Retired Firefighters & Fire Service Personnel

www.ex-fire.co.uk

‘Harry’ & Ann Lauder

konewone@xtra.co.nz

This is me at Woodside (H28) about 1963’ish! Dennis Pump Escape petrol straight 8 Rolls Royce --

brakes courtesy of “dial a prayer”

My name is “Harry” Lauder - for those of you who remember Sir Harry Lauder from the Music Hall days - real name Bill, but I was christened “Harry” or simply “H” because of my surname by the watch and that was it for 20 yrs !

 

Joined the job in 1962 in what was the Croydon Fire Brigade - quickly swallowed up in the LFB “takeover” in 1965 which was much better for all concerned, especially the basic fireman (Croydon had suffered the normal small brigade problem “dead mans shoes” promotion system).  And the old “who you know, not what you know”, hierarchy.

 

Stayed mainly in the “H” Div except for a brief term in the  “B” Div at B28 Peckham - was a Ladder Operator and ET man, and loved every minute of what has been termed the Golden Years of pre PC mumbo jumbo.

 

I was medically retired due to service, just after the Brixton Race Riots - I did not contest this decision as the writing on the wall did not bode well for England and the fact that my joining buddy at Southwark Training School, Rod Martin died as a direct result of the Riots.

 

Emigrated to New Zealand in 1982, do not regret coming here but I do miss the job even after all this time - I miss the camaraderie, the leg pulling, the micky taking - so if any of you are ex LFB and remember me drop me an “E”.

A few of my pics from New Zealand

 

As you can see from this shot the beach is really crowded, my baby Sis on holiday from England, is feeling claustrophobic, the beach goes for miles in either direction and was deserted at the height of summer.

The surf is pretty calm at the moment, beach shelves very steeply and non residents get into grief very quickly.

This shot is where I take “Tyson” our K9 - he is an American Bulldog - Johnson type for his walk - or in his case mad rampage, after all 50 kgs of dog moving at mach 2 is hardly sedate!

This place is a new sub division called Pacific Cliffs -- approx 2 kliks from our front door.

Overlooks the Hairaki Gulf and is the gateway to the Port of Auckland.

Greetings from Downunder -- Bay of Plenty -- Pukihina Beach just South of Te Puke.

As you will no doubt realise we are a week or two past the very middle of winter -- not brave enuff to go for a dip, but am wearing the hat cos the bonce will burn!

And for all the keen fishing fraternity -- the little fish on the line is bait -- never caught a thing -- but zotting up and down the beach on the quad was great.

The cone shaped island in the background is Rangitoto island, it is a dormant volcano and is right on Aucklands doorstep.  If this baby blows “Make pumps multitudes of plenty” I will apply for sick leave, immediately.

It last spit the dummy approx 600 yrs ago, and so called experts say it might throw all its toys out of the sandpit at anytime now - whoopee!

Pukihina Fire Station, Vollie manned Beach settlement.

Made us most welcome, raffles, meatpacks/BBQ - libations to the fire god (in abundance).

This was the social night once a week after training, family affair (and as a retired firefighter you qualify as “family”, the fact that I served approx 13,000 miles away shows just how big a family we belong to).

These guys (and gals) respond over a very wide area, a lot of their calls seem to be RTA’s and they work in well with the Surf Club guys, especially with the influx of townies in the summer.