Oft referred to as the godfather of New Zealand folk music, Phil Garland wasn't always a singing historian. As a teenager in Christchurch, he was just a kid who fell in love with rock 'n' roll after seeing Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock." He sold his stamp collection to buy his first guitar and joined a band called The Saints, singing alongside a young Diane Jacobs, who would later become pop sensation Dinah Lee.

But ultimately it was the folk songs, the stories of New Zealand's colonial past that truly captured his imagination. In 1965, armed with a dozen Kiwi folk songs and a new 12-string guitar, he set off for the United Kingdom. There, he discovered a treasure trove of musical history, which only fueled his determination to return home and mine for more songs of Aotearoa.

Phil was on a mission. Many of these songs were fading away, lost to time and the memories of aging "old-timers." He crisscrossed the country, collecting stories and melodies — not just to preserve them but to give voice to our unique cultural identity, a shared history woven into the very fabric of New Zealand.

He wasn't just a collector, he was also a creator. Phil wrote his own songs about our historical events, breathing life into forgotten tales of tragedy and triumph. He unearthed poems and prose from the early settler period and set them to music, transforming words into living, breathing testaments to a bygone era.

His dedication was tireless. He won awards, wrote books, even produced a musical documentary for RNZ that garnered international acclaim. He spent time in Australia, sharing his passion and knowledge with new audiences. But New Zealand always called him back, and in 1996, he returned, his hands full of the fruits of his labour.

His first book, "The Singing Kiwi," was a collection of over 120 songs and in 2009, he published "Faces in the Firelight," a chronicle of New Zealand's post-colonial history told through the lens of folklore and song.

Phil's legacy is not just in the songs he collected or the books he wrote. It's in the spirit he passed on, the stories he shared and the voices he gave to our nation's past. He was more than just a musician; he was a keeper of memories, a bridge between generations, a living embodiment of New Zealand's musical soul.

Phil Garland is the inaugural entry on the ANZFA Roll of Honour, and none more deserving. We remember the man who dedicated his life to ensuring that the songs of Aotearoa would echo through the ages, reminding us of who we are and where we came from.

QSM , 1942 - 2017