Sir Terry McLean National Sports Journalism Award

SPARC Award for Recreation / Adventure / Lifestyle Reporting 2004

 

© Wayne Martin, Award Surprise for Writer, Nelson Mail, November 4, 2004, P18.

Journalism Award 2005: Zane's SPARC Award for Recreation/ Adventure/ Lifestyle Reporting.

Nelson’s Zane Mirfin has never considered himself a bona fide journalist.

But it didn’t stop him from winning the SPARC Award for Recreation / Adventure / Lifestyle reporting at the recent Sir Terry McLean national sports journalism awards.

A professional fishing guide for the past 20 years, Mirfin has been submitting articles to Fish & Game magazine since 2001. And it was his article titled ‘A Century of Hunting’ in issue 42 last year that won him the 4500 first prize at Sunday’s awards ceremony in Taupo.

Mirfin’s article was about two old deerhunters, Tracy Stratford and Gordon Max, who hunted around the West Coast during the 1930s and 1940s, focussing on their friendship and adventures.

“They were two deerstalkers in the golden age of deerstalking, long before the advent of 1080 poison and helicopter gunships,” said Mirfin.

“They hunted the glory days of the West Coast at the head of the Whitcombe River near Hokitika…and the great Rakaia stags – this amazing bloodline that produced the best trophies ever shot in New Zealand.”

Mirfin admits he was stunned by his success.

“I’ve been called many things before but I’ve never been called a journalist,” said Mirfin.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever entered and the first time I’ve won anything. Even a blind hog finds an acorn occasionally”.

“It was quite interesting, I was talking to some guys there and this one guy said, ‘I’ve been working at this for 30 years and never won anything’, It’s a nice thing to have happened.”

Although he’s been submitting articles to the magazine for the past few years, he’s regarded more as a photographer.

“It’s quite ironic in a way because I’m sort of known as a photographer really. I’ve had some wonderful images on the cover of the magazine itself. I’ve done lots of articles but never sort of considered myself to be any great shakes.

“I’m no Ernest Hemingway, that’s for sure.”

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