DAVE DOBBYN'S 'THIS TOWN' # Look how long it's taken you # to arrive in this town. # From the dawn into the dark, # I will hold you deep in my heart. # Look how long it's taken you to arrive in this town. # ATMOSPHERIC CHORDS I live at Gorge River, which is in the Cascade Forest, south Westland. I was born in Tauranga. I lived in Auckland for 10 years; I lived in Brisbane for 10 years; travelled the world and ended up at Gorge River. But it took a while before I actually found this part of the world. I was tramping through here about 32 years ago. I fell in love with this area, and I decided to live here, and I've been living here ever since. WISTFUL GUITAR MUSIC I first met Catherine when I'd been living here for about six or seven years. Her and another friend were coming on a tramp up through this area, so we all tramped together. And then a couple of years later, she decided to come and live here. Then we eventually had a family. MUSIC CONTINUES This place is very isolated. Because I wanted to come and live somewhere like here, it meant that there weren't many people here. I have always been a very social person ` went to all my parties and had a good time. I didn't come to get away from people; I came to get away from people telling me how I was supposed to live. There we go ` couple of pauas. I don't think many people realise what it's like having to live in an isolated area. It's really hard, but it actually helps to sustain you, in the end. For me, it's been character-building, sticking it out and following your path. MUSIC CONTINUES My dream was always to have a female companion living here with me and raise a family. Every day, I'd just pray that that would happen, you know? Luckily, it all worked out. There we are. Tea time. (CHUCKLES) She's got me shaved and shorn and every other thing, so... It wasn't my plan to live like this, but, oh, I like it. You certainly need inner strength. I mean, you have to learn not to complain too much. (CHUCKLES) I did at first. And I think a washing machine would still be pretty high up the list. Silverbeet. And you learn to be happy with what you got. ATMOSPHERIC GUITAR CHORDS When I was living here in the early days, I had pretty much no money and just lived off the land. If you wanted to go to a shop, you'd have to travel 70 or 80 miles. You know, I'd carry supplies back from the shop, you know, for a week, sometimes. Uh, we can catch yellow-eyed mullet, kahawai, in the river mouth, and we can catch whitebait in the whitebait season and also eels. Uh, I catch possums or rabbits. And also there's bush tucker as well, like, um, supplejack shoots and fern tips and seaweeds and things like that. Oh, the first 10 years I lived here on my own, it didn't worry me if I ran out of food; there'd always be something to catch. And it wasn't until the kids came along I had to be a lot more serious about it. Cos I didn't want them going hungry. They had their parents 24-7. That's what we gave them ` we gave them our time. That's what's gonna last, cos you've given them your time. The first thing I thought when I saw Christan, when he was just a baby, 'One day, this guy, he's gonna go and do his own thing, so I'd better start getting used to it now.' So I grew for those 17 years, knowing that one day, he was gonna do his thing, and same with Robin. He decided to go to Mt Aspiring College in Wanaka for his last year. And he actually just announced to us, and he said, 'Mum and Dad, I've booked into Mt Aspiring College. 'I just did it on the internet. I just thought I'd let you know.' And I said, 'Oh yeah, OK.' So when Robin decided that, you know, we already knew that she was gonna follow Christan's footsteps. Christan said to us, 'I want the internet because I want to communicate with the outside world, 'and if I go, so that you can communicate with me.' It is good to be able to communicate, definitely, with your children. It's also a distraction. You know, it can take up people's whole day, just dealing with stuff. In the early days, I didn't communicate with the outside world. But, yeah, so there was a whole decade went by where I just got on with my life. I didn't have the radio either. Somebody left an old transistor radio here, and I started listening to it. For the last three or four years, we're actually in communication with anyone anywhere in the world. This is a lovely old British fur-sewing machine, and Robert rigged it up to one of the kid's bikes from when they were small. I'm gonna sew the two together for a cushion cover. To maintain an establishment in the middle of nowhere, it relies on your input the whole time. I did my paintings, I did my carvings, I spent my time possuming, so my time just disappears. Some people think I don't do anything. But how can you support four people in the middle of nowhere by doing