Since completing his Advanced Diploma in Applied Writing through NorthTec, David has been busy completing a trilogy of fascinating memoirs.
The first two catalogued Rorke Wilde’s early life in Africa, and then the move to New Zealand.
The latest one fills in those missing years in the middle - his final years in Africa, with the joy of Mandela’s release and presidency, and deterioration of the economy after he stepped down, and the agonising decision about whether to stay or go. Staying would support a country Rorke loved but put his family at risk of a narrowing future; going was scary when it wasn’t even clear where they would choose. And it felt like a betrayal of his beloved Africa. For a Kiwi like me who marched in the 1981 Springbok Tour protests these memoirs have offered a new perspective on the recent history of South Africa. Enlightening and endlessly interesting.
Lesley Marshall
Member Storylines, NZ Society of Authors, NZ Association of Manuscript Assessors, Institute of Professional Editors; Tutor Applied Writing NorthTec; NZ coordinator International PENWhere The Birds Don't Fly