A formative memory (30 August 2024)

Disaster has struck Marcus' Swanndri collection, and we mark 50 years since the death of one of NZ's most loved political leaders.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Marcus lush Night's podcast from News
Talk sed B.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Who likes a Friday? I love a Friday. Gosh the
end of the week. Wow, Not that I mean it's
I mean it's twenty hours I work, but you know,
not bragging, but that's I don't want to work, brag
and say gosh for it a hard week because it's
just five evenings, you know what I'm saying. Anyway, it's
a bad start to the show. Speaking about a bad
start to the show, I had a bad start to
the day today. I don't normally try and sheer much

(00:34):
for my personal life, not that I'm a secret keeper,
but a lot of it I think probably is not
much interest to you. And I imagine it's probably true
that most of what goes on in my life is
not of interest to you. However, I woke up this

(00:58):
morning and I put on a jacket, a orange plane
wander was cold. I was driving to town. I looked
at the arm in this jacket, and I thought, what
holes in it? I thought Jeapess probably hadn't worn it

(01:21):
for two years. I thought, gee, there's holes in it.
So I went to town, did what I had to do.
Caught up with Vanessa for lunch and I said, I
think we've got a swan Dry problem. Anyway, So I
went back home after we had lunch and got them

(01:42):
all out on the line. And I've got a motht
h and fiction not in fiction infestation in the Swandrier collection.
So wow, talk about panic. This collection could be in
Tip Papa just money, the plain ones. I don't like

(02:03):
the checked ones, but cheapest creeper. Talk about panic. So
I googled frantically what to do with moth infestations and
woolen garments. They said, put them in the freezer. Well,
of course, spoken to you before about our kitchen that's
been designed around the world's tiniest freezer. It can't even

(02:23):
fit a two letter of ice cream littone eighteen swan Dry.
So wow, what a panic day. Anyway, I rang the
dry cleaners and once we sorted out it was a
moth infestation, not a moss and fed station. I've dropped
them all in there, and I said to them, by

(02:46):
the way, how many have I dropped off? She said,
cut your coat hangers. I thought that was smart. I
don't know, I didn't think about that, but anyway, talk
about a panic. I've never really been that good with
woolen garments. It's just to wl them until they kind
of broke, I suppose. But gee, anyway, I don't know
whether they wash them. We'll put them in the freezer
or dry clean them. Will quite what will happen. But yeah,
because I always though that was something in the past

(03:08):
that people worried about moths because people always had mothballs,
didn't they naphthaline? But I always thought that was a
thing of the past. They don't add mothballs anymore, so
I'll have to have a new way of storing. But
clearly I should. And apparently mothballs are illegal, which someone

(03:29):
told me too. Camphor and naphlene containing mothballs and flakes
were banned in New Zealand twenty fourteen. Who knew that was?
I suppose I looked like Lolly's. Is that what it's about?
Does there wann know more about that? I suppose kids
to eat them and choke with they like little Yeah, okay,
that's fair enough the Aussies, they're not being In Australia,

(03:53):
children have been poisoned by eating them because it look
like Irish moss. Or something. Don't they anyway? So I
was gonna start by asking you today because once I
get them treated and cleaned, I guess I've got to
find a way to store them and still be able
to use them. I think they probably what is I've

(04:15):
got too many of them. If you just had one
and more that one, the whole time, you'd be up
there and you'd be working the land and get a
good blow through once in a while. But when you
got them stored, not good. So yeah, that's a situation
for me. That's the moth that's the great moth infestation

(04:39):
of the winter of twenty twenty four. And I think
what will happen to America once they've watched them That
smaller holes will become bigger. But goodness, it's gonna be
big dry cleaning bill too, I would imagine. But there
we go. So I want to talk about moth infest
because I'll tell you what in that room, I've never

(04:59):
seen moths, So it must be a fairy unproductive moth
infestation if I've never seen any. And why did I
not know that nat Feline was banned? And what do
you use to get rid of moths? This sounds like
a combination of shen and lush. The stain woman and
Rude climbed past the bug man, but stains from bugs.

(05:21):
I guess we are talking about tonight, not spills. That
was last night. But I know that people kind of
would wrap stuff up and put them in kind of
drawers with campher. Is that right? So I do want
to talk about moths infestations tonight. I know it's not
the world's most interesting topic, but we'll grow. You never
know what directions we will go with that. But band

(05:44):
someone said, are they moths or silverfish? I've got no idea?
Is my name Rude? I got no idea, A little
bit bigger. I don't know what they are. They could
be silverfish. I've got no idea. But just that panic
to put on a jacket and have it fall apart
on your back. Goodness was one of the great ones

(06:08):
too anyway, So yes, that's the situation. So we are
talking with some of you old timers. Must have fought moths.
You must have an old woolen flying jack or old
surge shoot or something and tried to work out what
to do with them. And that's I want to talk
about tonight. Moths was so they could have been silverfish. Silverfish?

Speaker 3 (06:33):
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (06:33):
There could have been silverfish anyway, That's what I'm on
about tonight, on and on and on about Friday night. Also,
too loose like a goose? I said, what did I
say one other week? I said, loose like a goose?
But something different what I say, loose like a I

(06:54):
kind of changed it up a bit. But yes, if
you want to talk about mothballs, I don't want to
hear jokes because that will probably happen to won't it.

Speaker 4 (07:05):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Yeah, like a recluse. How good is this guy? Craig
should go with them? What moths? Craig Marcus?

Speaker 5 (07:21):
Welcome, good evening. How's the game this evening?

Speaker 6 (07:24):
Good?

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Thank you, Craig. Are you going well?

Speaker 7 (07:27):
I can't complain.

Speaker 4 (07:28):
You can't plain yourself, You.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Can't complain at work, and yeah I can't complain.

Speaker 5 (07:34):
Yeah, well, I mean at least you go to work
like some people nowadays.

Speaker 2 (07:37):
Exactly. That's right. You've got to be happy for what
you got these days.

Speaker 5 (07:41):
Yeah, you've got to make most things and take you
rid of them. On the sunny side, Yeah, I've got
a couple of jersays. I've got to give up from
my grandparents years ago, I had a similar problem. What
I've went down to one of the local dry cleaners
and he suggests that you can get these garment backs
so you can put the things and like you put
suits in and then you zip them up and they've
got a hole on the top for the co thing
to come out, and they're actually completely clear, so you

(08:03):
can actually hag them on the hop they don't take
any more room than the garment. You can actually easily
flick through and find which ones are white and pull
them out.

Speaker 4 (08:09):
So that's what I.

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Would worry about all the plastic about those two And
that's what that's what those are for, because the the
moths don't get in there.

Speaker 5 (08:18):
Yeah, it keeps them all out, and it also keeps
all the any molder or mildery or whatever in the
wardrobe out and just keeps them spe shuming you've had
them clean, and then that keeps them nice and fresh too.
And I wrote, I'm gonna put them in cable unplastic boxes.
They got to take up too much room in the place.
And then the guy says, no, you get these garment
bags from mine to ten or places like that, and

(08:41):
they're designed for like four more suits and then you
can just put them in there and it keeps them
all protected and you can just sing them on the
hook and they don't take up any more room than
the actual garment, which is pretty cool.

Speaker 2 (08:50):
Craig, I never saw myself as a garment protected type
of guy. That kind of doesn't fit with my call values,
which is sort of to be free and easy. But
you never know that might be where I need to go.

Speaker 4 (09:00):
Well, neither am I.

Speaker 5 (09:01):
But a couple of these jerseys, like you know, the
generations old and Alert really sent them into and you
can't get any of those, and that's any reason every word,
I don't have anything in that. But it's just those
two jewsey which I sort of try to protect. Everything
else is just normal.

Speaker 2 (09:15):
Yeah, Because I can imagine people going to tell me
that that's why they had wooden chests, because wooden chests,
certain woods would that would be illegal, would be anathema
to naphthaline and camphor and stuff like that, that that's
what you'd use. I'll find out, great, But thank you.
That's kind while wasn't I don't know if I was
doing talkback when naphthalene got banned you wander were saying
on Talkback PC gone mad or about time? This depend

(09:39):
on the show, wouldn't it? I remember naphthalene. I remember
neaphiline before it was naphthaline. People would say, wouldn't they, Anthony,
it's Marcus.

Speaker 6 (09:48):
Welcome, good evening, You're got a Marcus way, keep you along.
Funny enough, it's just int you're talking about moth balls,
Buddy Murphy's law. I actually ordered something the other day
because my wife said, I want moth balls, but you
can't get the old Star because I killed kids. I said,
what's wrong with that? But I managed to find some
and I just got on to train me and I
bought some mothballs and they have a cedar mothballs like.

(10:10):
There's quite a few ads on training for mothballs. But
interesting enough, you can still buy the illegal ones on
tray me, the white camp for ones. They're out of China,
so they're out of China. But I bought the cedar ones,
which are I bought the cedar ones that only cost
me about two dollars fifty for a bag of fifteen

(10:30):
or whatever it was. But you can still buy the
white camp for ones on trade me. But they come
out of China, so you can still buy the illegal ones,
no problem at all.

Speaker 2 (10:39):
Where's your infestation there, Anthony.

Speaker 6 (10:42):
Well, in the worst underwear draw for some.

Speaker 2 (10:45):
Reason, I don't know, is it silverfish or moths.

Speaker 6 (10:49):
They're actually thus both moths and silver fishers just about
seam around about winter. But yeah, that it's just good
if you've got those things in all your drawers, because
it just it just they do keep them, keep stuff
at bay.

Speaker 2 (11:06):
I wonder if that's why people buy Cedar chest then,
because sedar must have some anti silverfish property.

Speaker 8 (11:11):
Eh, it must do.

Speaker 6 (11:14):
But the Sedar ones have actually got a different smell.
It's a lot more subtle, whereas the old camp for
ones that were very very strong.

Speaker 2 (11:21):
Well, it goes with you those How would you describe
the kids asked me to describe that. Well, I couldn't really.
It's not peppermint, but it's kind of like that, isn't it.

Speaker 6 (11:29):
Yeah, it's quite a strong. It's almost like a clinical
type of smell that you get in a hospital.

Speaker 2 (11:34):
Laura Mortar, Yeah, okay, yeah, okay, I was going to
say to the kids that will describe that, Yeah, also
smells like your grandmother. But that's because they always smell
of kemp for but probably not anymore because you can't
get it, although on Timo you probably can. Nice to talk, Anthony.
I felt bad asking where they're from because the cold
hear the wife and the beck. I don't say that.
God Ness anyway, that's a good call. Actually keep it going.

(11:57):
All about mothballs in the bedding and naphthlene. Oh, now
I know, we used to make our own naphthlene. I
don't even know what napthalne's made for more camphor? Do
you know what it is? This is a ground up leaf.
But fancy banning them. I mean it's a good thing, probably,
But what about my jackets? Cinnamon Camphora? It's found in

(12:25):
the wood of a camp for Laurel, a large evergreen
tree found in East Asia. Sixteen at zero is its
chemical number. I should start growing it. If you're a
tight cough comes from the bark, so I think not

(12:54):
only if you swallow those things you could choke, but
also they could actually tip your over because it's probably
quite toxic camphor. Get in touch. My name's Marcus HITD
twelve of Friday. Loose like a caboose. Oh wait, hundred
eighty Tenadian nine text silver fish, and I always thought

(13:15):
that was something I wouldn't have to worry about, and
clearly I do.

Speaker 9 (13:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (13:30):
Anyway, a lot of texts, Kent Reckins. It sounds like
case moths. I've never seen a topic with so many texts. Marcus.

(13:50):
You need to get a professional refumeingate your wardrobe. Good luck,
get them to come out to bluff. Marcus. We've done
our house thirty four years. Only this year moths will
all through my clothes and two puable cardigans and heaps
of colds. It's the caterpillar that causes the drama. I
wonder why after all those years, just planet warming cheapest, Marcus.

(14:16):
I get leavender or all put in a spray with
a drop of detergent, top up with water. What did
the moth say to the butterfly? Bloody show off, Marcus.
I work in a museum. A regular treatment fragm for
garments and fabrics is to put them in the freezer
of coffey bugs and creepy crawlies for forty hours minimum.

(14:39):
There is also a number of moth sprays or insects
sprays you can put into garments. We have to get
a chest freezer, aren't I mark as You can make
your own mothballs. A Zippo light of fluid contains naphtha,
which is petroleum distillate. Distillate camphor can be brought at

(14:59):
the chemist or use a chest rub. My Swaney had
attack of the moth. I lost a chest pocket along
with a few hole Marcus, mister Pink, pantry and wardrobe
traps from the supermarket used pheromones and sticky traps workschwell
sheryl cancer causing naphthaline. It is this, it is the

(15:26):
It is the smell of elderly people's houses though camp
for isn't it? Or naphthalene? What's all this, mister Pink?
Never heard of it? A lot of stuff I've never
heard of that people talk about. And there you go,
that's what we're right about. It'd be nice to hear
from you. Get in touch here Till twelve tomorrow, fifty

(15:48):
years since the death of Norman Kirk from Waymatti. I'm
pretty sure is where he was from, the greatest of
our Prome ministers. I think that's acknowledged, although he wasn't
for a long time. He might be someone that you

(16:09):
have met or had some experience off I'd be of interest.
That would be of interest to me, Marcus. The best
thing to deal is contact safe works who deal with
aircraft sprays, an infestation of carpet moths, to techt wall
clothes as well. Tried all sorts of spray I got
from these guys work to treat Marcus. Price of butter,

(16:32):
My wife so mean, she hits the knive so the
fan would use less butter. Wow. Wow, he's a text.
He's a text will change your life. I was to
brave confession this dext It's put a spell to my face.

(16:53):
I was one of the stupid kids who put a
moth ball in my mouth and spat it out and
around to my parents. They gave me milk after call
the poison hotline a formative memory. It would be a
formative memory because be the panic and you know that
taste that would never go away. I doubt very much
the dropping of the Endzed yacht was accidental. You're saying

(17:14):
it's a bribe. Is that what people are thinking? Other
people are thinking, how does the yacht get dropped? Sounds
like a limerick? How does the yacht get dropped? Permits
Marcus got it. Go go go, go, go go go.

