Raised in Naenae, and attending Naenae College, Nicholas's university studies included American history. His awareness of a line in Bob Dylan’s song, ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ - “you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows”, led to a study of the ‘Weather Underground’- a militant group of young white Americans who used violence as a means of social and political change.
Researching diaries and letters in the Alexander Turnball Library, led to several publications: “Behind the Lines: The lives of New Zealand soldiers in the First World War”; “In the Shadow of War: New Zealand Soldiers Talk About World War I And Their Lives”; a collaboration with Jane Tolerton; "The Great Adventure. New Zealand Soldiers Describe the First World War”, edited by Jock Phillips, Nicholas Boyack and E.P. Malone.
Nicholas believes his proudest achievement, largely unrecognised, was his success at helping the five New Zealanders executed in World War 1, pardoned. The resistance to the access of historical papers on this led to disillusionment, and the partaking in a journalism course at Wellington Polytechnic. Employment followed at Wainuiomata News, the Hutt News, and now Stuff, where Nicholas is ‘Bureau Chief’.
An interesting and insightful talk that generated lots of questions.
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