To Bed at Noon: The Life and Art of Maurice Duggan

492 Pages·1997·10.886 MB·English

by  Ian Richards

TO BED AT NOON
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TO BED AT NOON
THE LIFE AND ART OF MAURICE DUGGAN
Ian Richards
AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY PRESS
First published 1997
Auckland University Press
University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland
© Ian Richards 1997
This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of
private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright
Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission
of Auckland University Press.
ISBN i 86940 159 x
Publication is assisted by
Printed by GP Print, Wellington
For Kako
y
on this and every other page . . .
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction i
1. Growing Up and Down 5
2. Some Place Names and a Boy 31
3. The Views From the North Shore 59
4. Back, and Back Again 125
5. Life in the Putty-Knife Factory 181
6. Nines into Sevens 252
7. The Life of Riley 309
8. Why Doesn't Somebody Wave? 378
Bibliography 414
Notes 424
Index 453
No, I don't know much about serenity. But I am inclined to think that,
though we never achieve them, it is only our goals that distinguish us.
And I am not to be blamed for being a little optimistic, surely; having
been taught to be the reverse.
Maurice Duggan, letter to Paula Auld, 8 March 1973
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I must gratefully acknowledge the help of Barbara Duggan, Nick
Duggan and Marie Shaw, the widow, son and sister respectively of the
late Maurice Duggan, for their encouragement and co-operation in this
biography
I am also particularly indebted to Dr William Broughton and the
late Kendrick Smithyman, both of whom read this book several times
in manuscript and made many contributions and suggestions. Their
help was invaluable. Andrew Mason provided careful and finely judged
assistance as editor, and Michael Gifkins, as my literary agent, gave me
helpful advice and encouragement.
An early version of this biography was presented as a PhD thesis at
Massey University in 1995.
This book was written with the generous assistance of funding from
Creative New Zealand.
Other help gratefully acknowledged includes:
ASSISTANCE
Dr Anna Benes; Prof. Richard Corballis; Dr Reiner Heigl; Dr Michael
King; Judy Lawrence; Elizabeth Lee-Johnson; Father Gerard Mills; Dr
John Muirhead; Dr Keith Ovenden; Dr John Ross; the staff of the
Manuscripts and Archives section of the Alexander Turnbull Library.
Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington; Artificial Limb Centre,
Auckland; Auckland Area Heath Board; Auckland Public Library;
Auckland University Library; Department of Internal Affairs; Harper's
Bazaar, Hocken Library, University of Otago; Ministry of Defence;
National Archives, Auckland; National Archives, Wellington; Radio New
Zealand Sound Archive, Timaru; Representative Church Body Library,
Dublin; Roehampton Hospital, London; St Joseph's School, Paeroa; St
Leo's School, Auckland; University of Otago Archives; Vermont Street
Catholic School, Auckland; Victoria University of Wellington Library.
All medical and psychiatric records relating to Maurice Duggan are
used with the permission of the Duggan family and Auckland Area
Healthcare Services, Ltd.
ix