Speaker 10 (17:27):
Oh.

Speaker 2 (17:27):
Yes, South and scored they might win this good and
he's six seven minutes to go. That was a good
try kick to the wing looking Sharplett's team permits Marcus
good evening.

Speaker 11 (17:38):
Yes, Marcus, I wanted to mention about the death of
Norman Kirk, the Prime Minister of the day fifty years ago.
We were living in Suva at the time and there
was a huge memorial service arranged for him in the
Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral. It was packed out and it's

(18:01):
a very big church and there was many people there
from the diplomatic corps, there were the politicians, a Prime Minister,
Archie Sitkama Sesimara, and it was a wonderful tribute to
him from far away. Of course, there was many of

(18:21):
us Kiwis here in the congregation as well.

Speaker 2 (18:25):
Yes, and I don't know too much about his legacy,
but I know his legacy was one as been a
having huge influence in the international sphere, including the Pacific
with the whole nuclear thing as well. So I imagine
that would have been a big part of that with Fiji.

Speaker 11 (18:40):
Yes, yeah, I would think so.

Speaker 4 (18:42):
He was.

Speaker 11 (18:44):
Well known over there and well respected in the islands.

Speaker 12 (18:50):
He was, So there you go, there's a memory for you.

Speaker 2 (18:54):
Yeah, thank you, Pam. And what were you doing there?

Speaker 13 (18:57):
Were you?

Speaker 2 (18:57):
And were you there in the armed services?

Speaker 11 (19:00):
No, we weren't. My husband worked for the Union Steamship Company.
He shore sided after all the Union Company boats that
came in and out, the banana boats, the Topa, the
Martyr and all those. And I was a teacher over there.

Speaker 10 (19:17):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (19:17):
And their children were.

Speaker 11 (19:18):
There years in the seventies. Fiji became independent in nineteen
seventy two. We were there at the time. We had
already lived there ten years before in the early nineteen sixties.
In fact, it's where we met though we were both

(19:39):
Kiwi's and the company sent us back over there in
the seventies. So we had a wonderful time, very privileged life.
And the second time we were there, we had our
children with us as well.

Speaker 13 (19:53):
So thats wow years.

Speaker 2 (19:55):
All of It's a nice thoughts, Pam, So thanks for
coming through. And look what I don't know about is
what Pam said about it. That's how they commemorated his
death or celebrate his life in Fiji. I am wondering
how and what former his funeral took in New Zealand,
because look, I was young. I was just a child.
I mean, the only two things I remember about Norman
Kirk is the song that was about him that kids

(20:16):
liked because it was a fun song and they died
that it was big news.

Speaker 10 (20:21):
It was.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
One of those headlines that stops the city, and it
did happen. I remember where I was where I heard that,
and just would have been a young tacker. But yeah,
there we go. So if you could tell me, I
know there's been other beloved you said a Prome ministers.

(20:45):
It had massive funerals with trains around the country and
stuff like that. I presume that wasn't the situation with
Norman Kirk. But if anyone could illuminate that to me,
I'd like to hear from you. I'm sure I could
google all up. I guess your experiences for an involvement
with that. And if it was a day of morning,
a week of morning, I don't quite know what happened,

(21:06):
because I don't think we are that used to losing
our prime ministers in office and just rushing back through them.
Lux and Hip can A Deurn English Key Clark, Shipley

(21:36):
Bulger More Palma Longie. Yeah, no, not many of them have.
I don't think any of them have actually died. I'm sure.
I think they died before. I think Joseph Ward from
in Vercago, from Bluff, I think he died in office.

(21:56):
But I don't know the full details there. So you
might be able to illuminate something about that. I find
that very interesting. Oh and you know when I spoke
to Pam and I said to Pam what we're going
to do, and I thought she he might have worked
for the sugar works, and then we could find out
about the cane trains. I don't think they're anymore. There's
a little narrow Locos that used to run on the cane.
I've got a book at home about the cane field.
It's pretty interesting. I know that some are available for tourists.

(22:22):
Dawned these days, but not quite what it once was.
Kind of remarkable. Anyway, I'll go your good things south
of Sharks. The Southland Stags have won.

Speaker 6 (22:30):
That.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
That's good, that's promising. They look they look elated too.
Saw them at the airport leaving as I was greeting
the Maple Syrup Express. So they've done well to get
that few people up there. Lindsay Bear will be up there.
He travels around with him anyway. Good on them all.
Christine at s Marcus, welcome, good evening.

Speaker 14 (22:50):
Easy Marcus. On the day of normal Kirks, but well
he'd been put in Parliament, his coffin was laid there
and on the day he was going down back down south,
they was bodying from the airport and everybody Wellington who
was working there reached into the middle of the road
and we had a long line from Parliament to the

(23:12):
airport and order to stand. Pouring was rain and order
stood in the middle of the road and on the
other side of the road, and after key all the
way up to the airport. Everybody came and stood a
silent in the middle of the road, and every flowers
at the coffin. It was a SATs day you ever expected.
It was really bad and it was pouring and I've

(23:32):
never been so week in my life. But anybody just
good there, no one, well, its nothing. We just stood
in the rain and watched his body being tarted to
the airport.

Speaker 15 (23:40):
It was really bad.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
Hang on, hang on, Chris, Can I fire a couple
of questions at you? Yeah, were you an adult or
a child.

Speaker 14 (23:53):
I was working, so I said, my twenties. Just before,
just before I went to London. I was working on
the terrace in Wellington and we were to be taken.

Speaker 2 (24:05):
Were you in the government that part?

Speaker 14 (24:07):
No, No, we were all working in office buildings around Wellington.
They crowed the shops and we all stood in the
ron of the road.

Speaker 2 (24:14):
Okay, there's more questions, Christine. Yeah, was it in ahearse?

Speaker 16 (24:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 14 (24:24):
He had been taken to the Parliament buildings, the old
Parliament buildings, and he laid his stack there and then
they moved his body a coffin to the airport. Prince
Charles was there because he started to wave until his
one of his guys sect him. No, it wasn't for you, mate,
as we stood there, but he was just a temperate

(24:45):
to wait because he was he wasn't much older than me.
He was only year his twenties and he was he
represented the Queen at the funeral, and they flew his
body down south because that was where he was going,
and buried it home.

Speaker 2 (24:56):
So, yeah, it was Prince Charles here.

Speaker 14 (25:01):
Yeah, Prince Charles. Well, then he flew out and went
to the he meets the funeral with with the representer
to come with. So he was he was the represent
to the queen and they had begun to general and
they had the British ambassador or the ambassadors were there.
All had cars. He was about twenty cars going to
the go to the airport and they were three there

(25:23):
with the coffin. He was important, so especially in those
days when he was the nice guy. He really was
one of the nicest guys and he was he was
more like everybody. So yeah, so we were still the
in the rain, and I don't think much work was
done after that.

Speaker 10 (25:43):
So yeahmer, did the queen not come?

Speaker 14 (25:50):
Well no, no, no, no, the Queen wouldn't know. The
Queen wouldn't come to it doesn't go to the funerals.
She's too important. Yeah, she's too important. And it would
taken away from the person who died.

Speaker 17 (26:05):
Funeral.

Speaker 2 (26:05):
It's a really good were London.

Speaker 14 (26:07):
Yeah, if anybody and then you said the government dies,
then his son would represent the king because they can't
take away the importers of a dead person.

Speaker 17 (26:18):
Does it happens?

Speaker 18 (26:20):
Not there?

Speaker 14 (26:22):
I mean all the other would take him by hair
and not one many died.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
That's very good, Okay, Christine. I appreciate you coming through
with that. It's turn away from nine eight hundred and
eighty reinteresting that high Marcus. Silverfish are festinating insects with
a long evolutionary history. One amazing fact about them is
that they are among the most ancient creatures on Earth,
having existed for over four hundred million years. Even before

(26:49):
the dinosaurs. Silverfish have remained really to be unchanged in
their appearents, making them living fossils. They've also developed impressive
survival abilities, including the capacity to live for up to
a year without food, relying on store nutrients in their
bodies to survive in harsh conditions. No word if they

(27:12):
were on the ark, Marcus. I think if you had silverfish,
you would see the odd one on the floor. Otherwise
I'd to just it's moths. Thank you, Mark Marcus. Someone
wants uber feedback. Is it busy in the city? If
you're an uberist, let me know, Marcus. Weren't their conspiracy
theories about Kirk's death? When I was a todd of
the parents flew to the North Oide for a wedding.

(27:33):
This was in the late sixties. On the same flight
was Norman Kirk AND's family. Apparently his daughter spent time
keeping me occupied on the flight. Such a thing you'd
tell you remember that we fred to Aucklands, orkandes it. Yes, no,
the North Island Marcus. My cousin gave my brother a
mothball Todd. It was a cool mint. Yes, that's why

(27:55):
they've been banned, because people like your brother. Well, we
can't have moth free swandeerers anymore. The duo Ebony wrote
and sang Big Norm one of those chaps they found
round libs in the wided upper and I saw him
singing at our farmer's market. Thanks for reminder of Norm

(28:15):
Kirk's fiftieth anniversary. I'm a Facebook friend of his daughter
in Australia. Go the Stag's Desiree Desiree Marston Marcus. I
was a kid when Big Norm died, but a vague
recollection of the funeral on TV. I think his casket
was unloaded from a train in way Mette. I stand
to be corrected, Bill, I think the planes couldn't land.

(28:39):
I think it was supposed to come down by a
herk Marcus. Just out of curiosity, does Timu or cots
Coo sell white bait frames and nets, Marcus. I remember
the funeral. They closed the road. The coffin was on
a gun carriage going through the streets and all you
could hear was the beat of the drum. Oh that's sad,

(29:02):
so sad. Day was gray and wet and everyone was devastated.
We had discussed Norman Kirk fifty years ago, since he
died this weekend, originally from Wayametti, buried next to his
mother's grave. I think he was a railways guy too.
Look and as I say, I will read the book
about him because it's probably But the thing that I've

(29:23):
always been surprised by someone who was a child, a
young child when he had died, was someone that had
left such a legacy, who was so young, soory, not
who was so who was young, but had been a
prime minister for such a short time, really only eighteen months,

(29:46):
but much hope came with those eighteen months. Good evening, Calvin,
it's Marcus. Welcome And did.

Speaker 12 (29:56):
You know build his house at Kipoint? Apparently built his house.
He lived in the k hairy in that and k
real friend and I were listening to Rady Wave and
in the lounge at Mom and Dads when they broke
the news that they died, and then he ended, and
then we went into the town hall. Because they must

(30:16):
have bought the coppin through parts of New Zealand. He
was on the town hall. We went in there one night,
evening day and you'll five file pass, you pay your respects,
and then signed a book on the way out in
the town hall.

Speaker 2 (30:32):
The one mention that no, we just sort of got
onto that now about the actual fire. Yeah, okay, And
a lot of people would have tuned up for the
coffer to pass to pay respects, is that right?

Speaker 4 (30:44):
Oh?

Speaker 12 (30:44):
Yeah, there was cues of people probably bit I think
I'd cross the road to see one of the politician
these days, But I mean back then it was sort
of yeah, it must have struck a chord or something,
so we.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
I don't think there as much access to politians in
those days. Didn't hear every damn thing about I mean,
these days, of course, you know, he was just your
prime minister and you're probably from occasionally on TV. But
these days we've got sort of kind of twenty four coverage.
It's slightly different, is it.

Speaker 12 (31:15):
Yeah, there's and the like I mean if they came
to your school or something, it was like a big,
big parade. It was a big thing. Now now it's like,
you know, like you say that, they seem to be
in your face all the time, as if they don't
want to want you to forget the mate.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
So he when he was he grew up in but
when he was at parliament he lived in Kyapo. Is
that right?

Speaker 12 (31:39):
Well, I I'm pretty he built it. He built his
own house or built the house he lived in the
kayp But I don't know how he ended up from.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Yeah, we'll find out. Do you know if his house
in store? I know, I know his house, I think,
and why met he is still they don't know about
the one in Kaiapoi.

Speaker 12 (31:57):
I'm not sure I know somebody. I don't think mo
of there were fans of sort of instial, but there
was somebody. That's some comment they made one day about well,
when they're asking Norm Kurt that somebody must have been
on TV and asking for something and he meets somebody
at the bricks in the house and he's sort of
pull ot of his shit will cross on MIAMII bricks

(32:17):
on the house because I built it the way the
center was quite polite rather yeah, he just said ours
and Namori Bricks are and I built the thing.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
So oh nice to hear from you. Kevin. Hey, just
breaking news. I'm not going to pay the breaking news thing.

Speaker 6 (32:31):
But there are.

Speaker 2 (32:31):
Reports that sky TV boxes are down across New Zealand.
That'll be a worry. Just after the annual report they're
back on track. If anyone's got any more information about skyboxers,
that would be annoying for the weekend, particularly if it's
not resolved for the Rugby tomorrow night. Mariet's Marcus Good Evening.

Speaker 17 (32:49):
Yes, I live Norkland now, but I did used to
live in Seatoon and Norman Kirk lived a rounds street
from me, the Ministerial house, right opposite the Seatoon School,
and my children went to Seatoon School and that part
of his life when he wasn't well, he was sometimes
out in the garden and he would speak to the children.

(33:12):
He was lovely to the children, and he was a
lovely person. And as I say, that's from where he died,
and that's you've heard all the rest from then on.
But he just did live around the street from us.

Speaker 2 (33:24):
Now, I didn't know there were governments and that was
the house for when he was a minister when he
was the prime minister.

Speaker 17 (33:28):
He was in certain he was a prime minister and
that's where he died. Yes, is it right opposite the seat,
right opposite the sea Tuned School?

Speaker 2 (33:36):
Was that before Government House was there or that one that?

Speaker 17 (33:40):
I don't know why he lived there, but.

