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Gordon Kane was born in Fairlie, New Zealand on July 21 1953 to parents Gwen and Paul Kane.

Raised as a Roman Catholic child by a devout mother. With four brothers (Jim, Terry, Peter and Maurice) and two sisters (Marie and Anne). Educated by the Roman Catholic nuns, the sisters of mercy on the principles of Roman Catholic nun Mary MacKillop, the order of St Joseph at the neighboring school.

At a very early stage in life he took the liberties of tampering whenever he could get the chance to lay his hands on any form of paints, which got him into trouble at times. His prominent interest in bird life saw him spending a lot of his childhood observing and painting them. This advanced to his teenage years of his interest in painting landscapes. By now he had many a book filled with his portraits of trees.

Gordon thrived at athletics whilst a youngster at school. He had a contented childhood. Later as a teenager he was educated at St Bedes college in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he excelled in javelin throwing. He surprised the college administrators by breaking all the javelin throwing distance records, achieving distances thrown further than grades set that were his senior. The majority of these records still remain unbroken forty years later.

Upon leaving school Gordon wandered the length and breadth of New Zealand viewing and evaluating society concluding nothing interested him. Gordon evaluated a collection of various livelihoods and lifestyles.

Joining his older brother Jim Kane, a professional deer hunter in Fiordland National Park he realized he found something he was interested in there began a settled interest in lifestyle livelihood and feeling of worthwhile ness. This deer hunting in Fiordland captured his interest and he became dedicated in such a way of life. Being employed by the Mossburn Venison Works, he learned the trade of skinning deer in the factory under the guidance of 'Tiger' Dean.

Easter weekend Roar 1973 (deer mating season) Gordon had his first kill of one deer at Loch Maree Seaforth in Fiordland. Returning a few days later to the factory where he had learnt to skin deer he advised his employer that he was "heading out" to make a living hunting deer. He become part of a team of professional deer hunters -Jim Kane, Jock Murdoch and Bernie Millroy who were contracted out by Sir Tim Wallis of Alpine Helicopters. Living in tents in Fiordland during the winter of 1973 whereas every second day a helicopter would retrieve the deer carcasses from the campsites. The majority of the time each team member hunted different valleys alone. Gordon enjoyed the times he spent hunting with Jim Kane and learnt immense variations of hunting styles and awareness of the how's and whys concerning, seeing and hearing the deer before they knew of the hunters existence. He also learned from Jock and Bernie at different times. Combining all the teaching he learned together with his own reasoning's Gordon took to light in having the ability to follow deer in the forest without the deer being aware of his presence. He advises the author that the longest he has time recorded the following of a deer in the forest is 19.5 minutes. The enhancements gained through all these experiences in the forest gave Gordon a sensitive acute enlightenment to the here and now as part of natures tranquility, he considers it as a special gift and he thinks he is lucky to have such.

The winter of 1973 was particularly harsh and Gordon appreciated the privilege of living and hunting in the remote wilderness of the mountains and forests of the remote wilderness of Fiordland National Park. The solitude and enormity and silence with the splendor of the Fiordland frequent storms combined with the experiences and learning's he gained learning from the deer Gordon felt privileged to be learning from it all. At the time he thought he was lucky to be there doing it for so long. This chapter of his life continued for seven months.

Late spring of 1973 he was employed again by Sir Tim Wallis as ground manager of the helicopter base in Lillburn Valley at Lake Hauroko transporting the deer in their thousands to the Mossburn deer factory as well as keeping fuel up on the two helicopters a Hughes 300 owned by Jim Kane and a Bell 206 Jet Ranger flown by Ken Kingsbury of Scotland.

Come the winter of 1974 Gordon began his aerial shooting deer from the helicopter career with Jim Kane during this time he was exposed to the ever changing light and its effects of the majestic Fiordland scenery on a daily basis.

Upon returning to the village, Te Anau, from many months of living in the forest as commercial deer hunter Gordon was approached by local helicopter pilot Bill Black. He suggested to Gordon to take a trial flight in a Piper Cub PA18 with the then present flight instructor Iain Scott who was a local minister. Enthusiastically Gordon, during the flight realized his new future livelihood.
Upon completing the flight a conversation was held with Mr Black and Mr Scott where it was agreed Gordon was recommendable as a potential commercial pilot.
Gordon then under the guidance of his older brother Jim obtained his aero plane private pilots licence.

