Well we retired our second (backup) appliance last night. Old even for a fire truck at around 30 years, but amazingly on only 60,000 km. As a fire station in a semi urban, semi rural area she has operated on station for the last 8 years as rural fire fighting appliance. I heard someone recently describe her as a "man's truck", a stubborn beast that had to be "driven". Despite no power steering, no engine braking, and the belching of black smoke, she was really great fun to drive. I think it's funny that at times like these I realise how sentimental I am. On one hand she's just a hunk of old metal To View More >>

Mates and family, they are definitely awesome! The best thing that has come from joining the Fire Service is the friendships that have developed. Last week we had a serious storm that blew a big tree across the road, destroying a power pole and tearing the lines from our rental property. Today two of my favorite people came over and helped restore things. That's Bain up in the basket and Vern down below. We had to spend the day trimming trees to re-thread the line, but it was very cool, we laughed, and I was very grateful. Days like today are also when family rallies around. While we did that To View More >>

Well it's been a good week. The guys got a new version of the software out, I got lots of work done and the dollar has dropped below 70 cents for the first time in almost a year. I'm about to have a beer with the crew, but will finish off the work week with a feel good video about old friends. I have a few people I need to reconnect with and this made me think of them. Have a good weekend everyone. To View More >>

With great sadness we have said goodbye to two family members over the past few weeks. The first farewell was to to my Auntie Rita, who passed away after a long but brave battle with cancer. She is actually my Mum's Auntie, but always felt like a Grandmother to me. A beautiful woman that everyone loved from the moment they met her. My first memory of Rita is when, as kids, we visited her family in Wellington. She made us "Spiders", a messy mix of Coke and Vanilla ice cream ... and instantly became my hero. My last memory of Rita is of a woman, her body failing her, surrounded by a family loving To View More >>

Having trouble getting your customers attention? This quite possibliy is the perfect solution for you ... "Be Mischievous, Get Noticed" As parents we get busy with work, children, getting food on the table etc . Sometimes we just have our minds in too many places at once. A child's solution to this, in an effort to get our attention, is to be mischievous, and, as frustrating as it is, it works. Seriously ... be honest with me ... nice cute kid being good, following the rules versus a mischievous one pushing your buttons: which one is going to get your attention every single time? I know what To View More >>

Your brand, either commercially is the some of all your parts. The way you look, the way you sound, what you do and how people perceive you. The fact that Brand is not just about a "logo" is hard for many people to understand, here I attempt to use the fire service as an example of how brands develop and live or die beyond just there name. It's hard to describe the Fire Service brand ... it's not constrained to one country, one organization or even one uniform. Each fire service feeds off the stories and identity of the next, but each retains its own approach to the emergency events they service. To View More >>

Ok what else can I say except, if you want to blow your mind go to www.ted.com. Ted is an annual conference of world class speakers sharing innovative ideas, telling stories and inspiring change. I mean everything is covered and many of the speakers from conferences over the last few years have put online for your enjoyment. Over the last few months I have listened and watched fascinated to speakers from Bill Clinton to Bono. I've been inspired by new ideas of social change in Africa, Seen Statistics brought to life in a fascinating graphical display. And learnt how my children will more than likely To View More >>

A few days ago I posted about how " I've always wanted to be the drummer boy ". I also hope that I continue to not take life to seriously. This is the sort of people I want to hang out with when I am older. To View More >>

I've just been out for a beer, a curry, and movie with my friend Joe. Always a very cool experience, and the conversation is always deep. Joe is an amazing man, someone I respect and admire and although more than capable of good humour and silliness he is also full of good advice. One of the things he often challenges me with is that he thinks I need to let up on myself, and give myself a break ... This is probably true, but what he doesn't realise is that my whole life I have wanted to be the drummer boy ... the person people follow ... inspiring enough to get them to jump into the unknown. I To View More >>

I am so often asked where I find my motivation, why do I do what I do and what is the vision I have for my life.< The truth is I'm not really certain ... Things just evolved over time ... I guess I am curious, want to have fun and grew up with the desire to do something legendary. I have great big goals for the distant future, a general idea of what the medium term will look like and a pretty good idea of what my focus will be over the next to 6 - 12 months. What surprises me most is how little some people know about themselves. They are on autopilot! Out of curiosity, I as ask them... What's your To View More >>