Backyard Genius: Invention in the blood

Robert Cullen says his Gudgeon Genie means 'you can throw away your tape measure' and hang gates on your own. Picture / Paul Estcourt

Every family has its folklore. In Robert Cullen's case, it's all about inventions.

"Mum's dad was a family legend," he explains. "The story is that he was the one who actually invented the hollow concrete block. To prove they worked, he built a small shed out towards Marahemo [in Northland] and showed it to various people."

Sadly, "he couldn't afford a patent and when he died ... well, the rest is history."

Or myth. Either way, for Robert, a Maungaturoto farmer, the moral is clear: protect your ideas. And he has.

Not everything, mind. There's no patent on his kite-fishing line retriever, for instance. With a recycled shovel blade for grip and an old motor from a post-hole borer, it's very handy when your kite's carried the line a kilometre out to sea.

"Pulling it in manually, it's as heavy as hell," Robert says. "I can wind in 1000m in about 10 minutes with this."

There's plenty more "small time stuff" in his shed.

"I don't profess to be an engineer. I just come up with a few ideas now and again. It's all a bit of fun, you know."

Well, no, not always. Not with the Gudgeon Genie. Robert's very serious about that. This genie is definitely staying in his bottle.

"When I came up with this idea, I went to a patent attorney. They did a worldwide internet search to see if there's anything else around like it and there isn't, so I went ahead. One way or another, I'm going to put it into production, for sure. I've got the costs all worked out. It's just a question of convincing people how handy they are. And they are handy."

Good news for farmers like Robert, fencing contractors, lifestylers and anyone who hangs gates, particularly those with fixed hinges "because they're so bloody heavy".

Usually, two people have to lift a gate and hold it while the hinges are aligned with the strainer post and the right spot for at least one gudgeon pin is marked. Then the gate goes down, the tape comes out to measure the distance between the hinges - so the gudgeons match - before the gate's lifted a second time and finally hung.

But with the "100 per cent tax deductible, lightweight, no error" Gudgeon Genie "you can throw away your tape measure".

And you won't need two people, or two lifts either.

It's essentially an adjustable template (with gudgeons attached).

"You just lie the gate on the ground, position the genie, adjust it to suit, then level it off against your strainer, draw round the pins, drill your holes and you've got a perfectly hanging gate every time. There's no way in the world you can miss once those pins are locked."

Robert thinks he will display the genie at a few fieldays in 2005.

"It'll be interesting to see what feedback I get. It should definitely appeal to 10-acre-block people who've never hung a gate in their lives."

And others, like the local fencing contractor.

"He loves it. He uses it every day. He told me, 'Man, that thing is bloody bang on. It just speeds things up so much. You can hang a gate in no time'. He has it on his ute the whole time."

The challenge is getting more genies on more utes so this Cullen invention, unlike the blocks, is more than a hollow promise.