Council digger fell off wharf

Press, 23 January 1988, Page 8

Council digger fell off wharf

A “prank” by a fisherman in revelry just before Christmas led to a $lOB,OOO mechanical digger falling off a wharf at Akaroa. The fisherman, Geoffrey Allan Calder, aged 34, started the digger but did not know how to stop the machine. He jumped off as the digger tipped off the wharf into the sea. Calder appeared in the District Court yesterday for sentence on a charge of converting the digger, owned by the Akaroa County Council. Judge Fraser fined him $5OO. Repairs and related costs will be determened later. Counsel, Mr E. Bedo, said the incident occurred as several fishermen were carrying beer from a hotel to the wharf. All were in high spirits. They came upon the mechanical digger parked

on the wharf, and Calder suggested, “intially by way of jest,” that they should use the machine to carry their beer to the end of the wharf. Calder had then turned the ignition key and the machine started, and “very slowly” moved along the wharf. Calder dropped his beer and jumped into the cab. He tried to stop the digger, but did not understand the controls. A touch of one lever sent the machine slewing to one side. Another control he touched, operated the mechanical bucket. The machine slowly and steadily reached the edge of the wharf. Mr Bedo submitted that the offence should be treated at the lower end of the scale, notwithstanding the damage caused. He said Calder stood to pay several thousand dollars for repairing the. machine.