W.P. McKerrow

Bill McKerrow died recently and will be sorely missed as community minded and busy member of the district.

He is remembered here because his farm bounded Fraser's (South) Block of the forest.

I remember Bill first at the Waianakarua Garage (rolling a smoke) where, like many of the local farmers he came on rainy days to have repairs made that they were too busy to have done on fine days. And there was always the opportunity for a chat.

For the first two or three years after NZFS purchased the property, access was a problem and we would have struggled without the cooperation of Bill and Dr. Douglas. It was real cooperation because the track through Bills paddock cause a loss for feed for him (we used existing tracks through the Doctor's property).

Of course the change of land ownership to NZFS caused changes/constraints.

There was a spring that had been tapped to supply water to the McKerrow household as well as to several properties down across the main road in the Waianakarua settlement. Bill took on the voluntary role of caretaker of the water supply and found the blockages and breakages - sometime I helped him.

Of course as the trees grew, the spring was destined to dry up so for the long term they, not us, had to find an alternative supply. 

We were very careful in land preparation not to apply gorse control chemicals anywhere near that spring.

The boundary was a sea of gorse and Bill told me that he realised there would be constraints on him to burn his side once we had established trees there and he asked me what he should do.

I suggested that he plant trees the same as we were doing making it a common boundary (although we did establish a fence there.

He did so and as far as I know made a healthy profit.

In fact, Bill is remembered in Tanzania as I used this story (embellishing it of course to suit) as inspiration to primary schools. The story went like this:

Bill McKerrow my friend and neighbor of the forest I worked as no longer allowed to burn his rough vegetation next to our trees. I suggested that he too should plant trees and maybe one day he would be rich! The trees grew well and he cared for them and stopped predators from eating them.

Twenty five year later, Bwana McKerrow harvested his trees and made a good profit.

One day he came to tell me how pleased he was, and as a gift he brought me a big red bull! His horns were as wide as my truck and the animal was big [I stepped out four paces], and tall [I gestured with my hand, about shoulder height}. So you see my students, there is profit in planting trees!

Bill was born and bred in the district, schooled as well and became a Justice of the Peace, a District Councillor and was honored by the Queen.

There is lots more to add - he was a piper, a long time tennis player - in one family three generation have played against/with him - there is a list.

Ranking his achievements is not the object of the blog, his historical importance to the forest and myself is.
One thing though, the Herbert/Waianakarua water scheme was in trouble with it's water right/allocation meaning the could be no additions. Bill gave up his irrigation water right which meant that the district could prow and prosper.

I have no doubt that Bill still shares his humor.

Ken Matches

This blog is fast becoming an obituary column!

Ken Matches (89) recently died and while he had nothing to do with forestry, he is the last of his line and has historic relationship with Breakneck Road and out little valley with the gates that named their property as 'Goblin Woods'.

I rented 'sleepout' huts on the terrace below the Matches house and I have already written a little about old Bill Matches, Ken's father. But I mainly knew Mrs. Matches (nobody used her christian name) who by then was a bent old lady with er grey hair tied in a bun. Mrs. Matches was one of those good matriarchs - wise and warm.

We helped each other from time to time and also looked out for each other.

Richard was the younger son who suffered from polio leaving him with a stiffened neck. Richard was married in Australia but Mrs. Matches was unable/unwell to travel there. So a tape recording of the event was made and posted to her. She asked me to sit with her to listen and she had prepared a small party for us. She shed some tears privately in the next room, but came out refreshed to enjoy the food she had prepared.

Richard died perhaps four years ago.

Neither Richard or Ken had children so indeed it is the end of the line.

The Goblin Woods property was much larger than these days. There was the house area and then the area where 'my' huts were; then the large raspberry patch - where Ken built his holiday house - then an area of garden, where I grew spuds; then the area of Radiata Pine that extended to what is now Clark's crib.
These trees were damaged in the 1975 gales and after the cleanup, I erected the post and wire fence.
The area was divided up eventually - first for Essemburg's house, then Polson's crib, and finally for Collett's house.

Ken's holiday house was built by Dave Armour and we assisted to lift the framing into place - made from Thuja plicata (western red cedar) and quite heavy - probably still a bit green.
Ken and his second wife used to stay on occasion and we spoke from time to time.
Ken lived and worked in Christchurch and I did not really know much about him

The death of the last Matches of Breakneck road sees the end of an era.

