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Mistica · 21st Feb 2018, 10:40 am

Wow! My friend and I were reminiscing about my father tonight, when we started googling the old factories and I happened upon this forum.
Rodney H. Hatfield was my father and he would have been tickled pink to know people were still talking about his work.

Forgive my intrusion to your forum, but seeing some of you were wondering about the history and what happened to my father's work, I will tell you.

When I was a child, Dad was invited by the New Zealand government to start a business in N.Z. Going to N.Z was a dream of his ever since chatting with a soldier from world war 1. As a family we were not keen to go, but in those days, the families followed the head of the household. In Dec 1970 we landed on NZ shores and went to live in Napier, where Dad already had his business set up and running. Hatfield Industries Ltd, (Instruments was in the UK).He used to divide his time between NZ and the UK, trying to manage both businesses, but it was not feasible long term, so he decided to sell the UK based factory, Hatfield Instruments Ltd.

In 1985 Dad suffered a near fatal heart attack. At the age of 75, he decided he should sell his Napier based factory because it would be a difficult task for the rest of the family should he actually die.

One of my brother's had obtained his Electronic Degree by that time and together they continued the much smaller business - Hatfield Agencies. If memory serves, they did very little creative projects as competing with the larger companies would not have been feasible, They concentrated on mini stabilisers.

Over the years, Dad slowed down but was still active. In the last couple of years prior to his death, he started working on a device that would prevent inebriated drivers from starting their vehicles. It was never completed.

His love of all things radio did not diminish and he tinkered with projects at home.

Unfortunately a brain tumour took his life in 1993 at the age of 82.

Dad was a unique gentleman who's creative mind and passion for life never waned.
He helped develop Radar during WW2 and his curiosity for the field was further fuelled.

As far as I know, Electronic Engineers, as such, no longer exist and have been absorbed into other industries.

He would have been intrigued and honoured that his work continues to arouse the interest of the younger generation.

I do hope I have not broken any forum rules and that some of this is of interest to the vintage radio world.

21st Feb 2018, 10:40 am	#12
Mistica Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Posts: 3	Re: Hatfield Instruments, Ltd. History? Wow! My friend and I were reminiscing about my father tonight, when we started googling the old factories and I happened upon this forum. Rodney H. Hatfield was my father and he would have been tickled pink to know people were still talking about his work. Forgive my intrusion to your forum, but seeing some of you were wondering about the history and what happened to my father's work, I will tell you. When I was a child, Dad was invited by the New Zealand government to start a business in N.Z. Going to N.Z was a dream of his ever since chatting with a soldier from world war 1. As a family we were not keen to go, but in those days, the families followed the head of the household. In Dec 1970 we landed on NZ shores and went to live in Napier, where Dad already had his business set up and running. Hatfield Industries Ltd, (Instruments was in the UK).He used to divide his time between NZ and the UK, trying to manage both businesses, but it was not feasible long term, so he decided to sell the UK based factory, Hatfield Instruments Ltd. In 1985 Dad suffered a near fatal heart attack. At the age of 75, he decided he should sell his Napier based factory because it would be a difficult task for the rest of the family should he actually die. One of my brother's had obtained his Electronic Degree by that time and together they continued the much smaller business - Hatfield Agencies. If memory serves, they did very little creative projects as competing with the larger companies would not have been feasible, They concentrated on mini stabilisers. Over the years, Dad slowed down but was still active. In the last couple of years prior to his death, he started working on a device that would prevent inebriated drivers from starting their vehicles. It was never completed. His love of all things radio did not diminish and he tinkered with projects at home. Unfortunately a brain tumour took his life in 1993 at the age of 82. Dad was a unique gentleman who's creative mind and passion for life never waned. He helped develop Radar during WW2 and his curiosity for the field was further fuelled. As far as I know, Electronic Engineers, as such, no longer exist and have been absorbed into other industries. He would have been intrigued and honoured that his work continues to arouse the interest of the younger generation. I do hope I have not broken any forum rules and that some of this is of interest to the vintage radio world.