It's a small world...

I was down at the fire station on Friday at afternoon tea time. I was there with a number of fire fighters and my friend from Vanuatu drinking tea and telling stories. At one stage I began a yarn by saying, "While I worked as a plumber on the Clinical Services building..." and went on. (I spent at least two and a half years during my plumbing apprenticeship working on the Clinical Services building at the Dunedin hospital.) At the end of the table was "Mini" Munro, an older firefighter who works now as a trainer. (Using computers and "virtual" fire incidents.) His ears pricked up and he said, "Were you there when a guy fell five floors down a ventilation duct?" I replied that yes I was and he told the story from his point of view. He was called to this incident and they turned up to try and find and rescue this guy who fell. He said, "We had f*** all cutting gear in those days and the saw we had would not start. We ended up using some guy's tin snips to cut him out." To his surprise I said, "Those tin snips were mine.... and they have never worked decently since!"

Here's the story from my point of view. It was 25th July, 1967 ...maybe 68?? (I know it was that date because it was my girlfriend's birthday... now my wife.) I was threading pipe in the plumbers' workshop which was in the basement. I had heard the fire truck siren, but was not really concerned. After a time a big carpenter guy came rushing into the workshop. "You wouldn't have a pair of snips would you? Cyril has fallen five floors down the ducting. The fire men have turned up but their gear is bloody useless. The poor guy's probably buggered by now!" I rushed to my tool box and got two pair of snips out, both expensive brand new apprentice's tools. He rushed off to do the deed and I was later told that this guy virtually ripped the steel ducting apart with his bare hands to get at his friend. Cyril was a carpenter's labourer who looked after their tea rooms and did cleaning up around the site. He was a bit like Radar on the show MASH, he was fairly pivotal and quite a popular, helpful figure. He had fallen down a big ventilation duct, which got narrower as he fell. Five floors down he came to a stop, squeezed into a small duct with his feet up near his ears. Apart from bruises scratches and cuts, and a small broken bone, he was fine when they pulled him out.

Here I was, over forty years later, having changed careers and lived in Australia and all round NZ in between times, telling the story with the fireman, who all those years ago used my snips to cut Cyril out. I told him I would send the bill to the fire station for a new pair of snips. It's a small world!

I remember the date because it was my girlfriend's birthday. I went to her place for a birthday dinner that night. (I bought her a dressing table brush and mirror set for her birthday) I rode a ten speed bike to work, they were a very rare thing in Dunedin at that time. As a crowd gathered to watch the fire fighters and ambulance staff bring Cyril out, some person must have discovered my bike parked behind the fence. I knocked off early that night because I had to go home and clean up before my dinner date. It was then that I discovered that both my tires were slashed! That is why I remember the date so well.

Photos: The Clinical Services building and the tin snips that were used.