Of all the COs, how could anybody fail to remember "Cyclone Rex" Manwaring!
He struck our congregation (Newmarket, in Brisbane) in mid-1976, when the disappointment of 1975 had caused the "unthinkable"
i.e. the congregation's average hours had fallen well below the magical figure of ten per month.
From him, we certainly heard a lot about "hours", and his favorite expression was that if we were not, in effect "persecuting" ourselves in our service, we were not doing our job properly!
With "Cyclone Rex" weilding the horsewhip, the congregation's hours did improve. However, in the process, he made himself extremely unpopular - to the point that nobody would invite he or his wife for a meal. The then Service Overseer had to have that "priviledge" all on his own!
Others here have noted Manwaring's rudeness of manner. I certainly second that one!
By contrast, the previous CO to thast circuit was a Geoff Slarke, who was of a totally different cut to "Cyclone Rex."
Talking of contrasts, do any in NZ still remember Don Malpasse (Gilead Graduate of 1973 - then CO, DO and finally Branch Overseer in New Zealand )? He, too, was cut out of the completly opposite material to Rex Manwaring!
Bill.