THE WIPER The Newsletter of the Gore Branch of the Vintage Car Club of NZ (Inc.)
November 2020
Next meeting: 10th November
MEETINGS: SECOND TUESDAY of the month at the Clubrooms, Waimea Street, Gore Branch telephone number: 03 208 7424
2020-2021 Committee and Officers Branch Patrons Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer Club Captain Assistant Club Captains
Neil McVicar, Ray Tressler Greg Elder Paul Herron Bill Ainge Rod Bell John Parish Rod Bell Charlie Davis Matt Cook Greg Elder Bill Sheddan Tim Walsh Branch Recorder (Wiper Editor) David North Assistant Branch Recorder Position not filled at present House Convenor Des Brewster Social Committee Beb Kennedy, Murray Low, David McDowell, Russell Newland Beaded Wheels Reporter Jim McFadzien Festival Rally Organiser Murray Proctor Assistant Rally Organiser Marilyn Proctor Bar Manager Chris Scoles Assistant Bar Manager Murray Proctor Maintenance Supervisor Keith Nunn Maintenance Assistants Bill Ainge, Keith Dodds, Russell Newland, Ken Youngson Swapmeet Gerry Kennedy Parts Assistants Evan Henderson, Gerry Kennedy, Bryan Neilson Hill Climb Evan Henderson Hill Climb Assistant Terry Inder Sheriff Denis Knight Librarian Stewart Quertier Raffles Starr McDougall National Delegate David North Privacy Officer Bill Ainge Health & Safety Officer Murray Low Hokonui Pioneer Village & Museum David McDowell Tuesday Ramble Co-ordinator Gerry Kennedy Branch Daffodil Day Co-ordinator John Tremaine Vehicle Identity Card signatories Evan Henderson, John Parish, John Tremaine
(03) 202 5710 (03) 208 6121 (03) 208 9877 027 229 2191 (03) 208 5505 027 229 2191 027 451 5234 027 379 1131 (03) 202 5710 027 434 2935 (03) 208 3531 021 172 3281 (03) 208 1960
(03) 208 0121 (03) 208 4768 (03) 208 0052 (03) 208 4768 (03) 208 5403
027 233 4634
(03) 208 6479 (03) 208 7017 027 351 3190 (03) 208 7932 (03) 208 5450 021 172 3281 (03) 208 9877 (03) 208 4007 (03) 208 6791 027 233 4634 (03) 208 9670
Front cover picture: Flynn Walsh, Gore Branch’s youngest member, enjoying himself at the National Veteran Rally prize-giving. (Photo courtesy of Murray Proctor)
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Chairman's Report November 2020 Firstly a very big “Thank you” to Paul and Lynne Herron, the Rally Committee and all the Branch members who helped make the Branch’s running of the National Veteran Rally here in Gore a huge success. Right from the get-together on Friday evening to the final dinner and prize presentation on the Sunday night everybody I am sure had a very enjoyable time. We were very lucky with the weather, although cloudy on Sunday. It was an amazing sight to see the 54 entrants cruising around our fantastic roads and parked up for lunch at the Marairua Homestead. The Mataura Pony Club members put on a show jumping display at the arena behind the Homestead. It was very special to have our National President Diane Quarrie and husband Geoff as well as Club Captain Northern Region Kaaren Smylie and husband Jim attend the Rally. The day after writing this report my wife Daphne and I are away on the Prince Henry Rally for Veteran cars to Te Anau and back to Gore over 3 days with 17 other vehicle, so fingers crossed the Cadillac runs well!! I will give a report in next month’s Wiper. [Thank you in advance! Ed.] Editor David and Donna North have been observed out cruising in a very nice set of wheels from the Prancing Horse Stable. Watch those 12 big ponies in the engine bay David!!! Happy Motoring Greg Elder
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Welcome – Haere mai A very warm welcome to another “new” Branch member this month: Betty Clearwater has now (re-)joined in her own right and we look forward to continuing to see her at our meetings and on Runs and Rallies. and
Farewell – Haere ra Chris and Gaynor Miller have transferred to the Central Otago Branch. We wish them well in their new adventures! The Editor
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Club Captain’s Report November 2020 The National Veteran Rally hosted by the Gore Branch was a great success. When entrants arrived on Friday 16th it was a drizzly day but Saturday was fine and warmed up as the day went on. Sunday was cloudy but dry so the organising committee was very pleased. We ended up with 54 entries but this reduced to 52 with Colin Pearse being admitted to hospital and another entrant unable to get his motorcycle to start. We wish Colin all the best and hope he has a speedy recovery. The Rally day involved cars assembling in a closed section of Irk Street and being flagged away by Gore Mayor Tracy Hicks. They then visited Marairua Homestead for lunch and a display by the Mataura Pony Club. It was then on to a viewing of a Tulip paddock and a visit to Gary Mekklesen’s sheds before returning to Gore. Sunday included field tests and public display at the A&P Show Grounds, then a free afternoon before the final dinner at the Heartland Hotel Croydon. The overall Rally winner was Greg Elder in his Cadillac after a superb effort by Daphne in the field tests. There was a great effort put in by many members of the Gore Branch who came and helped as marshals, with the field tests and in the kitchen. It shows what a small branch can do when we all pitch in and the organising committee is very grateful. By the time you get this the P60 Run will have been completed and Bill Sheddan always puts on a good event so I hope it has been well supported. The next event in the calendar is the Hillclimb on the 29th of November. This is still a wee way away so still time to get your historic racing licence and log book and give it a go. John Parish
It takes me twice as long to not get anything done on Monday as it does the rest of the week. Anon 5
From the Editor’s Keyboard I hope all of you who were involved with the National Veteran Rally have now had time to relax and get your breath back. It certainly seems to have gone very well. Donna and I went to see the cars at the Showgrounds and I spoke to a number of the entrants from other branches. Every single one said how much they were enjoying the Rally and what a great event it was. A very big “well done!” to the organising committee and all those who helped out, in whatever capacity. Bill Sheddan continues his interesting and amusing reminiscences and I hope you are enjoying them, as they are nearing their conclusion. I shall be sorry to see them come to an end, partly because I have been enjoying them so much and partly because it means a return to persistent arm-twisting and pestering for material! As this month’s issue is rather light on articles, and with the number of members who took part in the Veteran Rally, the many who helped out, and all those who I am sure have been busy working on stories over the past few months, I look forward to a plethora of contributions next month! Happy reading – and busy writing! David North P.S. As alluded to in the Chairman’s Report, Donna and I have added a new “steed” to our “stable”. It won’t be VCC-eligible for several years so it may be a while before many of you see it, but, in the meantime, here is a little “taster” to be going on with.
