Somebodies and Nobodies

This is the story of a typical Dunedin childhood, surrounded by 'nobodies' - an extended family of eccentric relatives, and neighbours, who made a huge impact on a young mind. It's also the story of a not-so typical family that was fanatical about sport - cycling, hockey, cricket, golf, fishing - and went on to produce top-ranking sportsmen. It's also the story of the growth of one of this country's most-loved poets. It shows three boys who became somebodies, but no better nor worse than the nobodies who inspired them. This is Brian Turner's view of his world, the landscape he was surrounded by, the principles he was taught, his own sporting achievements, the early development of his brothers, his time in Customs and entry into the world of books. Born in Dunedin in 1944, Brian's interests include reading and writing, sailing, cycling, mountaineering, fly fishing for trout, golf caddying, cricket and hockey (most sports, actually). He played hockey for New Zealand in the 1960s; senior cricket in Dunedin and Wellington; and was a veteran road cyclist of note. His mountaineering experience includes an ascent of a number of major peaks including Mt Cook.;He's written hundreds of columns and reviews for daily and weekly newspapers, articles, given radio talks, written scripts for TV programmes. His publications include cricket books with his brother Glenn, the former NZ cricket captain, essays, books on fishing, the high country, and eight collections of poetry. The first, Ladders of Rain, was joint winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize; a later book, Beyond, won the 1993 NZ Book Award for Poetry. He was Robert Burns Fellow at the University of Otago in 1984, was awarded a Scholarship in Letters in 1994, and was Writer in Residence at the University of Canterbury in 1997. He won the NZ Journalists Union Dulux Award for Sport Writing in 1975.