I was talking to the owner, when he told me he had three years supply of wine on the property that he couldn’t shift. He had a one season’s crop in bottles, another year in the vats, and yet a further crop unpicked on the vines. Once, he declared until recently he could sell the crop on the vines for $2000 to $3000 a ton, but with the Australian over supply, the best he could do was a pitiful $200. This is further reinforced by what is going on currently here and reflected in our Super Markets where you are greeted in their discount alley as you enter, huge stacks of Australian wine. All selling for $5 to $6 a bottle. This please note is not rubbish wine but good product, I know the Australian grower can’t be making a large or any profit at these prices. This naturally is also effecting the sale of our local product. Sure loyalty is strong, but price speaks louder. I also know a lot of New Zealand wineries are already in financial trouble as well. It’s common knowledge that some are finding that paying their bills a problem. We could be in for interesting ‘shakeout’ in wine. We should be used to these boom and bust scenarios. We have gone through many, do you remember?

Ostrich Farming,

Black Currents,

Gooseberries,

Dairy Beef,

Grass seeds,

Mohair Goats,

Fitch or Ferret Farming,

There must be many others that I have missed. All those many dreams that have crashed and burnt.

As promised, I will now resume my story of my initial War Time Journey to North America, and our Service Flying Station in Canada. Our visit to Los Angeles could have been better, we were very much disadvantaged in that no one had any American money, or for that matter any money at all that anyone would recognise. No one it would seem, had given this small matter any thought. This meant we were, ‘On the Town’ and reduced to looking for anything and everything that was free. Fortunately for us during War Time, there were a lot of facilities available and free, catering for troops, such as the USO and other allied organisations. These even went as far as supplying a bunk at night to doss down in. For hospitality the Americans were simply wonderful, very generous with food and tickets to events. One problem that we had to contend with, was that we ‘talked’ funny. No one even knew where New Zealand was, or where we came from. The ‘Zealand’ bit had them ‘Foxed’, they placed us from somewhere in Scandinavia. Unfortunately by the time we had come to grips with what we could get from the entertainment system and exploit it, it was time for all to Marshall at the Rail Road Station, and move on.

Their Rail system was fascinating, the gauge of the rails was very large by our standards, even the rails seemed double in height to what we were used to back home, but when you considered the weight of the Locomotives they employed to haul their trains, that was what was required. We travelled in ‘Pullman’ cars, the height of luxury at the time. This meant at night your double seats were turned into beds, stacked two high. Privacy was taken into account by a curtain screen. You required this degree of comfort, as your journey could take four to five days. I understood that on some trains there were also ‘Day Coaches’ and in this ‘Class’ you slept where you sat, much like the over night express trains back home. It would seem in our War Time travels we were to experience many modes and degrees of accommodation. This ranged from the very basic bunks in the dark hold of a ship, to the very swept up. I think Forrest Gump put it very well when he said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get’. A dining car was attached to our train, very posh, even down to a linen and silver service. Here we ran into another problem. We still had no money, and to pay for our food we were given coupons, which turned out to be the minimum for any meal. Our appetites were larger that what the Rail Company regarded as a normal serving. After one small meal I did an ‘Oliver Twiss’ and asked for a ‘Return’. The waiter said he couldn’t comply, but if I wasn’t satisfied, go and ask the Chef for more. I did just that. and when I approached him, he saw my shoulder flashes, and inquired what part of NZ did I come from. I replied, ‘Somewhere you will have never heard of, Port Chalmers’. He replied, ‘I know it well, having been a cook on the New Zealand run’. ‘What is your name’? As he persisted with his questioning. I replied, ‘Really, my name wouldn’t mean much to you, but my Grandfather was Duncan Mackenzie who owned the Provincial Hotel’. Sometimes, it’s much better to have generous relatives who have helped many seamen down on their luck, than cash. From then on the food situation was taken care of. I’m of the opinion no matter where you go in this world, things keep on cropping up, proving to you just how small the world actually is. Another time I was in Cape Town in a South African Customs Office, trying to claim back some VAT when I met another woman doing the same thing, she said, ‘I can’t remember when I arrived here’, I told her just copy my form we arrived together. She exclaimed, ‘You are a New Zealander, where do you come from?’ It turned out she was Mrs Parsons who owned the New Orlean’s Hotel, Arrowtown, and soon we discovered, we had many mutual friends. At one timeI actually ran an agency out in Arrowtown once a week.

