Member Profile

First Name

Anthony

Surname

Dreaver

PHANZA Joining Date

2002

Region

Wellington

Specialities

Kapiti, Horowhenua, Wellington

About Me

I grew up in Balclutha, but gained MA (Hons) at University of Auckland. Until retirement I was a secondary school history teacher, and my first two books were social studies texts. During twelve years at Levin I became absorbed in the region's history, helped to found Horowhenua Historical Society and wrote a county history that won the James Sherrard Award for local history.

Moving to Wellington I was a committee member of NOHANZ and served for some years on the regional committee of Historic Places Trust. 1986 was spent mainly at Stout Research Centre, VUW, supported by a Claude McCarthy Fellowship. This allowed me to work through the diary, map and photograph collections of Leslie Adkin as a basis for his biography (1997).

Since 1996, editing the Otaki Historical Society's annual journal has been an exploration of how local actions reflect national concerns, a theme that guided my history of Levin (2006).

Another task is the Paekakariki Station Museum, with its stories of Maori, community growth, US Marines and railways.

Publications and Research

Indians and Cowboys, Auckland 1974

Political People, Auckland 1976

Horowhenua County and its people: a centennial history, Palmerston North 1984

An Eye for Country: the life and work of Leslie Adkin, Wellington 1997

Ten Years' Singing: the story of the Kapiti Chamber Choir, Paraparaumu 2002

Levin: the making of a town, Levin 2006

Dictionary of New Zealand Biography: 'Hector and Agnes McDonald', 'Keepa te Rangihiwinui', 'Hannah Retter', 'Leslie Adkin'

Numerous essays in Otaki Historical Journal

History

Member for

3 years 36 weeks