nothing? It just doesn't even make sense. Once I had a family, all my time has just been channelled into being productive. It was typically doing this sort of stuff ` you know, making carvings and simple pendants and, um, dolphins and stuff. This is my daughter's dolphin. She said, 'Dad, I want you to make me a dolphin, but I want to find the stone.' I made this for her as a gift for her 13th birthday, I think it was. So, it was all done by hand. That lives here. As time has gone on, I've got solar power ` you know, I've got eight panels on the roof ` and I'm using diamond tools and wheels and stuff and, um, getting a bit more work done. But, um,... I used to` you know, I always loved doing this work. Every six months, I finish a batch of paintings and carvings, and we go to town. I mean, I go away from here. Like, I got, like, an umbilical cord to here. People think they gotta go everywhere, see everything. But as time goes on, then you're better off putting down roots and becoming part of a place. One of the greatest things I've enjoyed in life is actually being connected to an area. You just feel like you're sustained by it. And you become connected with where you live, with the people. You form relationships with your wilderness, your environment, you know, your whole surroundings. So I don't really feel like living anywhere else. I would prefer to spend my days living here or in this area, uh, as long as I'm physically capable. REFLECTIVE GUITAR MUSIC I was born in Bealey Ave in 1925. I was fostered out for quite a few years, and the people that had me were very nice people, and they had a wee shop. I joined the railway in 1942 over here. Met a lot of lovely people here. The first drink I had in this old hotel was in 1943. We never had much money in those days. If you had sixpence, it wouldn't buy you a beer. I always had a lot of feeling for the old pub, and I had a lot of fun. There was a lot of fun in our day. Some of the boys came down to put in a good word for the local vintage. Sort of cheese that goes down real well around here. Any stronger, you'd have to chain it up. And the cheese ad was a great thing for us. They did three here, and that sort of thing, and, uh, yeah, that kind of put us on the map. Roy was a great actor, a very gentle old chap. People still come here today to take photos and all sorts of things, and we give them a card with Roy on and myself, and that sort of thing. Kiwi Experience always came round the back road here and go down to the lake. Some of the drivers wanted to stay here, and I built some cabins and that, but, uh, yeah, I call up the kids. How are you doing, kids, all right? 'Between 18 and 25. Oh, we have had some old ones. We've had this one old girl here, 84.' All your cabins have got heaters in them, and there's a great big fire going inside to keep you warm. > You've got a bit of time before tea, so get down to the lake or the beach and get some good fresh air into yourselves. Have a bloody good time and enjoy yourselves. Thanks for listening to me. He can relate to people of all age, which I think's a pretty valuable skill. You know, people love him. Just there are not many people who do get to interact with someone from that era and of that age, I guess. Whereabouts, dear? Whereabouts, dear? Uh, 15. Yeah, straight up that path over there and up the top. Yeah, straight up that path over there and up the top. All right, thank you. Ta. No, they` they think he's just a nice old fella. Good on ya. Probably, he's become one of the most photographed men in NZ, because, uh, everyone likes to get their photo taken with him and stuff. I used to come here as a customer with friends years ago. I had an interview with Les, and he put me on a month's trial. That was nearly 16 years ago now. Me and him have been great mates. Um, a spade is a spade with Les. A lot of them are scared of him, which is funny. But you know, he can be quite stern at times. It's like, 'You play up, be an idiot in my bar, you get out'. That's the way it's handled. There's no mucking around. (CHUCKLES) I do do me nana at times. 99% of them are great. Yeah, we get the odd one, like, you know, but still, we generally straighten them out before they've gone to bed. Well, I have a steak here. They live on noodles while they're away. They do enjoy the meal here. Yeah, well they come in here dressed up. They have a theme. Batman tonight. Last night I forget, but it was one other night here, one joker came dressed as a bloody tree. (GROANS) You should have seen the leaves. Oh yeah, they get rowdy, all right. But still, that's what it's all about ` fun. And they do have a lot of fun too, and that sort of thing. They're good people. The Hospital Board now send us bags of condoms. Anyway, they come up and get them, and that sort of thing. It saves them a couple of dollars. They're like bloody rabbits. We used to go to a dance on a Friday night, but we didn't go on like you did today, because if you did, look out for yourself. Oh, sure. No problem, Les. 