The Editor 6
New Trophy
The Clearwater Family, in remembrance of Barry (the guy on the start line at our annual Josephville Hillclimb for the past 13 years), have put up a trophy for the best home-built special, so all you people out there with this class of vehicle - we would like to see you at this event on the 29th November. Evan Henderson [See advert later in this issue. Ed.]
National AGM Minutes These will be included in the December/January issue of Beaded Wheels but just prior to The Wiper going to press I received an emailed copy of the AGM Minutes. I have forwarded this to all Gore members for whom I have an email address. If you have an email address and have not received it then please let me know so that I can update my email list. Thank you! The Editor
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Clubroom Renovations Report Since the last report, we have written to the Council and taken plans back to the designer to be tweaked. We had to try and convince the Building Inspectors that our clubrooms did not require all the Health and Safety specifications as listed in the present Building Code. Our reasoning was that we are not a large club with endless funds and our clubrooms are not in constant use every day of the week. If we were forced to comply with all the regulations we would likely find the cost so exorbitant that the project would not proceed. As it is, with having to repay the grant of $10,000, we will have to reapply for further funding or only complete a portion of the renovations. We have been fortunate that the letter and the� tweaking� have been successful and the application to renovate the clubrooms has finally been approved by the Council. HOORAY!!!! Ray and I will be starting the next stage by getting windows measured and ordered so work can begin. Ken Youngson
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Edited “Highlights” from the Minutes of the National Executive Meeting (14th & 15th August 2020) (Excluding items mentioned in Beaded Wheels issue No.366) All branches have received a copy of the Branch Constitution Template which can be used when amending or updating the Branch constitutions. A Canterbury Branch member has suggested using business card-sized flyers with a contact name and number on the reverse to promote the VCC to non-members by placing one under the windscreen wipers of Clubeligible cars not displaying a VIC, or handing one to the owner. The next Executive Meeting will be on 20th March 2021 in Wellington. The Southland Branch are hosting the 2023 National Motorcycle Rally. The South Canterbury Branch will hold a National Vintage Rally over the 2021 Easter weekend. This is likely to be run as a tour. The National AGM Minutes, Calendar of Events and Branch Officers distribution will be inserted in the Dec/Jan issue of Beaded Wheels. Online Membership: the Executive accepted the Proposed Notice of Motion and gave it formal status. (The Notice of Motion still has several other steps to go through before being voted on by all members in 2021.) The Proposed remit to change the Club By-laws will be voted on at the August 2021 Executive meeting if the Notice of Motion is passed. “Duty of Care” should be an Agenda item for meetings, so that any discussions and actions are recorded, keeping a paper trail. Branches should encourage the use of the VCC checklists for events, regardless of size, the clubrooms, spare parts sheds etc. The full Minutes were emailed to all members for whom I have an email address and are available, on request, from me or the Branch Secretary. The Editor 11
National Veteran Rally Results
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Tuesday Ramble September, well October Yes, we had to put the September Ramble off because of snow. So we decided to go ahead and hold it the following week on the 6th October. After leaving the clubrooms we proceeded in windy conditions to Winton and lunch at the Top Pub. Well what a lovely blue cod meal, no complaints with a meal like that. For September we had arranged to visit Lyall and Lenore Bailey but in October they had planned a visit to Christchurch. A quick phone call to Olly Olsson and he was happy to have us for a visit. Olly joined us for lunch before we headed to his home for our visit. This must be one of the tidiest workshops you would visit. Olly is working on restoring a 1938 British Bedford 8 cwt pickup. This was originally from Riverton but had a few owners before Olly tracked it down in Forest Hills. The chassis has been cleaned down and all painted after the big clean up. The body for the Bedford is in the adjacent garage waiting for attention. Moving onto the garages at the back of the section we came across Olly’s restored collection which includes a 1979 Morris Marina 400kg van, 1930 Chrysler 77 Speedster, 1929 Pontiac Big Six Sedan and a new arrival, not quite vintage but very nice. This was a 2004 Mercedes Coupe, 3.5 V6 Turbo, just the car for demerit points!! Plus two Suzuki, one Crescent and one Yamaha Moped cycles plus a large collection of number plates from various countries. Petrol signs, petrol case ends, toys and Olly’s special, a collection of 170 old hub caps, all named, plus more modern hub caps bringing the total to over 200. Plus much, much more. A great way to finish the day, some members also paid a visit to Bruce Marshall’s workshop. We missed this as we headed off home. A big thanks goes to Olly, very short notice but “no problem” and made us most welcome. Many thanks, Gerry Kennedy and the Tuesday Ramblers 13
REMINDERS A few of the vinyl “VCC Wings” badges (as featured on the front cover) are still available from the Treasurer, cost $2 each. VCC name badges: are available from Van De Water Jewellers at a discounted cost of $25. These badges are black with white lettering and bear your name and “Gore VCC”. N.B. If you’re not wearing one at a meeting you are likely to attract the Sheriff’s attention and be fined! To Let: the Gore Vintage Car Club rooms are available to VCC members for personal functions at very reasonable cost. Email version of The Wiper A reminder for the computer whizz-kids out there. The Wiper is also available by email; either as a link to an online version or as an emailed pdf file. The pictures are in colour, it arrives earlier and the hyperlinks work too! Just send me your email address if you would like to try this. The Editor 14
Want to dob somebody in to the Sheriff? Have you got a small tale to pass on? Or a tall tale? There’s no need to wait for a meeting night - you can now do it any time (and completely anonymously) by emailing it to Denis at ramsel@xtra.co.nz Complete discretion is assured!
