Random reminder

Press, 9 February 1982, Page 24

Random reminder

SEEING IS BELIEVING

Power board employees who roar all over the countryside in their everwelcome trucks to fix up things that go wrong must have amusing tales to tell, and probably some ’twere better not. It could be important visitors expected, elaborate meal planned, the woman deeply immersed in Alison Holst checking ingredients, mixer going, oven switched on. And a little later floury hands frantically dialling for help as mixer stopped and oven cold. At that moment a woman would give a lot to have her cooker cooking. It must be good to know you are really wanted, that your knowledge and expertise can relieve so much distress, bring so much happiness. Take the case of a North Canterbury woman who lives way out in the wop wops. She felt dirty, tired and wanted nothing more than a nice hot bath to soak her limp limbs in. Just imagine her, clean clothes laid out on the bed and her old clothes in a damp bundle on the bathroom floor as she leans over the bath and feels the water. It is cold. The water running from the hot tap is stone cold. She runs through and tests the hot tap in the kitchen. It too is stone cold.

Plaintively she phones the local power board faults service and explains her sorry plight. And although it is the week-end and the faults man is enjoying a sunny afternoon in his garden, he drops everything, dons his overalls, leaps into his truck and roars off along dusty country roads for miles and miles (more if converted to kilometres). At last he arrives at the faraway farm house. She greets him at the doorway in her clammy old clothes and hustles him through to where the hot water cylinder resides. He unscrews some screws and tests a few things with a stethoscope or whatever electricians use, then moves over to the bath. He turns on the hot tap and leaves it running. She explains to him how she has already tried that. So he turns on the cold tap and in no time steam is rising from the hot water pouring forth. Then she recalls she had had a young visitor that morning and that while she was out of the house this nephew of hers must have transposed air the little red and green discs on all the taps in the house. The faults man found it most amusing.