I’m sure we all enjoyed our trip through the Rockies, the scenery was really spectacular. The one thing that was brought home to us was the sheer size of North America. All too soon we arrived at our destination, Edmonton. My memory of this place was, that it’s one of the coldest places in the world. It’s the only place in the world where I have lived that you even planned your journey before you stepped out doors.

My first cruise was across the Pacific was on a swept up cruise liner. It presented a perfect picture when I first saw it, fully decked out in it’s Companies livery, painted white and grey, but unfortunately for passengers on this voyage, this was War Time and only minimal services were being offered. This was a far cry from the what today’s passengers expect and get. I had just completed my elementary flying course only three days earlier, and was being sent to North America to complete the rest of my training, and to gain my ‘Wings’. This was the transport being offered.

Luxury Cabins had been gutted and fitted out with tiers of steel pipe bunks, but they didn’t stop there. Further tiers of steel bunks were fitted to the open decks, and by open, I mean open to all the elements, fine in the tropics in good weather, but not so good on bad days. Passengers on days when there was cold winds off the sea, just didn’t walk the decks, we had no choice because that’s where we lived. This was to be our home for the next few weeks. We did have a roof over our head, and one side gave a wonderful uninterrupted view of the sea, a little exposed. There were thousands of troops on board, all going somewhere. So there was a huge strain on all amenities, to the extent that all water taps were under armed guard. You could drink at the fountain, but not remove any water. One group that stood out was General Chennaught’s ‘Flying Tigers’. They all were wearing the distinctive jackets with a large patch covered in Chinese writing explaining who they were, should they get shot down.

Meals were restricted to two a day on twelve hour roster, served deep in the bowels of the ship. There was plenty of food, but serving it out would have been hard, and with these conditions, the crew employed there were far from happy with their conditions. That they were working under, when taking into account, the steamy hot and muggy atmosphere. This had turned the food handlers into a team of Malcontents who seemed to delight in making life for others as difficult as they could. Meals were served to us on pressed stainless steel plates/trays each with about six indentations designed to try and keep the dessert and stew apart This was also achieved by some dexterity and skill and skilful movements. Not helped at all by the catering staff who seemed to delight slapping down the sloppy food just anywhere, and more often than not, splashing you as well. As there was no way of washing your clothes, this action was not welcomed by us at all. They were politely requested to be a little more careful. Their reply to this, was to be even more aggressive and provocative in their doling out. This turned out to be a big mistake. It angered one young Airman who could handle himself in a fight, he had had enough after being splashed yet again. He flung his plate food and all at the offender then king hit him knocking him out, and sprawling amongst the food containers. That was a signal for everyone to join in and within five minutes the messy brigade had been taught a very short sharp lesson. Of course, there was no dinner that night, but as far as the authorities were concerned nothing had happened. It was very effective as I overheard next day when order had been established again, one of the kitchen staff sending a message along the line, look out! The New Zealanders have arrived.

We had another annoying problem on the trip, we had been put under control of an officer who had no connection with us, but was travelling in the same direction. He seemed to have access to a supply of liquor, and to show his authority when drunk, he used to call parades at 2-00am for a roll call. This was a very stupid thing to do, as the deck where we were allocated our sleeping area was very dark, as the ship was carrying no lights at all. One night when the group decided they had enough, someone yelled, ‘Lets toss this problem overboard’. After a struggle he escaped to where ever he was billeted, we never saw the man again. Our records he had been carrying, just appeared and from then on we were just the same as the ship, ‘unescorted’

It wasn’t a comfortable voyage, there was no where to sit and wow betide you should you be caught sitting on your life jacket which you carried everywhere. I often dreamt of ice cream or a cold beer being served up in a glass with the condensation running off it. I swore one day I would repeat this voyage complete with all the amenities, and it would be a voyage of pleasure. Hot and Cold fresh water showers, as and when required, certainly not cold salt water ones out in the open that made soap stick to your skin.