'I seem to really get on well with them, and, uh, I like their company.' I think it helps to keep my mind the way it is. Keep it as young as I possibly can. LINDA: We say, 'Les, why don't you go and have a cruise or go and enjoy it?' But he loves it. He says, 'Linda, what would I do? What would I do if I retired?' I can't see him retiring. They always say to me, 'Well, this is the best stop we've had, and we want to thank you for having us.' And I say to myself, 'Well, I'm bloody glad you're here.' (CHUCKLES) And that sort of thing. They go from here to the Bushman's Centre and have breakfast. BLUESY GUITAR MUSIC I live in the metropolis of Pukekura. Came down the West Coast here on holiday. Every spare moment I got, I used to go down hunting, and I thought, 'This is the life for me.' And I've been here for the last 35 years. I set up this business, The Bushman's Centre. So, we decided to specialise in wild food. For years, I'd been, uh, trapping possum. Yeah, I'd eaten it in the past, and, uh` so we made possum part of our menu. Yeah, possum pies, we just give them away for a donation. I met Justine back in 1996 when she walked through the door as a customer. I see thousands of people come and go. I thought, 'Now, this lady's different.' Come on, come on! Come on, love. Yeah, she's been the most amazing thing that's ever come into my life, so... things are still going good. She makes a mean pie. I decided to get married on the mountain that he's climbed many many times. And he flies helicopters, so we flew up in a helicopter, and we had seven of us on the mountain. All the skins that we'd skinned, the possums over the years, we bleached them all, and I patched them all up and made this long possum wedding dress. And it was quite a hit, really. The taste is, uh` Well, I've had lots of people say different things, but it has a` sort of like a lamb taste. Some people say it tastes like cat. (CHUCKLES) Pukekura's an old sawmill town, and not everyone recognises it as a town. The population of the town's five. And we put the eyes in, which gives air through the pastry, and then you have the possum head on the pie. I've always wanted to fly. Justine was the one that encouraged me into going and getting my licence. Landing somewhere and switching the machine off and knowing there's been nobody else ever been in this little spot, or if there has, very few people ` I think it's a hell of a privilege. I'll keep flying as long as I can. Uh, I was born in Wellington. Therefore, I probably don't fit into the category of being a Coaster. People think it's somebody that's been born on the Coast, but I know a lot of people that have come into the place and love it the way I do. Couldn't pay me enough to go back to Wellington. I've lived in this area for 35 years. During that time, there's been numerous 1080 drops in this area. I've noticed that the bird life that used to be here is no longer here. We used to have falcons ` NZ falcons ` they used to nest right near our house. I haven't seen a falcon for years. They die from secondary poisoning. I believe 1080 is killing as much of our native birdlife as it is the animals that they're targeting. I think a bounty system is a lot better; it gives you an indication of how many animals have been caught; it employs people. So I think they've got to change their ways. We won a, uh, national award for the, uh` the best wild food pub in NZ with a dish we called Chicken of the Forest, which was the back legs of a possum cooked in all the fancy sauces and things that went with it. Throw that in the pot and then boil the crap out of it, and then it just falls off the bone. You know, much as people slag off the West Coast about its climate and its weather and that, the people down here are the best in the country. Cos the environment's quite harsh at times, you've got to have strong people to live here. And I think when you've got strong people, you've got people with good moral character and... Yeah, just good people. And, uh, this is where I'm staying. ATMOSPHERIC GUITAR CHORDS I was born in Greymouth, but my mum and dad were here in Westport. It's a great place to bring up kids; it's a good family place. Working at the mine, they treat you all the same. Male or female, it doesn't matter. The boys treat me like one of the boys, and that's how I want to be treated. I'm in a man's world out there. I don't wanna be treated any differently. Sweet, I'm happy with it. When they offered the training programme, it was like, 'Let's do it.' I got the job, got the opportunity to do training, and that's where I am now. I came from hospitality, and a friend of mine said why didn't I give it a go? My son, Blake, thought it was great. He thought it was the bee's knees. 