Facing the Music
The Triad was a journal devoted to literature, art, science and music started by Charles Baeyertz in Dunedin in 1893. Baeyertz, an outspoken critic who had a rare ability to memorize pages at a glance, was forever promoting his journal. One eye-catching method he used was the placement of 'Melisande' (here on display) as a centrefold for the August 1918 issue. Although he purported it to be about art, it was all about sales, which of course is the prime driver for magazine publishers. Two obstacles confronted Dr Woods when she started the book: Baeyertz's unpronounceable name (Biarritz; Boris?) and endless quips about the name Triad and its association with Chinese gangs and underworld figures. After her book was published, she passed it to her son, who on reading it said that he finally believed that his old Mum was a writer. To her this was the highest accolade.