The Reunion held (25 Feb 2012) at the old Herbert Forest Headquarters Camping ground proved successful and thirty four ex NZFS people attended plus two from Blakely Pacific.
I was worried about the weather and on the Friday I erected a bivvy to provide some shelter, even though we had the use of the 'old wet weather shelter', which is now the camp's ablution block.
Lucky Brian Grumball was around because he helped lift the heavy tarpaulin over the ridge pole I had built. It was a windy, rainy day and the corner peg kept blowing out, but in the end all was ready for the day.
Barry Wells, the local Blakely Pacific manager had told me that they would fund any food, coffee and tea required plus the bus trip around the forest. So it was just a matter of arranging the supply and collecting everything up. Bill Hare, from Hampden is a local man with a bus, so I arranged for him to be the carrier.
I set up a small display - three old chainsaws loaned by Dean Harrison, the 1986 newspapers (other blog) and some of the photos I had printed off.
The idea of the day was a chat and an ongoing, help yourself tea/coffee sandwich/ savory/pie followed by a bus ride through part of the forest.
Each had the chance to take home a Lancewood tree seedling to commemorate the day.
Andrew Cocking (Christchurch), Barry Wells (Timaru), both of Blakely Pacific.
Heather Turner, Colin Bartrum, Laurie Hore, Doug Turner. Laurie was the first NZFS employee at Herbert Forest and he was one of the guys who planted the first tree. Doug and Heather Turner lived in the Herbert Township and moved into Oamaru, then to Alexandra. Doug was a Leading Hand and one of the men in my salvage logging team.
Colin I have written about - he was a bit crook that day because he suffers from diabetes.
Alistair McKenzie was a young trainee who had worked on the forest. His father was a Forest Ranger at Otautau. Alister is still associated with forestry, but I'm not sure where he lives. I didn't get the chance to talk to him for long.
He came along with his wife.
David Caldwell, Andy Neil & Sharon Neil nee Milligan. David came to us as a young fellow [local farm boy] and soon found himself in the thinning gang. He has a is a very good plasterer and runs his own business. Sharon was in what we called 'The F Troop' a gang of female workers. Married to Andy, Sharon works in the Farmers store.
Laurie Hore's wife, Mick Hill, Phil Wilkie. Mick was the forest bulldozer driver and a pig hunting mate of mine - we performed our share of mischief over the years. Mick formed many of the roads on the North and South Blocks of the forest.
Phil was in my salvage logging team. Previously he was a farmer on a block that was not fully sustainable. He worked at Clark's Four Mill at Maheno. In a previous life he was partner in a carrying business. The old bugger is 89!
Robert Hutton and Mrs Williamson. Mrs Williamson was Uncle John's [Jack Williamson] wife. Jack died 1982, so she has been alone all that time. We were very pleased to see her there.
Robert used to own the Waianakarua Garage and besides being a good mechanic, he efficiently carried out many small engineering jobs. Another local farm boy, he sold the garage as times became tougher and became a useful member of the forest workforce. Now he is a mechanic at the Herbert Garage.
Behind on the left is Charlie James, an ex contract bulldozer driver/owner and later owner/driver of the logging truck servicing Bennett's Sawmill. Then below the cam is Geoff Herbert, known as 'Herb' who was a silvicultural contractor. Hard luck often followed Herb who is now a firewood cutter/merchant.
Mrs Williamson and IHD
IHD, Percy Parker, Chris Mains, Alf Milligan. Percy was the 2iC Dunedin District Office. He was one of the instructor on my NZFS induction course. I have known him for a long period of time and found him very good to work with. Retired now and 86 he suffers from melanomas on his legs. Chris mains was an Environmental Forestry Ranger based in Invercargill. EF meant that his main responsibility was animal control but these guys were responsible for the protected indigenous forest estate. Percy and Chris live next door to each other in Dunedin.
Alf Milligan was OiC Herbert Forest at the time of the NZFS demise. He had come from Berwick Forest where had come through the grades starting as a Reg 130 worker. Now retired in Oamaru.
Margaret Wilson & Jim [Skip] Wilson. Margaret is the daughter of Herb Welsh, one of the forest old timers and Jim was one of the forest workers. He was in my logging team and later was appointed as Leading Hand. The Skip name was because of his walk which we thought like 'Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'.
Skip is now retired and the couple live in the Herbert township.
The nose of Colin Bartrum, Heather Turner, Mick Hill, Mrs Williamson & IHD in the wet weather shelter - in the background you can see the board with the papers and photos.
A nondescript photo but the only one that singles out Ross Ewing, who is sitting. Ross is the son of Russell Ewing the man who I relieved when I was first at Herbert. Ross worked on the forest for a couple of years then became a post cutter contracting to to Fletchers. Ross' off-sider was Henry Wedderall who did not attend.
Ross is now retired and lives at Glenavy.
By the time we took this group photo, Laurie Hore, Doug and Heather Turner and Colin Bartrum had left. I have the list of all the people who attended and another list of RIP's, AWOL's & LWOP's. There were 36 RIP's but I suspect there are many more who were not added to the list. As always a few who said they would attend, did not show and there were others who despite contact did not reply.
