JOE OLSZOWY ON HIS TRIP TO NEW ZEALAND 
BY PETER LONGVILLE.
FIRST THING IS AN E-MAIL FROM MY OLD MATE LEO TURLEY
UP IN PERTH TO INFORM ME OF JOE’S PENDING VISIT & HE WAS INTERESTED IN VISITING AN AUCKLAND LOFT. I CONTACTED JOE GOT HIS ITINERARY & FOUND OUT THE HOTEL HE & HIS WIFE KERRY WERE STAYING AT & SAID I WOULD COLLECT HIM AT 9.00 am ON THE SATURDAY MORNING. SATURDAY CAME AROUND I LEFT FOR THE CITY AT 8.00 am HAVING TO FILL MY VEHICLE FIRST & THINK OF THE BEST WAY THERE AS THESE DAYS I DON’T VENTURE INTO THERE AT ALL, GOOGLED THE HOTEL YES I KNOW WHERE THAT IS SO I SET SAIL DOWN THE MOTORWAY FULL OF GOOD INTENTIONS, HA HA MAJOR STUFF UP WITH THE WRONG OFF RAMP & FINISHED UP ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN, ARRIVED AT JOE’S HOTEL RIGHT ON TIME & FOUND HIM WAITING OUTSIDE, THEY ARRIVED FROM MELBOURNE LATE & ARRIVED AT THE HOTEL ABOUT 2.30 am SO NOT MUCH SLEEP FOR JOE. ARRIVED BACK HOME AT 9.35 am ENTERED HOME & JOE AS SMOOTH AS ALL AUSTRALIANS CAN BE MET MY WIFE SAYING TO ME IS THIS
YOUR DAUGHTER, A QUICK CUP OF TEA & OUT TO MY LOFT
MAYBE THREE QUARTERS OF A HOUR LATER MY WIFE OBLIGED WITH A PHOTO WHERE WE WERE BOTH TOLD TO HOLD OUR STOMACHS IN, (OLD AGE PROBLEM FOR MEN) I THEN SHOWED JOE OUR FEED ETC COMPARING WHEAT & SAFFLOWER COLOUR DIFFERENCE, THE MAIZE I HAD, WILDBIRD MIX I EVEN LET HIM SMELL MY HEMP OIL NO SECRETS OVER HERE. WHILE HANDLING MY BIRDS HE WAS REMARKING ABOUT THEIR BODY SHAPE HOW STRONG THEY WERE & HE WAS IMPRESSED. BYE MISSUS SEE YOU LATER TODAY & WE SET OF FOR NEVILLE RHODES LOFT 25 MINUTE DRIVE I WARNED JOE NEVILLE IS A NON STOP TALKER SO I SAT OUTSIDE HIS LOFT LEFT THEM TO IT, I COULD HEAR NEVILLE TALK TALK TALK & THOUGHT POOR OLD JOE BUT HE HANDLED IT WELL. QUICK CALL TO JNR ABOUT LUNCH WHERE OUR NEXT STOP WOULD BE, HE ORDERED PIZZA AT HELL PIZZA’S IN PUKEKOHE SO A QUICK DETOUR TO PICK THEM UP & DOWN TO TUAKAU TO JNR’S.
OUTSIDE NEVILLE’S LOFT BEFORE LEAVING, NEVILLE CAN NEVER STAND STILL HERE HE TAKES OFF JUST AS I PRESSED THE CAMERA AS HIS MOBILE RANG. DOWN TO JNR’S THERE WE FOUND GREG CLARKE EX AUCKLAND FLIER WHO THEN ACCOMPANIED US FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY, NEVILLE ARRIVED & WE GOT STUCK INTO THE PIZZA’S, AGAIN JOE WITH JNR & GREG WENT THROUGH JNR’S CHAMPS NEVILLE & I SAT IN THE SUN JUST LISTENING, JNR SHIFTED TO TUAKAU THE MIDDLE OF LAST YEAR & HASN’T RACED THERE YET & HE SHUDDERS EVERY TIME I TELL HIM HE NOW GIVES ME 23 MINUTES OVERFLY & NEVILLE WHO IS HIS NEAREST OPPOSITION 2 MINUTES HA HA,
JOE AGAIN IMPRESSED WITH JNR’S BIRDS BUT UNFORTUNATELY JNR HAS JUST SENT HIS HOUBENS DOWN TO GREG’S AS THERE ARE NOT MANY PURE ONES LEFT & JOE LIKES HIS HOUBENS. BELOW THE BOYS IN FRONT OF JNR’S LOFT I TOLD THEM PULL YOUR STOMACHS IN BUT MADE NO DIFFERENCE AS YOU CAN SEE GREG, NEVILLE, JNR & JOE IN FRONT OF JNR’S LOFT ENOUGH OF THIS NEALE IS WAITING FOR US SO INTO OUR VEHICLES & BACK TO PAPAKURA WHERE MORE TALKING AWAITED US. JOE ENTERTAINED US WITH STORIES OF BUDGIES & SHOWED A PICTURE OF WHAT HE USED TO KEEP & SHOW, & THEN NUMBERS OF FLIERS, PRIZE MONIES TO BE WON COMPARED TO US, ON A POPULATION BASIS NUMBERS PERCENTAGE WISE WERE ABOUT THE SAME AS AUSTRALIA SO WHILE WE THEN TALKED & HAD A FEW DRINKS JOE & NEALE WENT THROUGH NEALE’S BIRDS WHERE HE AGAIN SAID GREAT BIRDS BY 5.30 I WAS GETTING READY TO TAKE JOE BACK TO HIS HOTEL AS HE WAS GOING TO TAKE KERRY OUT FOR TEA WHEN I SAID TO NEALE LETS LOAD UP MY UTE WITH THE PEAS HE HAD PICKED UP FOR ME SO OFF WE TROT TO HIS GARAGE NEALE TURNED 60 LATE LAST YEAR SO HE JUST GRABBED A BAG & OFF HE WENT, ME IM JUST SHY OF 84 SO I GRABBED THE SECOND BAG & FOLLOWED HIM HALFWAY TO THE UTE LOUD LAUGHTER FROM THE GALLERY WHAT ARE YOU PUFFING FOR (UNPRINTABLE NAMES I CALLED THEM) NEALE CAME BACK & RELIEVED ME OF THE BAG. WHEW PUFF PUFF. JOE & I THEN MADE OUR GOODBYE’S & HEADED OFF BELOW THE MOB IN FRONT OF NEALES LOFT.
JOE WAS IMPRESSED WITH THE QUALITY OF OUR BIRDS & AS WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO IMPORT BIRDS SINCE 1995 WE HAVE BRED OUT ALL THE FAULTS WHICH LEAVES US WELL OFF NOT LIKE AUSTRALIA WHERE SOME OF THE FAULTS COULD KEEP COMING IN WITH EACH YEAR OF IMPORTS, I DON’T KNOW BECAUSE IT IS SO LONG SINCE WE HAVE SEEN WHAT IMPORTED BIRDS LOOK LIKE MAYBE ANOTHER DAY OR TIME WE MAY BE ALLOWED TO BRING NEW BLOOD IN. WE LEFT THE BOYS & THE DOG EATING SAUGE ROLLS & WERE GONE.
