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'Dust to Gold' Bendigo Book Case Study
Within one week of going on sale the book 'Dust to Gold--the inspiring story of Bendigo Station, home of Shrek' was number four on the New Zealand bestseller adult
non-fiction list. Three weeks later it held first position ahead of books by and about a line-up of famous New Zealanders including Ali Williams, Richie McCaw, Alison Holst and Billy T James.
John Perriam, the author of 'Dust to Gold', is delighted with the response of the New Zealand public to the book, especially since all royalties go to Cure Kids--the
charity of choice for Bendigo's most famous resident Shrek the merino sheep.
John has been involved in a lot of projects during the last 40 years. He was a leading figure in fighting the Clyde dam, helped establish a break away merino marketing
organisation and of course raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Cure Kids by publicising the famous woolie Shrek. On Bendigo he voluntarily entered tenure review negotiations with the Government for freehold title of some of the land long before his
neighbours. He also had the vision and determination to form successful partnerships with other people who could help develop Bendigo's potential.
He may have achieved many things, but John was never inspired to be a writer. Besides he was not sure people would be really interested in the Bendigo story. At the
book launch in Cromwell he confessed as a school boy he had departed early from Waitaki Boys.
"Before writing this book, the last thing I'd written was 'I will not smoke' a thousand times," says John.
But Random House Publishing convinced John there would be demand for the book. And being a talented marketer, he knew the power of a good story. He eventually agreed to
write the book on the condition he had the help of a ghostwriter who had an affinity for the high country and was prepared to help him tell his story his way.
"The book was about capturing the high country culture in my words. I thought it would be quite special if we could do that. I didn't want to pretend to be anyone
and I didn't want to start making stories up."
I had been fortunate enough to have already co-authored Steve Gurney's best selling autobiography 'Lucky Legs'. I had also ridden over Bendigo Station on an Otago
Cavalcade and knew a little about merinos from editing a website about the New Zealand merino industry.
Although I live in Christchurch I got to know the route south very well and wrote most of Dust to Gold in a cottage perched up on Chinaman's Terrace at
Prophets Rock vineyard on Bendigo. After all, John had told me: "I want you to see the sun go up and the sun go down here, I want you to feel the place." From my point of view it was a tough job but someone had to do it!
John's family thought he was completely nuts attempting to write a book. A busy man with many projects on his plate, he wrote most of the first drafts by hand
between midnight and 4am. Several times after just a few hours sleep he'd be off in the hills with his staff and dogs moving sheep or catching a plane somewhere for a business meeting.
John and Shrek are very good mates and had many adventures together. He found it is very easy to write about Shrek because the sheep didn't argue about anything
he wrote! But Shrek is just part of the Bendigo story. There are many human characters and each has made a unique and valuable contribution. The cast includes gold miners, shepherds, fencers, rabbiters, shearers, wine makers, a game keeper, Italian suit
manufacturers, Japanese businessmen, the previous station owners and of course the Perriam family.
John found it more difficult to write these aspects of the story, especially because he was conscious about not wanting to write anything that might upset people. My
job was to help him remember these stories and express them in an entertaining and informative way.
John says writing the book is "right up there" amongst the many projects he has undertaken.
"I don't claim to be a great author. It is all about the team around me and Robin was great to work with. When I go back and read parts of the book I can see she
and I really clicked and she played a pivotal role I can't quite put into words. I think the book says it all. She captured the high country culture very well and the book is going ballistic so that is great," says John.
From my point of view it was a privilege to work with John and be a guest of the Perriam family. I had some amazing experiences, learnt such a lot and feel I am a better person for having taken on the challenge of helping write one of New Zealand's great high
country stories.
Dust to Gold Book Reviews
Other Dust to Gold Links
Links to Vineyards at Bendigo
Links to Bendigo Goldfields
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Contact Robin Major today to receive obligation-free advice about how to tell your brand story.
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