NZ and Australia sojourn - continued!!

Hi again to all,

Fortunately we had finally mostly recovered from our flus and so on the 14th. (just 2 days before we were due to fly to the South Island) the furniture removal people arrived at our storage unit. There was quite a performance getting things out and deciding what stayed and the items destined for the antique shop. After about 3 hours it was finally done.

It's a wrench for Jim as he has known all these things for the last almost 50 years but our lives have changed irrevocably and especially so since buying our apartment in Medellin. We certainly can no longer afford to buy property in NZ due to the ridiculous property inflation that has raged for the last 5 years or so and it is certainly uneconomic to ship the entire contents of the storage unit to Medellin. So, there was only one sensible answer, but the difficulty with that is that these days no-one seems to want anything of quality and so values are far lower than they should be. Shades of the classic yacht market!!

We said goodbye temporarily to Hamish and Sara and on the following day drove to Auckland  where we stayed with Jean's old friend, Linda Luxford. A new acquaintance for Jim but Jean and Linda had years of catching up to do. We had a delightful stay with Linda and she spoiled us rotten!

Then on the next day (16th.) we drove to the airport for our flight to Christchurch with Jet Star. Left the Suzuki in airport long term parking. The flight was uneventful, except for very cramped seating, but as it was only just over 1 hour, it was bearable. Arrived Christchurch about 4.30pm  and straight to Apex Car Rentals to organize our car. Soon we were off heading north out of Christchurch on our way through the Lewis Pass. It's a 3 and a half hour drive to Greymouth and we were feeling somewhat jaded already. Very heavy traffic which was slow but finally we were free of the city's influence and heading west. Stopped at Culverden for an indifferent meal of fish and chips and as we've said before about NZ, at exorbitant cost!

We hadn't realized but there had been fires in the alpine areas of the Trans Alpine Railway which had damaged signals and bridges so trains are out of action for 6 weeks. As a result bulk export cargos of logs and coal are moving by road which makes driving on NZ's goat tracks masquerading as state highways even more hazardous. It remained daylight until after 8 so that helped our aged eyes and the drive, apart from the trucks, was scenic and enjoyable.

We rolled into Greymouth about 9 and had little difficulty in finding the house of Jean's nephew (Jiveen). Then there was a reunion of Jean and Jiveen. They had last seen each other in Scotland almost 2 years ago. Jiveen has taken a position with the Grey District Council as "Innovation Officer". The rest of the family was asleep by this stage so after a cup of tea we were very glad to be shown to our bedroom and a nice comfy bed where we slept soundly - only woken from time to time by the colds we still had. Some lovely welcoming natural soap on our bed - left by Jenny.

We had a delightful time with Jenny and Jiveen - not to mention Theo and Rohan. The children were delightful. Jim was very pleased to discover a genuine NZ butcher's shop not far away and we certainly patronized it. We bought a Canterbury leg of lamb for Jean's 70th birthday on Feb 18th. and a great time was had by all. Jean found a gluten free cake mix in town and made a chocolate cake which was also greatly enjoyed. During our stay we drove north up to the Punakaiki Rocks which are a pancake formation on a headland. Very fascinating and extremely well serviced by DOC with paths and explanatory plaques. We felt that DOC should charge an admission fee to pay for what is a really admirable asset. There had also been a weekend market in Greymouth in which Jenny was a main player due to her long standing interest in and knowledge of self sufficient production of fruits and vegetables. 

Then there was the arrival of Rod and Fiona (Jenny's parents) from Scotland which was their first visit to the Land of the Long White Cloud. In the meantime Jiveen had arranged alternative accommodation for us as their house wasn't big enough for all of us. We had a very comfortable house south of Greymouth right on the beach which offered dramatic views of the Tasman rollers. The weather was quite benign however and even the Greymouth bar was disappointingly calm! Jean had met Rod and Fiona back in Scotland 18 months ago but Jim hadn't met them so it was a happy reunion. They are very pleasant lovely people and we enjoyed their company. One night Jenny cooked a delicious dinner which we all had together.

Then one morning Jean developed a bad stomach pain on the right side. Of course, having some medical knowledge, one always imagines the worst so we decided to go to Greymouth Hospital to get things checked out. They were excellent and we had a very thorough doctor. He gave Jean an ultrasound examination which showed nothing untoward and happily the pain slowly subsided. Hasn't been a problem since.

