One of my all-time favourite reads in 2021 is Dougal Rillstone’s captivating memoir, ‘Upstream on the Mataura.’ It’s one of those quiet, searing books which take up residence in your life. You find yourself recalling deeply moving and poetic lines; marveling at the author’s journey to self, and beyond. On the surface, it’s about fly fishing. Beneath, it’s a rich seam of bucolic history, passion for moving water, the land, biodiversity. It’s also an urgent plea for guardianship of our rivers. Heralded by everyone from Jim Mora to Tony Orman, I’ve just found out Dougal’s book has been chosen as one of 17 books in UNESCO Cities of Literature 2021 campaign #17Booksfor17SDGs.
