I’ve written before about my inglorious career as an electrician. While I absolutely appreciate the practical and life skills that completing an apprenticeship gave me, it’s fair to say that electrician-ing wasn’t my sweet spot. I simply didn’t enjoy…

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I’m forever amazed by the wisdom that one can find down at the local cafe. I’ve been going for fairly regular morning coffees to my local for decades now. Pro tip: if you’re in Christchurch and looking for the…

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It’s amazing the pearls of wisdom that one can gain in an unlikely setting. 35 years or so ago I completed an electrical apprenticeship and worked with many characters along the way. One of those characters, Grant, had a…

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The other day, I was the first person on the scene of a nasty car crash on my commute home. Being a former paramedic, and a current firefighter obviously, I began helping those involved in the accident. I ended…

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My lads are in their early twenties and, as such, many of their friends are finishing up university degrees and heading out into the real world. Maybe it’s a function of both the region they grew up in and…

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I’m a political mongrel. Over my life, I’ve voted across the political spectrum. Whenever I do those slightly dodgy-feeling political surveys, that always feel like a precursor to ads for erectile dysfunction meds or weight loss pills, I always…

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I often bemoan the fact that I’m getting older. Among my regular running mates, I’m generally the first to lay claim to being an old, sad, broken and washed-up runner. In reality, the truth is that despite waking up…

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In the hustle and bustle of modern life, the concept of community often takes a backseat. We’re all engrossed in our own worlds, whether it’s our immediate neighbourhood, the local sports club, or the organizations we volunteer for. Yet,…

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The other day as I was out on my usual run, I spied a tree hut in a lone pine. It made me reminisce about the good old days. Back when I was a lad, building huts, playing bullrush,…

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Being on the wrong side of 50 and having grown up in New Zealand, my formative years included Television ads for the electronic retailer LV Martin and Son. LV Martin a long-gone institution in New Zealand was a family-owned…

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