Spotted! Something of a bumper month for “Veteran” spotting this time. Firstly, Paul Herron along with his 1911 Model T and a passenger are pictured on page 11 of the September issue of First Edition (Southland District Council’s magazine) at the opening of the new Pyramid bridge. Paul Herron is pictured with his Model T and Chairman Greg’s 1917 Cadillac on page 22 of the October 7th issue of The Ensign in a small article on the National Veteran Rally hosted by the Gore Branch: https://www.theensign.co.nz/digital-edition/?edition=ENS_2020_10_07
Paul Herron and his Model T are also pictured on page 3 of the 10th October issue of the Southland Times. Slightly further from home, page 35 of BeadedWheels No.366 (Oct-Nov 2020) features the Southland Branch Veteran Rally and pictures Gore member Bill Sheddan in his 1914 Saxon and Gore Chairman Greg Elder in his Cadillac. Mentioned in the results are Greg Elder (1st in the Time Trial) and Paul Herron (Best performance by a Model T). Congratulations to you both! The Editor 15
Online Bonuses Official Covid-19 information: https://covid19.govt.nz/ Wairio carriage recovery https://youtu.be/0loHf0S6pFw The Bluff Fishermen’s Radio operator: http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/9564825/Bluffs-calmvoice-in-a-storm 1962 Vanden Plas 3 Litre classic car: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBW7qg9RKe8 Bobby Fuller Four - I Fought The Law (1966) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgtQj8O92eI Rumour, the Southland Branch newsletter: https://www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar/Rumour-1/2020-1# The Editor 16
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Tuesday Ramble 24th November
EARLY START - SORRY BUT THEY WANT US EARLY
Please be on time! 9.30am: assemble at clubrooms 10.00am: depart for Clydevale 11.00am: visit Tony & Michelle Pringle They have 6,500 free range hens in mobile homes, large worm farm for bio-waste and vermicast used on farm. They milk 450 cows, supply Fonterra plus they also have sheep They sell eggs, bacon & egg pies. They may have their shop at the farm open so please bring some cash Bring a picnic lunch, hot water, tea / coffee and a seat plus it may pay to put in a spare pair of shoes
Numbers to Gerry: phone 027 233 4634
No later than 19th November P.S. Am working on Christmas dinner 18
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Looking for an unusual and/or useful present? Te Hikoi is stocking a range of mugs featuring advertising artwork for McNaughton Brothers Ltd. (Riverton’s Standard-Triumph dealer back in the day). The first two are the Triumph Herald and the Standard Vanguard. 21
Gore Branch Events for the 2020-21 Season Event
Proposed Date
Organiser(s)
Josephville Hillclimb
Sunday 29th November
Evan Henderson
Christmas Run
Sunday 13th December
John Parish
2021 Ladies Run
Sunday 17th January
Janet Brewster
Picnic Run
?? January
Rod Bell
Diggers Run
?February (to be confirmed)
Charlie Davis
Festival Rally
Saturday 27th February
Murray Proctor
Frank Robson & Clearwater Capers
Sunday 7th March
Greg Elder
Swap Meet & Boot Fair
Sunday 14th March
Gerry Kennedy
Night Trial
Saturday 8th May
Tim Walsh
End of Season Run
Saturday 5th June
Rod Bell
Opening Run
Sunday 12th September
TBC
Tuesday Ramble
Normally last Tuesday of the month. Variable in December
Co-ordinated by Gerry Kennedy
Editor's note to event organisers If you want to see a report in The Wiper please provide one yourselves or organise somebody to do it for you. (N.B. This usually works best if you ask them before the event!)
