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The River is my Highway.
A New Zealand Forest Ranger in the Jungles of Borneo.
Living and working in the remote Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Ross Lockyer had never heard about Indonesia. Yet in 1973, he was offered a forestry supervisor’s job based in Samarinda, Indonesian … View moreThe River is my Highway.
A New Zealand Forest Ranger in the Jungles of Borneo.
Living and working in the remote Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG), Ross Lockyer had never heard about Indonesia. Yet in 1973, he was offered a forestry supervisor’s job based in Samarinda, Indonesian Borneo, and fell in love with the place on his first day.
Ross worked on the rivers and in the remote jungles of Indonesian Borneo for the next five years, quickly learning local languages, immersing himself in the Indonesian way of life, and learning the ways of the mighty Mahakam River and the Makassar Straits on which he spent most of each working day.
Compared to pre-independence PNG, living in isolated Samarinda seemed like the height of luxury to Ross, although coming from sparsely populated PNG, Ross’s first experience of Samarinda was a true assault on the senses with its crowds of people, dozens of mosques, crazy drivers, and myriad overpowering smells. Yet overlooking the city was the new and illustrious Lamin Indah Hotel, which boasted a classy bar and restaurant and attractive and sophisticated female staff from Java, in particular the beautiful Lestari—surely a Java Princess!
The third book in the adventurous series about Ross’s life, The River is my Highway brings to life a whole new series of exploits, including provoking and then assuaging a local war, single-handedly destroying village ablution facilities with a speed-boat and facing a barrage of nasty consequences, hunting local wild-life in the most committed way imaginable, loading log-ships at sea, smuggling hi-fi gear, searching for log pirates, and fronting up to the Dayak Queen. Between escapades, Ross somehow finds time to get married and start a family.
This book includes some 75 photographs from Ross’s vast collection which richly illustrate his writing.
Get ready for more colourful, laugh-aloud yarns from the master story-teller who brought you An Accidental Bushman and Cannibals, Crocodiles and Cassowaries. Once you start reading, you won’t want to put this book down!
For more information go to the author’s website: www.rosslockyer.co.nz...
This book is available on TradeMe by clicking on the following link: www.trademe.co.nz...
Price is $28 + postage
Meanwhile, Back in the Jungle…
Living and working in New Zealand in the 1980s isn’t much fun when there are leech-infested jungles somewhere out there to be explored and isolated tribespeople to befriend. So when Ross Lockyer’s mate, Swampy, telephones him with a job offer that seems like … View moreMeanwhile, Back in the Jungle…
Living and working in New Zealand in the 1980s isn’t much fun when there are leech-infested jungles somewhere out there to be explored and isolated tribespeople to befriend. So when Ross Lockyer’s mate, Swampy, telephones him with a job offer that seems like simple madness, Ross jumps at the chance to escape civilization yet again.
In his latest book, Ross heads into the remote, unmapped jungles of Indonesian West Papua (Irian Jaya) to set up a base camp from which to survey and establish a new forestry concession. He’s spotted the perfect camp site from the air, but there’s nowhere to land an aircraft, so first he must find his way to it by water, riding a drum of avgas in an overloaded dug-out canoe into the unknown, across the open sea and up a tangle of crocodile-infested, mangrove-clogged creeks. And that’s just the start of it!
The new concession is located in an area where there are no roads, no communications, few villages, and no airstrips—only dense jungle inhabited by a few small, primitive, nomadic tribes, some of whom still practice cannibalism and head hunting. There are no maps, no doctors, and no trappings of civilization. It’s just the way Ross likes it! And with the only decent bathing spot around infested with crocodiles, thousands of miles of jungle to lose his survey crews in, and a mysterious Papuan with blood on his hands for a body-guard, what could possibly go wrong?
Ross is in for some real eye-openers this time, experiencing the miracles of modern medicine, eating bizarre bush tucker, meeting jungle tribespeople so isolated they have never seen a white man before, and narrowly avoiding death on numerous occasions. Then there’s the flood that threatens to wipe out all he’s worked for.
And when that’s all sorted to his satisfaction and life begins to get a bit cushy, it’s time to take on the jungles and tigers of Sumatra. Throw in the odd corrupt official, heart-stopping boat ride in the dark, wild buffalo encounter, a round-the-world trip with more trips across the Argentinian-Brazilian border than Ross cares to remember, and trouble with the Sumatran locals, and surely it’s time for Ross to bring his wife and kids over to join in the fun!
Get ready for more hilarious and heart-stopping tales from the author of An Accidental Bushman, Cannibals, Crocodiles and Cassowaries and The River is my Highway. This time the yarns go global!
This book contains some 100 photographs from Ross’s vast collection, which richly illustrate his writing.
For more information go to the author's website: www.rosslockyer.co.nz...
This book is available on TradeMe by clicking on the following link: www.trademe.co.nz...
Price $28 + postage.
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 … View moreAn 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
Did you know you can enjoy a cooler finish with Resene CoolColour Planning to use a dark coloured paint or wood stain on your home?
Choose a Resene CoolColour finish that will help reflect more heat and keep your place cooler.
