'Different world': Richness of Little River childhood revisited

Le Bons Bay resident John Stuart has published a book about his childhood in Little River in the 1950s and 1960s. Gary Brittenden casts his eye over it.

If you grew up in 1950s and 1960s rural New Zealand, you don’t have to be told what a different world it was back then.

John Stuart, one of Banks Peninsula’s most well-known and respected characters, grew up in Little River and now lives in Le Bons Bay. Having recently retired at 75, John has put together a collection of stories that begin with his 1950s Little River childhood and wind their way through a rich and varied life.

Stuart is not just a great storyteller – he is also a very good writer. The appeal of this book does not just lie in the wonderful adventures he had as a young lad, but also in his writing, which has a touch of magic about it. There is a softness and simplicity of style and a pervading gentle humour that echoes Roald Dahl’s Boy and Bill Bryson’s stories of his youth in The Thunderbolt Kid.

The first section of the book takes us to the long-lost world of a rural, post-war childhood. For Stuart and his ‘cobbers’ (such a 1950s word) it was a time of innocence and freedom. They lived in a place where the imagination ruled supreme. The adventures they got up to will bring misty eyes to those who shared this time, and incredulity to those who didn’t. Health and safety officers, read at your peril!

After his school days Stuart went to university, was conscripted into the army, and played rugby at a high level for his beloved Banks Peninsula club, of which he is now patron.

“During the 1972 season I reached the pinnacle of my rugby career. I was selected for trials for the Canterbury country rugby team.

“At the first lineout, I found myself marking the fearsome All Black Grizz Wyllie. This is great, I thought. But as I attempted to impose myself on him, he stepped back and fetched me a solid clout to the head.

“My enthusiasm waned for quite some time.”

Stuart was also a very able rower, gaining a couple of thirds at the nationals and beating a few Olympic rowers along the way.

His interests were not just confined to the blood, sweat and tears of the sports field. He also trod the boards with the local drama club, which led to being offered a part in a movie that was to be filmed in Akaroa.

“I was offered a speaking part – that of a drunken sailor. Perhaps it was considered a role I had some experience with.

“Unfortunately, Actors Equity objected to having a non-union member playing the part and I was replaced by pop star Ray Wolf. That was the beginning and end of my movie career.”

Stuart was a teacher in Akaroa for many years and was renowned for his storytelling ability.

This was followed by a stint with the Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust, running predator trap lines in the isolated ‘wild side’ of the peninsula.

The book, simply titled, My life and other stories is full of wonderful tales of all these times, originally handwritten in a notebook for his grandchildren. A couple of friends and neighbours had a read and persuaded Stuart – after some lively discussion – to publish. This is a wonderful book and deserves to be widely read.

• My life and other stories is available in Akaroa at Pot Pourri and the Akaroa Museum, and the Little River Gallery. Smith’s bookshop in The Tannery will also have copies.