Tap - Graham Fradelle Tapper

It is with sorrow that I report on 3 January 2013 we lost our good mate Tap to an aortic aneurism.

 He would be pleased that I posted this picture of him.

Twenty nine young men assembled (together with some others who were to head off to university) as Forest Ranger Trainees in February 1962, almost 51 years ago. This was for an induction course of some six weeks, where many of us bonded to some extent, and then we were divided into groups of 'our own conservancies'.

Conservancies were roughly geographical areas based on provinces as a managerial tool for the New Zealand Forest Service.

My home conservancy was Canterbury and there were five Canterbury boys: Graham Tapper, Les Seaward; Tony Russell, Colin Goodrich and Gordon Baker.

This meant that the six of us worked together for our year of practical training. We spent time at the forests of Kakahu, Raincliff, Ashley, Hanmer and Omihi as well as some logging at a private farm at Waimate. Only at Ashley and Hanmer were there cookhouses/forest camps, the other places we were batching in old and rundown farm houses and did our own cooking.
There are many stories of those days, but maybe not for here, but as I had a vehicle, we all travelled together.Graham, to show his appreciation insisted that I was to be his first passenger when he gained his [proposed] glider pilot ticket. Of course it never happened because of his accident, but I could imagine that flying with Tap would be at the least - exhilarating!

Following that first year, we studied (mainly) indigenous forestry (protection, production and management) at the Reefton Ranger School including the wild animal (then called noxious animal) control at Dip Flat.

 Tap is the forth face from the left of the standing guys.

 Our third year was spent at the Forestry Training Center at Rotorua where we studied all aspects of exotic forestry  from roading through establishment to harvesting.

For some of us the friendships forged in the first year stuck, and other friendships were forged in the following two years through closes association and like-minded philosophies.

We have biennial get-togethers  at various places and very good contact with all of us is through the efforts of Ross Lockyer.

After the Rotorua year, we went our separate ways into branches of forestry that took our fancy at the time. The completion of the fourth year would give us out Forest Ranger ticket - qualification.

Myself, I opted for general forestry and was posted to Naesby Forest. Tap opted for logging and was posted to Kaiangaroa Forest. 

During that first year Tap was injured in a freak logging accident that left him without the use of his legs and he remained in a wheelchair for some 47 years. We were told that he was the oldest living paraplegic in New Zealand.

Tap was always a practical, good humored guy with a can-do attitude which helped him in his rehabilitation and establishing himself in a new and unexpected life. He retained his love for the outdoors.

Importantly he married Annabel and was a very proud father of two and a granddad to four.

His work at the Burwood Hospital Spinal Unit is where his inspirational character really came out! Not only did he mentor people who were patients at the unit but he inspired them by example that being wheelchair bound was a new direction, challenge and full life.

If Tap wanted to do something he would find a way - maybe a long way, but a way.

For his work in the Spinal Unit he received a New Zealand Order of Merit but even so we forestry lads believe him to be a hero, an unsung hero!

Tap stayed with us when he came with Barry and me to attend Jack Palmer's funeral [that's Jack standing on Tap's right in the photo]. His disability only manifested itself because we have steps at our house and not a ramp, therefore I had to help him up - otherwise he was so organized, her was just a mate visiting.

Unfortunately he followed me to Dunedin in his car as we intended to go in different direction, and as he lost sight of me for a few moments, he sped up to catch me. The cop followed him into the supermarket carpark and despite my attempt a diplomacy, he recieved a $100 speeding ticket!

Tap and Annabel set up a caravan and they parked in our yard on their first [and as it turned out, last] expedition. I was able to make a few minor adjustments for his ramp, but they had it very well set up very well.

Appropriately, Tap's funeral was large and there was much to say, but Colin Goodrich's final words were, 'It may be an oft used cliche, but Tap did indeed leave the world better than how he found it.'

Some pictures.

  The young Graham Tapper.

 

Tap in the center, with John Reid and Rob Woodney rest at the corner waiting for transport.

Our training made us fit and taught us good techniques of bushcraft and living healthily in what these days may be termed as primitive conditions.

 Hard, physical work. Planting trees on a shingle scree at Craigeburn. This was done to prevent erosion [and probably introduced species that that are hard to get rid of today].

Tap sitting there in the green shirt, not looking at the camera.

Grouped again waiting for transport.





Fly Tap!