Ruapehu Working Party

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RUAPEHU WORKING PARTY to outraged roars of "bring the flaming ladder round here" from those November 11th-13th, 1960 marooned on the odd unpainted The truck pulled away from Wel- patches of roof. Sid and his girls lington loaded with paint cans, turned on an excellent evening bantimber, hardboard and assorted tools, quet, which was enlivened with plus 18 willing workers aboard. At several visitors and much needed re- Plimmerton the number had increased freshment. One of the visitors was to 21, a full complement. The Bill Tidswell, playing the part of journey was uneventful apart from the man from the bush, with his halfminor mechanical trouble, but this grown beard. The rest of the evenwas a blessing in disguise, as it ing was devoted to various activities, meant the party arrived at the road- dancing, chess or taking pictures of end soon after 6 a.m. The morning Roy Turner. A late night visit to was glorious, and it needed little Taupo hut was made, and a highlight prodding to persuade people to start of the evening's entertainment was work right away-in fact the sand- a speech by one of our members, ing down of the walls was already it started well but no one will ever well under way by the time the last know what it was about, due to its few arrived up from the truck. sudden and undignified end, brought about by a damp and well-aimed dish- By breakfast-time at 8.00 most of cloth! the walls were ready for the under- Sunday morning was the coat-a remarkable effort which suraverage prised even those responsible for it. high-spirited scene, but it wasn't After breakfast the various gangs long before Dave Catchpole and his were organised under the clerk of finishing teams were touching up the works, Peter Miller. Dave Catchpole exterior paintwork and facings. and his egg-beating cats played on Meanwhile Jim Quinlan and his bullthe roof, with the inevitable com- dozers clean-up round the hut and plaint from those below, as they made a big improvement in the danced around screwing down sheets track to the road. Brian Hunt led of iron. Jim Quinlan led the paint- the interior finishing party working ing contingent around the walls so on the "Shangri-La", while Merv. fast that the shirtless ones soon com- Griffiths attended to its exterior deplained that the sun wasn't keeping coration. Sid Smith and his chorus up with them. Dion Quirke's earth- were still cooking and cleaning. At movers collapsed the rubbish-pit with lunch-time, work was wound-up and loud laments that Bill Tidswell had we left the mountain about 3 p.m. destroyed their hoped for sport of Merv. was the only one unhappy, as rat extermination by physical means, the amateur carpenters had prewith the unexciting method of poison- vented him from completing his ing them. Sid. Smith, with his oc- paintwork on the "Shangri-la" doors; casionally rebellious beauties, started and the whole way back in the truck on the interior clean-up. he was muttering about an artistic abortion without orange and By lunch time the rubbish-pit had striped doors! purple disappeared, the walls were under- Roll call: coated and the roof serewed down Dion, Possom, Dave, and half painted. Lunch was eaten in Peter, John, Brian, Adele, Diane, relays, to keep the roof painting Dawn, Valma, Jersey Fayle, Merv., and this was finished before Sid. A.C.C., Julian, Don and Bruce Ecirde debris from lunch was cleared McCarrison, Bill Rice and Bill Tidsaway. well, Kelly Yip, Jim, and myself, Nick Jennings. Then it was all hands to the finishing coat on the walls and by 4.15 * * * the last sweep of the brush was