RUSSELL Standish is more than qualified to write a book on historical Taranaki, he lived here for more than 40 years.
The author was in Eltham today to launch his new work, Pioneer Traders of Taranaki.
The book surrounds Charles Wilkinson (of Eltham), his forebears, and the impact their actions had on trade in early Taranaki.
Encompassing tales of the New Zealand Land Wars and how famous Chinese trader Chew Chong came across the concept of the fungas trade, the book has been methodically researched from start to finish.
It concludes with Charles' rise to success as the most prominent hardware merchant in Taranaki.
A resident of Eltham for more than 40 years, Russell was one of the founding members of the Taranaki Pioneer Village and the Eltham and Districts Historical Society.
He has spent a life-time immersed in history and only left Taranaki to pursue a job as a museum director in Tauranga.
On retiring, Russell thought it appropriate to compile all the information he had gleaned about the Wilkonson's over the years.
"The impact this family had on the area was huge. The more I researched, the more I uncovered, I thought it only right to put it all down in words," he said.
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