FMD, University of Waikato
Issue No: 22 – May/June 2004
Department of Biological Sciences' electrofishing boat
By: Dr Brendan Hicks, Senior Lecturer, Department of Biological Sciences
On 30 April 2004, during the Info Day for high schools, Brendan Hicks and Dudley Bell launched the electrofishing boat of the
Department of Biological Sciences in Oranga Lake. The boat's name is Hiko Hï Ika, which translates from Maori to "electrofishing
boat". Nan Sinclair of FMD Grounds Maintenance took the great photo of the boat shown below. We used a truck fitted with a hiab
arm to lift the 800 kg boat with its motor and 6 kilowatt generator on board into the lake. The fishing was highly successful. We
caught 42 catfish, 23 goldfish, and 9 eels in about 90 minutes of fishing. This means that there is a minimum of 133 fish in the
entire lake. There are probably many more, as fishing in other locations shows that we catch one fifth to one half of the total
number in a single sweep through a site. The total biomass that we caught of 24 kg suggests that there are at least 6 grams of fish
tissue per m2, or over 43 kg of fish in the 6,900 m2 lake.
This electrofishing boat is the only one in New Zealand, and has been very successful at catching koi carp in the Waikato River as
part of our ongoing research. We plan to launch the boat in Knighton Lake during the Technofest on Sunday 4 July, weather
permitting, and we will then estimate the fish population of that lake.
Misunderstood Signs
1. In a restroom:
TOILET OUT OF ORDER. PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW
The Department of Biological Sciences' electrofishing boat in Oranga Lake.
Photo: Nan Sinclair, FMD Grounds Maintenance.
2. In a Laundromat:
AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE
ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT
3. In a London department store:
BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS
4. In an office:
WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER
YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER
STEPS WILL BE TAKEN
5. In another office:
AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE
TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING
BOARD
6. Outside a secondhand shop:
WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING
MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG
AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?
7. Notice in health food shop window:
CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS
8. Spotted in a safari park:
ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR
9. Seen during a conference:
FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T
KNOW IT,
THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR
10. Notice in a farmer's field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE
FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.
11. Message on a leaflet:
IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU
HOW TO GET LESSONS
12. On a repair shop door:
WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON
THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)
Yet another satisfied customer
The following message was received from ASB Bank.
Could you please pass on a message of thanks to your security
team as I was unsure who to contact.
On Friday night when I was away at a managers meeting the
girls here had an incident with a man under the heavy influence
of drugs and alcohol where he attempted to cash what we
believe to be fraudulent travellers cheques just on closing. By
the time they had balanced up and were ready to go home it was
dark outside.
As the person that was left in charge was not comfortable with
the two girls walking to the car by themselves they phoned your
security team who arrived very promptly to walk them across to
the car park.
It is probably not a big deal or an unordinary request however it is
greatly appreciated as we are a team of three females. It is nice
to know that we can call on you if we ever have any problems.
Thanks again and kind regards.
Melanie Banner, ASB Bank Ltd”
Well done to all concerned!
Paintball Experience: Rukuhia Campaign – ‘The Fall of Laurie D’ –
Sunday 22nd May 2004, 1300hrs
With the World fighting Terrorism and Countries fighting over religion, a group of
nd
twelve met in the dense forest of Rukuhia on the 22 May 2004.
The Renowned Laurie ‘The Shrub’ Drummond and his henchmen had fortified deep
in the woods. ‘Dad’s Army’ as they were known are a brutal & savage fighting force,
destined to paint the world BLACK.
At the other end of the battle, Luke ‘Mad Dog’ Karanga & his loyalists of the
“Mum’s Army’ were preparing for what would be the most controversial Victory of
this Campaign.
DAD’S ARMY (Black Fatigues): A mixture of young and old, this Army consisted of Veterans who have seen it all.
Laurie ‘The Shrub’ Drummond himself has seen combat time & time again, and what a fearless leader he is. The chameleon in
natural surroundings. An effective component to this group.
Ray ‘HITman’ Hayward: A decorated ‘Duck Hunter’ eager to get in the thick of it, Hence the word ‘HIT!’ a renowned casualty of war.
Hemi ‘The Assassin’ Dean: Speaks for itself really, when least expecting it….too late!
Steve ‘SAS’ Jonson: An infiltrator of enemy lines, been and gone before you know it!
Hayden ‘Trigger-Finger’ Glassey: Attack, Attack, ATTACK! Always on the front line. Get caught in this guy’s sights? Just start
counting the hits!
