Work
Work
There was not a lot of work in Waiuku so Dad thought it would be a good opportunity for him to fulfil an ambition of his to build and run a small timber mill and also provide employment for me. So during 1950 he proceeded to do just that, and had it running by December and end of school year.
The breakdown half of the mill worked with two narrow blades cutting with an up down action like an over sized handsaw. He set up his one with two blades 9 inches apart so that it could cut a flitch that thick out of the centre of each log. The log carrying arrangements were quite clever. On the feed in side he set up two railway lines about 4 foot apart road side upper most. Over these, he laid some of the tracks off a Bren Gun carrier (Bren Gun Carriers were a caterpillar type army vehicle sold of cheaply after the war). He then bolted two inch lengths of steel tube across and between the tracks, thus via a series of cogs and levers the whole unit could be shuffled up to the saw blades.
In use; a log was rolled onto the tubes, lined up for a cut, then chained down to the tube. As the log was sawn the chains had to be moved back to another tube. The out feed support was a trolley on tram rails to which the log was chained. The flitches then went to conventional breast bench for further cutting into boards, etc.
The labour arrangements were that we did two or three days per week in the mill and the rest of the week on farm work, variable as farm work was required.
Payments; my farm work was to cover board and lodgings and I was to get half the profits from the mill. The latter I never saw in cash, but some years later and with other work I did for him he considered I had earned enough to cover the value of a domestic house section my dad owned in Papatoetoe. About 18 months after we started, Dad sustained a hernia and had to have that repaired. In those days one was not allowed to do any heavy work for three months after the operation, so the sawmill work more or less stopped as I had all the farm work to do. Not my exact choice, I was much more interested in yachts. Drawing them and later trying to build one. This led to conflict between us, but my mother’s father suggested to them that I be allowed to try for an apprenticeship in boat building they finally agreed
I traveled to Auckland where I went around most of the boat builders on the waterfront. But nobody wanted an apprentice; especially one who was 18 and a half years old and with the possibility of compulsory military training to come. Finally one boat builder suggested I try for a Joinery apprenticeship, being a similar trade, and directed me to Fletcher Timber Co factory in Nelson Street. Fletcher’s agreed, providing I didn’t have to do military training. Some weeks later my military training medical results come. “Exempt due to defective eyesight.”
On 3 March 1953 I started, with Fletcher’s and spent the next 3 and a half years working in their factory. And in many ways I was lucky, soon after my start I was paired with a very clever tradesman who was a shop fitter. The company where doing a lot of renovation work for the BNZ in Queen street and I was put onto that class of work. Lots of Sapeilly mahogany: veneered paneling, solid beading etc to prepare and help build various counters and fittings. Very nice work and for a good long time. I also found the trade school work very interesting. Some was day school, about 3 separate weeks per year. There was also night school two nights per week at “Seddon Memorial Technical College” in Wellesley Street, and Trade Certificate Exams to take, (3 stages). Not so popular with Managers who preferred people to do overtime in the workshop. Also with each exam passed they were supposed to up my weekly wages by 2/6d stage I, 5/- for stage 2 and 7/6d for trade cert. The last increase I never received.
Towards the end of my time the good tradesman I had been with left the company and I was put onto rougher types of joinery and on a bench at the noisy end of the shop. The work I didn’t mind but the machine noise very soon got to me. After some discussion with the foreman I was transferred to outside work. The first month I was on finishing work on some flats at Western Springs. Then I was sent to Ellerslie race course to work on the new tubular steel Grandstand Job, at that stage they were still excavating the foundations, lots of holes varying in depth from 10ft to 48ft. Not really Joinery work, but very interesting as I learnt setting out including using a dumpy level and a theodolite. I also took a lot of interest in other trades, and watched them and their methods. Particularly reinforcing steelwork. The work went on for nine months then stopped as the racing club had run out of money.
I was then sent to a site, building a wool store, for 3 weeks all concrete boxing and slush. Finally, with Fletcher’s I did several weeks on a new office block for Fletcher steel and Engineering back in Nelson Street. I left Fletcher’s there by mutual consent.