I was worried about the weather and on the Friday I erected a bivvy to provide some shelter, even though we had the use of the 'old wet weather shelter', which is now the camp's ablution block.
Lucky Brian Grumball was around because he helped lift the heavy tarpaulin over the ridge pole I had built. It was a windy, rainy day and the corner peg kept blowing out, but in the end all was ready for the day.
Barry Wells, the local Blakely Pacific manager had told me that they would fund any food, coffee and tea required plus the bus trip around the forest. So it was just a matter of arranging the supply and collecting everything up. Bill Hare, from Hampden is a local man with a bus, so I arranged for him to be the carrier.
I set up a small display - three old chainsaws loaned by Dean Harrison, the 1986 newspapers (other blog) and some of the photos I had printed off.
The idea of the day was a chat and an ongoing, help yourself tea/coffee sandwich/ savory/pie followed by a bus ride through part of the forest.
Each had the chance to take home a Lancewood tree seedling to commemorate the day.
Andrew Cocking (Christchurch), Barry Wells (Timaru), both of Blakely Pacific.
Heather Turner, Colin Bartrum, Laurie Hore, Doug Turner. Laurie was the first NZFS employee at Herbert Forest and he was one of the guys who planted the first tree. Doug and Heather Turner lived in the Herbert Township and moved into Oamaru, then to Alexandra. Doug was a Leading Hand and one of the men in my salvage logging team.Colin I have written about - he was a bit crook that day because he suffers from diabetes.
Alistair McKenzie was a young trainee who had worked on the forest. His father was a Forest Ranger at Otautau. Alister is still associated with forestry, but I'm not sure where he lives. I didn't get the chance to talk to him for long.He came along with his wife.
David Caldwell, Andy Neil & Sharon Neil nee Milligan. David came to us as a young fellow [local farm boy] and soon found himself in the thinning gang. He has a is a very good plasterer and runs his own business. Sharon was in what we called 'The F Troop' a gang of female workers. Married to Andy, Sharon works in the Farmers store.
Laurie Hore's wife, Mick Hill, Phil Wilkie. Mick was the forest bulldozer driver and a pig hunting mate of mine - we performed our share of mischief over the years. Mick formed many of the roads on the North and South Blocks of the forest.Phil was in my salvage logging team. Previously he was a farmer on a block that was not fully sustainable. He worked at Clark's Four Mill at Maheno. In a previous life he was partner in a carrying business. The old bugger is 89!
Robert Hutton and Mrs Williamson. Mrs Williamson was Uncle John's [Jack Williamson] wife. Jack died 1982, so she has been alone all that time. We were very pleased to see her there.Robert used to own the Waianakarua Garage and besides being a good mechanic, he efficiently carried out many small engineering jobs. Another local farm boy, he sold the garage as times became tougher and became a useful member of the forest workforce. Now he is a mechanic at the Herbert Garage.
Behind on the left is Charlie James, an ex contract bulldozer driver/owner and later owner/driver of the logging truck servicing Bennett's Sawmill. Then below the cam is Geoff Herbert, known as 'Herb' who was a silvicultural contractor. Hard luck often followed Herb who is now a firewood cutter/merchant.
Mrs Williamson and IHD
IHD, Percy Parker, Chris Mains, Alf Milligan. Percy was the 2iC Dunedin District Office. He was one of the instructor on my NZFS induction course. I have known him for a long period of time and found him very good to work with. Retired now and 86 he suffers from melanomas on his legs. Chris mains was an Environmental Forestry Ranger based in Invercargill. EF meant that his main responsibility was animal control but these guys were responsible for the protected indigenous forest estate. Percy and Chris live next door to each other in Dunedin.Alf Milligan was OiC Herbert Forest at the time of the NZFS demise. He had come from Berwick Forest where had come through the grades starting as a Reg 130 worker. Now retired in Oamaru.
Margaret Wilson & Jim [Skip] Wilson. Margaret is the daughter of Herb Welsh, one of the forest old timers and Jim was one of the forest workers. He was in my logging team and later was appointed as Leading Hand. The Skip name was because of his walk which we thought like 'Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'.Skip is now retired and the couple live in the Herbert township.
The nose of Colin Bartrum, Heather Turner, Mick Hill, Mrs Williamson & IHD in the wet weather shelter - in the background you can see the board with the papers and photos.
A nondescript photo but the only one that singles out Ross Ewing, who is sitting. Ross is the son of Russell Ewing the man who I relieved when I was first at Herbert. Ross worked on the forest for a couple of years then became a post cutter contracting to to Fletchers. Ross' off-sider was Henry Wedderall who did not attend.Ross is now retired and lives at Glenavy.
By the time we took this group photo, Laurie Hore, Doug and Heather Turner and Colin Bartrum had left. I have the list of all the people who attended and another list of RIP's, AWOL's & LWOP's. There were 36 RIP's but I suspect there are many more who were not added to the list. As always a few who said they would attend, did not show and there were others who despite contact did not reply.
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