Confidence in Adversity: A Biography of Guy Macpherson tells the compelling story of a quintessential New Zealander born to English parents and raised in rural poverty between the world wars by his father and Maori stepmother. With only a minimal education, he devoted many decades of his life to political reforms, biculturalism, rural education, and adult literacy. Guy Macpherson's finishing school was the 27th Machine Gun Battalion, fighting in pitched battles in Greece, Crete, and North Africa during World War II. He returned home with PTSD, bought the family "home farm," married his wartime sweetheart, and raised four boys. His marriage collapsed as his off-farm interests expanded and his first family scattered. His second significant relationship centered on his strong interest in the fine arts, but also collapsed when some of his campaigns ended badly. He married again and had two more boys, shifting his public contributions to local government, rural educational activities, and adult literacy. This biography evaluates the impact that Guy had on others, especially his sons, and the valuable contributions he made to society. Based on careful research and analysis, the book traces the long-unrealized effects of Guy's PTSD, his lifelong passion for self-improvement, the gradual transformation of his driving ideologies, and his most endearing characteristic that lasted until near the end: his confidence through adversity. Guy Macpherson was born in 1918 and died in 2003.
Reynold Macpherson is a retired academic resident in New Zealand who does consultancies around the world. He is Guy's second son, who compiled this biography over many decades by interviewing those in his father's role sets, gaining access to Guy's personal papers, and collating accounts of his campaigns from local sources. Author's website: http: //www.reynoldmacpherson.ac.nz