Errol Neal and friends hunted out a television signal from Wellington on Nelson's Princes Drive in 1963. The city's first TV reception from a set in the back of a van drew an eager crowd.

OBITUARY

Errol William Neal, born 1927, Rai Valley. Died June 9, 2017.

Errol William Neal was born in 1927 and raised during the Depression on a small Rai Valley dairy farm in Rimu Gully.

Nelson Provincial Museum Errol Neal and friends worked out that a TV signal was possible on Princess Drive.

His mother, Pearl, told the story of standing Errol in a redundant milk can for his safety while she helped with the milking and how he would disappear when the big animals started playing up, slowly raising his head above the rim when things settled down.

In 1936 the family moved to Levin, for his sister's health, where Errol attended Levin School and Horowhenua College.

His after school employment was with a local butcher where one of his tasks was to herd geese along a shed wall while the butcher waited around the corner with raised slasher ready to dispatch the big birds.

Nelson Provincial Museum "Uncle Aerial" and his friends risked being shut down by the authorities, but on several occasions invited locals to watch television.

He was briefly employed in Levin where his interest in radio started to develop. The fact that Levin was a significant air force navigation training base probably contributed to enhancing his interest in electro-magnetic waves.

In 1942, again for health reasons, the family moved to Nelson where Errol took up employment with Griffiths Radio, which operated from a building close to where Mid City Motels now stand.

In approximately 1947, he joined Civil Aviation Authority as a radio technician and soon after transferred to Wellington where, apart from his technical duties, he frequently took the opportunity to take trips on the fast patrol boat that was employed to assist with the take-off of TEAL's Sunderland flying boats out of Evan's Bay.

Driving at high speed across the bow of the flying boats reduced the capillary attraction which, on calm days, made take-off difficult.

Around the late 1940s he was sent to Nadi in Fiji to carry out technical work and returned to Nelson in the early 1950s working out of the airport tower.

One of his major tasks was the installation of equipment in what, at that time, was known as the Appleby beacon adjacent to Cotterell's Road. This beacon was positioned for the purpose of allowing aircraft to navigate the length of New Zealand.

It was always interesting to watch the vapour trails make a slight correction when over Appleby.

On the rare occasion of a power cut we would hear the comment, with great relief, that the big on-site standby generator had kicked in.

The Appleby tower was known as an NDB – Non Directional Beacon. Remnants of the tower and building are still in position on O'Connor's property.

The circular building on the side of the cycle track was part of the system. It was, and still is known as the VOR station, meaning Very High Frequency Omni Directional Radio Range. Its purpose was to assist in correcting sideways drift of aircraft.

This building is a segment of a grain silo that was sent out from the United States, packed with all the necessary navigation equipment.

In Errol's spare time he and his technical friends became involved in the fickle business of bringing a television signal from Wellington into Nelson.

Often they would find themselves at various locations around the area with a "signal strength meter" trying to determine the best position to set up a translator.

One particular spot was upper Princes Drive where they discovered a signal, strengthening at lunch time and then dying off. This was very puzzling until they realised that NAC's Viscount was passing over at 12.30pm and the weak signal out of Wellington was bouncing off the plane down to where they were getting a reading.

More investigation revealed a signal from Wellington which floated down the Maitai Valley and up to a very specific spot close to the top of Princes Drive.

Errol and his friends risked being shut down by the authorities, but they persevered and on several occasions invited the locals to watch television out of the back of the van. The locals provided their own couches for the roadside entertainment.

Eventually a translator shed was built with the help of Errol's father, Max and installed on the specific spot in 1963 adjacent to 312 Princes Drive – Nelson had TV.

Prior to this development, Errol had built his own TV based on a 120mm round cathode ray tube which were typically used in hospitals for patient monitoring and, described as having a green phosphor to them. Consequently the picture was green but you got used to it.

Errol knew that anything was possible. The infrequent pictures, that in summertime floated across the Tasman from Australia into the radio shack at 30 Thompson Terrace inspired him to persevere, and so he did.

Family members recall the excitement of watching the blurred image of a cricket match out of Sydney on the tiny green screen and the pride they felt in Errol's technical skills.

Errol transferred to the New Zealand Forest Service as a senior service technician responsible for the installation and maintenance of communications equipment.

He transferred to NZ Police which saw him doing similar work around New Zealand. This employment had a big influence on him and his family and so they moved back permanently to the Wellington area in the mid 1960s.

Finally he moved to Paraparaumu with his wife Joycelyn where he enjoyed a long and very close contact with his loving family.

His spartan formative years didn't stop him from grasping and enjoying the high-tech world that exploded around him. Photography and move-making were other interests. He was technically involved, along with many others, in a major production of the 1953 Queen's visit to Nelson.

"Uncle Aerial", as he was affectionately known by his nieces and nephews, gave three generations an insight into the wondrous world of radio communication.

However, his dedication to family and loyalty to his vocation did not stop him from enjoying the comforts of life. Be it housing or vehicles, he never failed to ensure that a good standard was set in everything he was responsible for. This attitude has clearly rubbed off on his children and grandchildren.

As an aside, on July 9, 1962 another event, which had a big but largely unknown effect on Nelson, was the detonation of a hydrogen bomb above Johnson Island.

Errol had become aware of the countdown that was taking place and duly conveyed the information to family members. Right on 9pm, as he said it would, the bomb exploded cutting out radio signals between New Zealand and Australia, setting off burglar alarms in Hawaii and unbelievably turning the Nelson sky a deep crimson interspersed with arches of white light.

In Errol's typical light-hearted style, while on the phone to his young brother, said, "Holy smoke – I think they've overdone it this time."

Quoting from official records, "The test resulted in a temporary alteration and intensity of the lower Van Allen Belt which created an artificial Aurora Borealis that could be seen across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to New Zealand."

Like all of us, there must have been dull moments in his life but he never displayed them. His determination to make positive progress for the right reasons was an inspiration to many. This attribute played an important part of the development of television into Nelson.

To finish off, we need to return to the 1940s. Errol also had a lifetime involvement in HAM amateur radio. Starting from 8 Endeavour Street in Nelson in 1947, the call sign ZL2MH would be sent out from the basement and often picked up even in other parts of the world.

To be able to sit and listen to this amazing method of communication was a gripping and novel experience for his supportive parents and siblings.

Latterly, in conjunction with other HAMs around the country, a daily routine of local weather reporting allowed him to continue being a valuable contributor to society.

Errol signed off for the last time on June 9.

By Kerry Neal and members of Errol's family.