One day an official-looking letter arrived addressed to Geoffrey Moss, Cane Collector. People have called me unusual names at times but Cane collector was a new designation.

         When I opened it up I found an embossed invitation to attend a function put on by the Hon. Josiah Beeman, the United States Ambassador to New Zealand.

         The Hon. Josiah was an authority on canes – what we call walking sticks.

         My father gave me my first stick, Irish blackthorn, not realizing at that time the fun I would have by collecting sticks. I met some interesting people, learned to make walking sticks, and had a few adventures collecting them.

         Whenever I visited a foreign country I would search for a carved, or an unusual stick to add to my collection.

         By stiffing up one leg and pretending to limp I can take my new stick on the plane free of charge. This has the advantage you get put on first and you are able to put your hand -luggage above where you are sitting.

         I have about 125 sticks but the Hon. Josiah has about 200.

         One day he visited our home to view my collection. He sat on our steps and told me the history of many of them. He was very knowledgeable on the subject.

         I refuse to sell him some of my prize sticks he admired, but I gave him a Tunbridge style stick, made by Mr. A. H. Ching of Stoke near Nelson. I had purchased half a dozen from him. (Tunbridge style, a wooden decoration  consisting of a mosaic of many small pieces of different coloured woods that form a pictorial vignette.)

         Sometime later I was down on a Wellington wharf inspecting the replica of James Cook’s ship the ‘Endeavour’ when I bumped into the Ambassador. He introduced me to his friend, the US Deputy Secretary of Agriculture from Washington DC. He then took me aside and asked me if I had any more of those Tunbridge sticks. He said our Prime Minister had admired his stick and he wondered if I was prepared to give him one. I readily agreed as Jim Bolger was an old friend.

         He had actually visited our home and brought me around some old Totara fence posts from his farm to make into walking sticks. I had them cut to size, shaped them, and added a deer horn handle. I made them up into unique sticks and gave them to many of my friends.

         The day came when I walked into Parliament  Buildings with the presentation stick duly labeled with its history.

         It was a replica of the canes made by the Trentham Works Department for presentation to Cabinet Ministers when they were making long sea trips to Britain. They were each presented with a walking stick and a cane, made out of native timbers.

         The Parliamentary staff had been alerted that I was carrying a stick – not a gun.

         They were amused that the boss needed a stick to keep them in order.

Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)