Description
Vincent Pyke Goldfields Gladiator
by Russell Garbutt
Many people in Central Otago and Victoria have never heard of Vincent Pyke, but he enabled the democratic process to start in Victoria and in Central Otago, and he negotiated with the men who found the gold which sparked the great Dunstan goldrush. He wrote the legislation which governed New Zealand’s goldfields, and without his vision and persistence the Otago Central railway would never have been built. He explored Haast Pass to survey a road and rail route to the West Coast and built the dam which formed Lake Onslow. He was a politician of rare ability in both Victoria and New Zealand and a prolific and talented writer. All the while he oozed humanity and good humour. His story is of a man who made things happen.
