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I
was born and raised a long time ago in South Auckland - born in Otahuhu and
grew up on the mean streets of Manurewa. I attended Manurewa High School and was very happy there – although I recollect
that some of the teachers were not so happy about me being there. My claim to fame in the annals of Manurewa
High during the 1960s was that I was the only 6th Form student
removed from the University Entrance Accreditation list. I kept failing the weekly uniform inspections
because I wouldn’t get my hair cut. The
past is a foreign country; they used to do things differently there.
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On
leaving school, I secured an engineering cadetship with the NZ Electricity Department. In the 1960s, the National Government was
planning to build a large nuclear power station beside the Kaipara Harbour and
that was where I was headed on the completion of my training. In those days, nuclear power was almost seen
as a “glamorous” technology and many were surprised that someone like me had
managed to get into the programme. However, not long after I started my training, the Maui Gas Field was
discovered and so NZ moved to a hydro and gas fired mix of power stations.
Over
the next 41 years I worked in many different power stations throughout NZ,
England and Australia. I finished my
career as Generation Operations Manager for Contact Energy and was responsible
for Contact’s 10 power stations in various locations in NZ and Australia. It will be no surprise that my Rotary
vocation is Power Station Management
But
going back to the early 1970s, I met a South Canterbury farmer’s daughter who
was looking a bit out of place working as a school dental nurse in Otara. How could I resist that crisp starched white
uniform and the long blond hair that came all the way down to her waist? So Barbara and I got married and like so many
others flew away for our great OE adventures in America and Europe.
On
our return, I got back into the power station business and then babies started
turning up. We have 3 children Michael,
Kathryn and Nicola. The two girls are in
London and we have just retuned from a great trip to see them. Michael and his wife Abigail live in Dunedin
and in January they lit up our lives with our first grandchild, William.
My
Rotary experience began while I was working on the Clutha hydro power system
(Clyde & Roxburgh) in Central Otago. In 1996 I joined the male only Alexandra Club and at various times
served as Sergeant and Director of
Youth and Vocation. The major fundraiser
for the club was their annual book fair which was held over the Christmas and
New Year holiday period. I also initiated
the Community Quiz Evening which still runs to this day.
In
2008 I retired to Taupo and joined Taupo Moana Rotary in 2009. Like a lot of retired people, I seem busier
now than I have ever been and seem to have become an inveterate club
joiner. Besides Taupo Moana Rotary, I am
also in the Camera Club, Halibut
Photographic Group, the Golf Club, the Travel Club, the Mazda MX5 Sports car
Club. As well as all of that Barbara and
I still love to travel, but given what lies ahead of me in my Rotary year,
perhaps not too far from Taupo for a while.
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