I have met some really good people and some absolute ratbags – most of whom work directly or indirectly for Government Departments. Specifically the Police (who, particularly in the area of traffic) really enjoy their role of 'bully boys'. Also IRD who whilst supposedly using their quite draconian powers responsibly in reality really relish their power.
I have endeavoured to be a factual as possible but, in reality there may be a lot of opinion in the mix. I can only apologise for that in advance. It is not my intention to offend anyone (except perhaps Holly – see chapter 19) my apologies if I do.
I have also endeavoured to be as chronologically correct as I can, but this may not be quite correct!
Also I cannot be absolutely sure of dates, names etc, but can only do my best.
Because this supposed to be 'all about me' I have tried not to go off on a tangent relating to much of what has happened to other people.
So to quote 'The Sound of Music', let's start at the very beginning a very good place to start!!!!
I was born on 5th Dec 1940 (a year or so after my mother Florence and father James were married.) at a nursing home in One Tree Hill (in Auckland), my birth certificate insists that I was not born in Auckland I was born at 'One Tree Hill'.
So whenever I have a legal document to fill in I have to say One Tree Hill, if I say Auckland it gets rejected!!
Me At Four Weeks Old With Dad
What A Fine Looking Young Man
And Look At Him Now
Parentage Mum was the youngest of six, the daughter of Lillian Mary (Nan) and Capt Charles BOCKETT
Her Siblings oOO Charles, always known as Jack Arthur (a twin) Bert (the other twin) Dudley (died young) Beatrice Mary (Billie my Auntie Bea) Florence Lillian (Floss)
Dad was the youngest of four, the only boy His Siblings oOo Mary Mabel Rena James – always known as Jim
Mum was born in Opotiki, Dad was from Bradford in England and at 13 was sent to NZ to be taken care of by older sister Mary, who by that time had married Walter and was already here in NZ The other girls gradually followed and married and settled in various places around NZ
Unfortunately when Rena died she left behind her distraught husband Jack with 5 girls to bring up I endeavour to maintain contact with at least some of them to this day.
Dad went off to fight during WW2 shortly after I was born and so I lived with Mum in a nice state house at 14 Massey Ave (One Tree Hill !!), and Nan and her unmarried daughter (My lovely Auntie Bea) lived 'over the back fence' in another state house in Fergusson Ave.
From all accounts I couldn't wait to go to school and once I turned 5, I went to Campbell Park school (In Campbell Rd of course). It was just under 2 km away and I walked to school and back each day crossing any roads as necessary.
I am appalled at modern parents who take and collect their kids from school and I absolutely abhor those that actually drive them there and back by car – by school bus is obviously fine however.
I do remember having a nap each day when I got home though, in those early years.
I also recall how good Auntie Bea was taking me on outings with her tramping club and similar occasions.
It obviously gave Mum a wee break from me.
Nan and Auntie Bea – then the Southwell Days
My brother Robert (often known as Rob) was born on 30th Sept 1945 sometime after Dad returned home but was never a 'well boy' he had heart trouble ( an upside down heart I believe) but he was determined to be every bit as good as the rest of us.
He went on to get married,and had two lovely children before sadly passing away in his 56the year.
Dad enjoyed his cricket but was one of those batsmen who 'never ran' it was either a four or a six, or wait until the next one.
I spent many Saturday afternoons watching him at Victoria park in downtown Auckland. Not to mention Jellicoe Park in Manurewa.
Although Dad had been a warehouseman and furniture salesman at Tylers of Anzac Ave before the war he and Mum eventually scraped together whatever money they could find and bought a drapery shop in Manurewa – so shortly after that we moved into a brand. new state house at 68 Gt Sth Rd. (They subsequently managed to buy it some years later).This became the family home for over 50 years.
At some stage they also managed to buy an empty section in the middle of Manurewa with, I understand, the idea of building their own shop there. In eventuality though they finally sold it to Barfoot and Thompson with an agreement for them to give Dad a job.