Brainteaser Can you guess the common phrase reflected in this lettering layout? ARUPMS 22
Other Events 2020 7 November
Southland Branch Commercial Rally. Enter online at: www.sporty.co.nz/southlandvintagecar
7th November
Otago Branch 48th Annual Taieri Tour. Contact: Trav Michelle 489 8115, 0274342300 travandmarg@gmail.com or Kevin Mason 4885198 or 027 2286431
14th November
North Otago Branch Swap Meet. Enquiries to the Branch Secretary: northotago@vcc.org.nz or Derek Brehaut 021 390 518
22nd November
Veteran, Vintage & Commercial Rally, South Canterbury Branch
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2021 Art Deco Festival 2021, Hawkes Bay Branch. Online entry here www.hbvcc.org.nz. Contact: 18th – 21st February Steve Trott stevetrott@xtra.co.nz or Steve Donovan stevedon@xtra.co.nz 27th March
Swap Meet, South Canterbury Branch
2nd – 4th April
National Vintage Easter Rally, South Canterbury Branch
3rd – 4th April
Wheels at Wanaka
25th - 30th October
Targa VCC Time Trials (North Island) Enquiries to: Rod Corbett, VCC Steward, rod.corbett88@gmail.com or 027 433 8772
2022 16th – 21st January
Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring, New Plymouth 2023
Burt Munro Week
National Motorcycle Rally, Southland Branch 23
Gore VCC Supper Roster 2020/2021 December
Murray Proctor Russell Newland
January February March April May June July
Des Brewster To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised To be advised
November
IF YOU ARE UNAVAILABLE ON YOUR ROSTERED NIGHT, PLEASE ARRANGE YOUR OWN SUBSTITUTE. We need to cater for about 30 to 40 members each night. The cuppa and serving of the supper is to be arranged within the Social Committee.
If necessary, ingredients and/or small items can be bought at Gore September To be advised New World and charged to the To be advised Gore VCC account. October My thanks to those who have come forward. If the month you are listed for doesn’t suit let me know so I can rearrange them or you can work with another person on the roster to swap. Des Brewster August
To be advised
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This is My Life (part 4) by Bill Sheddan [Last month we left Bill working in the plumbers’ shop at the Alliance Freezing Company between Naylor & Love contracts.] Now read on… After about 18 months we completed the contract and, as Naylor Love had no further southern contracts, I decided to do something different. The new Plumbers Merchants Society outfit had not long been set up in Wellington by a group of plumbers and had spread south and opened a branch in Bond Street, Invercargill. I became their first company rep. a job that I really enjoyed. The salary wasn't bad at the time but as inflation was skyrocketing I got the firm to tie the salary package to the award wage for tradesmen plumbers. At first I was given a new Datsun 1600 ute with a fibreglass canopy and I set up a schedule where I could visit all shareholder members in Southland once every second week. I was tasked with taking orders, helping measure up quantities for jobs and carting around a variety of plumbing fittings for sale thus cutting out transport costs on common plumbing fittings. The Datsun was hardly up to the job so, after a few months with it, the general manager was down and I did a moan. He promptly handed me an order for a new HQ Holden ute and told me to go round to Melhops and order it. The company policy was to trade up at 100,000 miles. This was attained after a couple of years and the vehicle buying process was repeated, this time a HQ Holden wagon. Our personal cars went from a 1962 Hillman Minx sedan that we had when we shifted from Dunedin to a XA Falcon then with the company car in the garage I downsized to a little Anglia with a crossflow 1300cc motor. That combination went well. At one stage I had a one-owner 1959 Singer station wagon. It was about 15 years-old by the time I bought it and only had about 60k miles on the speedo. I used it one Christmas to pull a little 8 foot Starlite fibreglass caravan that got nicknamed “the meat safe” as it was not much bigger. It struggled pulling the caravan, in fact it was struggling without it. 25
Me - rep for NZ Plumbers Merchants & client Charlie Rhodes, Te Anau about 1974
Coming back from Alexandra and pulling up the hill from Raes Junction it over-heated and the radiator leaked so, in my wisdom, I filled it up with Bar’s Leaks. Wrong move. I should have attended to the blocked radiator first, the sealant in the radiator only making it worse. I had to get the head planed, new valves and gaskets after that Christmas, more vehicle expense. I sold it soon after but still liked its styling and practicality. When another ‘59 Singer SW came up for sale many years later at an auction in Oamaru I had to own it. But back to the early ‘70’s. This was the Muldoon era with high inflation, trade disputes and a wage freeze. My salary was stuck at where it was set three years previous and with two of a family by this stage and a mortgage we were struggling a bit. The big Tiwai wages were just a memory. I decided to risk the strikes and with the grass looking greener I applied for a job as a plumber at the Makarewa freezing works. I was sorry to leave the company rep job but could not see the job going anywhere or the remuneration improving anytime soon. Wrong move. This job at Makarewa was one I disliked the most. The tension between the management and the workers was intolerable, childish even. There was strike after strike. There were strikes to try to resolve why the workers were not getting paid for time off three or four strikes back. I got in the 26
poo once. I had to repair a pipe which was above ladder height so I assembled a small scaffold. No, no! The scaffold was a bit rickety so I welded up a brace that had come adrift. No, no! Not plumbers’ work, that welding is an engineer’s job. Demarcation dispute. All out! I put up with that nonsense for six months then with the help of an uncle giving me a $1k loan and a $5k bank guarantee I left all the squabbling behind and launched out on my own. This was in September 1974.