Available in a wide range of colours and products from your … View moreDid you know you can enjoy a cooler finish with Resene CoolColour Planning to use a dark coloured paint or wood stain on your home?
Choose a Resene CoolColour finish that will help reflect more heat and keep your place cooler.
Available in a wide range of colours and products from your local Resene ColorShop.
Police are closing Kokupu Block Road in Whangārei due to severe surface flooding and fallen trees caused by Cyclone Hale.
Motorists are advised to stay clear of the area until further notice and to avoid travel around Northland unless urgent, as heavy rain continues to batter down.
With high… View morePolice are closing Kokupu Block Road in Whangārei due to severe surface flooding and fallen trees caused by Cyclone Hale.
Motorists are advised to stay clear of the area until further notice and to avoid travel around Northland unless urgent, as heavy rain continues to batter down.
With high tide coming in by 11.15am. Hikurangi/Coastal General Ward councillor Scott McKenzie said the main concern is that the river might rise to a level where it spills over the road around Ngunguru.
Water levels need to reach roughly 4.5m in order to flood the road - they’re currently sitting above 3m, he said.
Other roads affected are:
Kaka Street, Morningside - flooded
Matapouri Road - fallen tree, passable with caution
Nook Road, Parua Bay - tree blocking both lanes
Parua Bay Road (west of Kerr Road) - heavy surface flooding, please avoid
Pataua North Road - road blocked due to slip
Places that have recently flooded are likely to flood again: Punaruku Road (Russell Rd), Whananaki North and South roads. Please travel with caution.
Residents are urged to stay off the roads, away from the coast and stay indoors. Further updates can be found on the Whangarei District Council website.
Ryman provides comprehensive care options in a community where caregivers become family.
Joyce is a resthome resident at Logan Campbell Village. Between regular walks with lifestyle coordinator Ramon, participating in village activities, family visiting and keeping them up to date via email, … View moreRyman provides comprehensive care options in a community where caregivers become family.
Joyce is a resthome resident at Logan Campbell Village. Between regular walks with lifestyle coordinator Ramon, participating in village activities, family visiting and keeping them up to date via email, 92-year-old Joyce certainly enjoys a full life.
With the many friends she has made and the special bond she shares with her caregivers, the village has become an extension of Joyce’s family.
If your children have grown out of their school bags, uniforms and shoes please consider donating them to your local Red Cross shop in Dargaville, we would love to offer other families school clothing at affordable prices.
Grab a copy of your local Stuff newspaper between today and 29 Jan and participate in the Great Kiwi Quiz! The questions are based on our beautiful country so test your skills and see if you know New Zealand as well as you think you do.
Each correct answer will get you one entry into the draw to… View moreGrab a copy of your local Stuff newspaper between today and 29 Jan and participate in the Great Kiwi Quiz! The questions are based on our beautiful country so test your skills and see if you know New Zealand as well as you think you do.
Each correct answer will get you one entry into the draw to win a $200 Prezzy Card, with a total of $10,000 worth of Prezzy Cards to give away. The more correct answers you enter, the higher chance you have of walking away with a Prezzy Card this summer. For more information and to submit your answers, click here.
The team at Stuff and Sunday Star-Times
Stuff is doing a story on little free libraries. Nationwide they can be found in everything from fridges to bus stops and little red cupboards.
Please send a picture and short description of your library. Do not forget to tell us where it is.
nicholas.boyack@stuff.co.nz
In 2022 across the motu, we reached 708 rangatahi through our Career Navigator programme. Career Navigator is our 'ready for work' programme which helps young people navigate their way through the endless career opportunities presented to them 🧡
Find out more about Career Navigator … View moreIn 2022 across the motu, we reached 708 rangatahi through our Career Navigator programme. Career Navigator is our 'ready for work' programme which helps young people navigate their way through the endless career opportunities presented to them 🧡
Find out more about Career Navigator through the link below.
Start the new year with a nourishing Antipodes’ night cream moisturiser. Subscribe to NZ House & Garden for 1 or 2 years and receive a FREE Antipodes Culture Probiotic Night Recovery Water Cream worth $68. You’ll have until 22 January to take up this fantastic deal.
Antipodes is New … View moreStart the new year with a nourishing Antipodes’ night cream moisturiser. Subscribe to NZ House & Garden for 1 or 2 years and receive a FREE Antipodes Culture Probiotic Night Recovery Water Cream worth $68. You’ll have until 22 January to take up this fantastic deal.
Antipodes is New Zealand’s Scientific Green Beauty brand, enhancing global beauty rituals with plant-powered, results-driven skincare featuring the world’s purest ingredients. To take part in this offer use the code ANTIPODES at checkout.
The team at Stuff and NZ House & Garden
No New Year resolutions yet? What about ‘New Year, new me’ and start straight away by shopping your recycled styles from your Red Cross shop in Dargaville. We are open 9.30am to 3.30pm week days and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. You will find us at 48 Victoria Street, Dargaville.
Wishing everyone a warm welcome into 2023! We can't wait to get back into the swing of things to help more young people realise potential.
This year we have reached 21,456 tamariki through our Kiwi Can programme across the country. Kiwi Can teaches values such as respect, resilience, integrity and positive relationships 💚 Find out more about Kiwi Can through the link below!
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