Funny Bone Stories

When I was a first year plumbing apprentice, I remember cracking open my first sewer manhole as there was a blockage (we call it a blockage but we gave it a love tap at the base and caused a crack that in turn made it leak). This man hole was part of the Brisbane International Airport expansion and standing on top of the pit with it open and all my qualified plumbers and leading hands standing below, I peered into the pit. To my amazement I saw lots of corn. At this stage, I am now very vocal about my discovery of finding corn in the sewer manhole. I yelled “Yay I found corn”.

Now with a crowd of plumbers watching me, we all laughed at the apprentice and in unison, responded “there’s always corn in a sewer”.  A little bit puzzled about the science of that and as to what I was looking at I responded with “but does it normally come in packets?”.

With tilted head, and puzzled looks on all of their faces, a bit like what dogs give us when we ask them stupid questions, suggested more description and investigation was required. So, my leading hand joined me on top of that pit and also proclaimed loudly, “yeah she’s right, packs of corn!”

Moments later all the plumbers that had been observing me were now standing on the pit edge peering in. Of course what better time for the site supervisor of our company to walk past, when all of us are standing up on the sewer manhole peering in. Needless to say he yelled at all of us, telling us all to get back to work and what are we all looking at. After finding out, he soon joined all of us up on that pit edge, peering in.

So, out there somewhere, there are some kids whose parents packed them a healthy treat for the plane ride with several convenient packs of corn, similar to our lunch bags when we went to school, but they disposed of down the toilet that had seven plumbers peering in to a sewer pit in amazement.

Kim K