Eisen-Suppressed-Inventions-and-other-Discoveries-True-Stories-of ...

474 Suppressed Inventions and Other Discoveries
for a while for the Post Office, he took up an apprenticeship with the
M.E.D. where he had all the wries he wanted to work with. "You do the
lot, switchboards, meters, wiring before you get your ticket."
Later he would move on to State Hydro and the Railways as an electrician
in the signals division.
Never had a day's serious illness in his life, he says. Still he was turned
down for overseas service with the Army during the war. He served with
the Home Guard and later, when he was with the Railways, he did territorial
service, going into camp for a fortnight or so each year.
He was attached to a battery as a signaller. More wires as he set up
communications between the guns and observation posts and the ike. He
says the worst part of all was being called out in the middle of the night
to run out some wires.
"Most of the time, I'd get up when called and then head straight back
into the tent." He says he wouldn't have liked the job in a real war . . .
"right out there, under fire from both sides."
The life story momentarily forgotten as Archie spies an old film projector
poking out from under the rubble. He's fixed it with an amplifier so
it can take "talking" films. Then an explanation of the secrets of an even
older magic lantern.
Strong hands rub a bewhiskered face, lift the glasses over the forehead.
Just about time to get the tea on. Archie lives alone in his conventional
weather-board home in a typical Spreydon street. Hid wife died about two
years ago, just before they were to set off for Guernsey where Archie
could work with his "retired millionaires."
In we go through the cluttered porch, resting place for the moulds from
which Archie Blue makes plaster figures and ornaments ... witches, dog's
heads, reclining ladies, classic heads, wall hanging-type things, clowns,
Snow White, even. It's a hobby he took up while in America. Now the
painted models—and a lot as yet untouched by the brush—take up space
in every room of the house.
He finds making the pieces and then painting them restful. "Even when
I'm taking a break, I've got to do something. I'm not an idle person."
Amongst all the models in the lounge, a huge silver trophy is proof of
the young A. H. Blue's athletic prowess. He won it at a long-gone South
Island championship meet at which he won the 100 yards, the 220 and the
440 yards. ("They don't have them now, do they")
Stuffed inside with a lot of other clippings there's a faded piece cut
from the Sun (or was it the Star). Browned and fragile now, the paper
suggests that with a coach, Archie Blue had a great future in the sport.
"But I had too much on my plate to take it up seriously," he says.
Inventing.