Swamp fever

the long version

Swamp Fever is a fascinating tale of one man's life as an alternative lifestyler in Golden Bay, northwest of Nelson. As a nineteen-year-old, Gerard Hindmarsh quit his public servant job as a cartographic cadet for the Department of Lands and Survey and bought a block of scrub-covered, swampy land at Tukurua near Collingwood. Gerard was part of the homesteading movement of the 1970s, embracing the hilly ideals of getting back to the land to live a more self-sufficient and sustainable lifestyle. Much of his land was swamp, initially earmarked for draining, but, after fortuitously discovering its vibrant ecology, Gerard fell in love with not only his swamp, but swamps in general. His wetland, with its birds, fish, and plants, becomes a metaphor throughout the book for Gerard's growing connection with the land, and he compares the diverse and thriving community in his swamp with the changing community in Golden Bay. The conservative farming establishment there was forced to face and accept change in the community as alternative lifestylers, whose values were at odds with their own, made a big impact on their comfortable existence. Swamp Fever is the memoir of not just one man, but of a time in New Zealand's recent history that has not yet been well-documented.