- Wizard of New Zealand
The Wizard of New Zealand, also known as the Archwizard of Canterbury, is well known in
New Zealand as a public speaker, performer, and eccentric.The Wizard (his legally recognised name) has also been recognised as a "living work of art" by the
National Gallery of Victoria and theRobert MacDougall Art Gallery , and as "Cosmologer" of theUniversity of Melbourne . He is also the founder of theImperial British Conservative Party , andAlf's Imperial Army .Life and career
Born in
1932 inLondon as Ian Brackenbury Channell, he was appointed Wizard of theUniversity of New South Wales by the Vice Chancellor and Students' Union in1969 .The Wizard initially gained attention in New Zealand as a regular soap box orator in Cathedral Square in
Christchurch, New Zealand . Dressed as a Wizard in a black gown, wizard's hat and staff and wearing a long flowing beard, his topics oforation were, for the most part, deliberately controversial and frequently whimsical.Hismaiden speech in Cathedral Square inChristchurch, New Zealand onSeptember 17 ,1974 was greeted with derision and eggs, later ones by objections from the City Council, but after many battles withbureaucracy he is now an institution and tourist attraction. Some allege that he even receives state money for bringing in tourist revenue.Who|date=November 2007One of his pet peeves is filling out
census forms, which he has tried to escape by such means as travelling off-shore in a small boat or by "magically disappearing" at the time of the census. He also claims that the traditional world views are incorrect and "borealocentric", proposing the "Upside-Down World", with Antarctica and South at the top of the map, and the "Inside-Out Universe", which inverts all dimensions and measurements.He occasionally came under heavy criticism from Barry Smith, the New Zealand eschatologist and born-again preacher. In particular, Smith blamed the Wizard for an infestation of insects in one area, after he had performed a Native American
raindance in an aeroplane over said area.On
October 6 ,1990 he was proclaimed 'Wizard of New Zealand' by the thenPrime Minister of New Zealand ,Mike Moore . He has also been known as 'The Wizard of Christchurch', 'Archwizard of Canterbury' (a similar 'title' to the Anglican position ofArchbishop of Canterbury ), or simply 'The Wizard'.On
September 8 ,2003 the Wizard's large wooden house was destroyed by a fire. The Wizard, his partner and two boarders were lucky to escape with their lives, but the Wizard's extensive book and video collections were destroyed. The Wizardmobile, constructed in Timaru from the front halves of twoVW Beetle s, was also attacked, though later repaired.Public speaking
In the past the Wizard frequently made public appearances as a soap box orator in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. In recent times the Wizard began appearing less frequently at first only appearing in Summer. By
2004 the Wizard was at least semi-retired, although seemed to appear most Tuesdays, often wearing a white robe. In2005 he moved to theNorth Otago town ofOamaru to retire from his active duties (though he still speaks in Christchurch during the summer months). He was present at the official re-opening ofOamaru Airport onAugust 6 ,2006 , and claimed credit for dispersing the fog that might have prevented the first flight from landing. [ [http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/807003 Oamaru back on the flight radar] Archived video footage accompanying news item byTVNZ ,August 6 ,2006 ,TV ONE New Zealand ]Autobiography
An autobiography has been published, "My Life as a Miracle" (ISBN 0-908812-73-6) [http://www.cup.canterbury.ac.nz/catalogue/my_life_as_a_miracle.shtml]
Notes
External links
* [http://www.wizard.gen.nz/ Official web page]
* [http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Heritage/LocalHistory/Wizard/ History page from Christchurch Library website]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/Places/Canterbury/Canterbury/13/ENZ-Resources/Standard/4/en Entry in the Encyclopedia of New Zealand from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage website]
* [http://www.newzealandatoz.com/index.php?pageid=854&PHPSESSID= Videos of the Wizard speaking in Cathedral Square, Christchurch. From www.newzealandatoz.com]
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