Speaker 2 (33:42):
Maybe it's because he had kids and maybe his coasters. Again,
I don't know why that would be either, because there
was the I thought the Government House was in Tennecourty Road, but.

Speaker 17 (33:50):
Oh yeah there was. But this was a lovely house.
It was a lovely two story house right on the corner,
as I say, right opposite Seatoon School, and that's where
he lived. I used to see them in a serial
cars because I lived around the corner coming there.

Speaker 2 (34:03):
I'd never known that because I'm much rather live there
than our tenacre right underneath that kind of olace.

Speaker 6 (34:10):
That's right.

Speaker 17 (34:10):
This was only one block from the sea. He was
right near the beach.

Speaker 2 (34:14):
What a marvelous place to live.

Speaker 10 (34:16):
Yes, it was.

Speaker 17 (34:16):
And my kids used to come home from the school
and they say, oh, we talked to the man, and
I knew the man was Norman Girk.

Speaker 2 (34:24):
Would that what street would that be?

Speaker 17 (34:26):
I'm trying to think I lived in Monroe Street. I'm
trying to think whether he was. It wasn't done There Street.
It was one across.

Speaker 2 (34:35):
It was not Ludlam but Forrest Street.

Speaker 17 (34:39):
No, it wasn't Ludlum Street. I know Ludlum Street.

Speaker 2 (34:42):
Was it Forest Street? If it was the opposite of
the school. Did you say he was right.

Speaker 17 (34:46):
Opposite the school? Yep, somebody, you'll know, somebody will come
on and tell us what it was. But I don't
remember the street. But I just know I lived in
Monroe Street, and there was just two blocks away from
where he lived in a two street house, a woodn't house,
nothing pretentious, but just a nice house. And sometimes you
used to see his why up at the four Square

(35:07):
shopping center.

Speaker 2 (35:10):
Oh you see everyone at the four square? We see
everyone at Bluff at the four square? Boy o boy,
you can't get the four square? Thatut seeing someone?

Speaker 19 (35:15):
You know?

Speaker 2 (35:15):
Okay, we're going to find someone out of that. Mary.

Speaker 4 (35:17):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (35:18):
Nice to hear from you. Yes, he built us at
carp We did all the painting, and I'm pretty sure
it's still there. I think it's by the river. There's
a very good book about his life, Marcus What Time
is the All Black game on Sunday morning. How early
cheers Terry from tupidy three am. Marcus, the workman I

(35:44):
are packing up an adly woman's house. We discovered infestation
of silver fish in a box of box. The workman's
absolutely freaked out and ran outside. He wouldn't go back
into the house for anything, Ge Christ Jurge Marcus. Mister
cook was large in life and everyone's described as the
common touch, and we felt we knew and understood him
and his goals. As Kipling says, to walk with kings

(36:08):
and keep the common touch. I don't think that'll ever
happen again, that someone has the common touch? Will they luxon?
Got the common touch? Don't hate answer that one, And
I guess it depends on what the common touch is
these days, Marcus. Norman Kirk went through Timodoor. I remember

(36:31):
people lining the main highway. He went to way Mety
ceremony where he was buried a few days later. Marcus,
it was a great trial with south loved it. I
remember the song he was a big man yesterday and boy,
you want to see him now? And that was about
Norman Kirk, Marcus, as you said, Norman Kirk is a huge

(36:53):
amount of money, and I think the fact that he
died at the age of fifty one prompted much sympathy.
Rowan Southland Marcus, I had just begun my first job
at the poshest shop and c where the girls we're
black and white. We're allowed time off to go to
the town hall where his coffin was in state. I

(37:15):
remember feeling so sad and that something that we thought
was going to bring true equality was cut down. Our
family was die hard, labored huge faith in him. The
town hall was dim and people were seated in shock
and sorrow. I have never forgotten it, never will, nor
the surprise at the last store. Expected also had such

(37:40):
regard for politician. What a beautifully worded text. Thank you
for that. Thank you Marcus for informing us about the skyboxes.
We've only just updated our skyboxer. I screamed at the
TV because I couldn't watch the league while watching. Listening

(38:00):
to you, of course grew cheers Carol, Carol the Crackerbacker.
Thanks to Carol Tena, Cory Road would have still been
a dental clinic in Kirk's PM days. There you go, Hi, Max, Marcus, Welcome, Oh.

Speaker 20 (38:19):
Hello Marcus talking about Norm Kirk. Look, here's a little
memory for for you. I was a projectionist at the
King's Theater, Wellington when Norm Kirk died, and I clearly
remember I was quite quite I got qualified at quite
a young age. But they had a public holiday on

(38:44):
the day of his funeral. It was the government made
of the They made it a public holiday and we
were still running movies and we had a two o'clock
session on the theater was a big theater. It was
one thousand, five hundred seats, and there was a lot
of families brought their kids because all the kids are off,

(39:07):
and the place was absolutely full up. I can't remember
what film we were showing, but it was full up
and I had no idea. I had the national anthem
up there on a on a record. So I had
a talk for the management and said, you know that
this we knew we used to play God Take the Queen.

(39:29):
So I said for the manager, look why don't we
play the New zeal National Anthem? And he agreed with that.
So we went ahead and it was the only time
after fourteen years of showing movies, and it was the
only time I ever played it actually, and like with

(39:53):
the management's approval, so we played the National anthem just
before the show, and the whole it sort of surprised us.
Every single person and that theater, the whole one thousand
and five hundred all stood up to attention and it
was quite moving.

Speaker 2 (40:15):
It's pretty moving to hear about it now.

Speaker 20 (40:17):
That that's not a pun by the way moving.

Speaker 4 (40:22):
It could be.

Speaker 20 (40:22):
But it was very, very moving to see everybody, and
I mean people were absolutely standing attention. They weren't, including
the kids, and then of course they were sat down
and we started the cartoon or whatever it was that
it was in the first part of the show, and
just after that the projection boosts. There was a door

(40:43):
that went out onto the roof of the King's Theater
and this was at the front of the theater, so
it was about five stories high, so we had a
great view of Dixon Street, Pigeon Park and sometimes you know,
sitting in there just with all the machinery running and
that we went out sometimes and the sun had to

(41:05):
sit out there. So I went out to have a
look at the funeral procession was going past, and I
seem to remember his casket was in a hearse a
black hearse, and there would have been it would have
been fifty deep on either side. As it came up
Dixon Street, there were people standing there at least fifty deep.

(41:28):
And then it went right down it was the same.
It was absolutely packed the road. I can't remember what
was involved in the procession. I remember seeing the I
think there was some maybe some military or something. I'm
not sure much, you know, I can't quite recall all that,
but I do remember seeing the Histo passed, and Yeah,

(41:48):
the whole thing was it was a very moving experience. Yeah,
he was a very loved, a very loved man, you know,
not just a prime minister. I think the whole country
just absolutely loved this guy.

Speaker 13 (42:01):
You know.

Speaker 20 (42:01):
It was pretty amazing.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Yeah, and they had when did you say that that stop?
God saved the Queen a couple of years earlier, had they?

Speaker 4 (42:12):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (42:12):
Only just only just because that's why I recollect. I
can recall it. And I probably was going to the
app started going to the movies probably once or twice,
and maybe nineteen seventy one, but that would be it.

Speaker 20 (42:22):
Yeah, I'm not quite sure what year they stopped and
we stopped playing it when I started in nineteen sixty
we were still playing it. I think it was about
nineteen seventy, nineteen seventy one when they stopped playing. I
don't know his vision. And because it used to have
the Queen's Band, you know, and they regalia. Yeah, and

(42:46):
a lot of people were standing up, and then all
of a sudden, the news on public started sort of
saying some people wouldn't stand up and all the rest
of it, and it became one of those controversial things.

Speaker 2 (42:57):
Yeah, I think after the Vietnam War and stuff, I
think people Yeah, okay, and it's what you say is
interesting makes it so forth. So there was no school
that day?

Speaker 4 (43:06):
Is that right?

Speaker 2 (43:06):
It was a public holiday, it was a day off, it.

Speaker 20 (43:09):
Was made public holiday.

Speaker 2 (43:11):
Okay, I don't recall that. But I only would have
been eight or something, so I don't know that we
weren't there, So that's interesting.

Speaker 4 (43:17):
Do you know what?

Speaker 2 (43:18):
Do you know what day of the week it was?

Speaker 20 (43:21):
No, I can't recall it. I think it may have
been a Friday. I'm not sure. I think it was
a I think it was a midweek day and because
all the kids were slightly excited because they hit the
day for school. Yeah, but but yeah, I've never ever
forgotten that. And to see everybody in that the other

(43:43):
stand up was pretty it was pretty movie.

Speaker 2 (43:47):
Yeah, really appreciate hearing from your Max. Thank you, Marcus.
My daughter was born in Windover Hospital same day as
Norman Cook passed away sitting the rock and unit said
the lady. It was very sad. Marcus. John Dunwoll wrote
a book on Norm's life. He was using his youngest
ever mayor Kayapoy had rats, no clean water or sewage.

(44:10):
He opened at Peter's College in Palmerston, North of seventy four,
just two weeks before he died a great man. Marcus,
I was in Moscow on a con ticket to our
bus had broken down. We got the news by the
London office of Norman Kirk's death from Denise and Sky's
on the on the no go. Just be careful with
your skybox. It's not working apparently. Hello Ralph, it's Marcus.

Speaker 3 (44:32):
Welcome, Hello Marcus.

Speaker 20 (44:34):
Now before I get on to napoline and what do
you call them balls?

Speaker 2 (44:43):
Mothels yep.

Speaker 20 (44:45):
I recall I was looking in Thomson Or only two
blocks away from Saint Peter's College at that time when
and I was also an author that night going around
some big roundabout the road and they pronounced some deed
that night. But that was a memory. The opening of

(45:07):
the school was definitely a big memory, a very very
uh well loved man in the in the city, in
the country.

Speaker 3 (45:14):
I think at that time.

Speaker 20 (45:17):
Now I will get on doing mustels and it's got
bad news for a lot of people.

Speaker 21 (45:28):
Are still ye.

Speaker 20 (45:31):
Oh yeah, god sorry. I just there was a pregnant
gap there and I unfortunately liked that people. I think
there's no one met. The main thing with sort of
fishing muscles. If you'd only washed your garments or hung
them and had them in the sun, you wouldn't ever
have had them. But that's the soul soul called bats

(45:57):
about those things. They only lived there after they're left
there for a long, long, long long time, and people
will their underwear force finding them in the underwear, Well,
that's unforgivable because you should typical underwear out at least
every six months and thatching the draws. Yet, but that's
all I can say, because it's in the game that

(46:19):
I was involved in my whole life. That was just
clothing and stuff, and those sorts of things became quite
prevalent and you knew about them.

Speaker 2 (46:29):
Really appreciate you coming through, Ralph. That's good information and
that's kind of what i'd landed on myself too, So
good on you. Thank you for that sunlight. The great disinfectant. Hey,
that's what they say, isn't it of the soul or something?
Am I right? Anyway? Get in touch by Dame's Marcus welcome,
Oh eight hundred and eighty ten eighty nine to text.

(46:52):
Let me turn the levels up. There we go. Oh,
Norman Kirk, Yes, I'm looking forward to reading more about him,
because I've been to Wye Met and I've been to Cayaput. Well,
I've stayed at I Rose. He was from there, but
I've forgotten the whole Often you hear about the town,
it's not actually till you're in the tan. Hang about
a little bit of a walk around here and see

(47:12):
where he hung out in this town. Of course, Kaiapois
a difficult, confusing town because it's changed so much, I
presume since the quake. But there's another pilgrimage working out
for that one. But thank you for that. It does appear.
I'm just trying to say if Norm Kirk's house is
still there in Chiapoint or not. It's in Carru Street
opposite the end of Hill Street. I don't know what

(47:37):
number that would be. But he built it himself, fed
work in christ Church. You'd bike out after a cyclout
after work to build it.

Speaker 22 (47:48):
She took it to.

Speaker 2 (47:51):
Keep the common touch. Build your own house, bike out
after work. You see why this is the stuff of folklore,
isn't it. My name is Marcus Hid twelve o'clock to
night eight text get in touch here the end make

(48:16):
it's Marcus welcome.

Speaker 21 (48:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (48:19):
Hi.

Speaker 21 (48:20):
When our non Kirk's copperin was lying in state and
christ Church town Hall, there was a day a public holiday,
but the military senior incos from the Army at Burnham
mounted what we what is called a catapult guard, so
senior NCOs there was one on each corner with their

(48:42):
weapons and their weapons were at what is called reverse
arms as a sign of respect, and every hour they
were changed because of the spotlights lighting up the cop
and the heap was yeah, something pretty hot. So they
rotated the soldiers during the day. They kept them coming

(49:04):
out from running through their paces and then the maxim
on and go into the reverse arms and rest in
that position for an hour?

Speaker 2 (49:15):
Now whereabouts was this.

Speaker 21 (49:18):
In the Christich town Hall?

Speaker 2 (49:20):
Okay? Okay? And you were there to see that, did you?

Speaker 21 (49:27):
I just arrived in Burnham from WYU to do a
course and the course was ten for the day because
all of the teachings pat were involved in the catapult guard.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
Okay. Well, I don't even know. I guess it's unusual
for someone to die in office, right, So I don't
know if that would always happen, if that's always protocol?
Is that right, mac? Or can you tell me anything
about that?

Speaker 21 (49:55):
I believe it would be really important. But go along
with you that he did die, not some and who
was recorded that it's not a peraluge they are.

Speaker 2 (50:13):
Yeah, yeah, i'd be curious. Well, I guess I hope
it doesn't happen again. But yeah, thank you Meg. That's
interesting for me. And it's Marcus. Good evening.

Speaker 23 (50:22):
Hello. I don't know if I've got this right. Did
Norman Kirk die of barricus veins that caused him trouble?

Speaker 2 (50:31):
I don't know. I don't know what the cause of
death was, not that he had a heart attack, but look,
I might be wrong about that.