1936 Willys & 1959 Singer Gazelle SW about 1975
There wasn't a lot of building work going on at the time but I made a vow to get as close to 40 hours charge–out work as I could, which most of the time I did but that ate into the weekends. I had a good partner at the helm though with Dawn taking on the responsibility of running things at home so I could get on with earning a living. This unfortunately caused me to work long hours including most Saturdays. When I wasn't plumbing I worked on the new concrete block garage and workshop that I designed and built at the back of the house. Also I felt my education was lacking as 27
I had only completed two years at high school so I studied School Cert. Maths and English and got those exams under the belt the next year. Work transport was a Ford Transit van with a little 1700cc V4 motor which was soon replaced with a 3 litre Granada motor straight out of the box. A few other adjustments were required so not only a diff. with the correct ratio was added but the radiator was replaced with a larger one and a new pushed out front panel fitted to accommodate it. This changed the van from a slug to a hauler. The speedo only went up to 70 MPH with the needle in a similar position as the number 4 on your watch. At the bottom of the speedo was the fuel gauge and I often had the speedo needle on the empty mark. That van had a lot of get up and go but not much stop. The brakes should have been upgraded also but I never had any mishaps. We worked our butts off and I had some interesting contracts. Downers built a new cool store at the Makarewa Freezing Works and I got the job of supplying and laying earthenware drainage pipes across the floor at about 2 metres apart. These pipes were for cables to be laid inside them to protect the underfloor from freezing, buckling up and stuffing up the coolstore. I purchased 2nd grade four-inch earthenware drain pipes by the railroad truck load and had them delivered direct to the site. Pipes by the thousand and laid them in the gravel from one side to the other before they were covered by Downers using a little tractor and back blade. Before the concrete floor was laid I had to poke my drain rods right through each run to make sure there were no blockages. Well what a bugger. About every second or third row of pipes there was a broken one. They were about a metre down by then and I had to locate and hand dig each broken pipe and replace it. What a back breaking job, first the laying of the pipes then having to dig them up again. I did have a few blokes helping me though. I would trot down to the unemployment office and they would send out half a dozen likely lads that looked like they wanted to work and I would take one or two on after the end of a day’s trial. If they didn't show up the next day they would have their dole chopped. Most were seasonal freezing workers and after a good season didn't want to work anyhow, so enthusiastic workers were very hard to find. 28
Once the steel frame of the cool store was erected I had the job of putting on the galvanised tray roofing iron, something I had never done before. First though, netting had to be laid across the roof, tightened up and secured into place. Roofing paper was then laid as we fitted the 17-metre sheets of iron over. This was all at a height of about 20 metres from the ground to the apex. There was scaffold around the perimeter but nothing below us but gravel 20 metres below. The 6x2 timber purlins that were bolted to the steel trusses were 1.2 metres apart and we had to walk along these and fit this netting and roof trays without any safety equipment of any kind. Nobody fell. Nobody got hurt. I only had blokes with me who thought they could do the job and that had their wits around them. Nowadays there would be safety nets and body harnesses being used by guys that don't need to think about keeping themselves safe, depending on their safety gear instead. The 8x2 timber planks used on the scaffold were a problem in that they buckled and twisted in the heat. We had to fit cladding on the outside walls from the top to part way down in addition to the guttering so spent quite a bit of time on this hairy scaffold. The problem was when walking along it 29
the twisted plank would drop a couple of inches unexpectedly. This felt like you were falling and on the way down. After a day of these nearfalling experiences sleeping at night was a problem. I would almost be asleep when all of a sudden I would dream that I was falling and almost leap out of bed. This would happen two or three times before I got to sleep. Once this sleep phase passed I was relaxed and could sleep soundly, the feeling was like tension in a spring being released. Downers built an identical cool-store at Alliance and I repeated the contracts there but without the problems I had on the first job at Makarewa. I did plumbing and drainage on new houses for Bennett Homes, Burgess Homes, plus roofing and spouting on most of the houses. I did the roofing also on A-frame style homes for Colin Moore. There was a lot of flashings involved on each dormer window to keep them watertight. No silicone rubber then, just rivets and solder. I did the plumbing and heating on quite a lot of new school additions and alterations all round Southland. Gas fitting work for the Invercargill City Council Coal Gas Department was something new to learn and, under the ICC Gas Dept. manager’s gas licence, I installed quite a few hot water cylinders heated by the reticulated coal gas in the city. These cylinders were mains pressure and involved at least a couple of days work on each job altering the existing plumbing to suit the new layout. I took on an apprentice at this time but he proved to be rather unreliable and after a few months coaxing him along I had to let him go. This was after returning home one day from work to find there were two members of the police force waiting for us. They were looking for the 15-year-old girl that my apprentice had squirrelled away at his digs. He had also got into mischief at the first week of a three-week block course that he attended in Dunedin and that I had to pay for. After the three weeks he turned up at work with his arm in a sling. After a bit of coaching I gleaned that he broke his arm “playing sword fights”. It turned out that on the first day at Dunedin he was playing sword fights in class with another student. For a sword they were using 4 x 2 timber and he came off second best. He kept his head low at home for the next three weeks on full pay and then turned up with his arm in plaster. What was I meant to do? Gone. 30
