Bamboo Dick: First Flyer

“What’s all the fuss about the Wright Bros? All good Kiwis know New Zealand’s Richard Pearse got there first.” With the centenary of his flight looming, Debbi Gardiner, writes in Salon about his place in history and NZ culture: “Amid all the hoopla, the centenary still makes me a bit sad. Poor Great-Uncle Dick. Had he been an American, not a New Zealander, his greatness would surely have been recognized sooner. And yet the fact that he was a New Zealander, and one ostracized by the locals, may well have what made him so determined to fly. Click here for the NZEDGE feature on Pearse.