All voyages come to an end and this one did too. We had a glimpse of San Francisco but turned away and ran down the Californian Coast. ‘Skuttle butt’ reported that this was the result of a storm, some mines had broken loose, and the Port was closed. We didn’t mind as within hours of landing we were wandering the streets of Hollywood.

More to this journey later.

Fiji is in the news. They have just expelled our High Commissioner again! Naturally this move puts them out of step with our Government, and possibly a lot of the world’s too by staging their coup which was the cause of our dispute. Their problem is that the resident Indians now slightly outnumber the native Fijian. So any elected Fijian Government is going to have a slight bias towards the Indians. Are the Fiji internal problems solvable? I don’t think so under the present circumstances, and I wouldn’t want to come up with a solution, to keep all parties happy. It boils down to the aims and ambitions of two races, which are diverse as oil and water. Apart from the odd marriage, these people are alway going to remain separate entities, they have absolutely nothing in common, except they both want control of Fiji and their destiny. One way that might work, is to give the Indians 30% or 40% of the parliamentary seats in a separate vote. That would ensure that the Fijian always have the edge, but I wonder whether the outside world leaders would wear that. They should, as there many other examples today that are just as unfair, in fact some are down right unfair and not much has been said where in other Countries control over the years has been grabbed by the Military, kept in a tight fisted control with no promise to hold ‘Free Elections’ sometime in the future, yet we continue to have a relationship with them. In fact many of the various Governments we live in harmony with today, were not elected by a popular democratic vote. Various regimes have sized power either by coups, or a stealthy fiddle. Once in power they have no intention of relinquishing the slightest slither of any power sharing. Communistic countries make a great deal of fuss about their free elections, but more often than not, neglect to mention that there is only one candidate

Many are baying, ‘Stop the aid’, but this has already been done by New Zealand and the USA, both of whom have suspended their aid contributions. The US Embassy in NZ said in a statement, “The United States Law prohibits use of foreign funds to provide direct assistance to any country whose duly elected head of Government is deposed by a Military Coup or Decree.” I don’t know what the official position of New Zealand is apart from ‘Black Listing’ the Coup leaders from visiting New Zealand, as well as their immediate families and suspending aid. The Australian Government it seems, is still dithering over the Aid question.

The British Government with their meddling in other Countries affairs in years gone by, have caused a lot of grief around the world. After they packed their bags and departed, with a sorry we have to go now. Just get on with your lives and clean up any mess. Leaving various Countries and People after the damage was done, to sort out any problems large and small. These were the same people who brought in the Indians in the first place, a cheap pool of labour to harvest the Fijian Sugar cane. Goodness, they had some incompetent, and stupid people wandering the world during their heydays, meddling in everything, busy setting up these time bombs, then leaving it all behind, to sort itself out. The British Government was responsible for kicking out Ian Smith’s Government in Zimbabwe. They then had the choice of replacing him with either a zealot or a crook. They backed the wrong horse, picked a zealot, and gave the country to Mugabe, who immediately set about enforcing his communistic ideals. Is there anywhere in this world where Communism has worked? As a result, they allowed this idiot to ruin a wonderful country and dole out misery right left and centre. The British left us a mess in this country as well, with a botched up Treaty that no one is happy with. The Maoris signed it, or well some of them did, but it is in two parts Maori and English, which don’t match one another, and this would never stand any test in a court of law. As well, it’s full of a lot of vague conditions that today a lot of people would like to change. In spite of the claims from the Maori that ‘We was robbed’ they have as a race, done very well out of the treaty, and will continue to do so long as we allow it.

Unfortunately in our early days a lot of those in control came from the establishment, and were not necessarily chosen for their brains, but more from where they fitted into their station in life, and what school they attended. We even tolerated a large dose of Home Grown ‘Class’ here earlier, but the Second World War seems to have put paid to that