Show Notes
For more than 50 years the name of Mayor Charles Mackay was all but forbidden in Whanganui. In 1920 Mackay shot a man through the chest after he threated to expose the mayor's homosexuality. RNZ's Black Sheep podcast investigates the downfall of Charles Mackay, and how his story is being reevaluated in modern New Zealand. For 50 years the name Charles Mackay was all but forbidden in Whanganui. The former mayor's name was chiselled off public buildings, ripped off street signs and deliberately excluded from official histories. His official portrait was taken down and destroyed. The reason? In 1920 Charles Mackay shot and nearly killed D'Arcy Cresswell, a 24-year-old returned soldier who had been threatening to out Mackay as homosexual. Over the last few decades people have tried to drag Mackay's story back into the spotlight. In the 1980s, LGBTQ+ activists successfully campaigned to have his name re-inscribed on the foundation stone of the Sarjeant Gallery and in 2022 historian and author Paul Diamond released a long awaited book digging into Mackay's story. But Mackay's story still has many unanswered questions. Was D'Arcy Cresswell acting alone when he tried to blackmail the mayor? Was he solely motivated by homophobia, or was there something more complicated going on? In this two part episode of Black Sheep, host William Ray investigates the story of the former Mayor. We look at Mackay's upbringing, and his meteoric rise to the mayoralty, which coincided with a meteoric rise for the town of Whanganui itself. We investigate attitudes towards homosexuality in early 20th century New Zealand, and how Charles Mackay may have understood his attraction to other men. And, we discuss the multiple scandals leading up to the Mayors arrest, including a catastrophic concert for a member of the royal family Further reading: Downfall: The destruction of Charles Mackay by Paul Diamond Mates and Lovers: A History of Gay NZ by Professor Chris Brickell Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
More from Black Sheep
Host of Black Sheep William Ray recommends a new RNZ podcast for history fans, NZ Wars Collection - Kohikohinga o nga pakanga o Aotearoa. We’re bringing all our New Zealand Wars stories together in your favourite podcast app, with another chapter on the way. Each chapter zeroes in on one of the many wars, battles, and skirmishes that make up what are collectively known as the New Zealand Wars. Search for NZ Wars Collection in your podcast app to follow the series. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
The founding father of West Auckland - Don Buck was notorious in the early 20th century for his hard drinking, hard living gum digging camp in the foothills of the Waitakere ranges. Black Sheep investigates the legend of this enigmatic and feared folk hero - the original Westie. Watch the video of Marianne Simpkins reading her poem The Ballad of Don Buck's Hill Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
“Oh Mummy save me from Dr Gray, because teacher says he’s coming today, and if I’m stupid he’ll take me away”. William Ray looks at the life and legacy of Dr Theodore Gray, a staunch eugenicists who was head of New Zealand's Mental Hospitals Department for 20 years. Further reading: Statement of Hilary Stace to the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care A Brief History of Disability in Aotearoa by Dr Hilary Stace DBNZ Biography of Dr Theodore Gray by Dr Warwick Brunton The Fertility of the Unfit by Dr William Chapple Mental Defectives Amendment Act 1928 Statement of Tony Ryder to the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
In part two, we look at the years Elsdon Best spent living in Te Urewera, attempting to preserve knowledge he believed was on the brink of being lost forever, the remarkable relatioship he built with Tūhoe leaders, and how that relationship fell apart. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details
Described in his own time as "the white Tōhunga of Tuhoeland" and by some today as a "structural rascist" who "stole" knowledge, it's fair to say Elsdon Best is a controvesial character. In the first of a two part episode, Black Sheep traces the early life of this self-taught ethnologist. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details