A DAY WITH A BANKER

Dozerdust, Volume 1, Issue 8, 31 July 1943, Page 4

A DAY WITH A BANKER

Bo not allow the title of this article to mislead you--- Dozerdust is. not yet in the hands of the Banks, is not in need of an overdraft, and the mortgage is not due yet for some years e We'are on good terms with Big Business? particularly Brewers®

; Nevertheless? we cannot escape ths Bankers. At least that was what we found whan we paid a visit to Services Section Orderly Room when we set out to interview. Cpl, Alf Black on Orderly Room routine. Our alm was to. find out what our friend Alf did from .first thing in the morning until bat-time. Before we had opportunity to ask in came Sgt* Charlie Rye with the request ’’Could you let me have- the loan of a brace and bit for a minute., Alf?” What the Transport Sgt required' the tool for we did not have time to ask, for he. had no sooner gone tten in came Cpl Newnan with a request for something else, a d he was • followed by seveial others ‘ after one thing-or another.

Bg we an th a “one thing and mo 11 ~ or”, we learn; that Services Action consists of tlirue clearly defined sub-sections ? each with a specialised set of jobs, .and. that attached to. the Orderly Room- is a -small store room from which Alf issues tool's etc s .

'Sub-section ono ?Is the Mechanic s? which* is concerned with repairs and attention to mechanical work from driving to . n .jacking" up 51 . Under Sgt C.lh Mediae who has the following team of ITCOhj under him.;- Cols IL Bhnsen P N. J o . Laurie; L/Cpls R.Fu Whitten? IL L e Balmer and R O B. George son® This section gets to "work on Bulldozer? .Graders Plainer and other implements of destruction. If you want to know more about the business keep an eye on S/Sgt G, Berry 9 who has them at his finger tips (that.is figurative-* ly speaking). He might even tell yju something of the 3s drag line s *. That is something very close to his hearts, even though it was at the bottom of the river when we saw it. Next come, the Construction Section 5 which swings into line under. Sgt C O B Bi shop s who lias Cpl Newman? L/ C pl b B.T » Black? J®. Be ter son-Karie and Dr, Mclntosh with him? as the y turn from preparing the way to make WAACS ha ppy to helping make the brga d o ns more- b rea ike.

In the third Section vic tew Sgt W, Charloton, who lias Cpl.E.B.Brawnlee d L/C pls J . M . Blair a n W. Mo - isey with him, Their job, one at least j you. villi soon discover when

you strike a patch c-f road' that rides. as smoothly as bitumen. No one would try to estimate- one foctiorfs work ab- t ove that of tho others, but that nevi road makes us wish all tho raids round here were as good.

This you will- no doubt think,is the very ' place for a Banker {]>on ? t misunderstand mo I don*t mestja the road) in an Orderly Room where there are so many strings leading to Important work* And that is just what Alf does. Though not in- the conventional way, His job is to make all things move smoothly and smooth out the wrinkles of all things., -Wc don’t suggest he didn’t do that back in the Bank of N Z.. in Cambridge, where he , was third man in' charge. Alf could hardly do otherwise. He has that way with him.

Talking of ”having a way” ' reminds us of the jaunt round the "jobs” the other day with Lieut H. Torrie who must 1 possess the patience- of a Job and tho cons tit ut io n of a ma n who has lived in North Auckland. 9 /we never been bumped and banged about in o r out of a Jeep as wo'-were the other day with- him, but he took it as part of the routine of inspection* And it would seem that he has to' .ride in thhfc

bouncing baby of a Jeep every da y since h* is the officer in charge of jobs .on 'the - spot» Hp- did not - say whit ho thought' of tho potholes, the wind and rain? but he. di say with', some conviction that ’’They are a damn good team of men X have on the jobs’’ 9 , and you could tell he meant it®

The same opinion is shared 'by. Lieut R. Gilmour ? who is 00 Services Section, and who has the organising and dispositions to make out, as well as a host of other duties on Ms hands. (The way .in which the Services work'together, the camaraderie of the ’’boys” out on the jobs, and the’ good, spirit in tho camp is a tribute to the leadership of the 0C ? and in keeping with the unit as a whole.

But to return to ‘.'our Banker*....we learnt that he too is going back to ‘‘the’ Bank after the war {worth keeping in with him) s and that he was going to finish the day by writing to K MUM and the family u o

Congratulations to L/C pls Les Lane ? Bill Ifenlen? Alan Wagner and les Boyd on attaining BCD. rank® Just' think there might ba a potential Colonel among them’ J*

"Aug” Norton*, his friends will b e pleased to learn, has had to take to playing draughts. He’s a bit slow on the'moves, but shows promise.