A Dark Memory Reactivated
Last week’s RNZ documentary about the US Marine base on the Kapiti Coast raised a forgotten (or perhaps a deliberately hidden) memory of my activities on 3 Mile Bush Road, Kamo in Northland, during World War II. And in hindsight it made me wonder if, had my bravery been made public, I would perhaps have been the youngest ever recipient of the Victoria Cross or similar award, (I would have been under 10 at the time). The house in the photos was the home of a great uncle and aunt (siblings of the Hansen Family.) One of my sisters and I used to spend school holidays up there. (The other sisters hadn’t been born yet.) Anyway, during the war there was a US military base within sight at the end of a side road. Every day tanks and armoured vehicles would rumble up and down 3 Mile Bush Rd past our gate. I developed a plan. There were a lot of very “free range” turkeys, ducks, and poultry of various kinds enjoying the relatively empty and unspoiled environment around the surrounding farmland. Result: lots of eggs, many of which were by no means fresh. I remember collecting eggs, especially old ones and going out to the road with a supply of hand grenades. There was a deep open drain beside the road so guess what! I would hide in the drain when I thought it was time when the armoured vehicles would be returning to base. I courageously attacked them from the drain with my hand grenades though I do remember I was clever enough to attack only the last one when they were in a close queue. I imagine when they had returned to base and discovered that they had been under attack, it would have given them food for thought and probably had some influence in their decision to return home when the war was over. With the benefit of decades of observing world events and the behaviour of nations, it now seems to me that by acting to terminate U.S. military presence, as a young child, I have nevertheless contributed to our small country’s enjoyment of relative independence for all those years post W.W.II. (Seriously. Don’t laugh!)
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Calling All Puzzle Masters! Can You Solve This?
When John was six years old he hammered a nail into his favorite tree to mark his height.
Ten years later at age sixteen, John returned to see how much higher the nail was.
If the tree grew by five centimetres each year, how much higher would the nail be?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
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Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
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