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Neil Cherry ONZM - his life and work
Part 1
Formative influences
Dorothy - 28/03/03
The articles on the Dangers of Electromagnetic Radiation, based on
interviews with Dr Neil Cherry, have been among the most widely read
articles in NZine. Since November 2001 when Dr Cherry found that he had a
terminal illness, motor neurone disease, I have interviewed him about his
early family life and his work as a teacher, scientist, politician and
worker for peace. Originally this biography was to be given only to the
family but Neil wished it to reach a wider readership. Because of his
illness he had limited time to talk about his full life, and chose not to
include family material which would be well known to his wife Gae and his
daughters Jo and Karla. He chose to speak mainly about what may not have
been known to his daughters in particular.
A summary of the story will be published in instalments in NZine.
Formative influences
Neil's early life
Neil's life began in Christchurch in September, 1946. His forebears were
hardworking, practical people, and his Palmer forebears arrived in
Canterbury on the "Cressey", one of the first four ships to bring settlers
from England to Canterbury. This means that Neil is a true Cantabrian and
his life and work have included active concern for the welfare of the
people of Canterbury.
His parents
Neil's parents, James Conrad Cherry and Mona Hartley, met when both were
working in Aulsebrooks biscuit firm, and married in 1940.
Neil's father involved in wireless detection, public transport and road
safety
During World War II his father enlisted in the army and was posted as a
Sergeant in the Coastal Defence Force at Godley Head overlooking the
Lyttelton Harbour.
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James Cherry, Neil's father, in uniform
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He was a very practical man and was skilled in the wireless detection
system which we now call radar. They used the wireless system to try to
detect any foreign ships and had large guns pointing out over the harbour
from Godley Head and Battery Point. He used to walk over to Sumner and
catch a tram to visit his home once or twice a week.
After the war he worked for the Christchurch City Council, first as a tram
driver, and then a bus driver in diesel and later trolley buses. Next he
worked for the Traffic Department of the Council and then moved to the
Ministry of Transport. Public road safety had always interested him and he
became a road traffic instructor. He visited schools teaching children
about road safety and checking the safety of their bicycles. He became the
Regional Chief Road Traffic Instructor for the central area of New
Zealand.
He was also involved in Do It Yourself projects, including building his own
house in Earl Street in Opawa. Neil as a youngster worked with his father
on building projects.
Early education on road safety
Neil remembers that when he was about two or three years old his father
made him a wooden pedal car, which he really enjoyed. He recalls that
they were living in a cul de sac and to visit his friend who lived opposite
he had to pedal his car right round the end of the street on the footpath
until he came to the house opposite theirs. His father's concern about
road safety meant that he was not allowed to drive a pedal car across the
road.
He enjoyed playing with his sister Ngaire, and they are pictured here on a
visit to Lyttelton, the port of Christchurch.
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Neil and his sister Ngaire on an outing to Lyttelton
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Eleven primary schools, thirteen changes of school
When he was four years old his parents separated, although they tried
coming back together three times. Neil lived with his mother except in
holidays. She worked as a housekeeper, sometimes for farmers. This
involved moving to different jobs every few months. Neil went to a
Christchurch kindergarten, but then his mother got a new job in Hanmer
Springs. Neil started school in Hanmer Springs. In all he attended eleven
different primary schools. He changed schools thirteen times. Three times
he was enrolled at South Brighton School each time his parents tried
living together again. Each time he returned there he had the same woman
teacher, which gave his schooling some continuity.
His parents were divorced when Neil was about nine or ten.
Looking back at the number of moves he experienced Neil comments on how he
coped with it all.
"I was actually very shy back then so I must have created a protection
approach because I had to go to so many different schools and I think it
produced an emotional protection reaction. We went from house to house and
my mother went through all sorts of difficulties and I had to cope with all
of that, and with the three separations and finally the divorce of my
parents.
"I don't look back with a negative view to that time. Maybe I have
disguised it, but all the time my mother gave me a positive attitude, which
was probably the main thing. She always was very loving and caring and
positive about me and my father. All this gave me a complex emotional
background in that I covered up things but I coped with a lot of stress by
dismissing it."
His affection for his cat was one outlet during times of stress.
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Neil and Whiskers
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While living in Lyttelton Neil attended Lyttelton Main School. He took a
great interest in the activities in the port. At that time the Antarctic
Programme was stationed in Lyttelton and he could watch the US Coastguard
vessels, icebreakers and helicopters. He was delighted when he was given a
sailor's hat. He joined the local Cub group and enjoyed the activities and
wearing the Cub uniform.