'Mum's gonna be driving a big truck.' I've been up here for two and a half years now. It's awesome. Mining is the West Coast. It's life ` West Coast is mining. And it's` Being part of it as a woman is, like, even better. TRUCK HORN HONKS Hospitality? Nah. This beats hospitality. I'm married to Steve, a fisherman. He's been a fisherman all his life. He comes and goes; usually it's two weeks on, two weeks off. Fishes out of Greymouth. Been married for 13 years. When we decided it was time to get a family pet, the kids wanted an animal, so it was deciding what we both liked. The only one we could agree on was a husky. It started growing up, chasing chickens and chasing stock until we actually knew about them. We found out what they need, and it was like, 'Oh, it needs to be run. It needs exercise.' Exercise is a big thing. It needs a mate; it needs a friend. Once we got another dog and started knowing other people, that's when we started getting into racing. So it went from one dog, two dogs, three dogs, five dogs... to seven dogs. Hey, do you wanna go for a run? Do you wanna go for a run? 'They just want to know they're loved.' Come here, Cutter. Come here, Cutter. DOGS HOWL 'But, yeah, harnessing up and racing them, they need to be exercised.' DOGS HOWL, BARK WISTFUL CHORDS When they run, they wanna run. It's the Arctic breed of them that make them run. It's just like they're a wolf, in some ways. We had the NZ champs in Christchurch. It's reasonably big. There was something like 120-something entries. Yeah, it's not about winning; it's just the pleasure and the enjoyment of it. It is a family sport. It involves everybody. My kids are at the age now where they wanna run them. Steve, he never had a hobby until he had a dog. Good puppies! Let's go. Let's go home. Let's go. All our dogs are rehomes. If we didn't take them, they would've been put down. So they actually call us the House of Rehomes. This is Blaze. You're dirty. She was a rescue home. People get them cos they're pretty, and then they don't want them once they start getting into trouble. Yeah, and then they just ditch them. First-time breeders. Roxy, she's a good, um, runner, so we thought we'll have a go with breeding. And this is her first` first time. It's been fun. It's been really good. Having more? I don't want any more, but probably Steve would have more. Steve bought a trailer that fits 16 dogs in it, but I said to him, 'Don't think you're having 16 dogs just cos you can fit 16 dogs in your trailer. 'What do you do when they're old? You'll have dogs that don't wanna run. You can't just put them down.' They're like your children. You've gotta have them for the rest of their lives. These puppies, in a couple weeks, are ready to go to new homes. Do I want them to go? Am I gonna let them go? I have to. But, yeah, dogs are cool. From going to not having them to having them... Couldn't be without you, eh? Eh, Tommy? Without the dogs? Yeah, nah. How's that, Jethro? How's that, Jethro? (WHINES) Hey? SLOW, BLUESY MUSIC I like Reefton. It's a nice wee place. I love the small town where people know` where they all say hi. I've got more and more attached to Reefton. It's lovely. It really is, eh. STATELY PIANO MUSIC A horse, to me, is such an amazing animal. They certainly invigorate the human spirit, I think. We used to have the milk cart come along with a big draught horse on it delivering our milk, and as a child, I'd be out there at the gate waiting to give it some grass. Yeah, you know, just the smell of a horse, to me, is just` I don't know. It's just something that's inside you. I couldn't` I couldn't not be involved with them. All the memories of that time come back when I start painting images, and it's kinda nice. Yeah, it's just going back in time. BRASS BAND PLAYS I started playing a brass instrument about four or five years ago. I love the sound. It's really cool; you feel good after you've been playing. That's what I like about it ` it feels good inside. In 1974, I became a member of the Inangahua Silver Band. Been in it ever since. In the early 1870s, the Reefton Auxiliary Band formed, and Black's Point Band even before that. And in 1901, they combined to form the Inangahua Silver Band. I think that's the love of music keeps the band together. I've known all the band members right through my life. I went to school with Lindsay. Is it 45 years for you, Lindsay? Is it 45 years for you, Lindsay? No, 51. Is it 45 years for you, Lindsay? No, 51. 