The NZNF bi-monthly supplement November - December 1989

The Story of the Six-Fingered Abacus Man - or How
the Orchard Sun Club Solved its Problem!

THE PROBLEM: A wise old man of ancient China was known far and wide for his wisdom and ability to solve difficult problems. Many men came to him asking for advice. One day a merchant brought him a problem:

"I have six men, each skilled with the Abacus. In a short time I am going to need more such men to deal with an increase in my business which will amount to one fifth as much as I now have. But I cannot afford the capital investment of another man and another Abacus and even if I could, one man would not be enough and two men would be too much. After three moons have come and gone I will no longer need any extra men, for my business will then return to normal. Oh Wise One, what shall I do?"

Or: the problem for the Orchard Club was how to get up and walk enthusiastically when you've been crippled with major earth slips and constant vandalism of your grounds.

THE SOLUTION: The wise man pondered the problem for several days, and finally summoned the merchant.

"The solution to your problem is simple. You must insist that each of the six Abacus men who work for you must now grow another finger on each hand -

and henceforth you must hire only twelve fingered men to replace them.

The merchant smiled, his problem was now solved. He thanked the old man a thousand times and bowed out of his presence. As he was leaving, he hesitated, and turned to speak to the old man once more, "Oh Wise One, you have truly given me the solution to my problem. But," he paused, "... how do I get my Abacus men to grow extra fingers?"

The wise man looked at the merchant - puffed on his pipe for a moment - and said, "That is a good question, my son, and you are to be commended for asking it. But alas, I only make policy recommendations and details are up to you."

Well you'll be pleased to know that the Orchard Club had both policy makers and detail persons.

They now have new grounds. See later for details. But the moral is, if you want something done well, get a balanced team to do it.

Problem
And
Solution

By doing this your Abacus Department will be increased by exactly one fifth, and you will not have to hire any extra men."

Family
Tramping Trip

On the day after the Rally, Doug Ball is leading an easy day trip to a pleasant valley close to the Wellington Sun Club.

An easy ramble for an hour or two will be followed by a picnic lunch and an opportunity to laze in the sun, before returning to the club in the afternoon.

You will not need tramping boots - sneakers will do - a small pack for your lunch and a parka or raincoat is all you will need. Editors Note: Take your raincoat but you won’t actually need it!

Dear Roy

The opening of the new Orchard Sun Club Grounds was marked by the presentation and planting of trees from the NZNF and Southern Sun.

The resilience and determination of this small group is nothing short of heroic.

The club grounds are unique in New Zealand and should be included in the itinerary of every nudist traveller.

My best wishes to the Club for the future and congratulations from all of us in the South Island.

Norm Wilkinson SIVP

Dear Roy

Recently I took our family shots to Langwoods to be processed. On this occasion we got the snaps back but none of the club shots with nude people in them had been printed. We took the photos back to Langwoods to ask why, and were told that it was not Langwoods policy to print "this sort of picture."

The manager told us he personally found them very offensive and it was his companies policy not to print such pictures.

This is a warning that your readers may get the same treatment from this company.

We suggest you get them done by a sympathetic dealer. I personally suggest Doug Ball in New Plymouth would be an excellent choice of processor.

Yours etc

Wanganui Members

Shaving and the Market Researcher

On my visit to the opening of the Orchard Club, I stayed Friday night at Mavis and Eddie Robertshaw's home in Dunedin together with NZNF President June and her husband Bevan.

Early on the Saturday morning June and Bevan were reading newspapers in the lounge, which opens directly into the dining room, Mavis and Eddie were preparing for the weekend at the club and I was shaving in the nude in the dining room which is opposite the front door. Well within seconds of me saying "how many homes and friends do you know where you can do such things as shave nude in the dining room" when a knock was heard on the front door. Without hesitation Eddie opens the front door and exposes me and my predicament to the door knocker. The young woman standing there stammers as she half looked at me and half at Eddie and tried to say "I'mmm doooing MMMarket RReSSSSearch." Well what else could she say. Needless to say my razor didn't miss a beat but the onlookers certainly made hay out of the situation.

IN-TOUCH

Edited by Roy Cox and published by the New Zealand Nudist Federation, 123 Hill Road, Belmont, Lower Hutt New Zealand All correspondence to this address.

And what did the locals think?

With the help of a few key local figures an official invitation list of nearly 100 people was drawn up inviting these locals to the grand opening of the new Orchard Grounds.

The two ladies who ran the postal agency and gift shop were there, some farmers and their wives, the owners of the coffee shop, the garage proprietor, the publican were there also. In fact a good local turnout.

President Kay extended the hand of friendship by asking members not to wear club uniform during the afternoon. There were a few grumbles from members (after all it was a beautiful day) but by and large it was a good move. The locals really enjoyed themselves so much they invited us all to their own village bonfire in the evening.

Most of us didn't need asking twice. We were off to see the biggest bonfire most of us have seen for some time. After the fireworks we all went back to the club for more hospitality. Most of the locals were suitably impressed with our way of life and the facilities we had to offer. They said they had preconceived ideas about nudism which didn't relate to what they had seen during the day. Generally they were pleased people were coming back into the country and making more use of the country facilities. The shop keepers could see benefits from increased sales being only 6½ Kms from the grounds.

One lady told me it was only about half an hour's walk to Middlemarch from the grounds. Well they must walk fast in those parts because it took me nearly 50 mins to run into Middlemarch on the Sunday morning, but it was worth it. You see more details of the area by walking or jogging.

Custodian(s) Wanted

It’s Available
Now

Your Club has copies of the promised New Member Promotional Package for you to pass on to friends, relatives, workmates or anybody else you think may be interested in our way of life. This is your chance to make the joy and philosophy of nudism more widely known.

So get a copy or two from your club committee now and spread the word.

The package has been produced by the NZNF and made available to your club free of charge at the expense of the Federation and the Percy Cousins Trust.

Have you received yours yet?

One Rally Registration form was printed for every member in New Zealand and a couple per club in Australia. Have you received yours yet? It should have arrived with the September-October In- Touch. You can’t consider coming if you don’t know what we're offering. Club secretaries please note.