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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Ruby Red: Tram






http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/western-leader/2508526/Volunteers-driving-force-behind-Motat

Volunteer Albert Chan has been turning up to Motat for more than 30 years to work as a tram driver.

The Henderson resident is one of many people who give their time to make sure the museum runs smoothly.

Albert got involved around 1976 after a former workmate, who used to drive the trams, invited him to have a look around.

Chan is my madam name, Albert must be my long lost cousin. LOL

Albert's photo is courtesy Central leader.

14 comments:

Speedcat Hollydale said...

Great shot, and interesting story. Amazing how much some people give back. Heart-warming, really :-)

Gattina said...

Our trams look different, I see you are one day ahead of Brussels, here it's only Monday morning !

Bengbeng said...

thought u might like to know about this new place. it is a museum too like yr post but a living museum

http://www.borneorainforestresort.com/en/video/index.htm

it sounds great and i might b going this Friday.

Elaine Yim said...

Trams are like those steam engine trains. Soon we may not see them anymore. So, enjoy while we can,

Tussy said...

We don't have tram here, yours look good. Beautiful red one.

You Got a Posty
All Little Things I Like

SandyCarlson said...

I love where you find red!

(The white stuff on the pine cone is sap; that tree was quite a ways above my head stuck in a tree.)

Unknown said...

You asked when our fields will turn green again. Not till spring, but it depends on which crop is planted. Corn isn't planted until late May.

Oman said...

the green tram looks cool while the red one is fiery. thanks for sharing.

Bengbeng said...

negotiations broke down between our club n the management of the resort.. not going after all :(

sigh sigh.. looking forward so much to it

Stephanie V said...

Thanks for the story and the great photo of the red tram. Wouldn't it be fun if he really was a cousin?

EG CameraGirl said...

The trams look quite similar to the street cars in Toronto, which are red. ;-)

Ivon said...

Nice red tram for Ruby Tuesday. Thanks for sharing.

Jeannette StG said...

Chan is a Chinese name, right? How in the world does a Chinese family end up in New Zealand??

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

http://www.stevenyoung.co.nz/The-Chinese-in-New-Zealand/History-of-Chinese-in-NewZealand/Chinese-settlement-in-NZ-past-and-present.html

The Chinese - the first non-Maori, non-European people to migrate in numbers to New Zealand - did so because of two Otago invitations to Cantonese goldseekers in 1865. Nevertheless, they retained a sojourner outlook for a long time and suffered discrimination on account of that, their competition to Europeans and their race. At the turn of the 20th century the racial issue became dominant and led to the White New Zealand policy of exclusion. Yet a significant remnant of Chinese hung on. Eventually, a number of their wives and children were permitted to come as refugees at the start of World War 2, and at its end, they were allowed to stay. More Chinese families were reunited here before communist China stopped emigration,

Chinese have been in New Zealand for over 130 years. Originally, they were twice invited from Victoria, Australia to the province of Otago in 1865 to rework its goldfields,(1) and their first mining party arrived at the end of that year. From the beginning it was apparent that the Chinese would be a distinctive, significant and controversial ethnic minority.

This was the first group of the early Chinese to New Zealand.

From the 1960s, students came as students, holders of the Colombo Scholarship, and private students like my broether Charles and Cousin Henry. My husband and I came in the 1970s.

Then between 1986-96, a fundamental change in New Zealand’s immigration policy led to a big influx of middle-class Chinese from other origins