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Neil in his Cub uniform
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When asked whether his childhood experiences fitted him to be a politician
and scientist Neil replied:
"In terms of politics having had a very diverse background and grown up in
a low-income situation with my mother being effectively a sole parent, I
had a background which helped me to understand a wide range of situations,
including living in a solo parent family. I understood the challenges for
people who had to earn their living from physical effort as I was
surrounded by people who worked hard physically."
Conservation values taught early
Like the majority of families at that time the family was in many ways
self-supporting with most of the vegetables coming from the home garden and
eggs and chicken from the family fowlhouse, water from their own well and
firewood gathered locally. His mother sewed his clothes while he was young
and knitted socks giving him a handmade pair for his birthday for many
years.
Christmas celebrations
Christmas was celebrated with his grandparents. A strong memory of
Christmas Day in 1953 was news of the Tangiwai disaster in which the
Wellington to Auckland night express plunged into the Wangaehu Stream with
the loss of 151 lives.
Trips to the pictures
First Neil was employed selling ice creams in the picture theatre in
Edgeware Road. Later riding his bike to town to the pictures at the
children's club at the Crystal Palace picture theatre in Cathedral Square
was a regular Saturday morning outing, costing 6d in the front seats, 9d at
the back and 1/3 upstairs.
Television
In the 1960s Neil's grandfather won in a raffle a black and white
television set, one of the first in Christchurch. The neighbours used to
visit to see this marvellous new entertainment. Neil's family used to
visit too and Neil remembers how amazing it was to see the moving faces and
actually see the people you had heard on the radio reading the
news.
Time with his father
Neil enjoyed staying with his father, doing woodwork and spending time at
the beach.
He also remembers being in the car with him in Bridge Street, South
Brighton, when a car tore past them in a very dangerous manner. As he was
a traffic officer Neil's father chased the offending car, stopped it and
gave the driver a warning that a repeat offence would mean a ticket - all
with Neil in the car. A memorable time.
At school when other children bragged about their father being a policeman
Neil was proud to be able to retort that his father was a traffic officer.
It was great that Mr Cherry now drove a car with a red light like a cherry
on top!
Neil's family circle widens
His parents were divorced when Neil was about nine or ten.
Later his mother remarried and the family lived in St Albans. Her husband
was Stephen Peters and Neil gained a step-brother, Simon, about four years
younger than he was.
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Neil in secondary school uniform and Simon
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Neil's memories of toys are mostly concerned with playing with balls and
sticks with his friends or his brother, or when he had to be indoors
playing Snake and Ladders, dominoes, Monopoly and card games.
His father remarried and his wife, Peggy, had a daughter Jenny, so Neil
gained a step sister. Neil went to their house most weekends. His
father, Peggy and Jenny went to services at the Congregational Church in
Worcester Street and Neil often went with them. He played with Jenny on
Sunday afternoons and evenings. His father showed movies in his home-made
studio.
As they grew up he saw less of Jenny. His father and Peggy moved to Nelson
and lived in Rocks Road where the sight of his traffic department car
parked outside slowed the traffic! Jenny went to secondary school in
Nelson.
Later Neil had a holiday job working for the Nelson City Council on road
works and the rubbish collection. Peggy insisted that he have a swim on his
way home so that he did not come home dirty from his work.
Intermediate school years
When the family lived in St Albans Neil attended St Albans school and
Heaton Intermediate. When they moved to Opawa on the other side of
Christchurch Neil decided that as he was unwilling to change schools again,
he would ride his bike across town every day, summer and winter for
eighteen months. He enjoyed the maths classes, the sport and woodwork at
Heaton and recalls without affection 'the murder house' - the school dental
clinic. He has a vivid memory of the high number of hard frosts and the
slippery surfaces at the edge of the road where the frost made the loose
gravel slippery. Weather records show that there were far more hard frosts
in the 1950s before the impact of global warming.
At primary school there had been uniforms but wearing them was optional. At
Heaton Intermediate School everyone wore uniform and the same applied to
pupils at the Technical College.
Church attendance
Neil's mother was a Baptist, so he was involved in Colombo St, then St
Albans, Baptist churches, and when he was at High School and living in
Opawa he belonged to the Opawa Baptist Church.
