Original Westie: the story of Don Buck

About this episode

This episode explores the life and legend of Don Buck, the founding father of West Auckland, known for his notorious lifestyle in the early 20th century.

The founding father of West Auckland - Don Buck was notorious in the early 20th century for his hard drinking, hard living gum digging camp in the foothills of the Waitakere ranges. Black Sheep investigates the legend of this enigmatic and feared folk hero - the original Westie. Watch the video of Marianne Simpkins reading her poem The Ballad of Don Buck's Hill Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

Topics covered

• history
• West Auckland
• folk hero
• Don Buck
• gum digging
• 20th century

Keywords

• Don Buck
• West Auckland
• gum digging
• folk hero
• 20th century
• Waitakere ranges
• legend

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Ballad of Don Buck's Hill

Places: West Auckland, Waitakere ranges

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