Dawn and I battled along hand to mouth over the next six years and built up our client base and reputation. I chose to put my name as the name of our plumbing business as I believed that a person’s name is sacred and memorable for all the right or wrong reasons. I never wanted to be ashamed of my name so with that in mind I felt that integrity was paramount and still do. So with head down and arse up, plus two kids by this time, we decided to make a change. In hindsight we shouldn't have. The garage was completed and the home and garden looked pretty tidy. There was a nice shiny Holden Torana in the garage and we had good neighbours. We didn't have a lot of friends because (1) we were too busy, and (2) we couldn't afford to socialise much. I had the 1932 Willys sedan that my uncle gave me to restore which I was starting to potter around with. We went to Gore often in the weekends, Dawn to visit her family while I went fishing. But the grass is always greener. Around 1980 I landed a rather large contract, for one man anyhow, carrying out the plumbing, roofing and drainage at the new NZ Government Marine Laboratory in Bluff. Government jobs then were over the top specification-wise with everything twice as heavy or large or robust than it needed to be and my price reflected that. So did the other tenderers but my price got the job. On top of that there was the start of oil exploration in the Deep South Basin. Talk of the changes that had happened in the wake of the North Sea Oil strike abound and my eyesight got a bit clouded. $ing $ing. And on top of that still, the plumber at Bluff had retired and wanted somebody to take over his job book which had listed all the clients in Bluff to work for and a fair slice of those to keep away from. So in the autumn of 1980 we packed up and shifted to a little rented house in Shannon Street, Bluff. This was the coldest miserablest winter we had ever spent. I was flat out at work but when I got home the house was freezing. Although the house was relatively new it was as cold as. We couldn't get it warm. Even with the open fire going flat out plus a couple of electric heaters it was still impossible to get warm. I duly completed the Marine Lab job and a marine scientist took up residence. One of the tasks he had was to do a survey of the Toheroa 31
shellfish beds at Oreti Beach. He had to take the Toheroa from six onemetre square blocks the length of the beds, take them to the lab and document his findings. I got a ring one day, “Do you like Toheroa?� Do I what! This saved him the trouble of disposing the two buckets of them as they were not allowed to be returned to the beach. Our transport was the Transit van still as well as the Torana. Dawn would put the big tandem trailer on the back of the Torana and at least once a week she would go up to Invercargill and collect up all the plumbing supplies needed to keep me going for the next week. Occasionally I would go to town also but would rather keep working. I did a lot of roof work often replacing whole house roofs single-handed. Well not entirely by myself. Dawn would take the trailer uptown to Marshall Industries where one of the staff would back it in and load it up with a house-sized lot of roofing. Later she would then spend the day passing sheets of roofing up to me while I tore the old stuff off and nailed down the new. The lifting was no easy task made more difficult with a bit of a wind blowing.
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I learnt by a friend’s mistake to never strip off a house’s old roofing that you couldn't put back on in half an hour. These two blokes I know started on a replacement roof job at 8am and had the whole roof off by 10am planning to have the new roof on by the end of the day. It was bucketing down by 11am. The house was flooded and the clients were not impressed. Lesson learnt. The Torana was a great little car that I wished I still had but not so much as in the condition that I left it in. I did a lot of drainage work connecting houses to the new town sewage system. One day I needed some sand so went to town with the trailer for a load. The sand was wet and I probably had over three ton on the trailer. The car pulled it all right but after I got home and unhitched the trailer I went to get something out of the back seats. The door wouldn't open. I tried the other side. Same problem. After prising them open and adjusting the hinges as best I could the much-loved Torana was down the road, traded on an Auzzie-assembled HQ station wagon. Nice set of wheels. Kermit green, power tailgate window, bucket seats, Trimatic. I thought it was the bee’s knees. We started looking for a home in Bluff to buy and, after we sold our house in town that we had rented, we bought a nice home in Raymond Street. The house was built in the fifties and had a McKay coal fire that was streets ahead of the open fire. It was elevated with a large garage underneath and included a third of an acre section next door. The most impressive thing about the house was the view as we looked over the entrance to Bluff Harbour. I was fascinated watching the fishing boats navigate the bar at the entrance to the harbour in any weather and any tides. Also the freighters seemed to just glide past our lounge window. As I was the only plumber/drain-layer in Bluff, I was kept busy with a wide variety of work, the kids enjoyed school and we, Dawn especially, were involved with the local community. She was involved with the bowling club and fundraising for the new squash courts while I was involved with Sea Scouts and fishing with a little Fi-Glass Scamp that I had bought. Bluff was dependent on its water being supplied by Invercargill and had its own dedicated pipeline from the Branxholme water treatment station 33
on the Oreti River. This was a cost to the Council and made up a large portion of the Bluff ratepayers’ bill. Prior to this pipeline the town’s water supply came from run-off from the Bluff Hill. Many years ago, probably prior to WW1, tile waterways were constructed across the face of the hill which collected the run-off from the rain and channelled it to large storage tanks from where it was reticulated to the town. The hill was covered only in grass then and de-stocked so the water was relatively clean. Later, when water was supplied from Invercargill, the hill was planted out in trees. When we lived in Bluff the hill was covered in mature pine trees and the water channels broken up by tree roots and covered by debris. The Bluff mayor at the time thought to reduce the rate bill he would reinstate the Bluff Hill water collection system so he had PEP workers (can’t remember what that stood for but they were offseason workers) for about three off seasons cleaning out and repairing the several miles of the channel network. There were two old large steel tanks of about 5,000 gallons capacity that were probably 50-plus years old that were set up as water filters in the day. Ron Lowe, the mayor, single-handedly shovelled out the filter media which was in the tanks. This media was graduated layers of gravel then sand