Speaker 23 (50:38):
I think it might have been that because it sort
of rings a bell because I had had to have
my I've finished having babies and I've got terrible barracker's
veins and I had the operation. So because he hadn't,
he just didn't walk or anything. He just went and
sat down in Parliament. And so I made a point
of walking and walking and walking after I had my

(51:00):
Arca's veins removed, and it sort of rang a bell
with me. It's a long time ago.

Speaker 4 (51:06):
It did.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
Hear Ericus vains operation to remove Verica's veins from both legs,
advice to do two operations, and he didn't take time
off and continued and the end as last a public
appearance was at Saint Peter's College opening.

Speaker 23 (51:22):
So that's right, And well I'm glad because I've got
that right because he made me realize. So as soon
as my operation was done, I would walk, run, run,
run around every day getting a bit further.

Speaker 2 (51:36):
And so some good came of it because you took
that as an ebject.

Speaker 23 (51:40):
Listen, yes I did, and it was I'm so glad
I did walk around like that.

Speaker 2 (51:48):
Yeah, and you seem fine now and.

Speaker 23 (51:50):
Too, yes, I know, and I now I've got no
nothing wrong in my legs and yeah amazing. I mean
the operation was good, but you've got to look after
it afterwards, don't you.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
We were he dress, so he dresses get bad very
his veins, don't they.

Speaker 23 (52:08):
I don't know.

Speaker 2 (52:09):
Well, were you a head racer?

Speaker 17 (52:12):
Now?

Speaker 23 (52:13):
No, got lots.

Speaker 2 (52:16):
I'm standing on your feet day, I thank you. Eighteen
to ten Ken Marcus.

Speaker 15 (52:21):
Good evening, Yes, Marcus, I was just watching television. A
happened twenty minutes ago and in the news that came
across severe storm warning for six states of Australia and
the only two that are that are not severe warning
Western Australian and Queensland, and all the rest are mentioned,

(52:41):
you know, the others are all mentioned out and so
that they must be goin to get some hellish weather
in the next few days. Wow, yes, six states?

Speaker 2 (52:50):
Oh I thought that he hit six states.

Speaker 15 (52:53):
Oh, I don't know. They read the ones that are
the ones that are there was Tasmania, South Australia Act,
New South Wales an Act. It's about the places they mentioned.

Speaker 2 (53:10):
I think those three are called internal territories, Northern Territory,
Australian Capital Territory.

Speaker 15 (53:15):
Yeah, okay, yeah, but only for two places that didn't
see me mentioned with Queensland and or West Australia.

Speaker 2 (53:22):
We look at Winny, what are they expecting a lot
of I'll tell you what I watched. I watched the
rugby league on the TV when I'm at work on
the Saturday and Sunday. But boy, boy, if they had
a lot of rain in Sydney this winter. Every Saturday
and Friday seems to be raining.

Speaker 15 (53:38):
Yeah. I've got a daughter in Queensland and she she's
on the on the coast and she gets a fair
abound of rain too, she on the Gold Coast.

Speaker 24 (53:47):
Really, I have to look.

Speaker 15 (53:50):
It's just showers and rain, you know, it's nothing spectacular,
but she's every day we get we've got it.

Speaker 2 (53:56):
Yeah, well we've got that cheap cheese too, haven't you
ten dollars a block for tasty? They reckon over there,
they reckon.

Speaker 15 (54:04):
I don't know about that.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
Yeah, she's so. Does she say that? She said to
g dare the Jesus cheap over here?

Speaker 15 (54:10):
No she hasn't. We saw it on TV being advertised
in the block here. I might have might have a
look at it when I go over there.

Speaker 2 (54:21):
Sometimes, Oh you shut yourself A block can I'll be
curious to how it goes. Says it's Marcus, welcome, good evening.

Speaker 25 (54:28):
I got anything, Marcus.

Speaker 4 (54:29):
Hey.

Speaker 25 (54:29):
It was not my first time in caller, but I
work at the All Blacks Experience at sky City. We
need a it's about, you know, the All Blacks and
our teams in black but part I'm part of the
team there and we do tours and there's a legacy
wall that we have with every single All Blacks game
that was played from nineteen oh three right up until today.

(54:50):
And it's quite coincidental that we're playing South Africa. And
the reason I'm calling is there is on the legacy wall.
There was only one game in nineteen seventy five and
that was against Scotland and that and I'm just trying
to search for some answers from your listeners or yourself.

(55:12):
Nineteen seventy five, the spring Box are supposed to come
to New Zealand. Now going back every five years from
nineteen seventy five, the Springbox were coming and in nineteen
seventy five they didn't come. And the reason why is
because of the apartheid. You know, colored weren't allowed to play.

(55:35):
And someone was telling me the story, and I just
wanted to validate it because they said it was because
prior to that, going back every five years, it was
a national government and when Norm came into government, he
was actually one of the reasons why they didn't come.
He didn't back it, and I'm just searching for some

(55:56):
answers if that's true, because when he passed, there's a guy,
is it Bill Rowing that rolling that was the prime
minister after Norman Kirk when he passed, that finished his term.
Because after that, apparently was the prime minister was Rob
Muldoon who allowed this South afriy to come back to

(56:18):
New Zealand. I just wanted to reach out to the
listeners or eaving yourself if it's a validated story, because
it's quite interesting.

Speaker 2 (56:27):
Yeah. Is there not a lot of books? I mean,
if you're the.

Speaker 25 (56:30):
What do you I've read and read and read. I've
tried to look online to validate this, but I just
I was just driving home and I happened to switch
over to your station. I couldn't really validate it, but
there's nothing really that outlines that. So I'll be interested
to know if if any of your callers would know
that story, because I just can't find the answers.

Speaker 2 (56:53):
Really, I think have you read have you looked? A
mean and I mean there's yeah, okay, bill Rolling, Bill
Rolling was the guy's name, not Rowling, Bill.

Speaker 25 (57:03):
Rolling, Rowling Rolling, Yes, sorry.

Speaker 2 (57:05):
Rolling, bill Rolling Rolling.

Speaker 25 (57:07):
Yeah, that's it Rolling, Okay, qualify that too. But if
there was anyone that may know, I'd be very interested,
that's all.

Speaker 2 (57:16):
Yeah. But look, I mean any library or anything. I
think a huge amount of information about I mean, Rugby
seems one of the most written about topics in New
Zealand history, isn't it.

Speaker 25 (57:27):
Yeah, absolutely, no, I'm just reaching out. I was just curious.

Speaker 4 (57:32):
I will have it.

Speaker 25 (57:33):
I mean I've locked and looked and locked. But I
just thought, yeah, and.

Speaker 2 (57:36):
When you say you've locked, you mean you've looked.

Speaker 25 (57:40):
I mean I've read books, I've read all sorts. I've
read online as well.

Speaker 6 (57:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 25 (57:45):
I just I just couldn't get any validation. So I
just thought, give you guys a call and see if
anyone knows that story, if it's true or not, because
it's quite interesting for me.

Speaker 2 (57:57):
Well, you think if you're working there that educate you
on all that stuff, wouldn't they?

Speaker 25 (58:00):
Uh yeah, Well, there's lots of books and lots of
stories on that too.

Speaker 6 (58:04):
I thought so too.

Speaker 25 (58:05):
I mean there's just so many stories about all blacks
and watch yeah people say, and you know there's there's
glimpse and I like books and all sorts of stuff.
They I just haven't found that validation.

Speaker 7 (58:16):
That's all.

Speaker 25 (58:16):
I just all that's through some colling makers.

Speaker 2 (58:19):
Okay, nice to hear from me, says thank you. You've
got to be in mind. Of course, two nine and
seventy four we had the Conwealth Game, so Norman Kok
would be very keen to prevent the sort of boycott
from the African nations by allowing the South Africans to tour.
What a tour with the racially selected team seven away
from ten dell Ats Marcus good.

Speaker 18 (58:39):
Evening, I get a marks here you are and good deal.
Oh that's good.

Speaker 26 (58:46):
You might I remember having a conversation with you about
my father being a painter, a pony painter. Come over
in the waves and day went down to why Mattie
for Jenkins painting and paper hanging, and he painted the
inside of Sir baz Lata's house. Get it ready for
Norman Kirk to come and stay there there. Goodness, yeah,

(59:09):
and we were obsessed by it all. Well in that
song where it said he was a big man yesterday,
the boy you want to see him now, and he
was a hero of the communists, our big Norm. He
was a ball of fun. He was our chum. Dumb
dumb dumb. Everywhere where Norman comes, the flock was sure
to show.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
It's quite a catchy song, was It had a good chorus,
Big Norm.

Speaker 26 (59:36):
Yeah you in your sixties dell oh no fifty seven?

Speaker 2 (59:42):
Oh you got a good memory?

Speaker 8 (59:46):
Yeah?

Speaker 26 (59:46):
That was in the album that was called Nicely Together
as a compilation album, and the Big Norm song was
on that really tell me.

Speaker 2 (59:53):
More about nicely Where are you calling from by the way?

Speaker 12 (59:57):
Where?

Speaker 6 (59:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 26 (59:59):
From the West coast? Mate, you know where I am?

Speaker 13 (01:00:01):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (01:00:02):
Okay, Nicely Together Yeah yeah, Nicely Together was a compilation album.
Was I never heard of it?

Speaker 4 (01:00:10):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (01:00:10):
It was?

Speaker 26 (01:00:11):
Yeah. Well, my dad used to get record albums sort
of seened in the mail, and and books and stuff
like their book clubs. Figure you could pick through whatever
albums or books you wanted and seeing the rest.

Speaker 4 (01:00:22):
Of them back.

Speaker 26 (01:00:23):
It was a good old days. I learned a lot
from learned a lot from dad's books and everything like
that and his records. He used to stay home and
wag off school and read his books and listen to
his records and probably learned more from from that from
then going to school.

Speaker 2 (01:00:41):
Did you learn much at school?

Speaker 26 (01:00:43):
Oh yeah, yeah, lots lots at school. But then I
got sort of mature and sort of got a bit
bored with it all.

Speaker 2 (01:00:50):
You know, I don't know that the big normal song
was on Nicely Together.

Speaker 26 (01:00:58):
Yeah, yeah, it was, Yeah, fred Dagg's greatest hits too,
and that sort of stuff. It was an album on the.

Speaker 2 (01:01:04):
Track list for Nicely Together, to see get it down
and get with it, Slade, Montego Bay toasted, Marmalade, Leap Up,
Leap down, I Will return, the pushbike song Maye. It
had a different track listing in New Zealand that way,
that might be what.

Speaker 26 (01:01:17):
It is, Yeah, could have been. But he was a dude,
all right, he was. He was a man and everyone
sort of respected him. He's a big fellow. And it
was a conspiracy theory around his death too.

Speaker 2 (01:01:35):
I found the track listing for the album. What was
the conspiracy theory? Not that I should entertain those famous
last week.

Speaker 26 (01:01:43):
We died suddenly, you see, it might have been all
to do with the politics of the time. Perhaps like
that he was up there with the Kennedy sort of thing.
I reckon.

Speaker 2 (01:01:58):
I think even he might have done their own album
and that song was on. Yeah, but we'll find.

Speaker 26 (01:02:05):
Out some more that we complation the albums.

Speaker 2 (01:02:08):
Then you in the Westport.

Speaker 26 (01:02:12):
Oh no, oh man a great gray Man's mate twenty
k's out.

Speaker 2 (01:02:16):
Okay, oh yeah, no we are, sorry, Dale, I'll copy that.

Speaker 26 (01:02:19):
Yep, yeah, okay, mat.

Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
Nice to hear from your Dell. Thank you. Just coming
up towards ten people head on midnight. That's my job.
Oh wait, one hundred and eighty ten eighty nineteen nine
to de text. If you've got something to say, I'll
keep you over till after the news. Give damn time
for a stretch. I don't stretch anymore, but there we go.

(01:02:47):
I'm very happy to talk about Norman Kirk. Never done
a show talk about Norman Cook, but fifty years ago
this weekend that he died, and only after being in
prime minister for a very short time city less than
two years, which is kind of amazing. Anything else you

(01:03:11):
got with there for you, there's been trouble with the
who told us about the Skyboxer has been trouble with Skyboxer,
so we'll look into that also. I don't quite know
what the trouble is, but they're not working. No, Marcus,
the skyboxes are still down. I still haven't had my
sky TV for a couple of hours. The skybox is
not working. Do we know what that is? Yet? Someone

(01:03:33):
else says big normal Lyric was not the hero of
the communist but hero of the communes. Of course, they
established the All Who community that labeled those altern of
lifestyle places to open in the Hocky Younger and the
Corimandel and in the Nelson region. That was quite showed foresight.

(01:03:55):
Yet people think that the guy from the old Rugby
worlds reading the wrong books here. I thought that would
be a huge part of the chapter with huge part
of the most important, really part of rugby's history in
this country is our spot relationship with South Africa. That's
really the whole crunch to all of it. When Sidgoing
and Brian Williams head to tour South Africa as honorary whites.

(01:04:18):
So yeah, I thought that would be a big part
of what they did in Rugby World. But no doubt
with Carma and volved they might kind of change the
whole four refocus on that, because I think it's really
the interesting stories. You got to tell your tricky stories
in a place like that, otherwise it just becomes hagiography.
Good evening, Rossett's Marcus Welcome.

