by Peter Hawes
‘That’s a start,’ his mother had murmurously agreed.
Then he had set out to find his estranged wife; to sit beside her and ponder the consequences of vacuums suddenly filled.
‘There’s nothing missing now,’ he told her. ‘They pulled him from the sea and I once pulled you from the sea. I don’t want anyone I love ever to be missing at sea again.’
And somehow she seemed to know what he meant.
THE END
APPENDIX ONE
SOME WELL-KNOWN NICKNAMES IN THE BULLER DISTRICT
Compiled by Ailsa Mears:
Abo Evans, Ali Barber, Black Jack, Blind Robbie, Bluey Scarlett, Blunt Edge, Bo Bo Powley, Bob the Log Gower, Bocko Dalkie, Boofhead Marris, Bottles Green, Bricky O’Keefe, Brum Alford, Brumble Mumm, Buck Allan, Budgie Mullan, Bull Anderson, Bunhat Swan, Bung Ryan, Bunter Connelly, Bushy Flinn, Buster Shaw, Buttocks Wilkinson, Buzz Burrell, Chalky Taylor, Chappie Mundy, Charger Allen, Chee Chee Lowe, Chick Robertson, Chuckles Greig, Chummy Shrives, Cockeye Rennie, Corpse Collins, Crowbar Quinn, Daisy Warren, Dango Adank, Deacon Duncan, Diddles Roberts, Digger Hartigan, Dinky Robertson, Docker O’Dea, Dodger Cronin, Doggy Benjamin, Dopey Walker, Dork Allen, Dosa Beirnes, Drac Wilkinson, Dubba Hutt, Duck Deviscovi, Dumper Atkinson, Dunna Richards, Fanny Hill, Fats Neighbours, Feathers Nahr, Fingers Duncan, Flagpole McKenzie, Flea Clark, Flip McDonald, Frog Hodgson, Fudd Colligan, Funnyface Green, Gabby Donaldson, Gallopy Hendrickson, Gannet Ferguson, Garby Shaw, Geek Alexander, Gonzo Halligan, Goog Smith, Gravey Eyes Luff, Gumboot Pearson, Gunna Richards, Happy Harper, Hedgehog Jackson, Horse Hendrickson, Howey Daily, Huck Nelson, Hunch Cummings, Inky McLellan, Jumbo White, Killer Perkins, Knackers Johnson, Lofty Wilson, Milo Anderson, Minnie McGuire, Mocky McLean, Moose Hateley, Nigs Roger, Ninnie Kearns, Nipper Craddock, Noddy Somerville, Nookie Norris, Nose Duncan, Nuts Forsythe, One-shot McFarlane, Oopy Weaver, Pancho Tait, Parky Neighbours, Pee Wee Lee, Pickles Neame, Piggie Morgan, Pimp Render, Plonky Orman, Podge Ryan, Poll Dent, Polly Perkins, Pommie Davies, Pont Archer, Poo Kennedy, Pook Ryan, Poppy Braggins, Possum Owens, Pro Perkins, Prunes McBride, Pud Brunning, Pumpkin Roberts, Rab Anderson, Radar Shearer, Raisins Rae, Ramjet Crawford, Rocky Roche, Ruru Vester, Rusty Stewart, Sailor O’Dea, Sandshoe Gray, Sawdust Neame, Shag Fox, Sharky Schoreck, Shirtie Hawes, Shoot Drennan, Shorty Howard, (Canon) Shotgun Nickelson, Silver King, Skates Le Maitre, Skin Daily, Slasher Phibbs, Slimy Slee, Slippers O’Neil, Smelly Melly, Smiley Stechman, Snoz Warren, Sobby Dixon, Soccer Adank, Sole Smith, Sparky Cummings, Sparrow Mason, Squeak Woodcock, Squid Perano, Sticky James, Stretch Shearer, Stumpy Willman, Stut Sharp, Swartly McLaughlin, Tangles Neil, Taxi Phibbs, Tiddley Kearns, Top Gear, Tossel Roberts, Tramp Marriner, Trigger Tregurtha, Tuck Taylor, Turtle Mumm, Vege Veal, Waka Neame, Weary Paine, Winky Williams, Wongie White.
APPENDIX TWO
Teenage males think of sex every eighteen seconds.
APPENDIX THREE
In 1978 Air New Zealand flew to Honolulu then passed freight on to Japan Airlines.
Qantas flew AKL – SYD – Narita, Japan (NRT).
Consequently neither can be the contentiously self-centred airline referred to in this book. And thus cannot sue.
APPENDIX FOUR
Out-takes
During the writing of this book I decided to change the name Des to Sticky. I called up Find on my computer, told it to find Des and Replace it with Sticky. The machine did so – over-zealously. For some reason it ignored the capital D, and thus created the following words:
Stickyk, wilStickyt, imploSticky, Stickytroys, Stickyultory, moStickyty, Stickytiny, siSticky, Stickypaired, protruSticky, comraSticky, tiSticky, striSticky, Stickyscription, exploSticky, Stickyert, siSticky, Stickypondant, attituSticky, Stickyperation, shaSticky, Stickyerve, sliSticky, insiSticky, sadStickyt, RhoSticky, conStickycending
About the Author
PETER HAWES was born in Westport, the setting of this novel. For many years he worked in television as a researcher, journalist, writer, presenter and director. He has written a number of children’s books. His first novel for adults was published in Spanish, and this was followed by Tasman’s Lay (1995), Leapfrog with Unicorns (1996), Playing Waterloo (1998), Inca Girls Aren’t Easy (1999) and The Dream of Nikau Jam (2000).
Copyright
National Library of New Zealand Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Hawes, Peter, 1947-
Royce, Royce, the people’s choice: the story of a young man and the sea / Peter Hawes.
ISBN 9781775532163
1. Sea stories. 2. New Zealand fiction—21st century. I. Title.
NZ823.2—dc 21
A VINTAGE BOOK
published by
Random House New Zealand
18 Poland Road, Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand
www.randomhouse.co.nz
First published 2002
© 2002 Peter Hawes
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 9781775532163
Text design: Elin Termannsen
Cover illustration and design: Dexter Fry
Printed in Australia by Griffin Press
