• Howick and Pakuranga Times
THE DEER CULLERS. Author: Hans Willems. Publisher: Halcyon Publishing. RRP: $39.99 Times rating:
Without these people the nation’s conservation lands would not be in the heart they are today.
In his book, The Deer Cullers, Hans Willems reveals the thoughts, sentiments and tall stories of ex-cullers related to him over three years of interviews with “old shooters”.
One of the most high-profile deer cullers, Barry Crump, in his novel A Good Keen Man, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, painted what some consider a glorified version of life in the Back Country.
Willems, on the other hand, provides a down-to-earth look at the origins of the industry, the bureaucratic hurdles and primitive conditions the hunters lived under.
Deer control operations started in the 1930s in an effort to rid the back country of increasing herds of deer and other introduced game animals, such as wild goats and pigs.
Willems, in his dedication, says New Zealand owes the country’s ex-cullers, who have become an undeniable part of Kiwi folklore, a gratitude they’ve never received – neither from the country’s urban population nor from its successive governments.
Hunters, conservationists or people who have a deep appreciation of the back country will enjoy this book for its honest look at the work and lifestyle
CHANCE TO WIN
TO WIN a copy of Hans Willems’ book The Deer Cullers, tell us the name of the celebrity author who has written about life in the back country.
Write the answer and your details on the back of an envelope and post to: The Deer Cullers Competition, Times Newspapers Ltd, PO Box 259 243, Botany, Manukau 2163.
The book is liberally sprinkled with photographs, some 70 years old.
An unexpected highlight is the poetry, attributed and anonymous, which precedes each chapter and demonstrates the hidden depths of emotion and droll realism these rugged men felt for their profession.
Examples: “At the pearly gates a culler stood, his face was scarred and old. Like a lamb he stood, awaiting admittance to the fold. ‘What have you done,’ Saint Peter asked, ‘to gain admission here?’ ‘Been a culler sir,’ the man replied, ‘for many many years’. As the gates swung open wide, Saint Peter rang a bell. ‘Come on in my son,’ he said, ‘you’ve had your share of hell’.
“And I will remember the golden heights. Those beautiful clear and frosty nights. When I watched and waited for the red stag’s call. For they are the sweetest of them all.”
