Taylor’s trailer is ready to roll again

Press, 18 June 1976, Page 1

Taylor’s trailer is ready to roll again

Bill Taylor might have become the best doorman the Odeon Theatre in Kaitaia ever had. He didn’t get the chance. A Kung-Fu movie came to town, and the rest is history. “It was a great job,” he says, with a smile and a twist of his beard. .“Kaitaia is the northernmost town in the North Island. We had our caravan parked in a fabulous camp. My wife Janet worked part-time at a dairy, and I worked two nights a week at the theatre. I didn’t even have to wear a uniform.” And then came Kung Fu. “The kids were having a great time,” he recalls. “Problem was, an engineer came around. The kids were stamping their feet, and the whole place was shaking. The building was condemned, and I was out of a job.” A promising career as a doorman in ruins, he decided it was time to move on. Fortunately, getting another job was not a problem, and moving on was not a hardship. In fact, it was part of the plan. Bill Taylor is an itinerant journalist. For 12 years he worked on the “Evening Post” in WeHington, ending up as illustrations editor.

But it was time for a change, and Bill and Janet wanted to see New Zealand. “It all came about very quickly,” Janet recalls. “Bill was getting tired with his job—l2 years is a long time. One day he took a day off, and we talked about it all day long. We decided to sell the house and take a look around.” Unlike most couples, the Taylors did more than just talk about it. Bill quit his job the next day, and they have been travelling around ever since. “Unfortunately, most New Zealanders have seen very little of their own country,” Janet says. “It just cannot be done in a three-week holiday. Before w’e settle permanently, we want to see the rest of the country.” The journey began 18 months ago. Since then, they have travelled extensively in Northland and Coromandel, stayed with Janet’s family in Hamilton, and then with Bill’s father in Gisborne, where both Janet and Bill grew up. “I walked into the paper there to visit some old friends,” Bill says. “The next thing I knew, they offered me a job as a subeditor. We were short on cash, so I took it.”

Three months in Gisborne replenished their bank account, and increased their itch to travel. They promptly set off again in their caravan and saw the Coromandel Peninsula. From there they travelled south and took the ferry to Blenheim. “It was time to look for a job again,” says Bill. "I wrote to several papers, and ‘The Press’ was tbt first to respond.” Less than a week later, he started work as a subeditor. The Taylors still have not made 'ip their minds on where to settle. “Of all the cities we have been to, we like Auckland and Christchurch the best,” Janet says. “In another year, Jackie will be ready to enter high school. We will make a decision by then.” But for now, living in a caravan is just fine. “Most people think living in a trailer would be claustrophobic,” Bill says, “but we are not bothered by it. We spend most of our time outside.’’ “When you travel, you do not have time to make close friends." Janet adds. “You depend on each other. Sometimes that can be a problem, but it really has not been with us.” For the last three

months, the Taylor’s caravan has been parked at the Addington Motor Camp, but it won’t be for much longer. “We want to take a look at the West Coast,” Bill says. “I have been offered a job with the ‘Evening Star,’ in Greymouth, filling in for someone on an overseas trip.” After three months in Greymouth, they plan to head for Central Otago, and then perhaps Invercargill or Dunedin. “We all have an idea of what we want,” Bill says. “It is just a question of finding a place that suits all of us. “Jackie wants a place where she can have a horse. Janet wants some place quiet, away from the city, where she can have a herb garden. I would like some place fairly close to a university town. I would like to take’ some extension classes, and I like rock concerts,” Bill says.

“The thing we like about Christchurch is that it is in the centre of so many things. You can go to the mountains, or to the sea,” Janet says. “We like hot weather, but we also like cold weather.” We could very well return to Christchurch.” Bill adds. “We just want to take a look around so we are sure.”