51. Alison's the baby of the band. The bonny baby she is, too. Alison's the baby of the band. The bonny baby she is, too. BOTH CHUCKLE Lou's the oldest member here, and he's been in the band 76 years. Yep. Haven't missed an Anzac Day. Yep. Haven't missed an Anzac Day. < Hasn't missed an Anzac Day, except when he was at the war. I was in the, uh, rear staff in the Air Force. I'm the last lad from Reefton,... (CHUCKLES) as it were, at the war. Yeah, that's what we're practising for now, really ` Anzac Day. And probably my last. (CHUCKLES) No. No. You said that last year. > No. You said that last year. > ALL CHUCKLE I was 13 years of age when I joined the Inangahua Silver Band, and I played the euphonium. And I've played all the others. The only instrument I haven't played is a trombone, so I've had a go at the whole lot. We had a total of, uh` it would be 28 in the early days, which was great. And it was just like a happy family. But they've all gone. But, uh, we still play at different things. Anzac Day, the band plays several hymns at the cenotaph. Uh, Lindsay ` that's my son ` he plays The Last Post there. It brings that special day to everybody in the town, and, uh, they all enjoy it. Got two sons and two daughters. I taught them to play, and the four of them played in the band. I appreciate having them. I'm bloody pleased I've got them as a family. (BLEATS) (BLEATS) Get out of it, boys. > My older brother was in the band. I got keen when I was, uh, 9. I had my first contest when I was 9 years old. I remember playing that, actually, in Motueka. I played the` just played in the hymn piece that day. Went quite well; I think we got second. For a small place, we had some pretty good players. We haven't played in a contest for the last` oh, probably 15, 20 years. I'd say there's five of us left now. Well, we just haven't had enough players. Oh, I think we're all hoping that we might get a few more players come to town, but, um, like I say, the young ones aren't starting now. No, there's too many other things for them to do. Even when I was a young fella, I'd try and skive off and try not to go to band. Of course, Dad had the screws on me. You know, it's easy to give up, but I'm pleased I didn't. But it's` the writing's on the wall. We can't carry on too much longer. But while we can, we will. Oh, have you been talking to Rhonds? Oh, have you been talking to Rhonds? Uh, yeah, she rung this morning. 'Yeah, well, Dad's still going. So while he's going, I'll keep going.' It's been going for all those years in the same hall. It gave service to the whole community. We're still there. We still have a lot of fun playing. ALISON: See ya, Lou. ALISON: See ya, Lou. TONY: See ya, Lou. ALISON: See ya, Lou. TONY: See ya, Lou. LOU: OK. LINDSAY: Yeah, see you, Dad. See you next week. LAID-BACK GUITAR MUSIC I was born in Whataroa. Feed time! Yeah, the Coast is` I think it's a good life. I mean, I'm 82, and I've enjoyed every bit of it. Yeah, I wouldn't` I'd never leave the Coast. Yeah, I thought I'd done just about everything, cause there's nothing much I didn't have a go at. Love shooting, possum-hunting, whitebaiting ` the rivers were just tons of whitebait. We just caught so much. One season I averaged nine buckets a day for about a fortnight. Straight out of the river ` beautiful. Whitebait was our income. We microwaved them once to see what they'd be like. So we put them in the patties and the plate in the microwave, and the poor whitebait stood straight up like that,... (CHUCKLES) the whole lot of them. They were looking at us. They were looking at us. It was quite funny, wasn't it? They were looking at us. It was quite funny, wasn't it? Oh... Cruel. Cruel. That was quite cruel. Cruel. That was quite cruel. Yeah. You'd come down from Greymouth. I worked for your father; that's how I met you. Your father brought you down to clean that bach out, and, uh... Your father brought you down to clean that bach out, and, uh... I'd come over to borrow a broom. Yeah, you'd come over to borrow a broom. And I sort of took a fancy to ya, and that's how it all started. Mm. Mm. Went from there to there, and... yeah. And you asked me out to go to the glow-worms. They're still there, aren't they? At Fox, the glow-worms. Oh, yeah. I worked on the beach down here. That's where I started doing gold. But I'd done gold years ago with me father. I was only a young fella. These are the things that catch the gold. Isn't it funny how he can put that on perfect yet can't make a bed? (CHUCKLES) Yeah, we don't argue, do we? Yeah, we don't argue, do we? No. (LAUGHS) There's not a winner! There's not a winner! There's no fun in that. Yeah, no, we don't argue much at all. Yeah, no, we don't argue much at all. No, very little. No. I can take me earphones out. I can take me earphones out. That's what he does. He's got selective hearing. Your turn? No, no, you were doing good. (LAUGHS) No, no, you were doing good. (LAUGHS) No, your turn now. I've had my turn. (LAUGHS) Doing this? I used to do this and whitebait with me dad. I loved it. And I haven't