Under House Arrest

Meet James Macandrew, one of Otago's early businessmen and Provincial Superintendents.  There's a great story about James that goes like this:

After a bitter feud with Johnny Jones, one of his business rivals, Macandrew's handling of the provincial finances came under investigation.  It looked like he'd been using local government funds to stave off bankruptcy.  James was promptly jailed by the local magistrate, but removing him from the office of Provincial Superintendent would take longer.  Meanwhile, canny James used his powers to declare his own house a prison, effectively making the magistrate's order one of home detention.  Eventually the matter was rectified and he was given less luxurious accommodations.  He bounced back from this setback though, and had an illustrious career in politics. A staunch Free Church Presbyterian, he dismissed the act of singing in church as a Papist extravagance, and was a fierce champion of Otago in the New Zealand Parliament.  That's why his bust sits outside the Otago settlers museum.

I can sympathise with James right now.  It feels like I've been under house arrest for months, working on a history of Otago Business.  I'm spending most of my time either at the library or my desk here at World Domination League HQ, researching stories like these.  Then I'll be moving on to archival picture research, which should be a little more interesting.  Dunedinites embraced photography early, and the town had some fine photogs at work in the 19th and early 20th centuries.  Soon though I'll be getting stuck in to some of my own photography for the book, like the pictures of convicted fraudster Michael Swann's car collection in the last post - and some industrial shooting, which I really get a buzz from.

There is some short term relief on the horizon though.  This week I've got a landscape commission, which means heading into the Central Otago high country for a couple of days, shooting working life on a sheep station.  I can't wait.

Like that other notorious Scot (at least Mel Gibson's version) cried: Freeeeeedom!