BROTHER NUMBER 2.
Arthur.
Arthur stood a few years after Bill but his character and nature was quite different.
To me Arthur was more easy going and carefree, possibly because he had less burden to shoulder.
Where Bill considered tomorrows Arthur was more inclined to think of the day and the joy of it.
He reminded me of that dancer Gene Kelly who always seemed to be smiling inwardly about something and there was no doubt in his younger years he was just as handsome, dashing and dapper.
Where Bill was stable Arthur seemed to have itchy feet and the grass always looked greener in the other field.
Other fields literally as one moment Arthur was working in the shop then the next he had a small market garden close to Ted Ting in Rangiuru Road in Otaki.
We would visit and stay with him in the school holidays and growing stringless beans was part of his vocation now.
But traveling back in time a few years and he was part of a gang of several Chinese youths making boxes in Compton’s Case Company in Bay Road Kilbirnie.
Here he would cavort with friend Jimmy Joe whose family had a fruit shop not far around the corner in Rongotai Road.
I believe he was one of several that would hide behind the freshly made crates and shoot at each other with home made bows and arrows.
Arthur ceased his education after a stint at Wellington Tech and then it was the fruit shop for him too.
In the Zenith at Manners Street he would stride boldly across the wooden tongue and groove floor holding a case of apples over his shoulder with one arm then dump it with certain aplomb onto the straining shelf.
It was a sideshow for the customers and some who were very keen to be served by this quite charming guy.
And he was strong too.
2. Arm wrestling was a sport of the day and our Arthur was one to be reckoned with.
Did I say cowboy..!!
In our day the guys riding motor cycles were dubbed milkbar cowboys and Arthur was one of these with his Royal Enfield motor cycle.
Then it would be snooker time with his market mates with a billowing cigarette out of the corner of his mouth.
This sisters and brothers called him Ar but Jimmy Joe for some reason named him Vinusky.
After a stint at the ZFC of Manners Street Arthur was off to Otahuhu and started what was to be Zenith Fruit Co number 3. At that time Alan and Raymond had number 2 in Titahi Bay.
Then the next thing I knew was he was in Christchurch working with Ron and Dave in the garden centres there.
Some years there then off to Levin with his wife Margaret and kids.
For sometime he fell off the radar but I heard he had fathered beautiful children.
I was at work at Rawleigh’s of Elsdon I recall when I was advised that Arthur had taken ill and was in Palmerston North hospital.
I checked with the doctor there and he assured me he was alright.
A short time later another call advised me he had simply passed away.
Arthur I think lead a life that he wanted to lead.
Not too much responsibility but good food.
He was a good cook and loved those thick juicy steaks.
I think those cigarettes that he would smoke between raucous laughter and coughs just might have contributed to his fairly early demise.
But as a character I have to sum him up as a good looking carefree straight backed kinda guy.
He moved to where his feet took him and if he did not like it just rolled on.
I don’t think big responsibility was his forte but just how he was after he settled down I do not know.
Sometimes I thought that his happy go lucky nature was a cover to how he really felt but of this I will now never know.
