(image from the Encyclopedia of New Zealand)
The book showed on the plaque, The story of New Zealand can be only found in Hocken Library, so no image of it in this post. From the website the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, there are more information, and a voice record of him.
Alfred Hamish Reed (1875-1975) was born in England, his family emigrated into New Zealand in 1887 when his father’s business failed. The family settled at Parahaki, near Whangarei, they bought a few acres of unimproved Crown land there. Alfred worked in the gumfields and on the family land with his father. In his spare time he read and also taught himself shorthand. When he was 19, he went to Auckland to find work.
On Alfred’s 20th birthday, he began working for the New Zealand Typewriter Company as a shorthand typist. And he was sent to Dunedin to start a company branch in 1897. In 1902 Reed bought the New Zealand Typewriter Company.
Alfred began teaching classes at Trinity Wesleyan Church after arriving in Dunedin. In 1907 he established the Sunday School Supply Stores and in 1911 he sold the typewriter business to work full time as a supplier of religious material.
Many of his books were based on a series of walking expeditions for which he is best known by many people.
He walked from Cape Reinga to Bluff at 85 and from East Cape to Cape Egmont at 86. When he was 88 he walked from Dunedin to Christchurch, over Arthur’s Pass, down the West Coast and back to Dunedin over Haast Pass. In his 90th year he walked from Sydney to Melbourne. He also climbed Mt Ngauruhoe at 85 and Mt Egmont at 86. On all these expeditions he made many friends and visited schools. His 99th birthday coincided with the publication of his last book, The happy wanderer.
As well as walking and writing, Reed was involved in many other activities, such as lecturing, broadcasting, research, hospital visiting and committee work, and since 1907 he had collected books, autographs, and medieval manuscripts.
Alfred’s personal creed,
I believe in the Gospel of work, of laughter, and of goodwill to men; in the power of choice between good and evil.
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