A boomer who was there and watched as the world kept on turning with Aotearoa New Zealand tagging along, and concluding that history keeps repeating itself, for humans anyhow.
From a young fella to an octogenarian. A rocky road with many twists and turns, made enjoyable along the way by a bundle of laughs and wonderful people, and the occasional challenge by some bastard or other.
Mulitple life experiences, shared with honesty, humour and empathy, but with no hesitation of calling out those who deserve it and taking opportunity to settle the odd score. Well, the pen is mightier than the sword according to Edward Bulwer-Lytton, so might as well put it to some use.
What struck me most is how The Silver Lining moves beyond memoir and becomes a social document of Aotearoa New Zealand over the last eight decades. It captures the rhythms of ordinary life with warmth and humour, while also exploring identity, belonging, and cultural change with honesty. That balance between the intimate and the universal is very rare. A key strength I noted was the humour as truth-telling and the wry observations that bring levity to even serious reflections, which makes the story accessible and deeply human. Further, the lens on Te Reo Māori, biculturalism, and social shifts adds depth that distinguishes this from a purely personal memoir. Weaving songs into the narrative is a beautiful touch, it grounds the reader in a specific time and place while evoking memory and emotion.
Australian roots. Bryant war days. Hometown in the fifties. School days. Call of the surf. Becoming an accountant. Off to UK. Rumpus & Rogernomics. Witness for the prosecution. Going global. The Tamihere story. Behinds the scenes. Heroes I have met. Bastards I have met. Three score and ten, plus.
The Silver Lining of the Long White Cloud is made up of 52 chapters, over 435 pages, with 129 pictures, many coloured, and 103 songs, selected as appropriate to the person being referred to, or the event.
In the tradition of John Mulgan’s 'Man Alone' or the brusque tongue in cheek humour of Barry Crump, Bruce Bryant is a yarn teller among the very best of them. While weaving a personal narrative of life, interwoven within this framework is a wonderful social commentary of Aotearoa New Zealand, its people, its thinking, with all its cringe-making ideas amidst those not afraid to speak against the dominant cultural narrative of the time. Stunning.
The Silver Lining of the Long White Cloud by Bruce Silver Bryant made for a very interesting read; a book that was hard to put down. Complex in many ways and gives an insight into the author’s very fascinating and diverse life. It is apparent that Bryant has never being scared to tackle tough issues or personalities in his quest for what he believes is right, and clearly, he hasn't time for people that he deems to be foolish. He boldly verses well his downfalls and was not frightened to portray his weaknesses. Also, a very interesting insight into his connections with Māori. The Silver Lining left one wanting more. A very fine read.
Whow, what a great read, I couldn't put it down, and I am not a great reader so that’s saying something. What a remarkable journey, absolutely gobsmacking in parts. Your story telling is next level mate. I loved it!
I recently had the pleasure of reading The Silver Lining of the Long White Cloud. I found it to be a beautifully layered narrative, more than just a memoir, it felt like a living, breathing account of Aotearoa New Zealand's evolving identity. For anyone interested in Aotearoa New Zealand’s recent past as lived by a thoughtful insider-outsider, Bryant’s book offers both entertainment and substance. It’s a love letter to memory, to imperfection, and to the endless search for silver linings in a world often clouded by complexity.
Profoundly honest BSB. A great memory you have, and what an amazing story teller you are. I am going to read it again now.
Your narrative voice is as honest as it is engaging, carrying readers through the many layers of life in Aotearoa New Zealand. I found myself especially moved by the way you juxtapose humour with deeply personal reflections examining identity, race, and class without ever losing the human warmth that makes your story relatable. The characters you meet are real, flawed, vivid and offer a rare, grounded portrait of Kiwi life that lingers long after the final page. It felt like listening to an old friend tell the kind of yarn that’s both raw and refined.