Speaker 27 (01:04:37):
Yeah home. I guess the two things. First of all,
in the in the early seventies or their early seventies
up was about seventy three seventy four, sheep farming in
New Zealand was on a roll, and it was sheep
farming was the main income for farmers. It was before
daring really came into its own. The sheep farming was
on a very big role and they the overseas funds

(01:05:01):
that were generated by most of the farmers was about
seven hundred million dollars, which was a huge, huge amount
of money in those days. When Norman Kirk came into power,
he was embarrassed by the amount of money that New
Zealand had and he was all around the world giving
that money away in form of aid into India and
India and gave them aid. And in that time India

(01:05:23):
was developing nuclear weapons, which he didn't realize, but they
were taking the money from New Zealand and also developing
nuclear weapons. And when the first oil shock hit, all
the money had been given away by Norman Kirk to
oversee countries. And the oil shock hit New Zealand really
really hard because we had no overseas funds to soften

(01:05:44):
the blow. And the first oil shock and then the
second oil shock and the third oil shock came along
and New Zealand was really at the mercy of the
overseas banks that had to lend New Zealand money because
we didn't have any. And that was one of the
legacies of Norman Kirk. And he didn't realize what he
was doing. And now he was not liked by the

(01:06:05):
rural sector because that man, he was very hardly earned
and it had to be nurtured that he because he
didn't have anything, He didn't ever have any background in finance.
He just thought, oh, this money's there as not being
any good, we're going to give it away, and he did.
But the other thing is for that gentleman from the
Sky City about the legacy of the rugby in the

(01:06:26):
South African tour is the Labor Party stopped the tours
going to South Africa and the South Africans came here,
coming here, they believed in political interference in sport, whereas
when the national government came in, they said, no, we
don't have any political interference in sport. We leave it
to the sports, the rugby union and the sports people themselves.

(01:06:49):
And that's why in seventy six the African Nations refused
to come to New Zealand to go to in the
Commonwealth Games at that stage. So it was a two
totally different philosphies. One was interference.

Speaker 2 (01:07:01):
Sorry, so what you're saying about seventy six.

Speaker 27 (01:07:05):
When the when the Boychiples from the South African from
the African countries and John Walker was running in the Olympics. Sorry,
is the Olympics a boy?

Speaker 6 (01:07:16):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (01:07:16):
The Olympics was seventy six in Canada, Montreal. That's when
that's where they said that. Yeah, that his medal was
a soft metal because the African Nations hadn't gone there.
Nice to hear from you, Ross, Thank you, Roberts. Marcus welcome, Yeah,
hi Marcus.

Speaker 10 (01:07:31):
Two things were connected. Firstly, you'd asked, in terms of
talking about Norman Kirk, about who the other prime ministers
may have been died in office, and to my knowledge
that there run about four, but all pretty significant. John Ballance,
who was the Liberal Prime Minister of the eighteen nineties,
was the first one, but then Richard John's Hedden in

(01:07:53):
the early nineteen hundred eyes, and then Messi in nineteen
twenty five, and then Michael Joseph Savage. So some of
those were extremely significant and all all huge funerals.

Speaker 2 (01:08:03):
Yeah, well think about Michael Jasons. I've seen images of
Michael Joseph Savage. I think the railways had a big
part in that also.

Speaker 10 (01:08:10):
That's right, and you mentioned your fellow bluff person, Joseph Ward.
I mean, you're right, but he'd actually resigned as Prime
Minister about five weeks before he died, and so he
wasn't actually office. But again that was a huge funeral
as well. I was involved as a university student when

(01:08:34):
Labor were elected with Norman Kirk in seventy two, and
I remember, interestingly they had a very strong campaign based
on time for a change. And I remember Radio Haraki
of all places. I'm actually did a talk back interview
with him, which was unusual for them, and I remember
bringing him up. I think we talked about broadcasting or something,
and you know, there was an interesting call. But he

(01:08:59):
was very strong on foreign affairs.

Speaker 2 (01:09:02):
And I'm not quite sure if what the if what
Ross said was accurate either. I haven't got all the
details were about the selling or the funds and funding.
I think he might have been enduring slightly long bows
with that after all those years.

Speaker 10 (01:09:17):
Sure, I think that's an interpretation I guess just on
from where he was looking at it. But he was
very strong with Africa and Asia. I mean, I mean,
that's absolutely true. And that was to do two things.
One was a Springbok tour and on the Springbok tour
the springbook tour, because I was involved in the university
at the time. It was stopped by labor. It was

(01:09:38):
a nineteen seventy three Springbok tour that was stopped. They
were coming here and it was stopped finally in April
seventy three, and as you had indicated in seventy four,
we were having the Commonwealth Games and as a result
of that the games were able to go ahead in
that case later on for the Olympic Games and seventy six.

(01:09:59):
I think there was the difficulty as you just discussed.
And the other thing one of your callers was to
about the nuclear testing and again that there was actually
one of Labor's manifesto main things and Kirk was ver
very strong on that and uh yeah, and uh I

(01:10:23):
think I think is your call has said that maybe
Bill Rolling did was the one that sent the trigate
to the specific but a natural fact it was Kirk
that that that that it introduced that policy a couple
of years earlier.

Speaker 2 (01:10:42):
Yeah, I think I think where it gets slightly tricky
for Norman Kirk with the Springbok tour. I think that
he went to the election saying that he would allow
it to go ahead and then changed his mind on that,
which was difficult. And with Ross said about Muldoon with
the tour, Mauldoon wasn't about the whole thing about not

(01:11:03):
wanting to mix the politics and sports sh Max. He
just wanted the farmers to vote and knew that was
the issue that would get him into power. It was
just political cynicism to allow the tour. That was my understanding.

Speaker 10 (01:11:16):
I mean, it was a very strong issue in the
nineteen seventy five election at their time aide to show you.
I mean, obviously the tour is going to cause a
lot of views on both sides of politics. And extremely
strong views. As you know it did in the early seventies.

(01:11:39):
It was everym oflicand issue.

Speaker 2 (01:11:42):
Well, one of the most significant issues in some ways really. Yes,
it was as far as our defining our nationhood and
also the nation of South Africa also, and you know,
and then of course there were those extraordinary scenes at
the Rugby World Cup with Mandala, with Nelson Mandela that
was there presenting the cup, which was pretty extraordinary after
all those years after the end of apartheid.

Speaker 10 (01:12:06):
Yeah. In the film that was made in Victors, I
think it was called about all that very very significant. Yeah,
so there was some information anyway, do you do.

Speaker 2 (01:12:21):
You remember do you remember the if you're a student
in the seventies, do you remember the sense about when
he died? Was it? It must have seemed like a
very significant moment in his zeal history in a sad moment,
Is that right?

Speaker 10 (01:12:33):
Yeah, it was extremely significant, a very major event. I mean,
I think your last caller was right in the sense
that the oil shocks had meant that. I'm not sure
about the war issue that if he raised, but the
oil shocks had meant that Kirk probably wasn't quite so
popular as he had been earlier in his term. I mean,

(01:12:55):
and I appreciate the early lasted nineteen months as Prime minister,
but yeah, it was a very significant situation.

Speaker 2 (01:13:06):
Evolved very much in the one of the great campaigns
of all time, which was the saving Manapuri. That you know,
the fact that that whole plan was revised so it
wasn't flooded and it was a much greater compromise to
save that lake, which I think was which was a
big and that's sort of that that even down south
the heap people talking about that. It galvanized everyone because

(01:13:28):
even the farmers could see that because it's so loved,
you know, Manapuri, that you don't flood that.

Speaker 10 (01:13:37):
Yeah, although it was only nineteen months, just a number
of silificant things happened. We talked about, you know, the
Nuclea and also South Africa in Manapuri, and I think
there were other things too. I mean, broadcasting was changed
in that era in quite quite a substantial way. From memory,
I think my day day it was actually changed New
Zealand day and it think right. So, just so just

(01:13:59):
a number of symbolic things that occurred, and it was
I'm going to say nineteen months and maybe slightly wrong,
but he didn't like us more than two years from
memory every short time unfortunately. Yeah, So it was extremely serlificant.
It was a very strong campaign that time for a change,
which Bob Harvey, who was in advertising and later became

(01:14:22):
memir of y Tackery, was behind all that. Yeah, and
it was regarded as one of the great election campaigns.
I mean what happened was that National had been in
power for twelve years under so Keith hollyoak And and
John Marshall. Yeah, and also during their time is the

(01:14:43):
time that Maldoomer came the leader of the National Party
during the nineteen seventy two seventy five term of labor
and so yeah, a lot of significant things happened during
that three period.

Speaker 2 (01:15:02):
And I also think, not cynically, but I think it's
going to be seen too that if you die and
offered tragically and young after nineteen months, you know, your
legacy becomes more because people have that great sense of
loss and you've probably your legacy has probably remembered slightly
more in a positive light. I would think that that's
human nature, isn't it. Would you say, yeah, no, I
think so.

Speaker 10 (01:15:21):
And if you look at those names that I read
it before with Michael, Joseph Savage and Bill Snedden and
probably Messy you know all three really I mean, I mean,
I think they were strong people anyway and would have
had a good view from other people. But I think

(01:15:42):
the factfully did die it became you know, very significant
at the time.

Speaker 2 (01:15:50):
Loving to talk, Rob, thank you so much. Enjoyed that great. Jeanette,
it's Marcus. Welcome.

Speaker 15 (01:15:56):
Hi.

Speaker 28 (01:15:57):
It's nice to hear you again. Another one that has
got problem with a skybox. Is this happening all throughout
New Zealand or is it just certain areas?

Speaker 2 (01:16:07):
Or it must be refree Janet, it must be refreeing
that you can find out on the radio that is there,
because otherwise you'd be doing Bob, you'd be pulling out plugs,
you'd be phoning them. I'm glad I can tell you,
but I don't know how did you find I'm going
to talk to my producer Jeanette, and he's going to
say something to me. Okay, so you won't hear his voice,
but I'll repeat to her to you what he said.

Speaker 28 (01:16:27):
Okay, Okay, that's fine because.

Speaker 2 (01:16:32):
That just say that. Okay, Dan, how did we find out.

Speaker 28 (01:16:37):
Well, I don't. I tried to get hold of the
Sky number to ring, but of course they're only there.
I'm working outs from how I say that. My computers
come up with a thing which says, please use your
mobile phone or computer to sign in. Step one, scan
the QR code with your phone camera or on your computer,

(01:16:58):
go to sowe and so or enter the sign in code.
Except for and there's one of those squares you know
with the White Sea you can photograph and underneath it
regenerate code. It means nothing to me. I've tried it
on the computer.

Speaker 2 (01:17:16):
At eight forty eight? Was it about timer yours went off?

Speaker 28 (01:17:18):
Yes?

Speaker 2 (01:17:18):
Indeed, what were you watching?

Speaker 28 (01:17:22):
I can't remember? Oh I just put it onto hold.
You know what I mean? Because I went out to
get something out of the kitchen.

Speaker 8 (01:17:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:17:31):
Fatal, ye are as, that's fatal.

Speaker 28 (01:17:34):
That, Yeah, but that's what I did. But I mean,
I've got to be honest. I think there'll be an
awful lot of people, like perhaps the other person that's
lost time.

Speaker 2 (01:17:43):
Oh no, look, I'm sure everyone. I don't know what
people are watching on Sky these days.

Speaker 28 (01:17:49):
No, will you see? The thing is as well we
can program in to record the America's Cup, it would
be affected in the early hours of the morning, and
the same with the and the same with the American
Tennis Open. You know, for those sort of sports thones.

Speaker 2 (01:18:06):
You sound like one of those people that's probably on
like one percent memory left? Is that one what you're
like when you look at your stored programs?

Speaker 28 (01:18:12):
It can I know I didn't. I try and get
rid of it by then because I realized I've.

Speaker 2 (01:18:18):
You've got to ride that quite heardache because sometimes are
recording Oh gee, the zero memory got to get their
cancel cancel cancel wrong.

Speaker 28 (01:18:26):
They don't tell me. They tell me how much I used,
I think, rather than I've got left.

Speaker 14 (01:18:33):
And if it gets too.

Speaker 28 (01:18:34):
Low, well I have to I have to clear a
lot out.

Speaker 2 (01:18:36):
I've got old episodes of you ever watched Salvage Hunters
when they go around old people's brick and wreck.

Speaker 28 (01:18:41):
Oh, yes, I love it. That's the one I wrote,
if you put a recorder.

Speaker 2 (01:18:46):
I worry about I worry about I worry about Tea.
He doesn't seem as though he's onored as much these days.
The guy that drives has been for him. I see
that he's leaving. Yeah, I've got a soft spot for Tea.
He's a gentle soul.

Speaker 28 (01:19:01):
Hey, I've just got something to come up again. It
says he has signing, has been un sick, fassful, or
has timed out. Please retry sign and process again. Retry
for God's sake, excuse me. Yes, I don't want anything.

Speaker 2 (01:19:17):
Do you want Dan to talk to you? Because he's
got the guy on the other end of my life
that's not his perview?

Speaker 28 (01:19:22):
But can you can eat me?

Speaker 24 (01:19:26):
Dan?

Speaker 2 (01:19:26):
Can you talk to her?

Speaker 28 (01:19:27):
Yes? I can do.

Speaker 2 (01:19:29):
Dan will do his.

Speaker 9 (01:19:30):
Best with your QX square with the whitebits, Ah, Norman
ats Marcus, Welcome.

Speaker 24 (01:19:41):
Hello there, Harry and Marcus. I heard you're talking about
Norman Church and it rang a bell. I've usually checked
a lot of old newspapers, mainly sporting Mark ones. I
go back, spring Box and fifty six, all that sort
of stuff. I kept one or two of very important
ones I came across and I thought I had it.

(01:20:03):
Death of a Prime Minister, Norm and a big man
of New Zealand. It's a supplement put out. I think
it was by the ADT. I'm not sure. Eighty nine
pages pictorial wow, and it's got everything in there, hundreds
of pictures people from America, pod of his wife and

(01:20:27):
all his accomplishments are just turning it over. I haven't
had it out, that's only many years. And here it
is all when he was in Parliament with people meeting
the queen. What he did in eighteen months, it was incredible,
you know when you see all this here and there's

(01:20:47):
a photo of them, for example with his cabinet Torcartney Sutherlan.
There there is the representative of the South Island and
he was a big man and he was so well respected.
And He've got to see the photos of a funeral.

(01:21:07):
You know at every city there is just thousands, not hundreds,
thousands of people. Well, I was thinking it was probably
the most respected and loved. If your like me time,
min Ister ever, I think, ye this up and I'm here.
I'll keep it out and I'll look at it probably

(01:21:30):
over on, but it's mainly sporting stuff I've kept over
the years. Well, this is special.

