Samuel Barr
He's not directly related to me, but he married my great Grandmother's sister Maggie, and he lived at Boatman's and was a very active citizen there, and his path crossed with... › more
Daniel Ferris
The family legend has it that he was born in Ireland, perhaps somewhere near Belfast, and that as a rebellious teenager, he came home late one night to find the door locked.... › more
Frederik Christian Dale: A Brush with History
I wouldn't want to make too much of this, but Richard John Seddon has impinged on my life more than chance should have allowed. I've already told you Uncle Murray's story about... › more
Turn of the Worm
I can't remember who said that statistics will prove anything you want them to prove, but perhaps he was on to something. Whatever problem you happen to be working on, if you... › more
Schooldays
Conventional wisdom used to have it that your schooldays were the best days of your life. I can't say that my schooldays were especially dismal, but I feel deeply sorry for... › more
Murphy's Law
These United nation jobs were pretty lucrative. We were paid in American dollars, at rates that would match the sort of pay that an American scientist would expect, and it was... › more
Aircraft Disinsection
Though life has brought me close to several of the world's great catastrophes it has so far spared me involvement in any of them. We had left Czechoslovakia in 1967 a good... › more
Taking Counsel
In the elections of 1986 the Mount Albert Labour Party elected me to the Mount Albert City Council. This was a totally new experience for me, and I approached the task with a... › more