stopped doing it since then. I just loved doing that. I had one fantastic day ` I got 8oz. There's a wee bit along there, but not much, eh. See along here? And along there. Could be your turn. You put some in. (LAUGHS) Oh, he's got a great nature. He's been a good husband. Pretty strong, pretty tough. Oh, she's got a lot of good points. You know, I won't fault her. You've always been pretty` pretty good. Have I? Have I? Yeah. If I run her down, she mightn't cook me tea. (CHUCKLES) PIANO MUSIC PLAYS I think once you're a Coaster, always a Coaster. It's hard to explain, but it's home. Out there on the riverbed, watching the little shoals of whitebait go up into me net. That would be my perfect day. I think once you've lived here, you don't want to live anywhere else. No, you'd never` you'd never leave the Coast. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) (PLAYS OUT OF TUNE) BLUESY GUITAR MUSIC I live in Hokitika, on the West Coast. I was born in Melbourne to a 14-year-old unwed mother. Went to Sydney to live with grandparents and ended up in King's Cross at about 13. Got to NZ by the time I was 19. The Coast people are tolerant, caring, and I think that's why a lot of quirky people like me, I guess, end up here ` because you can be an individual on the West Coast. 1940S MUSIC PLAYS I don't like bigots, and that's pretty obvious, being who I am or what I am. I knew I was different from a very early age, in my case. Everything was illegal back in my day. It was illegal to be` for a male to be dressed as a female, and they'd throw you in jail, and all that, in Australia. So a whole group of us came to NZ, um, about 1965. We sort of fled from Sydney and came over here, where there was no legal ramifications for us. It was illegal to be homosexual, but it wasn't illegal to be, what we called ourselves in those days, drag queens. When I had my surgery, it was in the early '70s. The surgeon's name was Mr Hackett ` go figure. In Rotorua. That was his name. (CHUCKLES) I love telling people that. (CHUCKLES) MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING Ended up on the West Coast in 1980. I had a small dairy farm and a partner. And he was a bit older than me, but we` we were together for about 20-odd years. And all the local women were spinning and knitting and doing all that crafty country stuff, so I started going along to the spinning groups and things like that, and I got quite good at it. When you get out of control with a hobby, you're really out of control. And I bought a wool-carding machine, and so then it turned into a shop and a museum, and on and on it's gone. I got interested in machine knitting cos I couldn't do the hand knitting; I just never got it. And I started knitting sweaters and selling them in a craft shop down in Harihari. A lady there, Nolly Martini, she had a strange-looking knitting machine which I brought home with me and I've still got. machine, and I was fascinated with this thing, and I got it working. I managed to be able to knit on them. I worked it out from the instruction book. I was absolutely fascinated, and goodness knows why. I started collecting them and buying them up round the country, and it was quite amazing. I'd pick up machines out of people's sheds. I think I've got around 200 sock machines now. The Boer War, they'd be knitting socks for soldiers in castles in Scotland, and there'd be 500 women all on one of these hand-cranked sock machines. That's how they were done. And people's minds boggle when you say, 'Well, the very first machine was made in 1540.' Gradually, they got to the machines that are chain- and pattern-driven, and I used those in the shop ` old, vintage commercial machines. They are really very early computers. You've got the programme on the chain and the pattern on the drum. And they all have to be timed impeccably or they don't work. LIVELY PIANO MUSIC I was always reasonably mechanical, I guess, in` in anything to do with machinery, or I could fix the tractor or the car, or any of that crap, and got them going. You can make socks in about a minute, a minute and a half per sock, which is really slow on today's industrial standards. Today they're all enclosed, and they'll spit a sock out every few seconds into a basket. That doesn't interest me at all. I like the mechanical part of it. I love it. It's fabulous. I'd been doing up machines for a year or two, and I found other were people interested in them. And I was doing them up and selling them to Americans and then thought, 'Well, why can't we just make new machines and` and model them on one of the older ones?' seven years ago. Now I've started making them. Uh, we're now on our fourth or fifth model. We must have sold a couple of thousand machines. And we're away. MACHINE HUMS I go to the States once or twice a year, and I go to the