Of course there is only one song for my twin brother Pete, ‘He ain’t Heavy. He’s my Brother’, written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell and first recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, but in my opinion, this was eclipsed by the Hollies later that year. A beautiful back story to the lyrics; the story goes that an orphanage’s founder, Father Edward Flanagan, saw a boy, Reuban Granger, carrying another boy, Howard Loomis, who had polio and wore leg braces, up some stairs. Flanagan asked Granger if carrying Loomis was hard. The boy replied, “He ain’t heavy, Father, he’s m’ brother.” Then there is the heart felt words in the 1960 song written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman and sung by the Drifters, ‘Save the Last Dance for Me’. Doc who used a wheelchair, constructed the words after his wedding day when he saw his wife, an actor and dancer, enjoying the party. True love Bro. Now, on death? - This is the gospel according to BSB. As the great rasta Bob Marley reckoned, ‘it isn’t an end but rather a transition, a going to rest’. He didn’t fear death; he saw it as part of life’s cycle and a passage into a higher spiritual state with Jah (a shortened, poetic name for God, derived from the Hebrew name Yahweh [Jehovah]). His message was that living righteously, with love and service to others, gave death no sting – because the soul lives on. I reckon that there are two sides to it, one for the deceased, and let’s face it, no one has come back from it I believe (ok, there was some fella who might have, but he didn’t stick around for long, so what does that tell you eh?), then there is one for those yet to transition, that is, those left behind, like you and me! Now, never forget that those that you have said goodbye to, who if you allow, will always be with you. My Ma and Pa are always in my peripherals. A tip, if you find yourself in times of trouble, let your dearest passed on whānau come to you as ‘Let it Be’ the Beatles 1968 hit seems to suggest. I guess it is now, where to from here? If the genes stand up, there is still some life yet, and as we speak, so to speak, I warn you that there could be another story unfolding. Which brings to mind a favourite of mine, ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’ by the British-American rock band Foreigner, written by Mick Jones, it was released in November 1984. I always did wonder. Now that will get you thinking aye! On this matter, I believe that I referred to the fact earlier in this story, that maybe I missed a few critical classes on the way through, relating to long term relationships. I mean just about everyone I know, from my grandparents, parents, uncles and aunties, my twin brother and most of the people I went to school with, are or were ‘lifers’, that is they were or are in relationships that span at least 50 years, and often to 60. Now for reasons unknown to me, that hasn’t been the way my life has panned out. As I say, I may have missed something, but personally, I don’t think that I have. Have I loved? You betcha! Have I been loved? Again, you betcha! Have I enjoyed or endured these ‘states’ more than most? Maybe, but personally I have no idea what other people get up to or feel, but simply the concept of growing old with someone just for the sake of it, sort of did not ever ring my bells. Right, it may be asked, what about companionship in old age? Really? My casual observations of miles on the clock in a relationship, in many circumstances, looked like a sentence not worth considering to me. Two becoming one, and I was never sure who to look at when they both talk to me at the same time, normally, both saying the same thing. Then what is the story when one or other pegs it, what happens to the survivor who is no longer joined at the hip? Call me cynical, I will take it. This song is for you having shared my story, the Dolly Parton written, 1992 masterpiece so superbly sung by Whitney Houston, ‘I Will Always Love You’ just for the fact that you were interested in my story. Yeap, that gal has a voice, in fact, both of them do. And then there is ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’, the 1985 Steve Schiff and Keith Forsey, by Simple Minds. Maybe my story will stay with you for a little time. But to this end, as that is where we finally are, let’s share Neil Diamond’s contention that 'money talks, but it don’t sing and dance and it don’t walk' and finish with us all on the imaginary stage of life with a mike each in our hands, singing our hearts out, up close and personal dancing, and slow kissing to ‘Perfect Symphony’ the 2021 composition by Ed Sheeran and Andrea Bocelli. Then let each of us continue our walk on the journey of life with our hearts busting with love and compassion. What a way to go, it doesn’t get better. A great tangi number? Now, go and act like you are living in a powder keg that’s giving off sparks as Bonnie T sang about! Push the boundaries and be yourself. The reality is, that in the great scheme of things, who else really cares? Keep your ear to the ground and your eyes and your heart open; watch those clouds for the silver linings which are there and real, and you know, I reckon that we might meet somewhere. Now fancy that! Finally, let's take time to contemplate the meaning behind the Burt Bacharach and Hal David 1966 song ‘Alfie’. The lyrics explore themes of love, kindness, and the search for a purpose beyond mere self-centred, self-gratification. Basically, the conclusion, it’s all about aroha Alfie! I 100% tautoko that. Now, a few have questioned the name of my publisher, Utu Mawa Et Limited. Simply, the word is Te Awamutu backwards, and in te reo Māori, utu means revenge, and mawa is gentle. An oxymoron? Maybe that pretty much sums up my life and my story. You decide. Nga mihi BSB
Author
Over his life to date, Bruce Bryant has been a paperboy, a lifeguard, a compliance-chartered accountant, a forensic accountant and financial auditor, an independent director, trustee and chairperson, an expert witness and an entrepreneur. Also, but not in this order, he has been a beekeeper, a book buyer and seller, a breeder of cows, a bull farmer, a pig farmer, a property developer, he owned a pub for a couple of years, at one stage a restaurant, a marathon runner and completed a 10 year tenure as a Senior Lecturer at a NZ tertiary institute and an Adjunct Professor at an Australian university, then on to plan a village for homeless people. He is now focusing on forensic and investigative accounting, writing and the joys of father and grandfather hood and watching the clouds for the silver linings as they continue to appear.