Mike Dwight was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing his compulsory military service, he studied at Stellenbosch and Natal Universities. Thereafter he taught in various secondary schools – including one in the ‘siege town of Ladysmith. During South Africa’s political transition, he taught in Gugulethu outside Cape Town and then after the historic first democratic election of 1994, he moved to Mthatha together with his wife and two children. There he worked for a non-profit making organisation and co-ordinated a book based literacy programme for 65 disadvantaged schools.
In 2000, he immigrated to New Zealand and now holds dual New Zealand/South African citizenship. Since his family’s arrival in their newly adopted country, he has lived on the Coromandel, where he once again joined the teaching ranks. It is through living in this ‘slice of paradise’, that he first discovered Walter Callaway’s story and learnt more about ‘NZ’s forgotten War’.
Both his grandfathers were Boer War veterans and one was even in the same fighting column as Walter Callaway. It brings him great satisfaction to take the threads of his family’s heritage as well as that of his country of birth and weave it into the heritage of his newly adopted country.
Walter Callaway – Maori Warrior of the Boer War
Walter Callaway – Maori Warrior of the Boer War
History, WarAuthor: Mike Dwight
ISBN: 9780473179014
Walter Callaway was among the first ever to fight abroad for New Zealand.
Being Māori, he defied the British dictum of the day that “no natives could fight in a white man’s war.’ Brushing aside these bigoted attitudes, he excelled as a soldier in the harsh Southern African conditions and was eventually promoted to lieutenant – making him one of the first Māori to become an officer in the NZ Army.
This came though at a great personal cost. While galloping to the rescue of an Australian in dire danger, he was shot and almost fatally injured. From that moment, his life changed irrevocably.
This true story reveals a forgotten hero in what many term as ‘New Zealand’s Forgotten War.’ It tells not only about a remarkable soldier, but also highlights the horrors and hardships of a war, which a later British Prime Minister described as ‘infamous, criminal and wholly indefensible.’
Callaway’s biography is the first published account of a Māori in the South African War (1899-1902) and also includes a supportive foreword by New Zealand’s Chief of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Mateparae.
It is a story that must be told.
Product Details:
- Soft cover: 104 pages
- Dimensions: W mm x H mm
$34.99 Inc GST
Availability: In stock
| Weight | .5 kg |
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