During the time he was working daily in a helicopter aerial hunting of deer, Gordon learned practical flying from Jim Kane and was assisted with his studying of his pilots licence exam. During this time Jim and Gordon both felt strongly that the farming of deer would be a future normality. They proceeded in capturing deer in Eastern Southland in the winter of 1975 via a method of jumping out of the helicopter onto the deer tying its legs up and selling for an average price of $300. The future peeked with the realization figure of $3500 for one deer. The deer were farmed on Fred Andrews land until Jim bought his own farm. After obtaining his pilots licence he was approached by Evan Meredith of Southland helicopters and asked to hunt and operate for him piloting his helicopter ZKHGQ.

Gordon married Deborah Anne Speden on March 1st 1975 in Te Anau at the Roman Catholic Church. Separating March 1st 2000. Divorcing July 2002.

Gordon's children are - Jared Eden Caesar, Sacha Rachel Victoria , Rebecca Fleur Debbie Bianca, Hannah Heather Zoe, Travis Justin Giles Curtis, Ramon Bonar Briant Atilla, and Yasmin Renee Asta Sioux.

In 1977 Gordon began his career as a professional pilot and was engaged in deer hunting operations in Fiordland National Park for various deer operators. Early 1980's he purchased his own helicopter. Late 1980's due to decline in the viability of the deer capture industry brought about by government legislation changes he with reluctance declared bankruptcy.

Over a period of many years Gordon developed a style of painting techniques and compositions. Haven flown daily within the mountains of Fiordland National Park all year round the landscapes.

During this era of his life, he began to develop a natural interest in writing stories. As Gordon says "The author was being born". A small library of self written novels started to fill a space on Gordon's desk.

Year 2003, while raising his three youngest children, Gordon became seriously ill with Guilliane Barre Syndrome - a nerve destroying illness, Bells Palsey and Apoceia.

Refusing to accept any medication for the high level of pain relief, he undertook a journey. During which, experiencing sleep deprivation by day and night caused by nerve damage pain.

For seven months Gordon suffered in pain, refusing to succumb to offered medical relief assistance. He relied entirely within himself to quote.. "sort this problem out". Totally convinced he was on the right track, he trusted himself, ignoring any other input from other persons and medical advice, he set to cure himself.

Rejecting what he had been told by many people for many years that he couldn't go to the public arena with his paintings unless he had been accepted by art societies, art galleries, art investors or art fraternities.

His attitude was one of, quote "I don't need anyone else to tell me, how to live my life, I'll make my own one and do it my way". During this era of health struggle he looked forward to regaining his commercial helicopter and commercial pilot licence medicals. As well as that, during this time of illness, he had the fullest intention of becoming healthy again to wander the forest of Fiordland National Park hunting fur, environmentally, in order to produce fur blankets for marketing both nationally and internationally. At this stage he fully intended to open his own art gallery, that would have enough paintings in it, to display only his own works. During this he received no assistance from any person or any institution. By now he had become accustomed to pain, learning to master his superiority above that of the effects of pain. During this time he was able to regain the ability to hold a paintbrush.

Completely alone with his children he suffered in silence. During the winter his children left home for further studies resulting in Gordon living at home alone. He soon realized that being at a disadvantage of adverse health he could see that he could turn it to his advantage. Alone, he lived a lifestyle finding inner peace. He appreciated the new opportunity by silence, solitude and simplicity. He become quote.. "nothing". Being "nothing" his recovery towards good health slowly developed. This quote... "way of being" lasted until summer. He, by now, contented, began to fully realize that the values of materialistic junk and societies priorities meant absolutely nothing to him. He always knew that up to this stage of his life such was the way of reality, but now, simply had reinforced it to a greater degree.

Becoming accustomed to pain, he learnt to master a superiority above its effects. During this period of his life he strove for more accuracy in his aim of the intended end result of the paintings he was working on. The importance of his works, to him had by now impressed upon himself quote..."what you do is what you are, what your are is what you do". Gordon believes the way to freedom is hard work and the way to hard work is freedom. By his reasoning, freedom, means one lives a life being who they are and doing their idiosyncrasies hence making it their livelihood.

"Hard work" he reckons is where one, upon wakening each morning looks forward to getting back to doing more of the idiosyncrasies. A person who is self motivated enjoys what they are doing and looks forward to the satisfactory end result and at times has to remind oneself to retire at the end of the day in order to have an early fresh start in the morning to do the best one can at that work.

Should one do so one is free. The privilege and pleasure of being free is not common. As Gordon;s health improved he managed to walk down to the grocery store to buy a loaf of bread without resting. He was very proud of this moment. Over a period of time he began to take longer walks in the nearby forest of Fiordland. With persistence, over a period of months he became able to return home with more qualities of hunted possum fur.

