Life, Luck and Liaisons
The 50s in New Zealand were glory days. It was a carefree time for children, whose parents were finally happy that the war was over. Everyone worked together to rebuild their lives and looked to the future. I helped my father when I could, spraying the orchards, harvesting, making hay and I attended a country school and mixed with local Maori families.
Aged 11, I went to boarding school in Auckland. It was a dramatic change and, along with my regular studies, I learnt to be independent and to think for myself. Upon leaving school, my parents had tertiary education in mind for me; I had in mind joining the workforce. My parents conceded and I left school with the intention to go farming. I worked on differing types of farms in New Zealand, followed by a stint in Australia, working on broad acre farming techniques. When I was sufficiently qualified, I began work with my father on the family farm in the Waikato region. After a period on the farm, I found that I was unable to work amicably with my father and I took my leave.
For two years, I crewed on two different yachts in the Pacific and Indonesian waters. This was a period of adventure and personal development which has provided many of the anecdotes I have related here.
When I returned to the family farm, it was obvious that my father and I still could not work together. I left the farm for good and headed to the city to seek whatever came my way. I worked at several casual jobs until I could afford to travel and I flew to London with the promise of a job there. A new beginning, another book.
What’s the Story?
At the end of his first book, Life Luck and Liaisons, it was becoming apparent that sailing and travel were going to be essential ingredients in the life of John Burgess. In his teens, he had travelled the length and breadth of his homeland, New Zealand. Aged eighteen, he had travelled with a friend to Australia, hitch-hiking from Sydney to Mossman, north of Cairns. There followed a two-year sailing adventure across the Pacific and Asia. He knew that such an experience would not be his last. The seed was sown.