NZOH Jock Murdoch Tribute

NZOH Oct/Nov Issue
with my tribute to Jock Murdoch

Jock Murdoch 1925-2013

I've had a great month interviewing Southlanders for the article on Jock Murdoch. Jock was involved in the deer industry from the Internal Affairs days - early 1950s, when he started as a government culler, through to the very successful venison recovery and deer farming era in the 1970- 80s.

Its been a wonderful opportunity to talk to those that came after Frank. Late 1960s and the early 70s was a time of great adventure with the advent of helicopters and the export venison market hitting a high. 

I've always wanted to talk to people such as Jeff Carter and Dick Decker. I also corresponded with Sir Tim Wallis who employed Jock with his Fiordland operations.  Jock had a broad knowledge and understanding of deer and their habits, and he acted as a consultant and mentor to many in the industry, including Tim, who told me how Jock gave him the confidence to expand a very successful family company, one that still thrives today. 

One very interesting piece of information that came to light during my research was, that in 1980 while checking some possum lines deep in the Glen Echo Valley, Southland, Jock found the remains of a moa.  To this day its the only specimen of Anomalopteryx Didiformis (Bush Moa) found with skin and feather remains still attached. It's on permanent display at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill. You can read more about Jock's Moa and the man himself in NZOH magazine out 1st October.

Jock was a pioneer in the industry and its fitting to remember him in this tribute. 

Jock Murdoch 1950s.

The A Team

From left: Shaun Barnett, Louise, Chris Maclean and Rob Brown at
Going West Books and Writers Festival 2013

Thanks to Murray Gray, the Director of Going West Festival for bringing us together for the Going Bush session on September 14th. Couldn't have been a better bunch, definitely the A Team!

We are all so passionate about what we do. We shared the stage for 90 minutes the conversation flowed and the audience loved every minute of it. It was so inspiring, the entire weekend was inspirational, as Shaun said, his synapses were firing on all four cylinders, mine too, what brain food, hearing all the other writers speak.

For me personally, meeting Shaun, Chris and Rob has really pulled the whole Frank project into focus. I'm now super charged to get the manuscript completed, and having broadened my network of supporters to include these awesome guys is so exciting, its the best possible outcome I could have hoped for.

Other news:
I'm now officially an associate member of the New Zealand Deer Cullers Inc:

http://www.nzdeercullers.org.nz/


Being the niece of Frank Erceg certainly helps, plus they are very aware of all the work I do relating to Frank and the deer cullers history in NZ. I'm honoured to be accepted into this organisation and looking forward to getting to their next reunion early next year and conducting some on the spot interviews.

This weekend I'm heading down to Whakatane to meet one of New Zealand's foremost representational landscape artists Johnathan White.

http://www.jonathanwhite.co.nz/

Johnathan became close friends with Mike Palmer ex culler and a good mate of Frank's. Mike shared many stories with Johnathan in his later life and I've always regretted not being able to talk with Mike myself, who died before I got into all this. Mike was a very interesting person, he used to carry a gramophone into his blocks and apparently you knew when Mike was around as Beethoven's symphonies sounded through the valleys.

I'm looking forward to meeting Johnathan and will share some of the weekend when I return.

Until then, thanks for stopping by, the billy's on the boil, gotta go...and take care where ever you are.

Louise.

Going West Books & Writers Festival

Exciting news! I'm on a panel at the Going West Books & Writers Festival. Alongside Chris Maclean, author of Stag Spooner, Wild Man from the Bush, also Rob Brown and Shaun Barnett two of the three authors from Shelter from the Storm, The Story of New Zealand's Backcountry Huts.

We will be sharing the stage for 90 minutes, chatting about some of the extraordinary but lesser known characters of the New Zealand wilderness, backcountry huts, rock bivs, camp oven bread - anything wilderness could be thrown into the conversation.  I'll be talking about Frank and his deer culling mates, sharing  anecdotes and stories from my research and interviews.  There will also be visual presentations; so a nice mix of info to sit back and absorb.

Come along folks, to Titirangi Community Hall, 12 -1.30 pm September 14. Here's more about Chris, Shaun and Rob and also check out the other great events and booking details via the links:

http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/EN/newseventsculture/events/Events/Pages/goingwestfestival2013.aspx

http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/store/stag-spooner-wild-man-from-the-bush

http://www.craigpotton.co.nz/store/shelter-from-the-storm


Cheers and I'll be back again soon.
Louise.

Write, write, write...

Front Door,  Christchurch house.

I have recently completed an edit of some of the manuscript with the assistance from another writer, a good friend who happens to be a published author and a brillant editor, its been so helpful to have someone with such a keen eye look over the work, cleaning up sentences and paragraphs and working on the layout.