Jean was a bit washed out after all that and needed to rest - very unlike her! So, Jim decided to drive up to Reefton (about an hour north and slightly inland). Reefton is like stepping back in time and they have preserved most of the original buildings. Had a coffee and a slice of bacon and egg pie (!) and then drove back again. Beautiful bright green countryside with many dairy farms.

We had learnt about a greenstone carver while at the aforementioned market and so visited him and learnt much about the business and all the skullduggery that has gone on in the past! We had been asked to source a pendant for a friend here in Langkawi and happily we were able to do that at very reasonable cost - much less than tourist prices.

Then it was all too soon for us to leave for Christchurch. Jenny, Rod, Fiona, Theo and Rohan all came to say goodbye after which we drove back to Greymouth to say a last farewell to Jiveen. We should be used to these goodbyes after our lifestyle over the last 6 years or so, but it's always a wrench.   

The drive up to Arthurs Pass was spectacular - cloudless sky and very steep inclines with great views of the Southern Alps. It would have to be one of the world's greatest drives. We had a pleasant café lunch at Arthurs Pass itself and then carried on down the Canterbury side. Around 4 we were back at the rental car depot where we waited for Charlotte's husband Jon to pick us up in the work truck. This he duly did and then we were at 12, Kaiwara St., Hoon Hay for a reunion with Jim's youngest daughter, Charlotte and Lucia and Elsie. Lucia was away at a "sleepout" that night so we were able to get to know Elsie all over again as it had been 3 years since she had seen Jean but the aforesaid has a great way with children and soon there were games etc. Being a Friday night, we got takeaways from a Chinese takeaway and a good time was had by all. We had been going to sleep on a blowup mattress on the sitting room floor but Jon quickly mastered the situation and  we took over Lucia's room who was moved to the study.

The next day we went over to Lyttleton to the farmers market. Excellent produce etc - but pricey!! as is NZ generally. A very pleasant visit complete with coffee and morning tea! Lyttleton still has a few gaps courtesy of the earthquakes but there is definitely an air of prosperity which was good to see. The road back over the Port Hills was still closed due to the extensive fires that they had had so it was both ways through the tunnel. 

That afternoon/evening it was great to see again Jon's father, Max and Philippa. Much to talk about and catch up on. Don't know whether there was much understanding of our decision to eventually live in Medellin though!! A very pleasant BBQ and red wine put a mellow touch on the evening.

The next day Charlotte took us into the city to view rebuilding since the earthquake. There is undoubtedly much building activity but it seemed to Jim not much more evident since his last visit almost 2 years ago. During the visit to town we also visited the Air NZ exhibition held to commemorate their 75th. anniversary. An area of particular interest for Jim was the depiction of a passenger cabin on the Solent flying boat (operated by TEAL - the forerunner of Air NZ). Jim flew on the 2nd to last Coral Route service, as it was known, from Fiji to Tahiti in 1960 with his parents and brother, Alec. The Solent was the aircraft used and after a re-fuelling stop at Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Alec and Jim were invited to the flight deck for the take-off!! They simply stood in awe behind the pilot's seat and Capt. Joe Shepherd merely said - "you kids OK?" before his hands pushed the throttles wide open and the 4 Bristol Hercules engines roared in unison. Jim can still see the scene as if it were yesterday. 

Then on Monday it was all too soon time for us to take our leave again. You would think we were used to it by now, but it seems we never get used to saying goodbye - albeit hopefully temporarily. At least Lucia would have her room back!! Charlotte took us to the airport and once again it was farewell for however long. Back in Auckland we collected the car and went straight to Linda's at Hauraki Corner. She was so hospitable and we owe her an extreme debt of gratitude. As indeed we do to everyone who allowed us the run of their houses and put up with our quirky eccentric ways!!

So many things to do - buy a repair kit for one of our 2 manual Whale bilge pumps, and a new oscillating tool (after the trusty Fein had packed up) to deal with the seams on the boat's deck as required. In Whangarei we acquired a new mat for the galley, bronze screws, and a length of line to hoist the outboard on and off. Couldn't find the required diameter here in Langkawi.