Secondary schooldays
Choosing a school and a course of study
Partly because his mother was late with the enrolment Neil went to the
Christchurch Technical College. He had won an Art Scholarship from Heaton
Intermediate School, but he did not specialise in it once he went to
secondary school. With his background he enrolled for a course
specialising in woodwork, technical drawing, and cabinet making.
Activities to build leadership skills
He was very involved in sport. He played hockey in winter and captained
his team, and in summer he trained for life saving in which he holds a
number of Royal Life Saving Society awards.
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The school tennis team 1964, Neil on the right.
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He was very much involved in cadets, became a Squadron Warrant Officer and
then the RSM, was a prefect and then head prefect for two years. He was in
a position to be a very strong leader of the school.
He was very happy at school and when he was head prefect they used to call
him "Smile Boy" because he always walked across the playground smiling. He
was involved in a lot of positive activities and his memory of his high
school years is Boys' Brigade, church, Cadets, and sport.
He was interested in the military, but also very much involved in the
church and its youth groups, and in Boys' Brigade. He was enrolled in the
Air Force Cadets (Air Training Corps, [ATC]) and on the evenings when there
was training he would ride his bike to the city where he was picked up by
Air Force transport to be taken to Wigram. Most holidays he went to
Burnham, the army base, and to Woodbourne, the Air Force base, to the cadet
camps. He was also top of his class for the practical and academic
subjects, so his time management must have been excellent.
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Neil in Cadet uniform
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After passing School Certificate in woodwork, technical drawing, mechanics,
English and mathematics, he then took up science in the sixth and seventh
form (called Upper and Lower Sixth form at that time.) Because he was
behind in physics and chemistry he went to night classes at the Technical
College, and caught up in those subjects. He gained such a good knowledge
of these subjects that he did very well in his first year at the University
of Canterbury and was immediately offered a place in the BSc Honours Course
in Physics.
Deciding on a career
At the end of his five years at school he had a career choice because he
had been involved in Cadets both at school where he became RSM and in the
Air Force Cadets. He applied to the Air Force for pilot training, and to
the Government for a teachers' studentship - a scheme which allowed
students funding to study for a degree, but bonded them to secondary
teaching for the same number of years. He was offered both, and he had
quite a conflict. At age seven his dream was to be a meteorologist or an
astronomer, so his interest in the weather led him to flying. However this
conflicted with his Christian philosophy.
Neil relates two incidents in which his Christian beliefs were put to the test.
"This was brought to a head in the third form. I was quite big for my age
and a smaller fifth former attacked me in the playground, and started to
bash me, and there was a rumble as we used to call it in those days - a
fight. A crowd of kids came around, and the prefects and the teachers, and
they grabbed us and took us off to the principal. The response to a fight
was suspension, and possibly exclusion from the school. I was crying and
embarrassed.
"The principal, Mr Wise, said 'You were fighting'.
I said 'No, I wasn't' .
'But you were in a fight?'
'Yes, I was'.
'So you were fighting.'
'No, I wasn't.'
"Mr Wise then turned to the other guy and said, 'What was the fight about?'
and the other guy said, 'He wouldn't hit me.'
"In church we had been told, 'Turn the other cheek,' so I did, and he hit
it, and I turned it again and he hit it, so that was my Christian
philosophy - pacifism actually - 'Turn the other cheek.'
"Three years later when I was in the sixth form and a head prefect had to
be appointed there was a split between engineering and building, so the
principal remembered that occasion and appointed me head prefect because of
the principles that I had expressed then.
"That event I mention now because as I came to look at my future career I
was thinking, 'Fighting and war or education'. It seemed much more
appropriate as a Christian to go into education than to become a fighter
pilot."
Also while he was still at school he became a sergeant in the Town Squadron
of the Air Training Corps. Neil tells of a fight that took place at that
time.
"One night we came back into town and three young army lads came out of the
pub over the road and started to attack one of the guys in Air Force
uniform - one of our newer recruits. I was the sergeant so I charged down
and got between them. This was what I had to do as an NCO and as a
Christian. The three men, who we later found out were soldiers, started to
attack me and I was yelling out to the other guys, 'You go that way and
find the police.' The publican came across and joined in and helped fight
off the soldiers. The police came along and arrested them.
"I had to say to the teacher that I had to go to court. He fired back,
'What've you done?' 'I've got to be a witness.' I had to go into court as
a witness and say that these guys had attacked another cadet and that there
was no provocation. They were soldiers who didn't like the Air Force.
"My pacifist background comes from my Baptist training of turning the other
cheek."
For more information about Neil Cherry's scientific research go to his
website www.neilcherry.com
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