Good homes wanted for abandoned instruments

THE final curtain will soon fall on a horde of abandoned musical instruments at the workshop of Dunedin piano tuner and instrument repairer Eric Officer.

For 60 years, Mr Officer (78), who retired three years ago, applied his skills as a tuner for some of the best talent to visit Dunedin, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Michael Houstoun, Bruce Forsyth, Glen Campbell and Victor Borge.

But it was his talent for fixing broken musical instruments that has resulted in his amassing a treasure trove of abandoned violins, guitars, double basses, trumpets, horns and clarinets, all left behind and forgotten by owners who sent them to Mr Officer for repair.

‘‘Of course they all had name tags written on them, but over the years the ink and the pencil has faded, Mr Officer said.

‘‘You really can’t read them any longer. On some that you can read, the dates go back to the 1970s and 1980s.

‘‘The double bass was sent to me four or five years ago from Invercargill, but the owner still hasn’t come back to pick it up.’’

Mr Officer began his lifelong career in piano tuning and instrument repair in 1956 when he started as an apprentice piano tuner at Charles Begg and Co in Princes St, in Dunedin.

When the company’s resident instrument repairer left, Mr Officer, who always loved fixing things, took on the added role of helping in the repair shop.

When he went out on his own after 16 years as the company Piano Tuning and Instrument Repair, he maintained a strong connection with the local music scene and continued to tune pianos and repair instruments for music associations in the region.

Now retired, Mr Officer would like to clear out his Helensburgh workshop and is at a loss as to what he should do with all the abandoned musical instruments left behind by owners.

He had advertised and asked around for people to remember if their instruments were still there.

‘‘Some have gone recently, and I gave some parts and tools to another local technician, but there is still a lot sitting there and they all need to go.’’

PHOTOS: JOHN COSGROVE Ring any bells? Eric Officer is looking for homes for an assortment of musical instruments left with him over his career as a tuner and instrument repairer.