Life on the NZ coast

[alf corbyn]

i found one of the best ways to pick up a bird in wellington. opposite the ywca was a phone box. we used to phone up and ask for dawn.some one was always named dawn.w e would then tell them we were in the phone box and there were two of us. never failed. cheers. alf

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Alf.
We used to get the phone calls on board, they all used to ask for Des, there was always a Des on the coast ha ha.
Cheers Des

[John Hearson]

I was Lecky with USSCo based in NZ in 1964, 1965 and my last two ships were ' Konini ' and ' Kaitoa '. Seems a long time ago but I remember and enjoyed every minute. Except the hangovers of course. I also worked-by on ' Matua ' and various others. It would be great to hear from any other USSCo from that era.

[Terry Wilcox]

A friend of mine in Auckland sent me one email that said if I liked the 60s music then go onto the web site, the coast fm. they play some great music from my era, when I was with Port Line sailing around the coast of Ausy and New Zealand, have a listen in and see.Take care..........Terry

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi John.
I haven't visited the USS site for a while. Welcome to the site great tales and bull but good people.
I was on the Konini in 63 as mud pilot, Did many trips on the coast between 57 and 64 the last ship was the Karu in 64, then went ashore. Don't forget to list all your ships and give your discharge book no and first ship to Vernon.

Cheers Des

[graham mcglone]

Hi fellas. With regard to Dickie Bird. I was living in a nice bungalow in Mount Eden with three ex shipmates of mine who had jumped ship from the Port Victor. This was back in June 1967. I myself had paid off sick from the Port Victor just two months previously in Sydney after being hospitalised (and didn't bother to rejoin her) I then flew over to Auckland - so I was there quite legally. I had my Auckland Airport immigration card to prove it!

One night there's a knock on the door and standing there is a bloke with a face like granite and lips like razor blades. He said "Good evening, my name's Detective Sergeant Dickie Bird. You may have heard of me. Don't try running out the back because one of my constables is guarding the door and he'll get all upset"
He invited himself in and identified my three housemates and put them in handcuffs. When it came to my turn he couldn't do much because I was there legally. But he did say, "I may not be able to get you deported like your three chums here, but I can do you for harbouring them. How's that grab you?"
Some months later he tried to get me convicted on that charge but the magistrate threw it out.

[Dennis McGuckin]

i found one of the best ways to pick up a bird in wellington. opposite the ywca was a phone box. we used to phone up and ask for dawn.some one was always named dawn.w e would then tell them we were in the phone box and there were two of us. never failed. cheers. alf

Must have been the same in OZ, cause I had one called Dawn. She had the most unlikly name of Freebody.
No comment.
Den.

[Bob Dunkley]

graham thats a good storey ialso lived in auckland for a while in herne bay with a eurasion maori girl who had a tranni as a house mate . I arrived in Whangerei after jumping the Sugar importer in Brisbane and stowing away on the Port New Plymouth to Whanwerei. igot a bus to Auckland and hung around for a couple of months in the usual haunts i.e snake pit ambassodors Gtnorthern and of course Gleesons and going on ships with old friends etc after a while i got fed up and because my discharge book was in Aus i only hab my red i.d book a mate of mine said see the cheif mate he is an ex alcoholic turned bible basher,so i went to the mate and he sent me to N.Z.S.C offices with a letter i went there and they phoned immigration i was ready to grab my red id book and run I had said i flew from Aus. Tomy surprise they said you can sign him on ,so I signed on the Cumberland and stayed nearly a month in Auckland working on a paper discharge,before topping off in port chalmers and sailing direct to las palmas around the horn. do you think i am classed as being legally in N.Z this was in 1969

[graham mcglone]

Blimey bob, that's a great story. Yeah, I reckon if you were working in NZ legally, even if it was a paper discharge, then it was all above board.
Mention of all those wonderful pubs such as Ma Gleasons and the Great Northern has made me remember what a wonderful time we had in Auckland. When they chucked out after the 6-o-clock swill, there was always a party to go to and a girl to latch onto, wasn't there? Ooh such happy days!

[frank earl]

This pic shows me (in black T shirt) with Morgan to the right of me in the photo.The occasion was when we were about to sail in the Waihemo and the police told us to get off the ship,it had been sold.

---------- Post added at 08:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 PM ----------

I was Lecky with USSCo based in NZ in 1964, 1965 and my last two ships were ' Konini ' and ' Kaitoa '. Seems a long time ago but I remember and enjoyed every minute. Except the hangovers of course. I also worked-by on ' Matua ' and various others. It would be great to hear from any other USSCo from that era.

I was in Kaituna,Koromiko,Kaiwera,and Waikere,the others I cant remember.I shipped out of Wellington after Pincher Martin got me into the union,from 1964 to 1967.I was an Arethusa boy before joining the RFA,and then the MN.Frank Earl. There are plenty of MN pics in my facebook photo album:Facebook