which he replaced with new filter sand trucked in from Dunedin, tons of it. I don't think the other Bluff councillors could see the vision that Ron had in lowering the Bluff rates. He then set up pumps and a chlorination system incorporating a flocking type of filtering using alum, a powdered type of aluminium. The mayor did not have any qualifications in this field and the councillors were getting a bit edgy, and no doubt concerned with the safety of the system and the health of the ratepayers. I being the town plumber was then consulted on my opinion and possibly someone to point to if it went pear shaped. I was appalled and amazed at what Ron had done so far and was still trying to do. The water off the hill was brackish and stunk of rotten vegetation when it entered the system but after passing through the flocking tank, the filters and chlorination it looked and tasted not bad. I didn't have a clue on water supplies and told him so. His solution, send me on a course at the Council’s expense to the school at Bulls and do the appropriate course to get a C grade water treatment operator’s certificate, the minimum requirement to do this work. 34
This was a two-week course with a break of a few weeks and returning for a third week and the exam. My work load and income was declining then so I thought “Why not?” The first week of the course was an eye-opener in that I learnt of all the things that could go wrong with the system and the subsequent effects on the health and safety of the Bluff residents. I was that concerned that I phoned Ron from Bulls and told him to shut the plant down before something drastic happened. He calmed me down and said it’s all going good, producing beautiful water but I knew it wasn't. One heavy shower of rain would put everything out of kilter which it did regularly. I completed the first two weeks knowing I had to return in a couple of weeks for the refresher and the exam. After the break I hopped on the plane again and, using the tickets that I was given six weeks previously, flew to Wellington to meet up with my sponsored ride to Bulls. I waited and waited but nobody turned up to meet me. After waiting for an hour or so I rang up the tutor at the school to enquire about my transport to the course starting the next day, Monday. His reply, you are a week early. Bugger me! I dragged out the airline tickets and sure enough I had gotten all the way to Wellington on a ticket that wasn't valid. Instead of a couple of weeks as I was told at some time, it was a three-week gap and I didn't even bother to check up. What a dork I felt. However I got to Bulls, sat in on another course and successfully completed my exam. Getting back home without the correct ticket was a problem though as I could only get as far as Christchurch. I got there about 7pm, hired a rental, a little Toyota Starlet, and motored overnight to Bluff. I remember the car as a gutless little thing as it had some sort of restrictor on the throttle and just wouldn't get up and go like it should. I looked after the water treatment plant for a year or so which entailed about an hour morning and night backwashing the filters, maintaining the chlorination system and generally keeping the decrepit system going. Eventually the filters gave out due mainly to the pumps not being of sufficient capacity to do the backwash cycle properly and the Council unwilling to fork out any more money. Remuneration was calculated by the cubic metre amount of water that the system delivered which supplemented my income nicely. 35
Another Bluff memory, the husband of one of Dawn’s friends was a cray fisherman and was going to bring his boat from Doubtful Sound back to Bluff and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him. I thought this sounded like fun so one Friday in, I think, April the four of us travelled to Manapouri where the girls dropped us off and Tane and I caught the tourist launch to the top of the lake. Tane had done this a few times and knew the ropes but I am unsure why he left his boat in the Sounds, probably because of the big storm that had gone through a week or so before. However we hopped on the bus which went over the Wilmot Pass and dropped down into Deep Cove. It was a cracker of a day and I was looking forward to the boat trip round the bottom of the island and on to Bluff. We were dropped off on the wharf and I looked around for his fishing boat. Not there. The only craft, if you can call it that, was an old wooden doubleended thing with a wheelhouse stuck in the middle and a few old cray pots on the deck. Oh sh*te. That's the thing we are going back to Bluff in. We duly chucked our kit on board and Tane attempted to start it up. After a while there was a cloud of black smoke and the five-cylinder Gardner diesel cranked up but only on four cylinders. This was not looking good 36
to this landlubber but Tane was in good spirits as we left Doubtful Sound and headed out to open waters. His grin faded then when we saw the huge seas but after we got out a bit he swung the old tug south and had the wind and the seas behind us. We surfed south until Breaksea Sound and sheltered there for the night. The radio was useless in the Sound in fact it was useless most of the time so we had no idea of the weather forecast and the wind was a howler at sea and coming from the south now. For the next two days we puttered around the Sounds in nice calm weather while the wind raged out at sea. We fed on kina and mussels and explored old landing sites. We even topped up our water tanks at a site reputed to have been used by Captain Cook. It was Monday by now and nobody had heard from us so Tane braved the conditions and we left the shelter of the Sound and headed south to Puysegur Point Lighthouse. We arrived late afternoon and staggered up the track to the lighthouse. Halfway up I had the need to leave the track for a comfort stop and followed another little track to the side where I came across a nice cultivated plot of something to help the lighthouse keepers alleviate their boredom. The guys at the lighthouse let Meri Leask (the Bluff Fishermen’s Radio operator – see “Online Bonuses”) know where we were and as the wind was dropping and with the advantage of a full moon Tane decided to head for Bluff. The heavy sea had not abated though and it was head on. We would slide to the trough of the wave then the four remaining cylinders would drag us to the crest where Tane would spin the wheel so we were then across the top of the wave instead of crashing down the other side. Tane would straighten her up as we slid down to the trough then claw our way up the other side again. There was a fair bit of water coming in by now and the electric pump had given it up years ago so I was down below with a hand pump going like hell to keep afloat. Several times I had to pump out my own chunder. Not nice. This went on for hours until there was a change in the rhythm of the motor, then we stopped. This didn't look very good at all but I was reassured by Tane that it was no problem. “Just hold onto this rope that is tied round my waist and I will go over the side and cut the ropes off the prop.” We had gone across shallow water and through some fisherman's set cray pots. We were bobbing around like a cork, pitching 37
