Book - An Accidental Bushman
An Accidental Bushman
The Making of a Forest Ranger
Growing up in small town Taranaki, Ross just knew that he enjoyed hunting, hiking, trapping, fishing & exploring the back-country of New Zealand.
In "An Accidental Bushman" (the prequel to his New Guinea book "Cannibals, Crocodiles and Cassowaries") Ross tells about some of the incorrigible larrikins, precarious predicaments & hair-raising exploits that shaped his training & early career as a Forest Ranger in New Zealand.
Ross has a way of telling a story that draws you into the moment & sweeps you along with the action. There are plenty of laughs (some at Ross’s expense) & enough scrapes & shenanigans to make you wonder how Ross ever survived to write the book!
"An Accidental Bushman" sometimes reads like a hilarious instruction book of what not to do, with many of Ross’s ill-fated adventures stemming from what simply seems like a good idea at the time—like his disastrous introduction to boating with no experience, no safety gear, and ultimately no working engine! Ross makes a habit of crashing vehicles, manufactures cyanide possum bait (and lives to tell the tale), gets seriously lost in the bush, spends a night in a haunted hut, gets marooned on a river island amidst swirling floodwaters, contracts hypothermia & survives some memorable culinary disasters. It’s clear that without his uncanny knack of always falling on his feet, Ross wouldn’t be with us to tell these stories today.
Ross also shares yarns of the colourful bunch of larrikins with whom he trained, worked, hunted & socialised, regaling us with tales of interrupted trysts, foul revenge, forest fires, thieving wildlife, crippling hangovers, poaching, parties & motorised mayhem.
The book includes some 60 photographs from Ross’s vast collection which richly illustrate his writing.
A thoroughly enjoyable read written in a warm intimate Kiwi style.
Settle in for another book of rip-roaring adventures that’s as hard to put down as the last one!
For more information go to the author’s website: www.rosslockyer.co.nz...
Available on TradeMe by clicking on the following link: www.trademe.co.nz...
Price $28 + postage
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Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.6% Yes
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14% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.