About the author and owner of Top Read Publishing
Raised in Henderson for his first twelve years he qualifies to be a “Westie”.
Has lived and worked throughout New Zealand: Christchurch, Mosgiel, Dunedin, Hastings, Palmerston Nth, Roxburgh, Wellington, Otahuhu. His job in Wellington involved travel to all horticultural regions in the country. With visits to USA and Japan. Including an International Society of Horticultural Science Congress at UC Davis.
Robert commenced full time employment aged 23 starting with the Horticulture Division of the Department of Agriculture in Hastings February 1969. After a merger with Farm Advisory Division it became Advisory Services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. He worked in head office as Chief Advisory Officer, Horticulture. When “user pays” was introduced and the Advisory Services Division morphed into MAFTech he exited MAF. First serving as a private secretary in parliament buildings then managing the establishment of the NZ Horticulture Export Authority. He took voluntary severance mid 1988.
Joining the “Ahead of the Times “Manukau City Council Parks Department as Park Operations Manager, retiring as Parks Recreation Manager 2011, 23 years later. He was involved in other roles such as Civil Defense and the Manukau CC pipe and drum band. (Wallace tartan)
With the advent of the new Auckland City and having experienced enough changes during his career he elected to retire and move on a few months after the formation of Auckland City, when he turned 65 in March 2011.
Before he left the New Zealand Recreation Association, NZRA, presented him the Ian Galloway Memorial cup, In recognition of excellence and outstanding personal contribution to the wider parks industry.
From 1988 the family had an orchard and market garden business: – Convoy Brand.
Since “retirement” in March 2011 he has been sifting and collating family history information gathered since 1970. One upside of living and travelling throughout NZ was meeting many members of the extended family.
In retirement he is racing to publish as much family and employment history as he can. Top Read Publishers, 2017, is the vehicle to get them to market. With this web site Topread.nz the promotional tool.