There are not many swimming pools in New Zealand because everyone who can swim is already here! Today I met two more who claimed to be Kiwis even though they can't, so I tested their authenticity by asking them if they knew of Barry Crump. They did and so we talked about his many books, including "Wild Pork and Watercress" which was made into the movie with Sam Neill, "Hunt for the Wilderpeople".
Barry Crump wrote dozens of semi-autobiographical comic novels; the first one I read in the late 1960s was "There and Back". His first novel, "A Good Keen Man", became the most popular in New Zealand history.
He was married five times and had six children, and died in 1996 of a suspected aortic aneurysm, just 61 years old. One of his sons, Martin Crump, is now a well-known radio broadcaster.
Not many of us can claim to have had a postage stamp issued in our honour. Barry Crump can.
