# This tradesmans life



## spongebob (Dec 11, 2007)

Chatting away about current trade apprenticeship schemes in NZ , or lack of them , the other day I was asked how long I remained on the tools.
This made me think back and realise it was only 3 1/2 days!
I finished my fitting and turning apprenticeship at the Dockyard and left that day to go to sea, joining the NZSCo. Rangitane for the round voyage from NZ to London and back .
I paid off the ship in Wellington early November and after traveling home decided to wait until after Christmas before seeking a berth with the Local Union Steamship Co. but the kitty ran dry so I decided to apply for a fitter & turners job with Winstones Depot on Marsden wharf .
Here they maintained a workshop to service gear on sand carrying barges that transported high silica sand from a beach in the far north to the Marsden wharf for on trucking to the Auckland glass works. Perhaps 90% of this sand became 30 oz beer bottles to carry those precious pints of Brown Bomber, DB Draft, Sparkling Waitemata, and other amber fluids from our breweries.
The barges were shepherded and towed by to and from the mine point by a tug jockey Harry Julian , a waterfront character who later became the Chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board.
The barges carried Diesel engine powered clamshell grabs for loading and offloading the sand and what with salt water and abrasive sand the wear and tear on the grab buckets was severe . 
Bushes were worn oval and pins were necked to the extent that the tight closure was haphazard and my job was to turn up replacement bushes and pins . Starting on a Monday morning I was shown to a clapped out Willson lathe, not the finest of British machine tools, and a pile of second hand 2inch stay bars and 2 1/2 inch heavy wall stay tubes from an old fire tube boiler which I had to turn up bushes and pins for the welder to fit to the buckets as best he could.
The lathe was past its best, the head stock bearing was too slack to allow any heavy cuts but I persevered for three and a half days to get ahead of the task . After precision training and equipment at the Dockyard this was Heath Robinson work which gave me little pleasure but it was earning me a quid or two.
Thursday lunch time the pay clerk arrived with the little brown envelopes and to my surprise the fitter and welder both downed tools on a hot day and took the afternoon off to breast the bar at a nearby pub so with three days pay in hand I followed suit and took the opportunity to call on the the Engineering Superintendent at the nearby Union Co . He took my details and phone number saying that he would be in touch in the future which was not very encouraging so after a quick beer at the Crank Case corner bar I took the afternoon bus home .
My Dad greeted me with the news that the Marine super had just phoned and wanted me to call asap . The instructions were " Pack you bag, get a cab to the ferry buildings then a Blue boat ferry to Chelsea sugar refinery wharf to join the collier Kaitangata as fourth engineer and to sail that evening"
Off I went , feeling very important as I travelled across the harbour as the only passenger oh the 50 foot Olive Rose but soon brought to earth as we sailed away on a ship with worn out, wheezing British Polar engines.
That was the end of my life as a fitter and turner tradesman and the start of a brief career at sea.

Bob


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## Kaiser Bill (Jun 28, 2006)

Keep them coming Bob, I like your turn of phrase. (Applause)


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## yogi t (Oct 4, 2007)

*Pierhead jump*

Enjoyed your tale of joining USSCo. I had a somewhat similar experience.After doing the delivery voyage on Ngahere fom Scotland
I was told to join the Kaitoa as 3rd Mate in Auckland ,where I lived, settled in that morning at midday I was given a Howard Smither for the afternoon.

This meant in your homeport if there was not much happening you could be made to take a half day off. 

So like yourself I went to Crankcase corner to sample the Lion red. Spent most of the afternoon there
and caught the bus home down Mt Eden Road. Turned into the cul de sac where I lived and there was a green mini outside, didn't think anything about it . Went inside there was Tom the USSCo "runner" having a cup of tea with my folks.
Ah there you are at last ! Your sailing on the Kaitoke for Sydney, she is waiting for you , they've transferred your gear across from the Kaitoa.

Took me down to the ship which was singled up and I signed articles once we cleared A buoy.

It taught me a lesson, I was never "at home" if the phone went on a Friday or Saturday.USSCo " usual Saturday sailing", and beware of green minis!
John


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