TO BED AT NOON This page intentionally left blank TO BED AT NOON THE LIFE AND ART OF MAURICE DUGGAN Ian Richards AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY PRESS First published 1997 Auckland University Press University of Auckland Private Bag 92019 Auckland © Ian Richards 1997 This book is copyright. Apart from fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism, or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without the prior permission of Auckland University Press. ISBN i 86940 159 x Publication is assisted by Printed by GP Print, Wellington For Kako y on this and every other page . . . This page intentionally left blank CONTENTS Acknowledgements ix Introduction i 1. Growing Up and Down 5 2. Some Place Names and a Boy 31 3. The Views From the North Shore 59 4. Back, and Back Again 125 5. Life in the Putty-Knife Factory 181 6. Nines into Sevens 252 7. The Life of Riley 309 8. Why Doesn't Somebody Wave? 378 Bibliography 414 Notes 424 Index 453 No, I don't know much about serenity. But I am inclined to think that, though we never achieve them, it is only our goals that distinguish us. And I am not to be blamed for being a little optimistic, surely; having been taught to be the reverse. Maurice Duggan, letter to Paula Auld, 8 March 1973 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must gratefully acknowledge the help of Barbara Duggan, Nick Duggan and Marie Shaw, the widow, son and sister respectively of the late Maurice Duggan, for their encouragement and co-operation in this biography I am also particularly indebted to Dr William Broughton and the late Kendrick Smithyman, both of whom read this book several times in manuscript and made many contributions and suggestions. Their help was invaluable. Andrew Mason provided careful and finely judged assistance as editor, and Michael Gifkins, as my literary agent, gave me helpful advice and encouragement. An early version of this biography was presented as a PhD thesis at Massey University in 1995. This book was written with the generous assistance of funding from Creative New Zealand. Other help gratefully acknowledged includes: ASSISTANCE Dr Anna Benes; Prof. Richard Corballis; Dr Reiner Heigl; Dr Michael King; Judy Lawrence; Elizabeth Lee-Johnson; Father Gerard Mills; Dr John Muirhead; Dr Keith Ovenden; Dr John Ross; the staff of the Manuscripts and Archives section of the Alexander Turnbull Library. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington; Artificial Limb Centre, Auckland; Auckland Area Heath Board; Auckland Public Library; Auckland University Library; Department of Internal Affairs; Harper's Bazaar, Hocken Library, University of Otago; Ministry of Defence; National Archives, Auckland; National Archives, Wellington; Radio New Zealand Sound Archive, Timaru; Representative Church Body Library, Dublin; Roehampton Hospital, London; St Joseph's School, Paeroa; St Leo's School, Auckland; University of Otago Archives; Vermont Street Catholic School, Auckland; Victoria University of Wellington Library. All medical and psychiatric records relating to Maurice Duggan are used with the permission of the Duggan family and Auckland Area Healthcare Services, Ltd. ix