Yes, its finally here. The book of Matthew Gray's much loved column of the same name in West Auckland's Western Leader. It brings together already-published stories, plus many many more, and all in full colour.
Matthew Gray really loves the West. So much so that he's spent many hours photographing many of the gravestones in the area's cemeteries, then digging deep through the dusty files and footnotes of history to uncover the rich vein of lives lived and lives lost. Its a fascinating read for all.
The people in the book are the famous, infamous, the unlucky, the tragic, the naughty and the nice. And Matthew has brought them all to life in gorgeous living colour.
As Sandra Coney writes in her Foreword:
"The history of early Auckland is one of adventure, struggle, larger than life characters and not a little human tragedy. Matthew Gray approaches this colourful legacy through graveyards. Like me, Matthew is a lover of cemeteries, and west Auckland is richly endowed with these windows on the past. ... Matthew has wandered through them all ... Through these personal stories we gain a better understanding of the life of Aucklanders ... For some time, readers of the Western Leader have been entertained and informed by Matthew's tales. Now, with many new additions, they are available in a more permanent form ... It is a great addition to the social history of Auckland."
And its an ideal gift for anyone in the family, especially anyone interested in genealogy. This is because it could be a treasure trove of ancestral discovery as well as a compendium of the times.
From Adams & Ornstein, and Aickin; through to Urquhart, and Wilson; this book brings 75 such fascinating histories to life. A easy and enjoyable read for all, young and old alike.
For example
ERRATA
1. Page 73. The captions for Charles Hawkins and James Cross grave stones should be swapped.
2. Page 116. The "Margaret" in paragraphs 4 and 5 should be "Myrtle".
3. Page 134. The "three young men" in the first paragraph should be "four young men".
These thanks to Richard Glover, Glen Eden.