Very happy with the results and sent off sample chapters last week to the publisher. This is the second time I've sent the manuscript through to them, this latest is after some very constructive suggestions from them last year.

So, now its wait and see, and keep working on the other chapters. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it this afternoon.

Yesterday I received an email from a visitor to the blog, he lives in Rarotonga. He remembers reading about Frank in various hunting books and grew up in the South Island, always nice to get feedback.

Jeez its now 4pm, I've been sitting by the fire having cups of tea and pissing around, oh dear I better go and at least get some work done!

More later...nows its write, write, write.

Frank Erceg Day Landsborough 2013

Frank Erceg Day in the Landsborough May 2013. Photo by Kevin Whitelaw. Kevin spent six days with fellow hunting mate Richie Gorringe in the upper Landsborough, Central Otago.

At their base camp they paid homage to various hunters of days past including:
Major Belper, Con Hodgkinson, Rex Dunning, Major Robert Wilson and Captain Carlyon.

During their trip they secured two tahr trophies, Kevin's at 12 and 1/2" and Richie's 13" photo below.

Last week while in Christchurch I meet up with Kevin, over coffee we yarned about the Landsborough trip and books we had been reading. Kevin kindly gave me a copy of Brian Turner's Into The Wider World, A Backcountry Miscellany. Reading it now and very much enjoying it. As we sat and talked the hail came down outside, it turned into a cold snap with snow on the Port Hills and the plains the next morning.
I spent the weekend at a family Bach in Amberley North Canterbury, on Saturday night we stuck a candle in the first empty wine bottle (yeah there were a few more to follow, it was a great night by the fire) and sent blessings to Frank and Johnny, as June 01 marks the day of their death in1965.

Thanks for the pics Kevin.

Whats Up?

Well I'm writing, writing, writing....up to 20,000 words on the manuscript rewrite. Have taken the advice of a potential publisher and their interest in the book, emphasis on "potential" it aen't no done deal yet!
Taken all the raw material, transcripts, letters, anecdotes, etc etc, and finally found a way into the story... looking for an in, some sort of portal, threshold, door. Looking and wandering through the forest of words all the time thinking to myself, there's got to be a way into the story somewhere. A beginning, a good hook that gets the reader turning the first page before they even register they've read four or five paragraphs.  I'm very pleased with it thus far. It reads so much better, got a good flow.

So, I'm on my way... again. And thats the nature of writing, I've said it before and yeah I'll say it again, its all about tenacity, holding on to the dream, the goal, never giving up. Never. Was going to spell that in capitals...

NEVER GIVE UP

Like a true soldier I'll see the campaign through and I'm loving the revisiting of all the interviews and all the amazing people I've spoken too. I treat that part of it very seriously, they have given their time and  said use whatever you need, including sending old maps, photos and precious momentos. They have bestowed all onto me and I feel very privileged. I feel too, being Franks niece and being a woman in a mostly male domain regarding the subject matter - this has endeared me to a lot of these old fellas. And I know my subject, I can keep up with them, they appreciate that I do. 

For me its not about the hunting. I'm interested in social history and how our collective past is shaped by specific historic activities and occupations that dont exist anymore. Thats what my passion is and thats what drives me. Its the stories from everyday people that inspire me as a writer. 

Been reading Rex Forrester books. He has some interesting thoughts on the deer cullers personality, and interestingly I have just been writing that section in the manuscript. My interview with Gerald Goodger touches on the same thoughts.  That they were mostly outcasts, some shy, some antisocial, they were good at being left alone, didn't like being told what to do, liked to explore and forge their own paths. 

Upon the upland road

Ride easy stranger

Surrender to the sky

Your heart of anger

JK Baxter

That's the ones that made it past the first season. The stayers. Jack Wildermoth remembers new recruits hightailing it out of the bush in droves. He'd pass them on the tracks never to return. He did eighteen seasons, he knows some things. And Jack's one of my all time favourite cullers, he's an absolute salt of the earth guy. Tough as they come with a heart as big as a camp oven. He started out working in the Westcoast coal mines at sixteen. His father died and he had to provide for his mother and younger sister. Thats what I'm talking about. Thats what drives me. 

I interviewed Jack at his home with my mum knitting on his sofa. I said to mum, 'could be a long day, Jack likes to talk, bring your crossword book and your knitting.'

Well I have to go, got a book to write. Its been the longest hiatus between posts ever, but the traffic is still constant from around the globe. Thank you everyone, and remember to look back through the old posts, there's some good stories and photos to check out.

Louise x