Bert's Rooster

Bert had this big, red rooster. He was as cocky as roosters can be and he had huge, dangerous-looking spurs on his legs – pig skewers they were!

According to Bert the big red bird was mad! He would attack for no reason, wings spread out, neck arched and squawking! The only reason he put up with him was that he liked to hear a rooster crow in the morning!

Bert asked me around one winters day to help him with a with a big old Kanuka tree that had blown over. He wasn’t keen on cutting up firewood into small blocks for the fire, he just took a long length and gradually fed it into the fire. At the time he used a bow saw or an axe, which is why he made as few cuts as possible.

The old Kanuka tree had been dead for a few years, so it was dry, and Bert wanted me to cut it into manageable lengths for him. The butt though was short and stout, so he wanted me to help him manhandle the lump inside. He said he intended to lever it into the fire using a crowbar!

When I pulled up, the big, red rooster was out scratching among sheep tollies, looking for worms. His orange eyes focused on my truck as he assessed what action to take when I got out.

My theory is that you never show fear, so I hopped out, picked up my chainsaw, and walked around the back of the truck.

The rooster was there to meet me and he flew at my legs! My kick missed him as he ducked out of the way.

He spread his wings for another charge, but Bert grabbed him roughly from behind and disabled him.

Without a word, Bert turned and carried the big bird to the nearby creek where he held his head underwater until the bubbles stopped! He was holding his breath and when Bert let him go, bedraggled, he scurried off towards the hens!

‘That’ll teach the bastard!’ Bert mumbled, teeth still stubbornly gripping his pipe.

Bert and I worked in together whenever one of us was away from our farm. Both of us had animals to feed and water troughs that needed topped. He and Edna decided to take their daughter to the West Coast, so I was deputised to do the odd jobs.

The pony needed a bucketful of chaff, and a couple of carrots from the garden; the stallion, so skinny that there was opaque light between his ribs when the sun was behind him – he needed a bucket of chaff and a slice of lucerne hay; the cats (4), all good rabbiters, needed  a supplement of milk and biscuit-things; the ram needed sheep-nuts - he would bunt if your back was turned; the hens and rooster needed wheat and water – usually they were free range but while he was away, Bert shut them inside; and there was Bess the bitch who hated being tied up and would want a run more than chew a dog biscuit.

All went well – the ram got me a couple of times; I watered and fed the chooks (and the big, red rooster) without going into the henhouse; the cats were never away hunting rabbits; I thought the stallion was dead on his feet, but he was just asleep (he rattled when he walked); and it was always a mission to catch Bess.

All fairly standard for Bert’s animals.

One Friday I was later than usual because of work commitments. I first let Bess off who kept her distance, out of my reach. The old ram hassled me, bunting at the bucket of nuts and eyeing my butt.

In the henhouse, the water dish had been tipped over and scratched over to the far side. I considered letting the chooks and the big, red rooster go thirsty, but bravely stepped into the house.

The big, red rooster (with his spurs) growled like when a hawk flies over, and I told him to behave.

I think it was as I bent to pick up the dish that he flew at me, but as I straightened, he became trapped under my Swandri! A Swandri is a loose-fitting coat, a bit like a skirt.

He was trying to flap, I was turkey-dancing trying to see where he was! He was squawking, I was yelling and trying to get him out. I could feel the spurs digging in!

The flapping, turkey-dancing and racket upset the hens and they flapped too kicking up dust until finally I grabbed a leg and pulled him free – he was a hot potato and I dropped him as I skipped out of there!

For once, Bert took out his pipe to laugh!

Youth Enigma

Since the earliest of days, the old have been critical of the young, most often because of a perceived ‘erosion of standards’. These days youth are roundly criticised for binge drinking, drug abuse or some vague ‘youth culture’ viz ‘you only live once’ syndrome.

Newsworthy are student or youth riots, binge drinking, drug sales or use and Facebook-gathered parties.

The most conspicuous of troublesome youth on the planet at present are the Boko Haram, Islamic State and other terror groups, albeit led or encouraged by older people who should know better.

While it is very easy to condemn the section of the population that is approaching adulthood, nature’s diverseness would indicate that there is much more to the group.

In recent times New Zealand youth contributed significantly to the dismantling of apartheid in South Africa and causing New Zealand to remain nuclear free. These two things did not come easily and at the time, protesting youth were roundly condemned by a status quo older generation. And it was predominantly the youth of the day whose protest convinced politicians of the unpopularity of the war in Vietnam.

Youth are also the main agitators in organisations such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International, which are thorns in the side of governments, but do influence policy.

The four franchise Reform Acts 1867 - 1918 [Who remembers those history lessons?] came about through the agitation of students and artisans, [among others] forcing the government of the day’s hand.

Historically youth have made significant contribution.

There have been youthful composers: Mozart 8, Mendelssohn 16, Schubert 17, Chopin 19, and Paganini 23.

Joan of Ark motivated a French army and was burnt on a stake for her trouble at the age of 19.

Alexander the Great was 17 when he took his first command.

Muhammad bin Qasim was 17 when he took his first command.

Youthful leaders have dotted their way through history.

Millie, a young English student, writes a weekly column in our local newspaper. Writing about subjects of personal importance, [which may not necessarily be the cup of tea for an old forest ranger – but are enlightening], she writes well and her points of view are fair and rightly promote her opinions.

