Written by Harold J. Anderson • Published by Craigs Design & Print Ltd
The men who built the Milford Road and Homer Tunnel in the 1930s were, for the most part, victims of the Depression, "directed" to the job by the Government. The winter weather could be vicious; along with the snow and ice the Homer camp was so hemmed in by the high Alps that it saw no sun from May to September. The terrain was ferocious, high in altitude, steep and rugged. Civilisation was many hours' travel away, rates of pay were pitifully meagre and of amenities, there were none. For the men of the road and those few devoted wives who followed their men into this wilderness, life was harsh beyond modern belief; but road and tunnel must go through, so they lived it. The author, who was the paymaster based at Invercargill, met his own share of hardship and adventure along the way, but this increased his respect and admiration for the men on the job and this book is his tribute to them. The book contains long-forgotten photographs which recall the age before the big machines moved in to relieve primitive pick and shovel, spade and barrow, muscle and stamina. They demonstrate, as nothing else can do, the fortitude of men pitted against a daunting environment. Today's tourists passing over a summer road through this superbly beautiful area will gain from this book a deep respect for the men who pierced the mountains and made smooth the way.
244 pages • 235x150mm • Casebound hard cover with dust jacket • ISBN 0-908629-41-9
