To add, in passing, a simple claim to fame: one of my rescuers, Paul Donoghue, is now a Bishop! I don't get rescued just by anyone.

Waimarama. Mon. 25th Jan. ’71. Dear Mum & Dad, Gosh! I suddenly realized that I’ve already been back for 2 weeks & haven’t written yet. Thanks very much for the holiday! It was really tremendous coming home. It was very hot on the bus coming back. Robert Devlin was the only other student on the bus. Hawkes Bay was very green (greener than Wellington) because they had had a lot of rain. Greenmeadows had had 5” in the week previous to my getting back. I see where Vincent Alisae died on the last Sunday I was home. Did you know that Bro. Augustine died? He had taught Physics & Ad-Maths at Silverstream for many years. He died suddenly at St. Bede’s of a heart attack. His funeral was at “Futuna”. I came out to Waimarama last Thursday week. We have had reasonable weather. Our new member on the Seminary Staff – Fr. Kevin Roach – is out at Camp at the moment. He is short & round, laughs a lot, speaks half a dozen languages! & will teach history. He’s been in Rome for quite a while. I’ve been on 2 Conges so far & the binoculars are tremendous on them because we have to climb so many hills. On the first Conge I went to Cray Bay which is only a small bay a couple of miles south of Waimarama. On the other Conge I went to Kairakau to see the Shernings. I saw Brendan Sherning. He got his School Cert. in all 5 subjects. He was helping his father catch sheep when we were there. Michael Pervan – who’s just back from “Highden” – has been showing me how to paint – but I’m not at all good at it. I hope that Francie is still writing her diary every day. I haven’t missed a day yet. Fr. Hickey – the new Rector – came out to Camp for a few hours the other day & I met him for the first time. He’ll take over when the Aspirants arrive. Mrs. Hallagan & Fr. Atkins have been staying out at Waimarama for the last 2 weeks. They have gone now. I went down to see them last Saturday. Mrs. Hallagan sends her regards to you. The other day I was swimming & my limbs went all stiff!! The beach goes like this:- Normally you can walk across the fairly deep channel & get onto the sand bar where all the good surf is. Well I was on the sand bar with 2 others & we were slowly drifting sideways along the beach. I body surfed on one wave & it put me in the channel (which normally happens). The only difference was that my limbs went all stiff & I could hardly breath - & I couldn’t touch the bottom. Paul Donoghue & Kevin Mowbray slowly pushed me ashore – about 20 yds. across the channel. It was a hard job because the waves kept crashing over our heads. But we made it - & my muscles were all tight. John Jolliffe says that he reckons that your muscles can go all stiff & weak like that if when you’re in the water you put your legs down & find you can’t touch the bottom. It’s like walking up or down the stairs in the dark & you think that there’s an extra step! Anyway – I never drowned. Well, I can’t think of any more news. I’ve got the rug that France & Leo gave me on my bed. It looks very nice. Love from Bruce

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