Simple gift makes a reel difference

OLD HAND: Peter Tibbs with his boyhook fishing reel.

Fishing lines for needy kids

Retired Masterton man Peter Tibbs vividly remembers family fishing trips when he was just a nipper.

The family would pile into their Ford 10 and travel from Lower Hutt to Castlepoint and other prime east coast fishing spots to try their luck.

"We never fished at Petone Wharf, which was just down the road; Dad only wanted to look out over the open ocean," said Mr Tibbs.

That was more than 65 years ago. The fishing gear Peter used then was simple, a wooden handle with a tapered top to wind fishing line on.

Swinging and casting the sinking by hand saw it fly almost as far as you could cast with a fishing rod.

Recently Peter and his wife Ann were asked if they could think of a gift small enough to fit into a shoebox for a Christian group to send to needy children in other countries.

With the well worn proverb of "give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach him to fish you feed him for life" in mind, Peter dug out his old fishing gear and found the fishing spool was exactly the right size.

He showed his mates at the Henley Men's Shed and a supply of them were turned by fellow shed member Phil Rowley.

They will go into boxes assembled for Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan's Purse, who distribute 10 million boxes each year.

That makes it the biggest child-focussed organisation in the world, says Masterton woman Jo Douglas, Wellington area co-ordinator.

She said said 234 boxes were assembled in Wairarapa last year. "This year we're aiming for 1000."

The organisation is Christian-based but now schools are becoming involved. New Zealand and Australia cover the South-East Asia and Pacific areas.

The shoeboxes are targeted according to the age of the child, and the fishing gear is for boys aged 10 to 14. Other items in the boxes include paper, pencils, toothbrush and soap, soft toys, necklaces etc.