Likewise, weekly in the same paper, essays written by secondary school students from around the region are published. Again these are point-of-view essays in the main, and all are carefully researched and well presented. These young people are articulate and intelligent, which indicates that the future will be in capable hands.

Of course there will always be growing plans and the usual slipping and sliding but it demonstrates that what appears in the media is mostly one section of the crowd.

It is apparent that there are many distractions for youth that makes the road bumpy, including peer pressure, social media, education and the need to be accepted – even loved.

However the greatest influence is and should be their parents. From the age of three, children begin to emulate – starting with speech, so they usually end up using similar speech and phrases as their parents.

After all, parents in those early years are the child’s heroes, so why would they not emulate them?

Surprisingly, if a parent has a limp, maybe because of a hip problem, then the child will emulate that same walking style and possibly end up with that same hip problem.

The habits and way of life of parents will generally be photocopied by their children.

The responsibility on parents becomes onerous and serious. But too often parents expect schools to be responsible for their child’s education. In fact the responsibility sits squarely with parents. Teachers are facilitators of subjects and motivate therefore have a huge role, but parental responsibility is for discipline, standards and common sense. Too often when parents see their child not performing at school, they expect the teachers to address the inadequacies.

‘School will sort him/her out.’ Is a parental cop-out.

These days the lure of electronic devices is strong, but here’s one ‘for instance’.

At evening meal times, the family sits together at the table – there is no special food [choice] for likes and dislikes, everyone eats what is served. Nobody leaves the table until all are finished, and before anyone leaves the table, in turn everyone tells the rest the best part [or even the worst] of their particular day.

This engenders respect for the cook and the household economy and from an early age it stimulates the thought process and encourages intelligent, lucid speech.

There may well be other positives to this scenario including the family growing together.

It’s not difficult!

Overall the present managers of this planet struggle to achieve a pass mark, and the next generations will have to cope with that legacy, so they need to be empowered.

Something on Origins

Anthropologists study and make assumptions about the very origins of our species. Some adhere to Darwin’s theory of evolution, while some firmly believe in a Creator. Yet others theorise that our species was manipulated by aliens or in something else.

How we came to be is a fascination for many – even a quest.

The explanation given for diverse ethnicities doesn’t cut it for me. ‘Ethnicity’ is another name for ‘breed’ so our species is not alone in its’ diversity. Domestic animals, dogs, cats, horses, cattle and sheep, were recognised and bred for specific purposes. But look at the huge variety of birds, fish, insects, reptiles and primates, to begin the list. All adapted specifically, but mainly to take advantage of a food source niche.

It is not at all clear what particular niches the different human breeds filled. What difference in food source did say, India have as compared to East Africa, where humanity is presumed to have surfaced?

The Inuit filled one food source niche by consuming animal fat to counter the cold – but then, why did they not move out of cold areas when the climate warmed?

Seasonal influences cause fauna to change coats or feathers, but not humans. The hairiest breed should be the people living in cold regions, but mid-eastern men seem to sport the best beards – are they the hairiest?  Whales are hairless but they put on a layer of fat to keep warm, we do that too but we still need clothes.

The reason for different skin colour apparently is to do with the uptake of vitamin D but if so, how come all ethnicities survive quite well in all areas of the world? For instance, would descendants of a tropical ethnicity settled somewhere in Britain eventually evolve to become Caucasian without interbreeding – through mutation?

If you look at that picture depicting human evolution, the one from ape to upright man, the design seems to improve.

Our eyes are nicely spaced with a nose bridge in the middle and ears at the same level as our eyes. Without that precise design wearing glasses couldn’t happen! So how did that happen?

But is our design flawed? We are the only animal that needs to wipe its bum after defecating. In fact [excuse the pun] most animals can defecate while in motion – flying, walking or swimming! If humans needed to do it while fleeing, Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest is compromised!

The anthropologist’s art of finding a bone fragment and being able to know the shape of the whole structure and even build a model it is truly amazing. Granted behind them is a huge amount of research, experience perhaps too, trial and error.

While there are many gaps in the knowledge, anthropologists have worked out how humans have developed over time, not always through evolution but through ability – which is more to do with gaining skills for development.

Humans have always needed shelter but are not alone in the need.  A rabbit will dig a burrow and line it with dry grass to create a nest for her young and of course birds build nests, usually on a temporary basis but nevertheless, sometimes very elaborate.

Some domestic sheep create a birth small area, while others do not and usually a cow will simply pick a suitable area but do nothing more. Some fauna sit in the shade, others bask in the sun but most shelter from the cold.

When man first sheltered in caves, he really needed to have fire because caves are generally cold places. Sure caves provide shelter from wind, rain and other powerful elements but they are cold. Some of the artwork the cave dwellers produced is astounding and shows that at an early time they had complex lives.

Much of the ancient evidence is lost because the most rudimentary shelters were wooden or other organic material which became worm or termite fodder and lost over time. Who knows what art treasures there were on those walls or even how the art came about?

Does the Bowerbird use art to attract a mate? A Penguin uses a stone that he thinks is beautiful to attract a mate, but otherwise the natural world does not use art. There is artistry but that’s different.

Few animals show signs of fear; dogs cower, others sound an alarm or simply sense danger and flee, but don’t show fear. Early humans did. They must have been very afraid of the huge, natural wildfires, but they overcame their fear and to use fire as a tool. In the process, making their caves/shelters more comfortable.

Responding to observation is enlightenment, after a wildfire there is always regrowth, then someone had the brainwave to plant a seed – germination, understanding is development.