‘A funny little milestone’ for Tuahiwi man
Ray Harper remembers his first drug bust for Customs well. It was November 1, 1974, the same day his eldest son was born.
‘‘All the paperwork held me up getting to the home, but I got there for the birth in the morning . . . that’s sort of a funny little milestone,’’ Harper said.
The haul itself, about 26 grams of cannabis, was meager by today’s standards, ‘‘but back in the day that was quite a substantial find’’.
Harper recently hit the 50-year mark with New Zealand Customs Service after joining at a time when ‘‘we were still transacting in pounds, shillings and pence’’.
His service meant he had also seen wide-ranging types of human behaviour. ‘‘There was one instance, in the middle of the night we were going to search this guy. He was a bit different.
‘‘While he was waiting he picked up a ‘please wait here’ sign. It was about four foot-high and he was swinging it around like a drum major in a pipe band. It was just whistling over my ear.
Harper calmed him down, but a personal search where the man would disrobe was required. He stripped down but refused to put his clothes back on afterwards.
‘‘He came out, wearing nothing, into the public Customs area. At the same time we were processing a flight which had come up from the Antarctic.
‘‘He sheepishly went and got dressed, then came out and asked if we’d give him a lift into the city, which we declined . . . He didn’t realise there was going to be anybody there.’’ Heading into the workforce straight out of his final year at Papanui High School, Harper said it was a careers advisor that steered him in the direction of Customs. ‘‘I’d always been interested in ships and aircraft as a kid . . . the airport was just in its infancy then, we were only taking a couple or three flights a day. Now we’re taking 18 to 20 a day.’’
His long service could be linked to the contribution to his North Canterbury community, where he had been a Justice of the Peace, funeral celebrant, and long-serving member-cumpresident of the McAlpines pipe band. He and wife Ann, residents of Tuahiwi, were both honoured at the Waimakariri Community Service Awards in August – Ann for her dedication to the Hinemoa Hockey Club. Harper said Customs could often be a stressful role, but some of his most valuable experiences were learning how to listen to people and defusing situations where things became tense.
‘‘It’s not that I roll over and let them away with things, I’m far from it, but it just seems to be adamant – my ability to listen, and I actually do listen.’’