I remember going to Wellington with Dad to collect a brand new car. An adventure for a 5 year old.
Also one of Dad's sisters died about 1946 and I went with him to Okaihau in the Far North. So even in my early years I was used to travelling extensively!!
In 1948 (when I was seven) Mum and Dad decided that I should go to a boarding school.
Some say that it was to give me the best possible start – less charitable might say to get rid of the obnoxious little shit!! (Who me ? Never)
So within a month or two of turning 8, I was boarding at Southwell School in Hamilton. An all boys school, 100 boarders and 50 local day boys. Universally known as Day Bugs.
It was a true boarding school, with a family of 100 'mates', not as it and others have become nowadays, merely a school with a hostel attached.
I was originally in Red dorm (for the littlies) but moved the next year into Blue Dorm where the majority of the boys were.
I never made it up to Orange and certainly not to the open air Green Dorm which was for seniors!
Southwell had (and still has) very strong musical traditions, is firmly rooted in the Anglican faith (we always started the day with a 'proper' service in the chapel), and its sporting prowess was at the time legendary. Rugby scores of 90 – nil were not unheard of. Mind you I was not particularly good at sport – Rugby in Winter, Cricket in the summer and Athletics in the Spring.
Nowadays of course sport can be anything from tiddlywinks to computer games! (You will gather I do not approve!)
However I did win one running race (handicapped of course) during the Annual sports day. Dad was filming with our 9.5mm camera and I can still hear the shouts of 'Come on Sykes, and Go North – I was in North House
We were allowed 'out' every 2nd Sunday afternoon, the other Sunday we had a hike. Mum and Dad made the effort to come all the way from Auckland pretty much every 2nd weekend and we all saw each other for maybe a couple of hours.
Academic learning too was strict and thorough – our classes were Lower 2, Lower1, Middle 2 and Middle1, Upper 2 and Upper 1.
None of this year 1 year 2 nonsense etc. we had Lower School, Middle School and Upper School.
I was introduced to learning French when I was 10 (and of course came top of the class))
I mentioned earlier that I had a less than stellar career in sport – the same goes for my singing and acting in the Annual Gilbert and Sullivan Opera.
In 1949 we did Yeoman of the Guard 1950 The Gondoliers and 1951 Iolanthe.
As the whole family (i.e the 100 boarders) had to take part I was one of those in the chorus who gets weeded out a few weeks before the performance and become stage hands.
So I never made it onto stage!
Nevertheless I credit this experience with giving me my lifelong love of G&S and my subsequent front and back stage work too.
It should be remembered that at that time even the girls parts were played by boys!!
Whilst I was there my sister Suzanne as born on 20th Dec 1950 and she was subsequently Christened in The chapel – All Hallows. So she has significant ties to Southwell too.
I well remember making bricks for the future chapel extension, 7 a.m. Each morning before breakfast.
Probably my favourite Master was Garth Finch – also our house master – known as Potty (for pot guts- boys can be very rude)
My best friend was Cooper (I was, of course Sykes), we had adjacent beds in Blue Dorm and one weekend I went home with him to his parents farm not far from Morrinsville,
They kept referring to him as Peter and I had no idea who they were talking about. ( As an aside many years later my son James is also often referred to as Sykes!- I approve!)
Although I would not claim this to be the best part of my life it was at the end of 1951 that Mum and Dad explained that they simply could not afford to keep me there any longer and that I would have to come back to Manurewa and go to the local public school. I was devastated but there was nothing else for it!
As it happens Manurewa Primary turned out to be not too bad – Particularly in what was form 1, I had as a teacher /Form Master one Jack Bartley.
Someone I still regard as the best teacher of all time. From parsing English sentences to solving mathematics questions to learning poems off by heart.
Of course any spelling test returning less than 100% correct was unheard of!! In those days we had Form 1 and 2 in the same room and I suspect this helped considerably.
In my form 2 year (again with Form1 and 2 in the same room) we had Miss Edge, competent but nothing like Mr Bartley.
And so I was ready for High School