Taupō local reflects on life with memoir

Shaw said that completing his book, Get up Blue Four!, was a great chance to reflect on an eventful life.

Condensing 91 years of memories is a tall order, especially when they’ve been as eventful as Jim Shaw’s.

A career in the Air Force, decades as a commercial pilot and even a stint as a farmer, meant the Wharerangi resident had plenty of inspiration to draw upon.

The result is the memoir “Get up Blue Four!”, a reflection on the retired pilot’s life which began in Wellington in 1932.

Aeroplanes were a recurring feature in his life, beginning from his school days in the shadow of the airfield which would later become Wellington Airport.

“Rongotai College was right next to the airport and I was just fascinated by the aeroplanes.

“One day, one of the aircraft flew over so low that it broke all the windows in our classroom.

“It looked like a good job to me!”

Leaving school, he went straight into the Air Force - his call sign inspired the book’s name - which took him to Europe and Africa.

A career with National Airways Corporation (which later merged with Air New Zealand) followed, as well as a marriage to the love of his life Val, and the birth of his three children, Gill, Fiona and Geoff.

From 1970-1972, Shaw flew with All Nippon Airways from Tokyo, as seen in his Japanese pilot's ID card.

Unsurprisingly, his work as a commercial pilot took him to far-flung destinations.

More unusually, his family accompanied him on some of these trips, including upping sticks to live in Japan for two years when his services were leased to All Nippon Airways.

The entire family loved the experience, he said.

“That would probably be the highlight of everything.”

Jim Shaw (second from left) was among the crew selected to fly the Queen on her visit in 1963.

Even when working in New Zealand, there was plenty of adventure to be had and Shaw was chosen as First Officer to fly both the Thai and British royals in the early 1960s.

On leaving Air New Zealand in 1982, Shaw took up garlic farming on Auckland’s North Shore.

Jim Shaw racked up over 20,000 hours - well over two years - of total flying.

The call of flying was too strong, and he soon found himself back at the flight deck, with a short-term job flying to the Pacific Islands.

“That job was supposed to be 10 weeks - it ended up being 18 months.

“Before I knew where I was I had another job.”

In total, Shaw racked up more than 20,000 hours, or well over two years, of flying time.

Retirement wasn’t an excuse to stop being active, with gliding, motorcycling and golf filling Jim and Vals’ days - especially after their move to Kinloch in 2000.

After Val’s death eight years ago, Jim moved into the new Wharerangi facility in Taupō's CBD, where he lives today.

Authoring the book from his retirement home was a great way to reflect on a life well lived, he said.

“I struggled with the last chapter, to finish it off, but when I did, I was quite proud of myself, actually.”

Taupō-based editor Alison Harrington and printer Quality Prints worked with Shaw, making the book a locally-produced work.

It has sold well by word of mouth, with Oceania Healthcare buying up a copy for Wharerangi’s library.

• A limited run of “Get Up Blue Four!” has been produced. If you are interested in purchasing a copy for $45, contact news@taupoturangiherald.co.nz for details.