‘She wants to talk to you about the reunion for the school 125th. She’ll want you to kick it off, I suppose.’ Nancy Lowe was the chair of the Boys’ High board and well known to Pearly. Who of note in the town wasn’t? Pearly knew everyone who mattered, to a greater or lesser degree. With most he was on good terms, with some there existed mutual wariness, with a few there was active competition, even animosity. Nancy was Chinese, but there was a grave in Cromwell that was proof of a longer Kiwi lineage than most of the Europeans around her. Her two sons had gone through the school, and both had been dux. Pearly admired the work ethic demonstrated by everyone in the family. Nancy’s husband owned the largest and most successful trucking company in the district.

‘Should be a good do,’ said Pearly, ‘and a boost for the town. ‘The 100th was a great success.’

‘Well, I remember there was a fair bit of drinking went on,’ said Helen. ‘Some chap broke a leg at the rugby game too. It was probably you who did it.’

‘Hugh Porteous. Old prick was never any good on the field, but he’s got tickets on himself. Just because he was a diplomat and always rabbiting on about countries no one else can pronounce. He’ll turn up for sure. Yes, the first time he was tackled he broke a leg and squealed like a stuck pig.’

‘There were other calls today,’ said Helen. ‘Mainly the usual complaints about services, and I told them to ring the appropriate council department, but a woman named Amy Ransumeen was insistent I tell you there’s been pollution again on the harbour park. She was keen that you go down there. Human pollution, she said.’

‘That won’t be happening,’ said Pearly.

Hugh Porteous’s name came up again later that evening when Pearly rang Nancy Lowe. She wanted him to be chairman of the organising committee for the 125th celebration. ‘Hugh Porteous among others was suggested,’ she said, ‘but the board felt that you were the obvious choice. You’re so good at planning and keeping a team on track, and you’ve got so many contacts that make things go smoothly without a lot of formal correspondence. You’d be ideal, Pearly, you know you would, and I do hope you can see your way clear.’

Pearly recognised the flattery in the invitation. He was accustomed to using such wiles himself to encourage someone to shoulder responsibility. The flattery was welcome nevertheless, and of course he was surely the obvious and best-qualified person for the job. He knew it would be a lot of work, especially onerous if he retained the mayoralty, but it would be fun, wouldn’t it, as well as worthwhile.

‘What with business and council I’m flat out already, as you know,’ he said.