David John Gunn

David John (Davy/Davey) Gunn (1887-1955) was a farmer and bushman who ran cattle in the Hollyford Valley, Fiordland and in South Westland, New Zealand. Gunn was the fourth of five children of Scottish parents, Isabella Grierson Robertson and her husband, Alexander Gunn, a shepherd.

After working for Dalgety and Company's stock and station agency, Gunn went farming on his own account at Sutton. On 10 July 1919 at Morven he married Ethel May Willetts, a confectioner. They were to have two daughters, Isabel and Dorothy, and a son, Murray.

Gunn increased his landholding in 1929 by acquiring four leases totalling more than 25,000 acres in the Hollyford Valley. He then moved to the valley, establishing his base at Deadman's Hut on the banks of the Hollyford River. Gunn cut a number of well used tracks and erected huts in the more remote parts of his run; his wife took the children to Oamaru to be educated. Gunn returned to his family for brief visits only twice a year.

Gunn came to public attention on 30 December 1936 with a speedy journey to bring assistance to the injured passengers of a Fox Moth cabin plane he had seen crash into the sea at Big Bay. He covered the 90 kilometre, four day journey in just 21 hours, a feat which earned him King George IV's Coronation Medal the following year.

In 1936, Gunn began guiding tramping parties down his Hollyford Track, and would continue doing so until his death in 1955. Friendly and hospitable by nature, and possessing considerable personal charm, Gunn became a well-known and popular figure. He was respected for his bushcraft, his energy, and his knowledge of the area.

On Christmas Day 1955, Gunn was fording the Hollyford River on horseback near Hidden Falls, with a 12-year-old boy mounted behind him. The horse stumbled and fell, and both riders were seen to find their feet in the river, until the horse stood up and they were both swept away and drowned. Gunn's body was never found.

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