Speaker 2 (01:21:36):
Oh, I'll be good if the ODT put that back out,
it be good for a reprint on fifty years. Norman,
thank you very much for that, And like your name
is Norman as well, keep your calls coming through. I
don't call just yet because Dan's helping Jeanette, because she
does sound exasperated. But I think probably it's a situation.
There's not much you can do. That's just going to

(01:21:57):
get fixed. But it gets fixed. If anyone else knows
anyone at Sky office, she is a we tanking and
we'll have to say that anyway. Eight hundred and eighty
eight Tty and nineteen nine to text Marcus, I had
that scan thing. I did as it said, photography the
things seen to Sky, then enter code. All done dust
in two minutes. I was an emergency room. That must

(01:22:18):
be a show. Marcus. My dad and Mum got invited
to Norman Kirk's funeral. He was a huge labor support
at the time. Dad is ninety five this year. The
only beard left in Willington was a water bed and
new phenomena at the time. I remember him telling us
about the experience conspiracy theory. At the time. Marcus, the

(01:22:39):
Air Force under orders flew Kirk at extreme altitude and
a jet which was to be fatal due to his
vain problems political Marcus. The house mister Kirk built and
Kaipoy is still their twelve Careuz Street. Also there is
kirk Street named after him. Has it been mentioned he
was also the mayor of the township. So all that

(01:23:00):
is good information. Thank you for that. Don't call now
because dancers helping Jeannette with her skycoat, as of course
he should do that. Who else would you call? Marcus?
We have the old skybox and are still doing all
the sky channels. Gee, Breggy, I noticed I can't get

(01:23:23):
the sky go up to work though. Oh yeah, I
don't even know what this is about with sky Sure
the Russians aren't interfering with them? Are they get in touch?
By Name's Marcus Hurdle twelve King of It's Marcus.

Speaker 18 (01:23:45):
Good evening and welcome, good day Marcus going. I can't thanks,
just get side of Kikwood. And I remember the day
that normal Care died. I was sort of shocked, being
a labor man myself. You know, he was an immense
prime minister, so I'm concerned as the only Prome ministers
they actually wrote a on about that was pretty good.

(01:24:08):
And the other is that I've just been done carck
Point And my great uncle was the Blakenhead. He walked
the length of the country and I found on his
footsteps a few years a few years back, and I
ran the links of the country and I stopped by
Maddie Cemetery because that's when my great uncle's buried. And

(01:24:31):
he's buried right next to normal Kirk. A little bit
of information for here connecting with kypot caper Point. A
great uncle being buried next to Norman Kirks.

Speaker 2 (01:24:42):
Pretty really yeah, a lot of unpicked from that. I'm cool.

Speaker 18 (01:24:50):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:24:53):
Can he walk for this slexic awareness?

Speaker 4 (01:24:55):
Is that right?

Speaker 1 (01:24:56):
No?

Speaker 4 (01:24:56):
That was me?

Speaker 2 (01:24:57):
Oh that was you that did that. Sorry, I've got
my got my articles.

Speaker 18 (01:25:01):
Got uncle was the blakenhead and I just followed him
his footsteps, and I thought, well, well, I had a
star in my backpack. Was from carcer Point I heard
put it. I was grave and why Maddie. When I
got to why Maddie, he's normal Kirk period right next
to my great uncle.

Speaker 2 (01:25:16):
So you just walked the link of the country. Now
a while ago.

Speaker 18 (01:25:19):
It was fourteen years ago, okay, worfteen years ago? Why
did why did you link the country for dyslexia?

Speaker 2 (01:25:27):
Why did your grandfather do it? Well, it was your
father was blank Hall.

Speaker 18 (01:25:32):
He did it because he found a woman that was
fifty or twenty five years. He was younger and his
junior and he was hit me one years of age,
and she said he asked her a man and said no,
you're too old. I said, well, I was gonna do
something that's immense. Will you marry me? And she said yeah, yeah, yeah.

(01:25:53):
So he walked from Cape Younger to Bluff and she
married him and they settled in White Maddie and he
died in Romedy and was veried next to Norm Kirk.

Speaker 2 (01:26:03):
Did they have many years together?

Speaker 18 (01:26:06):
Yeahs about fifteen twenty years?

Speaker 17 (01:26:08):
Or aren't you?

Speaker 2 (01:26:10):
And how'd he do it? Just with a peck?

Speaker 18 (01:26:15):
Yeah, peck. I was back in hobnail boats. I am
not ated that was I did it and supported a
part from Cookie Tom Seril crust cookies and stuff at
me because they report the donation.

Speaker 2 (01:26:32):
Yeah, it's pro. What do you think of Tiara Roa
because it seems more interesting, does it than banging along them?
Because it's hard walking on the road. Rerick your feet
after whild doesn't it that? Being Ontomaic?

Speaker 18 (01:26:44):
Exactly? Every morning when I got after it felt like
somebody who been canning the soles of my feet. Took
me twenty minutes to be able to start walking running again.

Speaker 2 (01:26:52):
Are you feed all right now, Kny?

Speaker 18 (01:26:55):
Yeah, yeah, it's pretty good. I'm just appearing to do
a similar sort of a thing the Mine. There was
a good marathon runner for New Zealand. His son unfortunately
his life to pressive episode. And we're going to go
Nelson down to buff or the Addiction and Mental Health

(01:27:17):
and Suicide Preventionion.

Speaker 2 (01:27:19):
Okay, when are you going to do that?

Speaker 18 (01:27:21):
Kingy a very much this year we're both preparing for it.
John a well known New Zealand Malison runner John Ken. Yeah,
we're going to sort of hit the tarma from Nelson
down to Bluff.

Speaker 2 (01:27:37):
Do you do it the other way?

Speaker 18 (01:27:40):
It's probably it's easier going downhill.

Speaker 2 (01:27:42):
Yeah, once he was it that way. One's eating up
at Bluff. Well, because my house is just you get
a lot of This guy is a guy walks quite past,
quite often carries across.

Speaker 18 (01:27:52):
Yeah, yeah, I've seeing him. Yeah, I'm actually stuck on
the side of rade at wich Is outside tomorrow, just
coming back from then.

Speaker 2 (01:28:00):
But you're walking are you walking?

Speaker 4 (01:28:05):
Oh?

Speaker 18 (01:28:06):
Well not yet?

Speaker 2 (01:28:08):
Well you got to you gotta ask, So why don't
you and marathon, why don't you in marathon man do
tier rather than the rhoads.

Speaker 18 (01:28:17):
Oh well yeah, we're going down the wisk coast.

Speaker 2 (01:28:20):
Oh right, good idea. Okay, yeah, well there's a good
stuff down there. Okay, yeah, okay, we're starting to the heaping.
Come down that way.

Speaker 18 (01:28:28):
Yeah, we'll go ahead and now some straight down Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:28:32):
Well, nice to talk. Can you thank you the Hello
knivetts Marcus welcome.

Speaker 19 (01:28:36):
Oh hi, I'm quite interested on this run. I was
more of a national man, but you couldn't help. But
like big Norm, it was a good brooke and what's
a lot of you don't know. He played second horn
in the way Matey Citzenel bands of the Salvation Army Wow.
And when Hastings had his commemorations, the Hasting Citizens band

(01:29:03):
were otherwise engaged, and so I at that time took
the Hasting Salvation Army bend. I was requested to, and
we all gathered around in the Hastings Municipal Theater, so
they called it. Then it was an exceptionally good book.

(01:29:25):
I saw him in the house as a much younger
man him and he was the leader of the opposition
facing Keith holding it and they were both a couple
of his my views, they were a couple of good
books in their own way. They were fathers of the nation,
which you don't get much of now. They're all two

(01:29:47):
busy fighting each other. Wouldn't it tour cave a long
Norm made of choice that he really had to do.
So I liked the guy. Actually, he was a very
I found him a straightforward sort of a fellow. But
I'll never forget taking the band to the Hastings Municipal

(01:30:10):
Theater where we had a hasting City commemoration of Big Norm,
and there was a song about Big Norm. Do you
remember that one?

Speaker 2 (01:30:23):
Yeah, I do remember. That's probably I was just nine
when he died. I remember that he died, and I
remember the song Big Norm that was about.

Speaker 19 (01:30:34):
No, he was a good chap He really was. The
matter which side as the political divide you supported. You
couldn't dislike Big Norm. He was a good broke and
you could tell him that he was going down hill.
So I'm still to this day I'm not sure what
went wrong. But when he came off the plane from

(01:30:57):
a political trip, he had a little girl in his hand,
but you could tell he was going downhill fast. And
he finished up, and I think they called it the
Sisters of Compassion in Wellington where he eventually passed away.

Speaker 4 (01:31:17):
But he.

Speaker 2 (01:31:19):
So it wasn't unexpected.

Speaker 19 (01:31:21):
No, he was not a well man and it happened
very suddenly, really a bit like the older prime ministers
of the day. They didn't go through anything fancy in Wellington.
They took him home to way Mattie and I had
a previous gentlemen say his dad was buried besides Big Norm.

(01:31:46):
And I can imagine that because those prime ministers didn't
go for the highlights and we didn't. It's not like
Westminster Abbey. We didn't have the crooks in most of
our churches. They went home and that's where Big Norm

(01:32:08):
was actually buried, in his own hometown. Of why Matty
in the South.

Speaker 2 (01:32:13):
Island love you to hear from you, Niev, thanks very
much for that nice stuff. Nine from eleven Kelvin Marcus.

Speaker 22 (01:32:19):
Welcome, Yeah, hello, Marcus. You've got a good program.

Speaker 21 (01:32:22):
Gang.

Speaker 22 (01:32:22):
When you first mentioned Norman Kirk dying wrongly, my mind
was thinking of David Longhi because he died on two
thousand and five, thirteenth of August. But anyway, getting back
to Norman Kirk, now on a Saturday. He died on
a Saturday. Because I used to go out to dine
and dancers and sometimes in the house and the house

(01:32:44):
bar at what we used to call the tear raup
a pub, which was the real name was wake at
a motor hotel. And when I was in the house
bar drinking there, the word came through that that Norm
Norman kirk ha died.

Speaker 4 (01:32:59):
That song.

Speaker 22 (01:33:02):
Big Norm. That was a takeoff of the song from America,
Big John, Big Bad John. But I recall now my
mother at the time was on a widow's benefit and
at the Christmas period, all beneficiaries got one week's extra

(01:33:22):
money to make their life a little bit better, even
though at the time the country was going through a
bit of a sort of a recession, but the government
of the day saw fit to give beneficiaries another week
extra week. But it was, as you said before, it's

(01:33:43):
nothing often.

Speaker 2 (01:33:45):
What was the mood of the tarrapad Din and dance
when word came around would have been a bit of
a buzzkill for the evening there, old Kelvin Or was
it okay?

Speaker 22 (01:33:53):
Yeah, well yeah, it came Well, everything this more or
less went on, you know, because.

Speaker 2 (01:34:01):
They have a live band there.

Speaker 22 (01:34:03):
Yeah, but I was in the house bar at the time,
at that particular night. I wasn't out in the din
and dance area. They used to have dance love Benzy
used to come there from down from Auckland, the Kyle
Isles and all those sort of bend.

Speaker 4 (01:34:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 22 (01:34:20):
Yeah, anyway, said was sad news and then he the
burial state funeral it was, and that I can't recall
too much about it now fifty years ago. But this
is what happens, isn't it now? David Longie, he was
he in office when he died or not?

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
I believe he. I believe he'd retired. Was he a beach?
I don't think he was. I think he was fully
out of there. I don't know that. Someone's probably got
affect you. I know he certainly wasn't hadn't been Prime
minister for a long time.

Speaker 22 (01:34:53):
Yes, anyway, it's there an interesting when you reflect back,
of course, fifty years ago. It is a long time,
isn't it. But it was a Saturday evening anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:35:02):
Yeah, right too, because I must have been Why give
us through the school holidays? Because I remember it was
the weekend. Do they still get do they stilliver dining
dance in Hamilton.

Speaker 22 (01:35:10):
No not there, No, No, people don't they They don't
do any dancing holding their female partner. There used to
be females. Now it's all mixed up. They just go
along with their head pointing down to their feet, looking
at their telephone.

Speaker 2 (01:35:30):
Yeah, that's all on the phone. What's that about? You
gotta you got a smartphone?

Speaker 4 (01:35:35):
There?

Speaker 2 (01:35:35):
I'm Kilvin.

Speaker 22 (01:35:36):
No, I'm on copper landline. And when they finally dig
it up, you won't hear from me again. But I'll
be able to get through your mental telipathy or you know,
how long have you got to take away your copper
Well they've tried a couple of times. My other neighbors

(01:35:57):
have got what what is that thing called fiber? But
I said, no, I don't worry about doing mine. So
I'm just still on the copper wire.

Speaker 4 (01:36:04):
It's good.

Speaker 22 (01:36:05):
And I have heard even people after midnight because I
rang up occasionally and people have said, oh gee, that
Kelvin's telephone line is always nice.

Speaker 16 (01:36:13):
And clear, always good.

Speaker 2 (01:36:14):
They always say that that's that's in the talk about guide.
But Calvin, you always trust him and got copper landline.

Speaker 22 (01:36:21):
Yeah, because out here in radio listening Land by Karaike.
If I was running New Zealand there some callers wouldn't
get through because you can hardly understand what they're saying.
And sometimes also they can be clear, but the radio
hosts can't understand them, so they get dumped.

Speaker 2 (01:36:41):
So I don't know through them what happens with which
radio host I understand people.

Speaker 22 (01:36:47):
Are a female one.

Speaker 2 (01:36:50):
Don't actually put any names there now, I'm.

Speaker 22 (01:36:52):
Not saying a name of the saying female. Lit's all.

Speaker 5 (01:36:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 22 (01:36:58):
Anyway, you're always good to listen to.

Speaker 2 (01:37:00):
No that makes me you really film a bucket, Calvin,
thank you very much for that. Tom Marcus, welcome Marcus.