Then a visit to our Auckland solicitor to organize new Wills in respect of our recent apartment purchase in Medellin. It was great to renew acquaintance with him. He has been a long standing solicitor for Jean's family and is a great person to talk to. Much of our several appointments was taken up with discussions of everything except the law but they were enjoyable occasions. The law in NZ is based on British Common Law, whereas the Colombian legal system is European Civil Law based. The main issue for us was to ensure that when the inevitable happens and one of us shuffles off this mortal coil, the survivor can retain ownership and use of the apartment. We finally understood the issues with advice from our NZ solicitor as well as simultaneous advice from our Medellin counterpart. It involves the formation of a Civil Trust in Colombia but fortunately the costs of all this legal work are not so great as Colombia has a much lower cost structure than NZ.  

We should also mention that we managed to organize to meet Jim's best man (at his 1st. wedding in 1969). This was David Dunsheath and he was in Matakana with his wife, Joy and sister, Anna. Anna has a house on Waiheke Is. and Jim hadn't seen her since Waiheke Wines and Spirits days. Anna is also a very accomplished artist and Jim has a small example of her art which will eventually find its way to Medellin. It was a wonderful reunion and we managed to bring ourselves up to date as much as is possible in such a relatively short time. David and Joy live in Wellington and were in fact in Matakana for the wedding of one of their sons so it was a happy time all round. We had come down from Whangarei and stayed with Keith in Wellsford once again which made the meeting possible. As well as that we had the opportunity to have some more hilarious conversations with Keith and Darren and Jolene.

Then back to Whangarei for more bouts with our storage unit. We were now entering the slow and boring phase as box after box had to be unpacked and contents dealt with. Some to keep, some to Hospice and some to sell. Also some special items to Charlotte in Christchurch and to Amanda who with Dave is about to move into their 1st. home. Amanda and Dave came up to Whangarei in a borrowed van to remove their items. We then had one trip to Auckland (there and back in a day) to deliver to Crown Relocations the items for Charlotte. These included a solid silver tea set that had belonged to Charlotte's great great grandmother - also Charlotte Donald and her initials had been engraved on all the pieces so Charlotte was the obvious beneficiary. She'll have to get used to regular polishing to keep it all looking pristine!!

Jean had some items as well to deal with. There was a large Kauri chest of drawers which she gave to her nephew, Rakesh and Geraldine and their very new baby, Amalendu. They have recently moved to Whangarei and we had the opportunity to visit them several times during our stay. Her wonderful camphorwood box which she had had since Singapore days in the early 1970's was kept for eventual shipment to Medellin. It will have been a well travelled camphorwood box! 

Finally the sorting was finished and Jim was getting over what was for him a huge change and a long overdue letting go of the past. The process was of necessity slow, especially where papers were concerned, but the Norsand Boatyard just down the road had very generously allowed us to use their rubbish skip!! We gave Murray and Jo at Norsand a bottle of wine in appreciation and a large Steinlager photo of NZL32 winning the America's Cup in San Diego. The origin of this had been with Waiheke Wines and Spirits which was a Lion Brewery associated franchise (Super Liquor). We gave Noel Barrot (our shipwright friend) some other items that we felt he would appreciate such as some vintage charts and a Teak benchtop from a furniture maker in Delhi, India which had been surplus to requirements in the building of the Kerikeri house back in 2006. Plus quite a few other bits and pieces! Also one of Jim's Rajahstan rugs (purchased in India in 2005) for Heather.

In the end we finished up with some boxes of items we want to ship to Medellin and once again due to great kindness from our friends Hamish and Sara, we purchased a 1.5 x 1.5 metre garden shed from Bunnings and had it erected in H & S's large commercial shed - so it is well protected while it awaits the final move. Then H & S will get a pristine garden shed!

It was such a haven to come back to Hamish and Sara's after hard yakka  each day in the storage unit. They really put themselves out for us and slept out in the aforementioned container (sleepout) while we had the luxury of their bed. And of course it was no distance from the storage unit in Port Rd. so we could come and go with the items for final storage. It was a really logistical exercise which tested us at times. And it must be said that Jean was her usual tower of strength - particularly given that most of the stored items were Jim's stuff! The job could not have been completed without her.

We should also mention that we had our usual appointments with our doctor, Andrew Miller at Bush Rd. Medical Centre. Jim was very pleased to learn that his blood test results were all clear and within normal limits. Blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. When Andrew took the blood pressure and saw the reading he said - "you're just showing off!" Jean of course was her normal healthy self and we were also very pleased and relieved to see that Andrew had recovered remarkably well from his recent very severe illness. Well done, Andrew and all best wishes from us for your continued good health.  

