1981

I have a pretty good memory but one of nzs blackest events i CANNOT remember.  this of course was the imfamous riots associated with the springbok rugby team touring nz. i was 5 years old and had started skool.... this was back in the days of corporal punishment and primary skool was no exception.  i never got caned or strapped in my entire skool life but got the ruler at primary skool... and stood in the corner so many times lol.  i know it sounds barbaric nowadays that this sorta thing went on back then but i kid you not it wasn't seen like that back then... it was normal.... and totally acceptable. same at home. we were smacked as kids all the time when we were naughty...once again it was normal... and it worked... better than being run over by a car cos you were never disciplined for running onto the road in earlier incidents.  Sue Bradford dropped the ball on that... stupid move on her part... its not up to the state to tell parents how to raise their kids.

i was certainly no saint at skool and to be honest i'm amazed i escaped the strap and da cane.  Muldoon of course was PM.... interesting person.... oh the politics of the 80s... certainly weren't afraid to try stuff back then... even if it didn't work out.