A good story goes on, and on, and on forever

From ERIC SHACKLE in Sydney, Australia <ericshackle*bigpond.com>

Many years ago, I wrote a nostalgic story about my life as a teenage cub/cadet reporter on The Press, a daily newspaper in Christchurch, Newe Zealand.

 I sent it to Don Cooper, editor of a daily newspaper in the small town of Hereford, in Texas. With a nice touch of whimsy, the paper is named The Hereford Brand.

My story duly appeared in The Brand, and since then has been published in several other newspapers around the world.

Last week, I was dismayed to learn that The Press building of fond memory is to be demolished, following a series of severe earthquakes which have devastated Christchurch since February 2011 and are still causing havoc.

Two days ago I was surprised to receive the following email::

Hi Eric  I am the weekend web editor of The Press website (www.stuff.co.nz/the-press) and noticed your comment with the link to the story you wrote in 2001  I was just wondering if you would be ok with me using that for a separate story to put on the website?
Please let me know.
Many thanks
Regards
Kim

Kim Triegaardt
Writer
021-128 3165

Naturally, I readily agreed...

So now, at the age of 92, I've staggered on to the front page of The Press, something I could never have achieved as a teenage cadet/cub reporter.
As a matter of fact, the front page of The Press, like that of most broadsheets, was filled with advertisements for picture shows, births, deaths and marriages, and goods for sale.

You can read my original story for The Hereford Brand at :
http://www.openwriting.com/archives/2011/04/copyboys_are_an.php#more

and yesterday's story by Kim at :
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch-earthquake-2011/5332452/Demolition-sparks-fond-memories

Treasure Hunters Set to Sail

From ERIC SHACKLE in Sydney, Australia. <ericshackle*bigpond.com>

Now that gold is worth more than $1800 an ounce -- the most it has ever been -- Australian adventurer Don McIntyre could not have chosen a better time to set out on his Blue Treasure expedition.

He is about to sail from Tarawa in a 15.2 metre 40-tonne steel ice-strengthened motor sailor dive support vessel named ICE. Two crew members have already been selected, and McIntyre is looking for others to join them -- and to share the costs.

Tarawa, an island in the central Pacific, was the scene of a fierce battle in WWII, in which thousands of US and Japanese forces lost their lives.

In his latest blog post, McIntyre reports:  "After crossing the equator Sunday weather was fantastic. We made a call to Macca [ABC radio host Ian MacNamara] on Australia All Over. We listen to Radio Australia every Sunday which was fun as he has many listeners in Australia and around the \Pacific.

"Then we passed another cruising yacht... going the other way..They left England 20 years ago and are still cruising..They were suprised to see us, as they heard us talking to Macca a few hours before on their radio.

"We cruised past great islands and were settling into another moonlit night with light winds when..silience!.. the engine just stopped dead like someone switched it off. It was 1930hrs.".

You can follow the ICE and contact its crew by visiting its website:
http://www.bluetreasure.me/blog/

and see photos: http://s1091.photobucket.com/albums/i386/Bluetreasure-Ice/