Meanwhile my parents were building a house on a new section at Papatoetoe. I spent a lot of weekends back on the farm setting out and helping make Exterior joinery for that place. In Auckland I had been living with various people as a lodger and not finding it very satisfactory. When the Papatoetoe house was enclosed I moved in and camped there. My father joined me so he could work on the house. This meant working all day for Fletcher’s and spending evenings advising my Dad about building work. The house was finished and the family moved in about the same time I left Fletcher’s.
January 1958 I took a job with L.R Idone as a carpenter. He did subdivisions and house building, around Papatoetoe. This job lasted for nearly 2 years then I left to take a tour of the South Island. This trip lasted nearly 2 months. For the first couple of weeks I had my sister Lola and a cousin Doreen Barker with me. The rest of the time I traveled on my own.
Back in Papatoetoe I took a Carpenters job for a year with R.H Marsh Ltd, doing new houses; alterations and Factory maintenance. I also joined the Auckland Tramping Club (ATC) and did quite a few trips with them. Being a carpenter sometimes had its drawbacks, as in clubs when if there is practical work to be done you are automatically volunteered into working for them. O.K some of the time, but, when one joins a club it is to relax from ones occupation, not go and do it. Some place else for non remuneration and usually under much poorer conditions than the normal work place.
And so it was with A.T.C. They had a lodge under construction on Mt Ruapehu. So spent several weekends modifying that place. But never mind, I met other people. One of them was an English Girl named Shirley Bell. She was in NZ for a year or more on a working holiday. We became quite good friends and did a lot of time together. Eventually she had to return to UK. She was an only child of quite elderly parents. After she left I was quite lonely. Then somebody suggested I go to England. If life with her didn’t work out, then I could just have a good look around and see some of the past from which our forebears had come.
So I booked my passage on an Italian owned ship called “Castelle Felicia”. I also found another A.T.C member, Peter Campbell, was to be on the same ship. We eventually left in 1961 sharing a six berth cabin with three others so got to know each other. We left March 1961. When it came to shore visits Peter and I teamed up. The ship stopped at “Singapore ” for a day, very interesting; Colombo in Ceylon for an evening, very rushed. Then Aden for a day, and on to Suez. Here there was an organised day trip to Cairo which we did whilst the ship steamed through the canal to Port Said. A very interesting day even when rushed, after about two hours in a coach we arrived there and were taken out to see some Pyramids and the Sphinx. We also had a ride on a camel. Then to museum to see the sarcophagus of “King Tutenkhamen”. After lunch we went to see inside a large Mosque. Then to a market to get fleeced. Finally a long drive in the late evening. The road followed along side parts of the Nile were it is a braided Delta. As we traveled we caught glances of local modern life. The local transport boats are small Dhows seen under sail on streams, also we saw small dwellings; usually square, flat roofed mud brick huts. There were several beam and bucket arrangements used to dip water out of the streams and bring along shore where it was tipped into irrigation ditches and in vegetable gardens.
Next stop was Naples. Being Italy most of the crew wanted to finish their trip there but the ship had to go onto “Rotterdam” for maintenance. So many were disappointed and not very happy. Everything slowed up from there and when we arrived in “Southampton” on May 3rd we were 3 days late. We also arrived on a Saturday, which happened to be Soccer’s “Cup Final Day”. So a lot of customs people and dock workers were not happy, missing out on that and tended to be a lot tougher on us passengers than necessary. I had to leave some of my gear on bond until I could pay duty on it. That night I slept in London at the “Overseas Visitors Club”.
A couple of days around London during which time I met up with another NZ’er who had been on the ship. We decided to do a tour around about out from London. So loaded up some gear and headed off towards Cambridge. During our first afternoon we found ourselves in a village called “Saffron Walden”, very quaint and picturesque. Here we discovered a phenomenon called “Early Closing Time”. As virtually all shops in villages and towns were open for business on Saturdays. So by mutual arrangement they would have one afternoon off a week when every shop in that village closed. This allowed shop people to go to another centre that had a different closing day to do their shopping. And this was the day for “Saffron Walden’s” early closing day, which also included the Youth Hostel.