Circular Sock-Knitting Machine Conference. Yeah, there is a conference. The Circular Sock Machine Society of America. The Circular Sock Machine Society of America. America. (GIGGLES) People come from all over the world to it. Last year, I did 16,000 miles driving around the States, running classes each weekend, workshops and things like that. It's good. It's good fun. 1600km of someone reading every single road sign. 1600km of someone reading every single road sign. I did not! Only the funny ones. Had ` what was it? ` 23rd-and-three-quarter Street or something. (CHUCKLES) I annoy the hell out of her. (LAUGHS) I annoy the hell out of her. (LAUGHS) Give me a break. No, we've been friends for donkey's ages. I've come in here to torment her. It works. It works. I know. (CHUCKLES) It works. I know. (CHUCKLES) We got oil? 16,000km in a rental car. Stayed at a few crummy motels and... Selma and Louise, yeah. Selma and Louise, yeah. Ena and Minnie! The person that was running the conference was an` an extremely serious type of girl. (CHUCKLES) We had a bit of fun at the dinner, didn't we? We introduced a bit of levity to it,... We introduced a bit of levity to it,... (CHUCKLES) ...which included her boyfriend. ...which included her boyfriend. Oh yes, she wasn't happy about that. ...which included her boyfriend. Oh yes, she wasn't happy about that. (CHUCKLES) Oh, no. No, they won't forget Jacquie. When I started the shop in Hokitika, it was a bit of a joke at first. 'How is she ever gonna make any money out of just selling socks?' But it's absolutely amazing. People get really excited about socks. Yeah, people are really fussy about what socks they wear. And they'll pay $50, $60 for a pair of possum socks and not think twice about it. It's really interesting. Jacquie's got a heart of gold. She'd give you the shirt off her back if she thought you needed it more. No, I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't. She'd help anyone out. No, I wouldn't. Don't want my reputation ruined. (LAUGHS) (LAUGHS) It's taken me years to perfect it. Well, you haven't done a very good job. (CHUCKLES) How many rows have I done? Living on the West Coast, I think, is a way of life, and I think I've been here for 32 years now. I understand it's about a 35-year apprenticeship. I guess in another three years I'll declare that I am actually a Coaster. Coffee, please. Coffee, please. How are you? Coffee, please. How are you? Good. Even though I wasn't born here, it's the place I feel the most comfortable. A lot of people want to go back to where they were born. To me, my rebirth happened on the West Coast ` the place that I want to spend the rest of my life at. Z WISTFUL JAZZ MUSIC I ended up in Hokitika six years ago, when I accepted a position at Westland High School as a drama teacher. I have a passion for the theatre ` musical theatre, specifically ` but at the same time, I also wanted to have a family and be able to spend time with my family. So teaching seemed like a really good way to marry the two things up together. We'll actually put the photos inside... Doing the show Chicago at the moment is a great way for me to do things that I enjoy as part of my job. It's a really important thing that I want to pass on to kids here on the West Coast ` to have opportunities to connect with theatre. ALL CHANT: Hi, my name's Joe, and I work at a button factory. One day, my boss said to me` he said, 'Joe...' It is a community production. We've evolved. It's also good for the students to see what adults can produce. And it is at a slightly higher level, and it's` it's certainly more focused. And the kids, um, being able to see that and aspire towards that is a really good thing. ALL CHANT: 'Are you busy?' I said yes! Some of the students have never done a single thing before. All That Jazz ` Nicole and Laura. 'If I can get them doing one thing in their time at school, then that makes me happy.' Honestly, it makes me really upset. You've got less than 24 hours to get it together. This isn't a ballet; this is a musical. When you're on stage, open your goddam traps and sing. Told. AMERICAN ACCENT: 'Last'. Not last. They have worked bloody hard. It's been probably about 15 weeks of working really really hard. It got to the point where I was worried that they'd peak, cos you kind of hit a peak and then people start to get a bit silly or sloppy or whatever. So my fingers are crossed. 1950S JAZZ MUSIC # Your smile... # I'm married to Karen. I'm really lucky to have married a woman who is so supportive and so good to me. There's a baby face. Obviously the years have not been kind. (CHUCKLES) Karen's choreographing the show. She's a fabulous dancer, in the first instance, and, um, she produces outstanding choreography. Are you good? > Karen'll go in and teach them choreography and then come home, and, um, I go and do blocking. Hello, Maddie. Sometimes I sit there and I think, 'How do we make this work, Karen and I?' With three kids, you know, being busy with shows, we kind of pass in the night during the rehearsal process. I've actually got some here. Do you want me to stop on by and drop them on the` on the way to the theatre? 