Johnny ‘Tall Timber’ Feps: An external recruit to Dad’s Army and one of the younger member’s in the Group. Having a sixth sense
to read battle-field conditions, this guy conceals himself in the most unlikely places. He is known to scale trees to successfully snipe
enemy troops.
MUM’S ARMY (Green Fatigues): The ‘Elite Youth’ of today’s Army. A combination of Specialists in their chosen fields.
Luke ‘Mad Dog’ Karanga: Highly respected by his troops and a natural born Leader. Mad Dog is renowned for his courage to stand
in broad day during Fire fights, LOOKING THE ENEMY IN THE EYE!
Terri ‘The Sniper’ Collins: The only female in the Campaign, an angel with an eagle eye. She successfully defended HQ, totalling
47 kills by the end of the battle.
Steve ‘The Shadow’ Cunningham: Combination of stealth & agility, a master in utilising the surroundings for cover. Is your
Shadow, REALLY your Shadow?!
Derek ‘Top Gun’ Freeman: The pack horse of the group. Endurance and strength to match, ‘Top Gun’ tends to lead the way into
battle. Though a victim of Friendly Fire, his grudge always lies with the enemy.
Craig ‘Chopper’ Feps: Yes, the brother to Johnny and external recruit. Family or Foe, Craig is feared by both. Speed & Courage
enables this Trooper to run rings around the enemy. A formidable opponent to Ray ‘HITman’ Hayward, ask him why!
Mike ‘The Mercenary’ Green: ***File Confidential***
To many, War is unjust. To these Troops, it’s a living! A time for Courage & Honour and to fight for your comrade. ‘Their life lies in
the hands of their enemy; their destiny is decided by battle’.
th
For these men and woman of the 66 FM Squadron, this battle would leave scars to remind them of this very day, when they met in
the ‘Rukuhia Forest’.
Mission objective was simply, Capture the Enemy Flag and return to Headquarters.
Group Commanders briefed their Unit and it wasn’t long before gunfire echoed through trees. Fire fights erupted all through the
forest, and within minutes Mum’s Army had fallen to the ‘Iron Fist’ of Laurie’s Rebels. A Dark chapter for our liberators in Green as
they were forced to pull back deep into the woods.
Steve ‘SAS’ Jonson was decorated with the ‘Military Cross’ for his actions in combat and securing the Enemy Fort.
At the other end of the battle field, ‘Mad Dog’ revived his troops from the jaws of defeat and urged them forward. This next battle
would go on for 2 hours.
Small Fire-Teams from both sides launched Offensives all over the battle field.
‘The Assassin’ probed the frontline time & time again, forcing the enemy to stay put while ‘Trigger finger’ and the ‘HITman’ attacked
the flanks. Dad’s Army certainly applied the pressure and pushed for the final blow.
However, attacking Mum’s base was not an easy task. ‘The Sniper’ Collins, ‘Top Gun’ Freeman and ‘The Shadow’ Cunningham
defended well. ‘The Sniper’ herself dropped enemies invisible to the naked eye.
A two man Team (‘The Mercenary’ & ‘Chopper’) refused to give up the left flank though unsuccessful at times. When one went
down, the other fought on.
‘Mad Dog’ lead his team constantly into battle, wounded in action many times but still fought on (he later received the ‘Purple Heart’).
‘The Shrub’ demanded excellence and threw his wounded out to fight. ‘If you can breath you can FIGHT!’
As night began to set in, ‘Mad Dog’ knew that one last mass offensive would determine Victory or THE END!
Forward they went into the night, battle weary, but adamant to take down the Rebels. This was their last stand.
As more and more wounded were hauled from the forest floor, one man grasped Victory for Mum’s allied troops….Craig ‘Chopper’
Feps. His sheer determination to fight on while his comrades fell on the battlefield was that of the highest standard. Craig attacked
the Rebel’s camp under heavy fire and secured their base. Out of ammo and badly
wounded, he completed the objective and gained Victory for the ‘Motherland’. He was
awarded the distinguished ‘Medal of Honour’
***************************************************************************
All in all a great day! Thanks to the Tom Reidy and the Social Club for
providing the Sausages and Terri for providing the refreshments. Hope all involved
had fun and have recovered from the bruising. There are a number of challenges
coming up from other Schools and Departments, so look forward to seeing you in
action again. I will keep you all posted.
Thanks, Mike Green & Laurie Drummond
Facilitation will be produced monthly. This publication is available online at http://www.waikato.ac.nz/fmd/.
For communications relating to the FMD newsletter please contact Judy Brighting, ext 4980, email [email protected].