PODCASTS
Raider: the story of Felix von Luckner
Felix Von Luckner led a very interesting life. He was a child of aristocracy who ran away to sea. He fought in the biggest naval battle of the First World War. He captained the last square rigged sailing ship ever to be used in combat. He sailed three thousand kilometers across the Pacific in a lifeboat. He single-handedly saved his hometown from destruction during WWII. And he punched a member of the Gestapo straight in the face.He was also responsible for what probably ranks as the most embarrassing prison break in New Zealand history. Oh Felix … where to even begin?
Colonial Mastermind: the story of Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield used to be known as ‘The Founding Father of New Zealand.’ He was described as a humanitarian visionary, the driving force behind the colonisation of New Zealand and - according to some - the entire British Commonwealth. But Wakefield makes for a problematic kind of parent. Modern historians have pointed to the disastrous impact of his colonial policies on indigenous people, his misleading propaganda and, not least, his abduction of and marriage to a teenage girl. In this two-part episode of Black Sheep, William Ray investigates Wakefield’s life and legacy.
Swashbuckler: the story of Bully Hayes
Bully Hayes is a man who made his mark on the Pacific. His image today is as a swashbuckling rogue who swindled his way from China to California, from Apia to Akaroa. Bully could leap from the floor of a ballroom and kick the ceiling, he captured the notorious corsair Eli Boggs, he was the ringmaster of a circus on the Australian goldfields. It’s a life story that’s inspired several books and even one Hollywood movie starring Tommy Lee Jones. But those stories usually skip over the nastier side of Bully Hayes: His brutal treatment of his crew, his career as a slaver, the multiple accusations of rape and paedophilia.
