While Noe! Hil 1's work in researching pre-history of the Northland region is controversial, there are other sides to him — discovering shipwrecks and flying his small, home-made aircraft. This series of photographs shows a cannon and an anchor recovered from a French corvette, L’Alemene, wrecked on Baylys Beach, the excavation of the wreck and Noel's beloved plane. Zealand was all about, Maori don't havea written language and history is handed down by the spoken word mingled with legend and myth, ‘That doesnt trouble Maori because itis part of thie culture, but it helps confuse the European approach particularly when it comes to sorting out the claims ofthe Teaty ‘of Waitangi. The European culture ddemands a more black and white version of events Finalising Teaty of Waitangi claims is probably the single largest social issue facing all New Zealanders. For ‘many European New Zealanders, the issues surrounding Treaty claims are extraordinarily divisive. At the extreme «end of the European opposition to all “Treaty matters are those who see the ‘end argument being that Maori were not her irs, the them and therefore they are no more c were others before Tangata Whenua, or people ofthe land, than the Europeans. These are people to whom even the use ofthe word Pakeha is a complete anathema, Noel Hillam isa remarkable man. He typifies the popular ima is that makes a good Kiwi bloke. Hes hard-working creative, clever with of what it his hands, has a decent moral code, has trong socal involvement, a good family man and he's your typical quiet achiever The life has obviously agreed with him, He's short, stocky, powerfully bil with dark hair and a dark moustache. He looks 58, ot his 68 years of age Noel and his wife Juli ive on the family dary frm adjoining the Northwest corner of Dargaville. Noel {sa third generation New Zealander as isis wife Julie —“Julie comes from a sheep farming family over on the East Coast just north of Whangarei” Together they've raise five children, all high achievers and hard workers like Noel and Julie Noel’ grandfather Charlie Hillam lefthis home at Bloodsfold Hall in Lincolnshiee inthe 1880s, following ‘brother Thomas to New Zealand and was first a ploughman on the Firth Estate near Matamata before heading north tothe gumfilds where he took up driving wagons He was one ofthe frst to realise that the gum wasnt going to last forever so he bought some land — 1200 acres inall. He paid 7/6 an acre for the land ‘om the lat and 2/6 an acre forthe bill land The farm passed on to Noe’ father and was then cut into fous for Noel and his three brothers. He had an insatiable thirst for adventure and information. Twas a naug 14. Itwas the end ofthe yea and Iwas supposed to go ack after the summer holidays until was 15,1 didnt go back’ Instead, he took on an apprenticeship asa builder and apart from the almost compulsory pel in Australia he's spent ‘most of is lif in Dargaville Noel Hlliam’s achievements are of the legendary status as is his love of his region. Thirty four years ago he built his own light aircraft toa set of plans Ie was designed by a Prenchman who won a competition organised by the French aero industry to design a home bua plane that weighed les than a 1000 pounds but which would cruise at 100 knots. But he was killed in one of the planes when he was lying with his daughter and her shoe became caught inthe control stick and they crashed. The plans were bought by an English company who modified the control stick mechanism to ensure there wasnt