'I'd like to think that I will be there for my kids.' Well, should I call past anyway? 'I want my kids to grow up knowing that their parents are proud of them.' Do you want them for tonight or for another night? 'My mother's never been good at telling me that she's proud of this or that or whatever.' He doesn't want them for Wednesday now anyway! He wants them for Friday! 'I keep telling them every time they make me feel proud. 'There are few days that go by where I don't actually take time to think of how lucky I am.' Where are you sitting? > Where are you sitting? > Um... I do affectionately refer to my kids at school as my whanau away from my whanau at home. Is Max up at the table? Is Max up at the table? < Yes! Is Max up at the table? < Yes! Brilliant. And that's` that really is how I feel about those kids. They are just like extended family, really. Do you want a drink? > I'd be thrilled to see someone achieving at the absolute highest level ` someone standing there on a podium with an Oscar in their hand, or whatever. Do you want`? No, don't put peas in your milk. I'd love to hear them say, you know, 'And I'd like to thank my drama teacher way back in Hokitika for encouraging me to try.' And I... (CHUCKLES) I would quite proudly strut about saying, 'I knew him or her whenever they were how old and doing whatever.' That would` That would be a real kicker. Do you want some more? Come on. WISTFUL JAZZ MUSIC I first started doing theatre when I was in primary school. Nick is really fun to work with. He's a really good director. I like working with him. My family has been more than encouraging. My grandma always came and watched my shows, and every opening night I'd have flowers just sitting on my dresser. She was the president of the Operatic Society in Greymouth, yeah. Um, she passed away, uh, in rehearsals, uh, about a few weeks ago. And... she loved watching me doing shows. She'd always be so proud of me. When I come off` When I finish a show and I come out, and she's standing there in the crowd and... Yeah. She would always give me a big hug when I finish. I like to tell my kids how proud they make me feel. Kids need it. Despite the fact that I've yelled at you 100 times, I do it all from a place of love. CAST LAUGHS CAST LAUGHS Really, what you've brought here makes me really really proud. CAST: Aww! CAST: Aww! (CHUCKLES) Oh, shush. Shut up, you bastards. CAST TITTERS No, no, no! No, no, no! No, no, no, no, no! Cos people are gonna get wind of how good you guys are. 'I put on the shows because I want kids to share my passion for theatre.' ALL CHEER I probably didn't realise how passionate I was until I got here. I found that kids didn't understand the culture of theatre, and that was something I wanted to change. Yeah, I'm afraid so, Roxie. Yeah, I'm afraid so, Roxie. GIRLS: Oh, Fred... Yeah? Yeah? Nobody walks out on me. (FIRES GUN) Oh, sweetheart! Oh, sweetheart! Don't 'sweetheart' me, you sap! (FIRES GUN THREE TIMES) I'm Sergeant Fogarty, who's the policeman, and I just like acting. I would love to go to drama school. Nick's my teacher. He's just a real good guy and loves his kids and his family and, you know, he loves us, his class, so yeah, he's pretty cool. (CHUCKLES) 'And, you know, Nick makes you feel like you wanna do acting more. 'You know, it just gets me happy, and as my parents say, it's` they're proud to see me on stage.' Other people, I guess their parents are pretty proud of them too. It's just pretty good all round. It makes me really happy to see kids doing well. Some of them may go through life never having had a cultural experience around theatre in any way whatsoever, and it makes me feel better that, um, I've given people a chance to have opportunities to connect with theatre, in whatever shape or form that may come. It can be onstage, backstage, you know, lighting ` whatever. Um, I would hate to think that, um, a child left school here and could have been a great performer but never had the chance. JAZZ MUSIC CRESCENDOES APPLAUSE DRIVING ROCK BEAT I don't know whether I'd really call us oddball, but the Coast's full of people who are a little bit different and are accepted. He's been a good husband. He's been a good husband. Pretty sharp, eh? Don't know about that. (CHUCKLES) I love being here, and I appreciate being here, and I'm connected to this place. So that's been a blessing. You've gotta keep the mind active. It's all practice, and so I still play. Lot of lovely people here, and that sort of thing.