We also spent some time staying at Jo's (Jean's neice) place at Mangapai. It was good for Jean to see her great nephews, Morgan and Harlen, but perhaps a pity that, even though she hadn't been there for 3 years and may not be back for a while, they - perhaps like teenagers everywhere - were distant and mostly withdrew to their bedrooms and their computers. They don't appear to realize that at our age the chances of seeing us again diminish exponentially.

However, Jo and Jean's sister, Heather (who lives in her own small house on the property) insisted on giving us a BBQ - mainly to celebrate Jean's 70th. Jim's of course had been celebrated back on Langkawi a few weeks earlier. However, we found at short notice that we were expected to do most if not all of the food preparation and supply most of the necessaries as well!! Wasn't quite what we had expected, particularly as we were mostly quite knackered after our stints in the storage unit, but in the end and in spite of inclement weather, a good time was had by all. Special thanks to Keith who supplied the best pork sausages and Hamish who cooked them. We had done everything else including a roast leg of lamb which was enjoyed by all.

Jean's cousins, Elizabeth and Colin were there as well as her old friend, Glennis Bowmar/Neill. Then there were Sara and Catherine's contributions of the most delicious desserts and cake. Thank you again, both of you. Also many thanks to Catherine, Heather and Hamish for all your subsequent help in the kitchen. Also good to see Wendy and her children and Kagan and Anna. Darren and Jolene, Giovanni and Catherine who all contributed to making the occasion a memorable one. Keith and Heather - you two go without saying!  

Then after all the kindnesses and help, it was finally time to say goodbye to Whangarei and all our friends and return to Auckland for some final purchases, chores and frankly some R & R! On the way we called in at Ruakaka to say goodbye to Wendy and her family. Then Keith's at Wellsford for a final brief goodbye - also to Jolene and Darren who have been completing their investment house in Dargaville. All these provincial towns are benefiting (if that's the word) from the value overflow from Auckland.

Then it was back to Linda's at Hauraki Corner, our oasis in Auckland. Linda has been wonderful to us and we owe her (along with others) a debt of gratitude.

This was our opportunity (for Jim particularly) to say hello and goodbye again to his relatives.

First, Amanda - Jim's eldest daughter. Amanda is a midwife practising out of the Botany Health Centre and absolutely loves her job. She and Dave have just purchased their 1st. house (in their 40's!) and are over the moon. The numbers horrify Jim as he remembers his 1st house in 1968 (which he part financed by the sale of a car) for $12,000. Anyway, they reckon they can handle the mortgage. The settlement has been delayed due to a bureaucratic f...up, over a small deck extension. The Auckland City Council are a law unto themselves and the approval is likely to take up to a month of working days. What do these people do all day? Anyway, they now have an antique blue Chinese silk rug and 2 of the original A.B. Donald Ltd. boardroom chairs. They'll all look good in the new house.

One evening Amanda organized a viewing of the new house in Blockhouse Bay and Dad (Jim) was suitably impressed.

Second, John Mains (Jim's cousin) and Garry. We had lunch with John and Garry at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron with a great view out over the harbor. Jim was a member a few years ago at the time of the America's Cup excitement in 1995. John's father, Neil had also been a long time member sailing his A-Class keeler in squadron races.  There is a photo on the wall of "Ilex" which had been owned by Jim's grandfather and which had been subsequently lost on Minerva Reef as "Tuaikepau" when she had become owned by a Tongan Church Mission. That has become the subject of an epic story of maritime survival when some of the survivors sailed to Fiji for help. Reminiscent of  Captain Bligh's epic voyage of survival after he was set adrift during the "Bounty" mutiny.

John and Garry had just liquidated their stock of antiques with a view to finally retiring from the business after 53 years as Portobello Antiques - firstly in Parnell and then more latterly in Ellerslie. There had been an article in the NZ Herald commemorating their 53 years in the business which had begun earlier on the Portobello Rd. in London. Jim also managed to make contact with Jenny (John's sister) by phone as we had run out of time at that juncture. It was great to talk to Jenny after all this time.

