A lot of water has gone under the bridge since broadcaster Paul Henry left Wairarapa nearly 15 years ago.
The man who launched Today FM and hired transsexual Georgina Beyer as his news reader was back in town yesterday for the launch of his book, What Was I Thinking, at Paper
Plus, an event that drew a sellout crowd.
While National Party candidate Henry may have lost some fans in Wairarapa in the aftermath of the 1999 general election when he reflected on his loss - to Beyer - by painting some Wairarapa voters as "pig ignorant", he nevertheless had no qualms about returning to his old stamping ground yesterday.
Since those days Henry has become a national figure through his television and radio work and has been embroiled in much greater controversy.
Last year he was forced to resign as a breakfast television host over remarks he made concerning Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand and Indian politician Sheila Dikshit.
In fact yesterday, Henry confessed his time in Wairarapa, as a Radio 2ZD announcer and as owner of Today FM, was the happiest of his life.
"Not so much from a career point of view but from a family one," he said. He remembers happy times living in the old presbytery in Carterton and later at a magnificent home at Homebush as a young married man and father of three daughters.
His book includes photographs of the family's life in Wairarapa, and although he has lived in Auckland for many years - between trips overseas - Henry visits the district on a regular basis, usually staying with longtime friend Rick Long.
He is now estranged from his wife, Rachael, but she, and two of their daughters Lucy, 22, and Sophie, 20, also live in Auckland. His youngest daughter Bella is 18 and lives in the US state of Kansas.
What Was I Thinking has given Henry an insight into the rigours of not only writing a book but also having to tour as an author. With Yvonne Thynne from publishers Random House, he is touring selected towns and Masterton was always going to be one of his chosen venues.