We also hadn’t carried any food as that is heavy. The next Hostel was probably 20 miles on. I did have my pup tent. We went into a pup to enquire about all this. The pub lady said that if we didn’t mind bacon and eggs she could provide us with an evening meal, also there was a wee lawn in the garden were we could pitch the tent. All sounded great to us, so that was arranged. After tea we want for a walk around the village. Then back to the pub at dusk and sat in the bar and talked to the locals who were very friendly and hospitable.
Next day on to Cambridge, mostly walking on country lanes between pretty villages. At Cambridge we stayed at the Youth Hostel and had a good look around. I visited Shirley at her flat. From there we went on via various hostels to Oxford. One we stayed in called “Houghton Mill”, had been a grain mill powered by a water wheel. Very interesting and in the process of being restored. After touring Oxford we decided to return to London. He wanted to get work and I wanted to improve my transport, so I bought a bicycle. An ordinary bike with a three speed hub. Load up some gear and set off towards Southampton. First night out I camped near “Virginia Waters”. Here I decided I had too much gear so repacked quite a lot into my haversack and sent it back to a London railway “Left Luggage” place.
Cycled on to Southampton were I collected my things from customs before heading west. Decided to follow the coast road, paused at “Beaulie Abby” where there is a fabulous motor museum near the “New Forest” then on along near the coast. Another discovery, nearly all the towns and villages had started as a fishing settlement on a harbour or river mouth. These are all at sea level with hills and ridged between them. So I did a lot of slogging up the hills, then a quick wizz down the hill to the next village. All very pretty and peaceful, when in the back lanes.
After ten or twelve days I reached Lands End, a very rugged point. From here I had to turn back so head along the North West Coast. Much more rugged country with rocky cliffs down to sea level. Few beaches or ports along that coast of Cornwall. Mining has been an occupation in Cornwall and Devon since Roman Times. They excavated ore containing Lead, Tin and Zinc. Most of the mines were small affairs operated by the locals. In the 1900’s steam powered beam engines were invented and these were hooked up for pumping. This allowed digging at greater depth. Today all the remaining evidence of these mines is a stone chimney used for the fires to create steam. I believe coal is available as well. One historic village called “Tintagell”. All the buildings, including roofs were of stone slabs and near by are a lot of ruined walls, which are reputed to be the castle of King Arthur and his Knights.
Next major place was Bristol and the “Clifton Suspension Bridge”. Creation of Isambard Kingdom Brunell and spans a large river gorge. Built about 200 years ago of wrought steel. Brunell was a very clever engineer. He designed the first two steam driven ships. The first had paddle wheels each side plus sails. The second utilised conventional propellers. Both did several Atlantic crossings.
“Bath”. This city has natural hot mineral pools, which were utilised by the Romans in the first century AD. They constructed a lot of facilities. Including a swimming pool lined with lead, which is still watertight. There is also a brick lined tunnel, which still carries away the excess water. The main pool once had a roof over it, with stone pillars supporting arches built of ceramic slabs cemented together. Modern chemists are still trying to find out about the cements, which have lasted about 1800 years.
Also, there is another pool built about 1700 for the nobility who found the hot water beneficial for arthritic problems – these also built a lot of elaborate houses so they could live there in luxury.
From Bath rode across Wiltshire to Stonehenge then on to Salisbury. From there found the next hostel open was in London, 80 miles away. Decided to give it a try. A pleasant sunny day and I made Holland House about 6pm. While waiting to see if a bed was available I met Peter Campbell (from ATC) spent the evening talking to him and he asked if I would like to go to Norway with him. I was inclined to be cautious but agreed to go to the shipping company to find out some costs.
Next morning we arrived at the shipping office. Peter went up to the counter and said, “I want two tickets on the ferry to Bergen in Norway.” So I was committed to that. After several days chasing Visa’s I hitchhiked up to South Shields near Newcastle to join up with Peter at the ferry wharf. For the sea journey across to Norway, I cannot recall anything, until we neared Stavanger. Set on a Fjord amongst many islands, my only memory of Stavanger was of a high and very spindly road bridge we passed under. After a short stop, we continued on to Bergen where we disembarked.