Barry Crump was born in 1935 and died in 1996. In 1959 he began writing humorous sketches of life as a government deer-culler and pig hunter, publishing these as A Good Keen Man in 1960. This became a massive bestseller in New Zealand and over the next 50 years he wrote another 23 books, which sold over a million copies.

As well as a best-selling author, Crump was an actor, TV personality, poet, radio commentator, man of leisure, traveller, goldminer, photographer and more. A successful 12-year association with Toyota brought a series of award-winning advertisements that catapulted Crump into living rooms around the country with his laconic, blokey style.

Crump was married 5 times and had 6 children, all sons. In the 1990’s Crump was awarded an MBE and OBE for services to literature, something he was quietly proud of and reckoned they’d be hard case pinned to his Swanndri. He was listed in the Who’s Who as having no fixed abode, and regarded himself as a world citizen. He insisted, that first and foremost, he was just a Kiwi bushman.