Speaker 29 (01:37:09):
I've got an interesting story. It's almost a tragic story.
But Oldenburg retired peace officer and at the time Norm
was getting a state funeral and a lot of my
colleagues at Wellington Central was selected to be pool bearers.

(01:37:29):
And I can't remember whether there were six or eight
paol bearers, all selected on height, all around about six
foot because the coffin had to be hoisted onto their
shoulders and carried out of Parliament down Parliament steps. But
I remember when they came back after the funeral, there

(01:37:50):
was a lot of hilarity. The coffin almost got away
on them coming down Parliament steps.

Speaker 6 (01:37:57):
Wow.

Speaker 29 (01:37:57):
And they were straining at the girls so hard to
hold that coffin because Norm was such a big man. Yes,
and they were strong, they guys, big six foot strong policemen.

Speaker 10 (01:38:09):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (01:38:10):
So they did. They got they got the tool, they
got the tall tim and they got the right people.
But quite the task and there's no way, there's no
way they could have not done that.

Speaker 29 (01:38:19):
No, you can imagine the weight on his shoulders and
going down Parliament steps almost the weight was throwing them
forward as they as they took the all in time
steps down the steps of Parliament. And when they got
back to Central Plice Station they were cracking up about
how serious it was and how they almost got.

Speaker 4 (01:38:43):
Away on them.

Speaker 2 (01:38:44):
Lovely to hear from your tom, thank you so much
for that. How you're going people, My name is Marcus. Well,
we've got Rugby on the weekend to South Africa. Big
Sam cane fan looking forward to men back on the
whole match. I hope he enjoys it. I hope he
gets a fitting farewell. I'll come back again front the matches.
But here we go It's never been a bucket list
of mind to go to a rugby test at the

(01:39:05):
South Africa. But now I think they keep talking about
the High Velt. It must be quite something. They always
go on about it. Anyway, we are talking about Norman
Kirk fifty years and of course too what I've just
only already become cognitant of for during the show tonight
and really thinking about twelve years of national and suddenly

(01:39:31):
a new government and new young leader in a hurry
comes and it's a big deal. Of course people are
going to after twelve years. The sense of change is
going to be huge. So that's what happened. A lengthy
but private illness only serve two thirds of his term,

(01:39:55):
so there we go. He'd been leader for six years
before he became promised. He was elected leader in sixty
six of Labor didn't manage to win and Keith holy
Key we Keith came back for their fourth term but

(01:40:17):
kind of captured the spirit. Made his last public appearance
August eighteen seventy four. Ten days later was photographed going
to the Homer Camp passion in Ireland Bay. Over the years,
they've been many conspiracy theories, most prominently in nineteen ninety nine.

(01:40:40):
Then Labor Party prisoner Bob Harvey, he's a live wise
suggest the CIA might have been involved, and see the
US prison bill. Clinton release files on it promptly and
telling off from their leader Helen Clark.

Speaker 9 (01:40:54):
Yep.

Speaker 2 (01:40:59):
So there we go, and that's what we are talking
about tonight. Ten passed. But of course probably there wasn't
day of school, I don't think, because it might have
been school holidays in the field. I don't know about that.
I'm unsure about that. But anyway, that's what we are
talking about tonight and the rugby for the weekend. I
won't do a sweep A sweep oh, I don't want
to do a sweep because they're uninteresting and I've never

(01:41:22):
found a way to make a sweep steak interesting. I
don't quite know what it is. Is I give people
the score, but that's.

Speaker 10 (01:41:30):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:41:30):
I don't know if the radio host, yes, they do sweepstakes,
any wants, no other radio, no other talk stations, how
they do a sweep steak. So there's that. But that's
Saturday night or Sunday morning, three am. I'll get up
and watch that. Is there America's Cup tonight, Dan and
you said that like someone dropped the yacht. I shouldn't

(01:41:53):
laugh at this kind of weird day that someone drop
a yacht actually wasn't bad. The match last night, the
Kiwis presumed they won. I went to bed, but they
came from behind. Got the wind shift. It's amazing. I
can see the maps of wear of the windows or
pressure is pedalesticals at pressure, more pressure down there, Marcus.

(01:42:15):
Norm's coffin carry was bad planning by the police. Should
have had a couple of five foot six people at
rare move Colins, good stuff move, Thank you, Marcus the youngster.
I remember when Norman Kirk died and he was only
held for a special separate color supplement about half the
side of normal newspaper. Only other time I remember them
doing that with the day man Land on the Moon.

(01:42:37):
McDonald's stupid monopoly game is back. What the third time
this year? Marcus? It's the anniversary of princes Dana's death tomorrow.
Apparently the soldiers carrying her coffin feed it really heavy,
as if it was lead lined.

Speaker 18 (01:42:51):
Would that be right?

Speaker 2 (01:42:52):
Was she radioactive? I didn't Big Norm have two sons.
I wonder what happened to them? One son, John became
a polisher, but blotters copybook. I can't remember the reason. Yes,
there was always trouble about him. It seems as though
politics wasn't a natural fit for him. John Kirk took
over his seat. I think was sitting them. I think
it might have been Hello, mikeet's Marcus, good.

Speaker 8 (01:43:15):
Evening, Good evening, Marcus. His other son was Bob Kirk. Okay,
thank you, eritimus professor Bob Kirk. He died just.

Speaker 2 (01:43:30):
Emeritus professor and.

Speaker 8 (01:43:34):
Did coastal economic you know, ecological issues.

Speaker 2 (01:43:40):
Oh, I didn't appreciate you telling me that, Mike, thank you.

Speaker 8 (01:43:44):
And anyway, Bob Kirk, Norm Kirk came from a very
very large family. He left school when he was thirteen
years old. I understand. I think if you go on
to the Norm Kirk on the on the news on
the internet recently, that's got a whole story of his life.

(01:44:08):
And anyway, when he moved from Waomati, I think it
was to christ Church and brought a brought a section
there for forty pound in Kypoi and he had to
build because of the you know, this was just after

(01:44:28):
the war, Marcus. Yes, and then he and building materials
and stuff like that were all hard to come across.
So anyway, he's built his own house and Kyropoid it's
still standing today, Marcus. And he even made his own bricks,
molded his own bricks and made his own bricks for

(01:44:50):
goodness sake. And he's just an absolute legend of a man.

Speaker 2 (01:44:59):
And not only that, it sees he'd work at the
rubber factory as a boilerment and he'd bike out to
Kayapoi to work to work on hisself. That's quite a
that's quite a that's a thirty k bike ride by No.

Speaker 8 (01:45:13):
But that's this that's the sort of guy we're talking about.

Speaker 2 (01:45:18):
Well, where where do those Where are those people going
to politics anymore?

Speaker 5 (01:45:23):
Oh?

Speaker 8 (01:45:25):
I probably do so anyway, that's there's lots of stuff
he was. He was the mayor of the career and
he was their youngest mayor at age thirty, and he

(01:45:47):
just dabbled in politics as well as bringing up family
and you know, he just was such an absolute legend
of a guy. People really need to look into his
history and think what an absolute wonderful man that he
was and what he's done for this country of the

(01:46:09):
New Zealand. You must send some of it there in
front of him, Mars, because you were just count.

Speaker 2 (01:46:15):
Yeah, and I'm waiting to read. Look, I've always been
keen to read the biography, but I'm going to read
the book was writtenbout him quite recently, and I'm keen
to read more of it after tonight too, Mike. So
was he a contemporary of yours? Now, you'd be younger
than him, obviously, because he'd be a he'd be one hundred,
wouldn't he if he's still alive. So it would have
been fifty one when he died. But you must remember him.

Speaker 6 (01:46:34):
Well, that is.

Speaker 8 (01:46:37):
Where I was on this date, you know, fifty years
ago when I heard of his passing. We were on
a holiday over at the West Coast. I was at
the Erahor Pub and that's when the news broke. And
you know, these are the sort of things that happened.

(01:46:58):
With something like that, significant happens, you always remember where
you were this time to hear the news. And that's
where I was at Hope a ticker Rahr actually Hope
by hopeer ticker just over the river. And now he
is such a wonderful, wonderful man. And I know Bob

(01:47:22):
as well Bob Kirk and yes he was a lovely,
lovely man too.

Speaker 2 (01:47:30):
And who was Mike, where was he based? Who Bob Kirk?

Speaker 4 (01:47:37):
Yeah?

Speaker 8 (01:47:38):
Christ Church? Okay, thank you yep, with the with the
living quality christ Church?

Speaker 2 (01:47:45):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (01:47:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 8 (01:47:50):
So anyway, I hope other people rung up.

Speaker 2 (01:47:52):
And and what were you saying? You're saying something about
Bob's wife too.

Speaker 21 (01:47:55):
Were you Judy?

Speaker 4 (01:47:58):
Yep?

Speaker 8 (01:47:59):
She was involved in local body politics, will be the
third I've been involved in local body politics Christ Chute
for the years, just retired. And anyway, Judy was also
she was on air community board on the on the
Ricket Wigram community board here in christ for number of
years as well.

Speaker 2 (01:48:20):
How do you feel after you thirty years, Mike, do
you think you made.

Speaker 8 (01:48:23):
A difference absolutely.

Speaker 29 (01:48:27):
Politics?

Speaker 8 (01:48:28):
If you don't want to make a difference exactly, yep.

Speaker 2 (01:48:33):
Okay, pretty nice to hear from you, Mike, Thank you
for that. I appreciate that. Marie. It's Marcus, welcome, good.

Speaker 20 (01:48:39):
Evening, Hello MICUs.

Speaker 30 (01:48:42):
My mum had had a cat. She she loved Norms
so much as she called a cat norm. Yes, and
my mother was famous when she saw Muldoon come on
to tell you she'd physically get out of her tear

(01:49:04):
and she would to the telly off and not turn
it on for ten minutes to make sure that you'd
have to look at him.

Speaker 4 (01:49:14):
That's what she did.

Speaker 30 (01:49:16):
But what I always used to like about Norm Kirk
was when I was out door knocking, you'd go up
to you know, the old old people's places, and on
their china can it they would have a photo of
Norm Kirk. Yeah, you're right, yeah, And New Zealanders we

(01:49:38):
just loved him. He was a great man, mighty taut.

Speaker 17 (01:49:44):
M.

Speaker 4 (01:49:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:49:46):
I can't imagine put you I shouldn't say that, but
you know, you don't imagine people have photos of Prome
Minister as current premises these days on there on the
shelves would say they don't have that same command. And
I don't know if that's because we see too much
of them on TV or they're just the wrong type
of people getting into the game.

Speaker 30 (01:50:02):
I see a lot of a lot of pictures on
walls of just Hinder out in Are you fair enough?

Speaker 25 (01:50:08):
Mm hmmm mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:50:12):
I was talking thinking about more of the current from
minister you.

Speaker 30 (01:50:16):
Oh no that I don't think. Mmm.

Speaker 2 (01:50:20):
Well, maybe some will say he's still New.

Speaker 30 (01:50:24):
Oh no, no, I don't think he's doing a good
job at all.

Speaker 10 (01:50:33):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:50:36):
Yeah, what do you think about Luxon?

Speaker 20 (01:50:44):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 2 (01:50:45):
I think people know what I think. People know what
I think. I don't think I need to say it, Marie, No,
I think something. I think. Sometimes silent speaks volumes.

Speaker 30 (01:50:55):
You hit the nail on the head.

Speaker 2 (01:50:58):
Nice to hear from you, Marie. Good evening, Louise. It's Marcus. Welcome.

Speaker 13 (01:51:02):
Oh hi Marcus.

Speaker 4 (01:51:04):
Oh norm Yeah.

Speaker 13 (01:51:07):
I don't remember where I was when he when he died,
but I do remember being grey shots. But he actually
him and his family lived just a few streets away
from me when I was growing up. We were up
on the hill when he was down on the flat.
And I can't rem the name of the street that

(01:51:28):
they must have moved from Chiapoy because favor in Saint
Martin's when I was going to school.

Speaker 2 (01:51:33):
Is its St Martin's and christ Church?

Speaker 13 (01:51:38):
Yes it is, yeah, and oh it used to walk
past their house every day to go to school. And Philip,
I think my son was a year or two older
than me, and they had a daughter as well. She
was only a little kid, and I am from what
I remember, so she must have been quite a bit

(01:51:58):
younger than the older the boys. Yeah, my mother, who
was a true blue national Boche and would never even
think about boat. She she really got on really well
with Ruth kirk You just stopped by there and have
a chat, and she had a lot of respects of

(01:52:20):
Kirksmith coming to a woman who's you know.

Speaker 5 (01:52:23):
Yeah, everybody loves them really.

Speaker 13 (01:52:26):
They were just you know, they were just an ordinary
family living in a three bedroom wooden house and some Martens.

Speaker 2 (01:52:34):
You know, and everyone talks about the Everyone talks about
the ordinariness and making your own house, don't they. That
seems to be and I think still today if someone
if someone had that ordinariness, I mean, they could really
capture a lot, couldn't they, Because that's what we do.
Love that keywis do love that someone actually that can
that's actually someone that's actually quite useful.

Speaker 13 (01:52:55):
Yes, yes he was. I don't know if he built
that house, but he probably did. He was just a
great guy, really a good key we bloke.

Speaker 2 (01:53:05):
And clearly extraordinary clearly extraordinarily intelligent as well. And of
course two in those days, people don't have the chances
that you might have, you know, they just from a
working family and why matter you don't always get the
chances to go and do what you need to do.

Speaker 13 (01:53:21):
Yes, left score thirteen didn't know that. Yeah, that's that's
sad for him, but you know he rose above it
obviously and became prime minister. It's amazing really when he
was a prime minister for such a short time, yet
the effect that he had on New Zealand and the

(01:53:44):
opinion that people had of him in that short time
was amazing. You know, he really made his smart that's
for sure.

