About the Author

Eric Beardsley, 85, has written prolifically as a journalist in Christchurch for more than 40 years. Author of the historical novel Blackball 08, he was also co-author of A History of the University of Canterbury 1873-1973 and of Design for a Century, the centennial history of the School of Engineering. In 1960 he was awarded a Commonwealth Press Union travelling fellowship, which allowed him to study newspaper editing on Fleet Street and at the Yorkshire Post, and to take a Commonwealth Affairs course at Oxford University. Educated at Aranui Primary School, Christchurch Boys' High School and the University of Canterbury, Eric is the father of six daughters.

Reviews

In the tradition of Cheerful Yesterdays, this is an amusing, wise memoir of eight decades ... [Beardsley] has joyfully polished gems of social history, reflecting what mattered to fellow citizens, not just to himself. --Binney Lock, Press