Old Friends
Living only two kilometres off the State Highway and with this being the main route from Dunedin to Queenstown/Wanaka/Haast, we often have folk pop in for a cup of tea.
Whether it be a fleeting or lengthy visit it is always nice to catch up with friends.
Yesterday an old friend popped in and for the first time since Alex’s death, I could reminisce without the overwhelming sadness that used to prevail.
Of course we will miss Alex forever but time has now given us an acceptance of his death and we can smile and laugh about old times.
There will be tears occasionally but this is to be expected, as we were married for over twenty years and naturally a huge amount of wonderful memories were made during this time. Thankfully we have photos to record so many of them.
Shortly after his death an elderly widow customer told me of how she felt so cheated when her husband was accidently killed four years into their marriage. She went on to say how she wished she’d had twenty years and all the memories that went with those years…..words that helped me immensely even though I felt so sad for her as she was indeed cheated.
Sam found the following photos last night , which shows “time does indeed go by fast, Ross.”
Radio Hauraki
How stifled we felt back in the 1960’s when radio was a state-controlled monopoly and popular music was all but banned.
Private commercial radio stations had operated from the earliest days of broadcasting, but the government had systematically closed them all down.
In 1966, a brave heroic bunch of men decided they were going to break the monopoly held by the government.
Hence, less than a month after my twelfth birthday, in early December 1966; Radio Hauraki was formed as a pirate station in the Hauraki Gulf, broadcasting outside government control from a ship moored in international waters.
The Beatles, Troggs, Rolling Stones and the Kinks all of a sudden flowed into our lives and the vibrancy of the announcers and of course the music brightened our lives.
The demand for transistor radios was overwhelming.
The government ran interference to try and shut them down on a continual basis.
There was a public backlash as folk started questioning the motives of state control as it appeared more and more to be a form of indoctrination.
The Pirate Ship ran from December 1966 through to 1st June 1970 when the government finally relented and agreed to issue Hauraki with a Licence, which meant they could broadcast from onshore.
Common sense finally prevailed.
I must tell you of my favourite announcer.
His name was Rick Grant and sadly he fell overboard and drowned after celebrating the victory.
Even today I remember him with a smile on my face and at times a tear in my eye as he brought so much happiness into my young life.
Memory Lane
The Fruit Stall will close for the Season in a few days time so I will have more time for my blog.
We’ve had a great Season with hectic days and catching up with wonderful loyal customers/friends whom we see year after year, many times during the Fruit Season.
I find myself strolling down memory lane a lot these days; perusing photo albums and photo boxes and as it’s a wet day, Ruby has scanned many of my favorites for my blog.
And here they are!!
Some of them are a real blast from the past…..
Old Days
Listening to the gentle patter on the roof this morning made me remember times of old when I was a child and rain was such a big part of my life.
The walk to the school bus stop usually meant my shoes and socks were drenched by the time I got there.
The bus driver was a very kindly gruff man and this particular morning my feet shot out from under me as I was pushed roughly up the stairs of the bus by a boy who had occasionally bullied me when I got in his way which wasn’t very often as I avoided him like the plague.
I have always lived by the philosophy, “Tis better to be a live chicken than a dead rooster”.
My jaw hit the floor and my knees buckled on the steps.
The boy, in such a hurry to get out of the rain, had no patience to wait for me to pick myself up; he just walked over the top of me.
I was Ruby’s size in those days so it was a painful experience.
The bus driver dived out of his seat, grabbed the boy by his collar and carefully threw him off the bus.
No school for him that day and he was dealt with by his mother when the driver rang her after we’d arrived at school.
From that day on this boy left me alone.
I’m sure in todays world the bully’s rights would have ensured the bus driver be reprimanded.
So when I hear parents say “Kids can fight out their differences”, remember it only empowers the bully when everybody turns a blind eye.
The bus driver has passed on but to this day I remember his act of kindness.
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