Third, Jim's brother Alec who lives in Mt. Eden. We had 2 very pleasant visits - the last of which was for lunch. On the previous visit we had met Leo who is a very personable Thai boy who had been adopted by their eldest daughter. Much frustrating bureaucracy but all but over now. Interestingly, as so often happens, she then became pregnant with her own child who is now about 6 months old. We haven't yet met him but no doubt on a future visit.............lots of reminiscing as always.

Then we had lunch in Meadowbank on an earlier visit with Graham and Carol Pearce. Jim had worked in a sister company to the one Graham worked for back in the 1970's. Graham more latterly has been very much involved in the Heineken Open tennis tournaments and is still involved with Auckland Tennis. We also made contact with John Bassili who was also a work colleague in the same company - part of the Amalgamated Dairies Group. John is Lebanese and left Lebanon during the troubles there with his NZ born wife, Maureen (who is an anaesthetist) some 45 years ago. They drove an MGBGT and a small Audi from there through Syria and Turkey to Genoa in Italy, from where they shipped the cars and themselves to Auckland. And they've been there ever since. They still own the same house in Epsom which they are extensively renovating. We met their son who is visiting from London on an earlier visit and he has been to Medellin, and liked it very much.

We also managed to make contact with Rhea and Pritika (Jean's nieces) as neither of them had been able to make it to the Whangarei BBQ. That was good and Jean was able to catch up with all their doings.

Should also mention that we sold a walnut bedroom suite to Jenny Hastie. This had been Jim's since he bought it in a radio market place programme back in 1968! It was also good to catch up with Jenny when we had dinner with her in Auckland.

In between all this we made last minute purchases and put the car through a car polish place - having washed it ourselves a few weeks previously. When we arrived in NZ we had 2 x 28kg suitcases thinking that they'd stay there. However, with all that we had bought we were still returning to Malaysia with one of them!! After a sad farewell to Linda on April 2nd. we drove to Pt. Chev. to leave the car with Tracie's brother in law. Had a chance and brief encounter with Alan (Tracie's stepfather) and Deborah and Steve until the shuttle we had booked arrived to whisk (if that's the word given Auckland traffic and no motorway to the airport) us to the airport to catch Air Asia to Coolangatta (Australia).

As an aside we've since learnt that the Suzuki had just had the back door repaired (from when it was involved in a minor accident before we arrived) and Steve was driving it home when an unlicensed and uninsured young kid ran a compulsory stop sign and T-boned the car. At least no-one was hurt. So sad to hear because it had been an absolute boon to us and we couldn't have achieved all that we did without it. We remain very grateful to Perry and Tracie for the use of their vehicle. However, at this stage we don't know whether it's a write-off or not.   

The flight to Coolangatta (4 hours) was uneventful as you like air travel to be. Not like United Airlines!!!! We emerged from the pedantic Aussie "Border Force" around 2300 local time and there was Sara to meet us. A joyful reunion between her and Jean - not to mention yours truly because we had met before, notably when we stayed with Sara during our stay on the yacht in Bundaberg back in 2011/12. And also when Sara and her son, Ricardo had been in NZ in early 2014. Jean, Sara and Perry had flatted together not far from Perry's house in Milford when Perry was still at school.

Cyclone Debbie had roared through the area a few days before and we had had concerns as to whether Sara would even be able to get to the airport with all the flooding but she had taken the scenic route through some higher ground and so avoided the flooded Tweed River. Soon we were at her house in a fortunately elevated subdivision in Murwillumbah NSW. Again shades of Hamish and Sara, she had given us her bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. Such generosity and so much appreciated. We were soon well and truly asleep as we had "lost" 2 hours on the trip from NZ.

The next day we went into town for some food shopping as this was the first day that shops had been able to restock following the devastating floods. The town was a mess with flood debris everywhere but Coles was elevated above its carpark so hadn't been affected as far as we could see. However, many shops and businesses were closed for the duration and many low lying streets had heart breaking piles of household possessions outside flooded houses ready to be taken away to the tip.

After a day or so we were very pleased to meet Carl again (Sara's friend). He had only just been able to leave his flooded property which is on the banks of a river that runs down from Mt. Warning. He has 40 acres which had been affected but miraculously his house was spared. He is 79 but as spritely as ever and still drives the same VW Kombi van that he had in 2011. It puffs out some black smoke though, which Sara isn't very impressed about!

