The book takes shape...

Some research material, that B&W photo is my dad and Frank in Wellington 1950s.

Well its crunch time, there's enough material amassed to begin looking at the book format and start writing. That includes transcribing all the interviews - and I won't know the gaps in my research until I start formulating chapters and arranging the content, and there are gaps.
There's not much on Frank as a child growing up in the King Country near Taumarunui, and his early years out in the world. For that I have family. A few years ago I gave mum a journal and said, 'mum just write whatever comes to mind about growing up, home life, school, anything.' She's a very good writer and has filled pages with wonderfully detailed stories of these years, some of this will be great for setting the scene so to speak for a chapter on childhood years. I've contacted the Taumarunui Historical Society for any information on the Erceg's and also how life would have been for a family of eight living rurally in the 1930-40s in that region.

Also, my trip to Croatia in the 1990's will assist with origins of the Erceg family, the ancestral homeland, a mountainous region bordering Croatia and Bosnia, thinking about how they were and still are, such a hardy bunch, physically tough, stubborn, tenacious, focused on acheiving goals, artistic, athletic, (Abby Erceg the football player comes to mind). Their love of the outdoors. Generally speaking here of course, but there does seem to be certain traits running through the generations, like being content with their own company; and all this adds to surviving in extreme situations such as being a Deer Culler, Mountaineer, River Ranger (oldest brother Joc Erceg on the Whanganui River) or trotting off over mountains from South Westland to Wanaka, to meet mates at the pub for New Years Eve. Yes Frank did do that at least once.

There's  loads to do.  I'm still interviewing people, spoke to John Van Tunzelmann today, ex Deer Culler and Field Officer, he shared a few stories that were useful and he's sending up a few  slides to scan. There's the Freelance magazines to find, I have no idea what issues Frank submitted photography too, are they at the Alexander Turnball Library? Are they digitised? Dave Richardson NZFS Archivist thinks they might be, spoke to him today, or can I view them in hard copy at the Auckland Libraries? Dunno, but its on the list.
And I'd love to get my hands on any old hut books, apparently the Cullers signed in at each hut and some times wrote extra notes in the margins, provocative things, started rumours, told jokes etc. I heard once Doc came along, a lot of this material got biffed, and loads went up in a fire in Wellington, bloody shame. But in true Erceg style I will do my damnedest to find old letters, diaries, hut books, rifles, empty shells, army biscuits, (well maybe not the biscuits) but pretty much anything to add flavour and show the story as well as tell it.

So for now, its creating chapter headings and content and write, write, write.