Speaker 2 (01:53:51):
And also the historians talk about him has been sort
of the most influential internationally that we've ever had in
that very short time, through Asia, through Africa, through Pacific.
With the testing, I mean, goodness, graciously, you know we
celebrate the French and that we celebrate the French of
the Olympic and the surfing that was happening. INDI, when
you read some of the stories here about the effects
of the nuclear testing on the water and stuff like that,

(01:54:14):
I mean it, jeep as creeper, it's pretty horrific.

Speaker 13 (01:54:21):
Yeah, yes, I was on a march against the testing
back in the day.

Speaker 2 (01:54:28):
Yeah, pretty horrible, unbelievable and it was and it was
stopped remarkably recently. I was doing some research when they
stopped testing, and I think it was in the nineties.

Speaker 13 (01:54:44):
Yeah, they were still doing it. That's when I was
marching yep down Queen Street. Yeah, just I can't believe
that I was still doing it then. Oh yeah, what
can you do?

Speaker 2 (01:54:59):
Yeah, France and China can actally. The last test in
January and July nineteen ninety six, respectively. Sovic Union last
one nineteen ninety the UK's one nineteen ninety one, the
United States nineteen ninety two. It's pretty extraordinary when you
think about that. And there was so much opposition, so

(01:55:24):
much Pecks, good evening.

Speaker 4 (01:55:27):
Oh, good day, Marcus. Yeah, ignoring me was a breath
of fresh air. When he become the Prime minister. He
brought in bonus bombs, the Onwoodsman's office home ownership accounts,
and I rushed out the next day and was zero zero,
zero zero whatever. Many Zeros won for the home ownership account.

Speaker 2 (01:55:51):
Hang on, Pecks, what was the home ownership account?

Speaker 4 (01:55:56):
Well, you paid into it and after three years they
you were allowed to buy your first house with it.

Speaker 2 (01:56:04):
Okay, I understand, and they gave you a.

Speaker 4 (01:56:07):
Bonus as well. And he also had this thing where
if you had a job for over a month, if
you go to the post office and they'd give you
the minimum loan for a new house. And a lot
of my friends brought their houses in those and he's
over in touch of Park and Upper Heart through that method.

(01:56:28):
And the other one he brought in was six suprentices
to one carpenter and they built state houses. And why
this last labor government didn't use that same method to
build houses, I still don't know.

Speaker 2 (01:56:42):
Pecks Pex are you are you a how old are you.

Speaker 4 (01:56:50):
Seventy two?

Speaker 2 (01:56:52):
You seem to be reversed in Norman Kirk when he
came to power after those years in opposite were twelve
years in opposition and I think six years had been
the leader. Was it all his stuff or was it
was it all his stuff or was it that was
he some that came up with the policies or was
this labor policy that he came He seems to have
done a lot in a hurry. And we always talk

(01:57:13):
about them.

Speaker 4 (01:57:15):
Big norm forge ahead now. At the time, just beforehand,
my dad was the president of the Herratonga Labor Party,
Ron Bay, who was certain parliament as a labor man
for twenty something more twenty three years. Lived at the
back of us and Big Norm used to when he

(01:57:40):
went away and nobody could find him, he used to
go up to Madad's orchard and sit there and have
a small bottle of beer, which he wasn't allowed, and
that's why he would disappear there as he brought in
all these things. The Norm Kirk Park up at Kaitoke
Waterworks I built, was on one of the supervisors on

(01:58:03):
building the swing bridge there years ago.

Speaker 7 (01:58:08):
But you know he was just a breath of fresh air.
He come in with all these new ideas and he said,
if we have production and GDP at four percent, you
know we can make it.

Speaker 4 (01:58:22):
And of course those things were always lost when others
got in, but he was a great man. When we
re sleeve the chimney chimney at Dunlops for the boilers,
we had to drop it in by a helicopter, Big
Norm arrived and they gave him the wide overalls and

(01:58:44):
he's standing there next to mile Man and they had
their best turn to the to his aide de camp.
The ag camp got a phone call from the Ministerial
carry come running over and tacked mile Man on the
shoulder because they looked exactly alike, and we're related apparently,

(01:59:07):
and they sort of had that nose and a half,
if you understand. But also I think when the when
the Wahini went down, have a look at some of
the footage there. There was a whole lot of parliamentarians
standing on the beach and one of the boats come
in and who rushes in waist deep with a suit

(01:59:27):
of his shoes to Lord big Nore and he grabbed
hold of that road. But he said him pour it
on his own. Then the others joined him.

Speaker 2 (01:59:38):
He was he was bigs foot one here as a beginner.

Speaker 4 (01:59:44):
Yeah, yeah, and he is a good ant. And one
of the things he'd done, he said to me one time,
because he made it where father's sons could join cosmopolitan
clubs at the age of nineteen and a half. And
he said to me, oh, we're your birthday packs, Oh
said July. So we found out that the first day

(02:00:08):
after Dune during the nineteen.

Speaker 7 (02:00:10):
And a half.

Speaker 4 (02:00:13):
Yeah. So he's a lovely man and I wish we
had more leader like him.

Speaker 19 (02:00:19):
He was.

Speaker 4 (02:00:22):
A man of the future.

Speaker 2 (02:00:24):
And there is that I've just remembered that quote that
he always had. That's quite as simple quote, isn't it
that that sort of sums him up about everyone just
wants a home and a job. I forget what it was,
but it's been quite often used recently with more recent
members of the There are four things that matter to people.
They have to have somewhere to live, they have to
have food to eat, they have to have clothing to wear,

(02:00:44):
and they have to have somewhere something to hope for.
And that pretty much sums up.

Speaker 4 (02:00:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (02:00:49):
I mean, that's not a bad way to go about it,
although it might have been missing. Of course, it might
have been misappropriate, misattributed, but I think it's right.

Speaker 4 (02:00:58):
When he went into power, our dollar was worth one
hundred and twenty seven American sense. Wow, Wow, that's right.
He really he was a progressive and he really opened
New Zealand up and he was a man of the future.

(02:01:21):
And I've always had a lot of respect for him.
Even my friends whose family voted National would come and
see it in the orchard after school and college and
go home talking about him how he related to younger people.

Speaker 2 (02:01:44):
Love you to hear from your pick, Thank you so much.
Eighteen to twelve. Alistair ats Marcus, good evening.

Speaker 16 (02:01:50):
Hello Marcus. Down the shirt Iran. They had a very
tall shallow and norm painting.

Speaker 2 (02:02:03):
Oh yeah at why Mete why Mattie is it?

Speaker 6 (02:02:08):
Yeah? There you go, there you go.

Speaker 9 (02:02:15):
Yeah.

Speaker 16 (02:02:15):
There was a silow there, a very tall shilow and uh.
The picture gave you the impression that he was walking
and he had a young child. Might have been the
merry boy going somewhere. It was well done.

Speaker 2 (02:02:34):
I think that's quite a famous image that they've replicated
on that too. There were some old grain silos. I
think they've put the Yeah. I think it was like
a tourist thing for y Metti to promote some of
the local legionds. I think that's the situation. Always looks
hard when you paint something on a tube. I often think,
let me have a look who's on them? I can't

(02:02:59):
think anyway. Get in touch of you want to talk.
My name is Marcus Hddle twelve Kerry Welcome.

Speaker 6 (02:03:07):
Hi Marcus.

Speaker 3 (02:03:08):
Yeah, I'm very much interested in Norman Kirk. It was
me that sent the text through that. As a near
six year old, I remember going past his coffin and
I do remember very distinctly because I was waiting in
a line with a cue of the monks. So my
grandmother and my sister. But the distinctive thing was that
I asked my grandmother about the things and why are

(02:03:30):
we here today, and he reprised, was saying, today I
want you to witness history. And I guess since then
I've been fascinated by history, in particular Norman Kirk, because
I've got quite a number of his books, either written
about him or he wrote actually a very interesting book
that came out of nineteen sixty nine called Towards the Nation,
and that's where a lot of his philosophies started to blossom,

(02:03:52):
even before he was elected Prime Minister in seventy two.
The Mildi boy you're talking about was Moana Priest. It
was just a ten or eleven year old and that
was at the White Taggi Day of nineteen seven three
when they walked hand in hand across the grounds at
are Whitey and that was just a huge a moment.

(02:04:16):
I've just written a feature actually which will pay in
the paper tomorrow, and amongst the people I spoke to
was Roger Douglas, who's the only surviving cabinet minister from
Dick Kirk's government, and he said that one image of
Kirk holding the hand of the young Moldy boy really
changed the face of how New Zealands could see things

(02:04:38):
going in terms of from a race relations point of view.
So he really led in a lot of ways. May
I just talk about one other quick thing to of course,
of course, and that's one thing that's often forgotten, was
the super Annuation Bill. This was pasted in the month

(02:04:59):
when he died in August seventy four. They spent more
than thirty hours in Parliament over a whole weekend debating
it with against the National Opposition until they finally got
it passed. This was something that Kirk was a big
fan of around having superannuation. It was making it as

(02:05:19):
a compulsory super and Sir Roger Douglass told me that
the National debated every clause and point until they finally
passed it. But so they eventually passed it. But the
interesting thing was that when Muldoon then became promised in
seventy five, within a year they then scrapped it. Now
they have seen economists said if they had kept that

(02:05:41):
super annuation since then, of course, now we have the
key we savor the compulsory thing. The country would be
so much better off financially. It would be worth billions
today if they had kept that. You know, that's of
course one of those things given hindsight. But again you know,
just again one of those things that he'd believe and
seen people wanting to have a better society, and that

(02:06:04):
was superannuation was definitely one of the things. And of
course he was a man who built his own house,
so he was a very practical man as well.

Speaker 2 (02:06:14):
What was what made him the person that he was?
What made a person with that sense of service and
that sense of vision? Was anything as upbringing? Was it
to do with that or was it just the way
he was?

Speaker 3 (02:06:26):
Two things I would put it down to. One was
that he grew up in a family of Salvation Army is,
so he learned about caring for other people as a
result of coming from a Salvation Army background, his parents
with Salvation Army people. Secondly, he only left secondary school
when he was only fifteen years old, so though he

(02:06:47):
didn't have a higher education, he was a voracious reader
and he would read and read. He had jobs where
he could be on shift work at night where he
just read and meeting people. And that's where he learned,
through meeting people of all walks of life about where
the country should head, and that's why it then became

(02:07:09):
interested in local body polit tips. He was only thirty
when he was elected as the mayor of Kaiapoi for example.
That's before he entered into the parliament in fifty seven.

Speaker 2 (02:07:20):
Just Kerriy, just how much of the huge reputation that
Norman Kirk has is because of his early death. I mean,
if you look at someone like Longie, who was someone
that also was someone with huge intellect and came and
did things, but it sort of unraveled quite quickly. I
suppose it an impossible question to answer, but do you
have any sense of that?

Speaker 3 (02:07:41):
Well, the way I look at it, it's a bit
like Kennedy's young death. I mean everybody has and of
course those people they are old enough that will remember
where Kennedy was when they heard the news of him.
And he was another person that promised so much that
was going to be there for the people. And I
think Norman Kirk was kind of an equivalent to a

(02:08:05):
JFK if you like obviously you know, but I think
at the end and talking to some of his contemporaries.
He was somebody that was just how bent. I mean,
you know, he got through a lot of legislation, but
he always said he was never going to make old bones.
He knew that he was not a well man, and
he tried to push things through too quickly, and as

(02:08:26):
a result, I think the thing was that he essentially
worked himself to death and the end, and that's what happened,
because it's.

Speaker 2 (02:08:33):
The other I've only got a couple that. The other
bit I was because we know a bit about long
he's sense to, you know, with him sort of as
the Bravado hiding up his nervousness and the marriage, and
we know about all sorts of other people and their
chaotic and their life and stuff like that. But what
was he like outside of work?

Speaker 30 (02:08:51):
Was there.

Speaker 2 (02:08:54):
Just an ordinary family man?

Speaker 1 (02:08:55):
Is that what he was?

Speaker 2 (02:08:56):
He wasn't sort of a down the local or a raconteur.
He just it all seems quite ordinary and devoted to
sort of running the country, doesn't it.

Speaker 6 (02:09:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:09:06):
He was not a smoker. He liked his soft drink,
he liked his beer. There's no doubt about that. I
had five five children. Yeah, And I mean he also had.
He also liked to relax when he did get to
I mean, he grew up in Wamatti so liked to
hunt and fish, and he also liked swimming as well,

(02:09:30):
so he did, but those were rare once he came
into parliament because he was so devoted into his work.

Speaker 2 (02:09:38):
Is your story come out tomorrow? Does it?

Speaker 4 (02:09:41):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (02:09:41):
So it's the Post which is the Wellington Daily Paper
said that they were the feature and I understand also
it may possibly appear in the christ Church Press as well.

Speaker 2 (02:09:53):
Okay, of course the modern question we've got to ask,
is it paywalled or do you have no say on that?
Is it SORR paywalled?

Speaker 3 (02:10:05):
I don't know, Marcus, I'm not sure what I'm not
getting paid for it.

Speaker 2 (02:10:14):
Okay, thanks very much for I really appreciate that. It's
nice to have ask those questions there. Enjoy that immensely
because you know that we still can talk politics with
a in a reasonable way. But thank you very much
for that, Carrie. I appreciate your calling and your texts.
So before we go, I can tell the EBBA have
joined the list of thirty artists to tell Trump to

(02:10:35):
stop using their music. Prince Adele Ri m Neil Young,
The Rolling Stones, Out and John Urrie Under Grande, Food Fighters,
Pink Queen, Stephen Next, Sun and garfun with the Killers,
John Foggy, Rage Against the Machine, Celine Dion, Tom Penny,
Katy Perry, Black Eyed Peas, Beyonce Lyonard Skinnard, David Bowie,
Mighty Cyrus, Rihanna, Billy, Joel Schaer, The Beach Boys, nickel Back,

(02:10:55):
Kenny Rogers, Lord and Lord not Kenny Rodgers Lord.

Speaker 4 (02:10:59):
So there we go.

Speaker 2 (02:11:03):
He's still got kid rock though.

Speaker 1 (02:11:05):
For more from Marcus lash Nights, listen live to News
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