Sara's son, Ricardo had last year left school with some impressive acting qualifications and credentials, but as an interim youthful experience had applied and been accepted as a crewmember on the "Soren Larsen" which is now running short cruises out of Sydney. Then he had an opportunity to join another old Scandinavian tall ship, the "Southern Swan". She was brought up to Brisbane for an extensive refit (adhesive cement in her very wormy seams - not sure whether Noel would approve!!) and so we decided to go up there as a chance to see Ricardo, not to mention another piece of maritime history. Evidently on the voyage north the bilge pumps were going all the time! We had booked into a motel at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron at Manly, so checked in there before making our way to the boatyard - "The Yard". Eventually we found it on the banks of a tributary of the Brisbane River and met Ricardo again and had a very enjoyable tour over the old ship. She had been built in the 1920's in Denmark so was about 95 years old - not quite as old as "Vega" who we met here in Langkawi last year when we brought some deck caulking compound down from Thailand for them. "Vega" is 125 years old.

Ricardo accompanied us back to the motel (unaccustomed luxury for him!) and we had a chance to catch up with his doings over dinner at the RQYS. All very civilized. Jean and Sara delivered him back to the yard the next morning to start work at 7 while yours truly lay in bed and watched a fascinating hour long interview with Sir Geoffrey Palmer - briefly a NZ Labour Party PM from 1989 to 1990 - the culmination of a time of great economic and political change for NZ. Then breakfast along the road and slowly back to Murwillumbah via Point Danger where we had lunch. Then it was time to collect Tonka (Sara's little dog) from the kennel where he had boarded while we were away and back home again. A very interesting trip thanks to Sara and Ricardo. All these names by the way - Point Danger and Mt. Warning - were named by the Great Navigator himself - James Cook. 

On another day Carl, Sara and us went to an art gallery near Murwillumbah where there were wonderful collections of Australian art - including that of Margaret Olley. After she died in 2011, her Paddington, Sydney house was photographed extensively before it and its eclectic and eccentric furnishings and art was moved lock stock and barrel to the gallery in Murwillumbah. It is reproduced now exactly as it was the day she died aged 88 while she was organizing yet another exhibition of her work. It was a fascinating thing to see. Apparently it was moved there as she had been born nearby in Lismore.

Then, as had happened before, all too soon our visit was coming to an end once more. We spent the day of April 9th. packing and then Sara drove us to Coolangatta Airport. This time along the banks of the Tweed as the floods had completely receded, but of course leaving an awful mess to clean up. Another sad farewell and then we were on the aircraft for takeoff at 2210. Another uneventful flight, although 8 hours this time to Kuala Lumpur. Then 2 and a half hours on the ground before the hour long flight to Langkawi. Very thankful to be here once more - these flights are becoming much harder as we age.

Caught a taxi to the marina and went to the boat. All was well except that the galley sink discharge pump had decided not to work which was a decided nuisance. However, a fellow yachtie volunteered his services and it turned out that Jim's wiring (which had lasted for a long time) was not up to the task. Easily fixed once the correct diagnosis had been made.

It is now 5 days since we arrived back here and neither of us has been feeling great - same sort of mild viral flu type affliction that we had when we arrived in NZ - no doubt courtesy of Air Asia. Not great but improving now.

Our focus now is with selling the old girl, more varnishing and painting and ensuring that the Medellin apartment is let to provide some income - at last! 

Finally, this blog could not be complete without a tribute to John Clarke (aka Fred Dagg) who very sadly passed away  a few days ago. We have always been fans and have found his satirical wit to be without peer. Some of you who were around in the 1970's before he moved to Australia (which was NZ's great loss) may recall his skit where he recalls our late and unlamented Prime Minister - Robert Muldoon.

He said, "saw him the other day, the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Robert Muldoon - NZ's well known gross national product. He was looking pretty pleased with himself - he'd just been awarded Best Dressed Man - Max Cryer. He was thinking of using him as a tallboy!"

If you weren't around back then, you probably won't appreciate the associations with Cryer and Tallboy. Max Cryer was a well known radio broadcaster and Brian Tallboys was Minister of Overseas Trade in the Muldoon Government of the time. Muldoon was not a fan of Mr. F. Dagg!!! 

Well folks, that's it until next time. Hope this finds you all in the pink.

With lotsaluv from us........

Jim and Jean

s.v. Tiare Taporo III

Royal Langkawi Yacht Club

Langkawi

Malaysia

April 16th. 2017