218 pages of clean, crisp production, generous page layout, as in decent page margins, regular indented paragraphing and good editing with great images throughout. I mention this first off, as sometimes with these hunter turned author books, there is a tendency to have a great story to tell but they get it wrong with how the book is produced, as in endless and long winded recounts - too precious with the content, shoddy editing, small font and dense text. Well I'm pleased to say Brian's book is nicely put together, good editing, gets to the point and has great continuity with its content, chapters compliment each other as we read the memories and exploits of the employees of one company, Graham Stewart & Co. Ltd. And I quote here from the back cover:
"This is the story of John Graham Williams & Dennis Stewart Simpson who formed Graham Stewart & Co. Ltd. The people who did the hard yards, helicopter pilots, Cessna pilots, shooters, gutters, truck drivers, strip men and cooks. These were the men who formed this company. They were the best of the best men available at the time ... It was through the strong relationship between John Henham and John Williams that they were able to bond a team of men who pulled together and made the first successful helicopter venison recovery a reality. A lot of these men continued on and gave their expert advice freely so other companies working on venison recovery could succeed."
A note from me: there were a few women in there too! Who are duly mentioned in the book, lets not forget their contribution.
The company existed from 1965-1968 and were pioneers of the venison recovery industry. Brian always wanted to tell this story. We talked by phone yesterday so I could get a bit more info on how he gathered all the material together. He explained the bulk of it came from three South Island trips by car, visiting past employees, where he was often shown old photos and slides, and as he mentioned also, to physically go and meet these people and talk in person allowed time for these stories to unfold and for other material such as the images to be shared. Nine years later and all his hard work has paid off, the books selling well, 300 for the first print gone already, and into the second print run. Available through some Paper Plus stores and online at several sites, three listed below.
Its well worth a read. Pioneering techniques, along with first hand retelling of some hair raising exploits. The logistics of keeping the business afloat, all the cogs in the machine turning, and how brutal and on edge it could all get, dealing with so many aspects, and variables such as helicopters and mountains and weather. The company had no template to guide them, they were figuring it out as they went, reading these first person accounts you get a strong sense of the unfolding, and being there with them for the ride.
As stated on the cover: Brian Conroy & Friends, is a nice touch, without Brian's vision of bringing it all together and without the contribution of stories it couldn't have happened. Another interesting account of dogged determination preserved from our great kiwi past. And great to see its been printed in New Zealand by The Copy Press, Nelson. Nice to see a Made in New Zealand logo on the back cover.
Well done Brian and friends.
Brian's already underway with his second publication, on the first foot shooters and helicopters in South Westland, with content on Vic and Frank Erceg.
Three online book sellers:
Interview with Brian from Stuff 17 December 2015:
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