Last of the whalers

By Heather Heberley

Subjects: Whalers (Persons), Biography, Maori (New Zealand people), Whaling, History

Description: LAST OF THE WHALERS is the story of a remarkable man, Charlie Heberley, a story lovingly researched and written by his daughter-in-law, Heather Heberley. Charlie and his mates-who could also be rivals-were the last of a breed of men New Zealand will never see again. Years before he died in 2000, Charlie became an ardent conservationist, blasting those countries which persisted in unbridled whaling, including that done under the name of 'research'. The famous Worser Heberley was his great-grandfather. With whaling in his blood, young Charlie joined the Perano whaling enterprise. He soon became an acknowledged leader. It was a rough, tough and dangerous occupation, enlivened by constant pranks, and sustained by the whalers' code of honour. Last of the Whalers has gripping accounts of pursuits, captures and processing of whales in Tory Channel and later at Great Barrier Island. True to his past and engagingly linked to the present, here is a story that is unforgettable.