Sunken treasure and priceless politicians were among topics discussed when Little Darwin supped one evening with a visiting octogenarian from New Zealand . In discussing his family’s involvement with boatbuilding , he revealed that he knew a diver who helped retrieve 8 tons of gold bullion from RMS Niagara which sank after hitting a German mine off NZ in WW11.
On the subject of NZ prime ministers , we swapped anecdotes. He recalled the eloquent David Longe, in early days, corpulent, scruffy, with long hair . During branch meetings Lange would seeming fall asleep, his arms folded on his stomach, eyes closed. Then when the debate seemed to have ended , he would “wake up ”and comment on every point raised during his supposed snooze. Weight was always a problem for him and at one stage he weighed 165 kilos. A stomach reduction operation reduced his bulk . During his time as Labor PM he banned nuclear powered or nuclear armed vessels from entering NZ, which out him offside with America. A lawyer who represented people for a small fee , he had toiled in meatworks as a young man . Possessed of a quick wit and a great debater , he told a pro-nuclear interjector, " I can smell the uranium on your breath." The French bombed the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland when he was the PM because of the campaign against nuclear tests being carried out on Mururoa Atoll. Lange quipped that NZ was run like a Polish shipyard.
This Little Darwin writer attended a conference in the l960s when National PM , Sir Keith Holyoake , a former hops farmer, with a “plummy” voice, addressed the gathering . He went into great, almost orgasmic, detail about the impressive surroundings, even the heavy damask drapes, in a swank London venue where visiting colonial leaders were duchessed. Sir Keith complained that a nasty element had crept into NZ politics when “ offensive matter ”was deposited, not once but several times, in the drive- way of his Wellington home. It was not made clear if this offending matter came from some of the many sheep that are found in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Little Darwin happens to know that Sir Keith gave a glowing reference to an Australian journalist who used it to get a job on a Pacific island, but was asked to leave after he became a bit too friendly with the female locals.
The visitor from NZ with whom we had the entertaining evening asked if there was a “bump ” in the Darwin Airport tarmac because his Qantas flight had come down with a thump . We told him a Qantas plane had sustained a damaged undercarriage after it “ bounced “ when landing on March 28, 2008.
On the subject of NZ prime ministers , we swapped anecdotes. He recalled the eloquent David Longe, in early days, corpulent, scruffy, with long hair . During branch meetings Lange would seeming fall asleep, his arms folded on his stomach, eyes closed. Then when the debate seemed to have ended , he would “wake up ”and comment on every point raised during his supposed snooze. Weight was always a problem for him and at one stage he weighed 165 kilos. A stomach reduction operation reduced his bulk . During his time as Labor PM he banned nuclear powered or nuclear armed vessels from entering NZ, which out him offside with America. A lawyer who represented people for a small fee , he had toiled in meatworks as a young man . Possessed of a quick wit and a great debater , he told a pro-nuclear interjector, " I can smell the uranium on your breath." The French bombed the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland when he was the PM because of the campaign against nuclear tests being carried out on Mururoa Atoll. Lange quipped that NZ was run like a Polish shipyard.
This Little Darwin writer attended a conference in the l960s when National PM , Sir Keith Holyoake , a former hops farmer, with a “plummy” voice, addressed the gathering . He went into great, almost orgasmic, detail about the impressive surroundings, even the heavy damask drapes, in a swank London venue where visiting colonial leaders were duchessed. Sir Keith complained that a nasty element had crept into NZ politics when “ offensive matter ”was deposited, not once but several times, in the drive- way of his Wellington home. It was not made clear if this offending matter came from some of the many sheep that are found in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Little Darwin happens to know that Sir Keith gave a glowing reference to an Australian journalist who used it to get a job on a Pacific island, but was asked to leave after he became a bit too friendly with the female locals.
The visitor from NZ with whom we had the entertaining evening asked if there was a “bump ” in the Darwin Airport tarmac because his Qantas flight had come down with a thump . We told him a Qantas plane had sustained a damaged undercarriage after it “ bounced “ when landing on March 28, 2008.