and yawing while I held onto Tane’s lifeline and mine also for that matter. Eventually he got the majority of the rope off and we set sail again. There was still a bit attached though as we now had a very unbalanced vibrating four-cylinder motor. By dawn we were off Te Waewae Bay and in calmer waters and in radio contact again finally chugging into Bluff about 10am. Not only did that little venture scare the pants off me but the family thought we were gonners too. I have been into Doubtful Sound a few times since but I made damn sure the vessel that I was going to sail in was up to it. Each year at August school holidays, when it looked like the Bluff winter was about over, we would pawn off the kids to some rellies or parents and head off to Christchurch for a few days. I usually coincided this break away with the Christchurch Classic Car Show that Earl Hagman sponsored of Scenic/Heartland Hotel fame. This was held in the foyer of one of his hotels then later, when it outgrew the space available, it was shifted to the Addington Sports Arena. I used to drool over the cars and especially a little white Sunbeam Tiger. Little did I know then that in about 25 years’ time I would own that car. However, on one of these trips, while passing through Timaru, I spotted parked in the workshop of the garage I was filling up at, the rear end of a 1964 Austin Vanden Plas 3-Litre. Upon enquiry I was told it was oneowner, product of a deceased estate and it was for sale. Short story again, I picked it up on the way home, Dawn driving the Holden wagon. However all good things don't last as we have seen with this Coronavirus as it devastates lives and economies around the world. The oil strike didn't happen the way it was expected. Ocean Beach freezing works closed. Severe restrictions were placed on the lobster catch and as the oysters were being almost fished out, that industry was restricted also. Money and work in Bluff started to get a bit tight, not only for me but for a fair chunk of the town also. Often on smaller home maintenance jobs I would be asked “Do you like oysters?” Do I what! I would clear the drain or repair the tap then be given a huge bowl of oysters. Well you can’t invoice someone after getting 38
something like that. The oystermen were allowed something like half a bag a week, and if you are ever on an oyster boat when they are dredging you know why there is seldom large oysters for sale in the fish shops. The oystermen get them and subsequently I sometimes ended up with a bowlful. This happened more and more. We got sick of oysters and often got rid of them at the rellies or to the staff at my plumbing suppliers. Even the cat got sick of them. More than once they got a bit old and I ended up flushing them away. The main problem though was, even though my clients paid their plumbing bill with oysters because often that's all they could afford, I couldn't pay my bills with oysters. Bill Sheddan
(To be continued‌..)
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COOKERY CORNER Baked Grated Carrots Ingredients 3 cups grated carrots 3 tbsp butter or oil 2 tsp basil (summer) OR Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp cut chervil (winter)
Method Place grated carrot into a lidded casserole dish, fitting the lid on closely so the carrots cook in their own juice Bake at 160ยบC for 30-40minutes Remove the lid and stir through the butter, herbs and seasonings Serve Gerry Kennedy
Newsletters from other branches Most of the other Branch Newsletters are now posted on the VCC Website each month: www.vcc.org.nz/news-from-our-branches A handful of branches still send us printed copies and these are displayed on the stand in the Library. Most of the others are received by email as pdf files or links to the online versions. These can be obtained on request from the Editor or the Secretary.
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ADVERTISEMENTS FOR SALE 1964 MGB Roadster, non-overdrive. Wellknown Club car. Much work carried out by previous owners in 2001: repaint in Tartan Red; seats re-upholstered in leather, door & kick panels in vinyl; exhaust system & suspension overhauled. Original engine, overhauled and new speedometer fitted at some stage. Present owners (since 2002) have done more work including new driveshaft & shock absorbers, replacing & re-chroming some trim; new tonneau cover & windbreak, MG mud flaps, chrome kick plates. Timing chain replaced last year. Complete list of previous owners and a repair manual also available. $20,000 ono. Glenise Corcoran: email glenpaul@xtra.co.nz or phone 03 208 6862 1/3
WANTED Early Thirties (1930 to 1934) Ford axles, they need to be 32 inches long. Also 2 front brake drums to fit 1940 to 1948 Ford. Denis Knight: 0273513190 or email ramsel@xtra.co.nz 2/3
FOR SALE and WANTED advertisements are free to Club members. Each advertisement will be published in 3 consecutive issues. Please contact the Editor Answer to last month’s Brainteaser Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? Answer: yesterday, today, tomorrow!
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Tailpiece
Sent in by Bill Sheddan 42
Run reports, articles of interest, photos, technical tips, letters and feedback are always welcome. Please send all contributions to David North
before the 21st of each month for inclusion in the next Wiper If you don't have a computer I can type up a hand-written article or put your notes or jottings into shape for The Wiper. If you prefer I can even take notes as you talk to me and write up the story for you - I am always ready to help so just let me know how! e-mail: northd14@gmail.com physical and mail: 4 Trotter Street, Riverton 9822 telephone (mobile) 021 172 3281 Remember that insuring your vehicle(s), boat(s), house(s), contents or travel with Vero Insurance and quoting the branch number (300135) results in the branch receiving a commission payment Please support our advertisers so that they, in turn, can continue to support the Branch The opinions and statements in The Wiper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the Gore branch or of the VCC. The branch accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements. The Wiper is printed by i-Cue 10 Wood Street, Invercargill. Telephone (03) 218 3350 43
GORE BRANCH VINTAGE CAR CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND INC.
WAIMEA STREET, PO BOX 329 GORE
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