During this time of his life when he wasn't hunting he would be re studying aviation law, a requirement for Civil Aviation Regulations, to have his pilots licence revalidated. Also during this same period he obtained his microlight's licence and qualified for his microlight instructors licence. His days would be managed between flying, hunting, painting and studying.

One morning at breakfast he decided he would not do anything else until he opened his own art gallery full of his own paintings. By now he was capable of driving a car where upon he drove around the local village determined not to return to his home until he found his gallery, come what may. Late in the day after many failed negotiation attempts with rental properties he spotted a disused house on the Te Anau Lakefront. Tracking down the owner, he negotiated over the telephone for the use of the property as an art gallery. The owner, advising Gordon that he intended to destroy the building in two days time with a bulldozer. Where upon Gordon challenged him that he would stop him from destroying the building. The owner enquired "Just how do you think you are going to stop me and my bulldozer?" Gordon;'s reply was "With a paintbrush". Over the telephone the owner of the property said he was in a restaurant in Queenstown and told Gordon he had two minutes to present his case. 1 minute 53 seconds later the owner of the property said "You can have it". Where upon Gordon went around to the building, extremely under capitalized, findning a knife. He began to cut the back section of an old couch and found $28.50 which gave him petrol money to set up the gallery.

Gordon juggled between good weather and bad weather days, that he could be either teaching people to fly the microlight at the local aero club or gaining his strength by walking in the forest hunting fur or being in the gallery painting when the weather was bad.

At this stage Gordon achieved his microlight's senior flight instructors licence.

By now Gordon had fully self recovered.

By now, he had sat and passed his commercial pilots licence aviation law exam and was assessed as competent by Sandy Jamieson of Helicopters South Canterbury - a B category instructor and was cleared for commercial operations as a helicopter pilot. During these days Gordon obtained a quality of possum fur from the forests and began to teach himself how to tan them and sew them into a commercial product.

Thousands of international visitors were attracted to his gallery, which had no electricity, where at night lighted candles in baked bean tins carried by patrons suffice to view his works. He later used old car batteries recharged attaching long lengths of wire to the bulbs of headlamps of cars. The gallery became an evening highlight while visiting Te Anau for many a contented patron.

A phone call from Australia from an old friend,"Rossy Rotor", a helicopter cattle mustering operator in the outback's of North West Australia, asking Gordon to join him prompted in a four day shut down of the gallery and his departure to Australia. A winter of piloting the helicopter mustering cattle amazed Gordon where upon he slept every night outside under the stars gave him, once again access to an amazing orchestra of landscape variation and contrast. He was contented.

Upon returning to New Zealand he continued to paint his recollections of the Australian outback whilst continuing the training of young new pilots.

The next winter he attended a helicopter flight instructors course.

The next winter he went to the Tropics operating a helicopter spotting tuna for the fish hunting vessel. Many weeks at sea with no sight of land seen Gordon doing paintings and finishing his novel Black Moon, and teaching five chinese people english people lessons daily. Once again seascape contrasts in variations impressed Gordon to appreciate the fact he had bought his painting equipment with him. His daily routine, commencing at 4am, he on deck doing his daily exercises, pre dawn. Showered and breakfast, fish and rice, at 5am he would paint watching dawn arrive. He was either flying, painting, writing or teaching until 8am where upon he slept. One particular day he did a water painting then he wrote an introductory letter, giving his contact details and the fact that he was a helicopter pilot flying Hughes 500C model, registration VH-WLM based from fishing vessel Pacific Pride in the ocean of Micronesia inviting the finder of this painting to keep it and accept the gift of friendship from Gordon. Wrapping the letter around the painting and then wrapping one US dollar around that letter he placed such in a bottle sealed the top and threw it into the ocean at 0-44 North 155 01 East longitude and latitude.

Hence the achivement of his goal as he planned when he painted the painting The Grey Ghost Flies Again

Upon returning to New Zealand, Gordon set to, and began to produce many more works of art and also began writing his next two novels, The Kane Boys and Hot Barrels Heavy Packs. This is based on Gordon with brothers Jim, Terry and Maurice and son's, Jared, Travis, and Ramon deer hunting and possum hunting experiences over thirty years in Fiordland.

In recent times he together with his son Jared and Franz Klein were re-issued a WAR certificate (wild animal recovery) by the New Zealand Department of Conservation to be able to commercially operate a helicopter on deer eradication programs in order to be able to protect the native forest.

At the time of writing Gordon is busy on a daily basis writing, painting, flying, hunting and composing poems (and sleeping soundly at night).

To be continued.