The 12-foot great white is a highlight. Photo: Steve Hussey
Marlborough man Ross Brownson is one of New Zealand's most skilled taxidermists.
He specialises in fish taxidermy and his creations can be seen at Te Papa, in museums, boardrooms and lodges all around the world.
His house in Havelock is known for its colourful variety of sea creatures, most notably a 12-foot (3.65m) shark. Now that house is up for sale, and the sea creatures are too.
Completely self-taught, Brownson developed an innovative method using plaster casts and fibreglass which has allowed him to take on work of all different types and sizes world-wide.
"We were getting work from as far away as Scotland," he told RNZ's Afternoons.
"They were emailing us photos and measurements of trout and because I had an extensive range of moulds, which was sort of a step up from the plaster casts.
"I could produce pretty much any size of trout. We were doing a lot for Scotland and doing a lot for Australia."
Some of Ross Brownson's many creations. Photo: Steve Hussey
Catch and release fishers who want a keepsake also sought him out, he said.
"They would weigh the fish, get a quick measurement of the length and girth, put the fish back into the water and email me the photo."
The 12-foot shark, one of many big fish on display in the Brownson's home, was "a bit of a mission," he said.
"I've got a little one-and-a half-ton digger that I used to lift big fish, tuna and that sort of thing.
"But it wouldn't lift that. It was lifting the tracks off the ground."
He had to wait for a week for the shark, which was blast-frozen, to thaw.
"It would have been the biggest job I ever took on. So quite a mission, that one."
Photo: Steve Hussey
While Brownson's skills have stood him in good stead, now it's time for him and his wife Janet to enjoy retirement.
"Now we're clicking on the 70 mark, we thought it was time to let somebody else look after the building and enjoy it as much as what we have."
The building, an old post office, has been serving as a maritime museum and an iSite. Both the building and its contents are for sale, as he has nowhere to store the collection.
Even so, his business will continue.
"There's a young guy in Timaru and another one in Christchurch that have got all the moulds, so they will be carrying on.
"I'm heading down to Christchurch to do a bit of tutoring, and I've been to Timaru and tutored the young guy down there. Hopefully they can carry the whole thing on. That's what I'd like to see."
Photo: Steve Hussey
