Mystery photographer sends homeless man portrait to be auctioned

Allan Adams. Photo / Pea Sea Art

By RNZ

Last week, a package was sent to the Port Chalmers gallery Pea Sea Art addressed to Allan Adams - a well-known homeless man living in the area.

The gallery owners tracked Adams down to open the package, and to their surprise, it contained two black-and-white photos of Adams and a letter.

In it, the photographer asked for one photo to be given to Adams and the other to be sold on his behalf.

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“It was taken outside the pharmacy of Port Chalmers,” Adams told Afternoons.

“He came along and I was money-begging, and he was trying to give me a meal and a few dollars, and then he asked me if I would like my photo taken and I said yes.

“It’s just about my situation... that I’m homeless and I do money-begging along my way.”

Adams (Ngāpuhi, Chinese) was born in 1961 in Whakatāne and grew up in the Tūhoe area before leaving for Auckland with his parents in the 1970s when his father, a train driver, moved for work.

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In 1979 he finished school and followed in his dad’s footsteps, working for New Zealand Railways.

“I was young back then, in my 20s, and just travelled around with New Zealand Railways,” Adams said.

In 2001, he ended up in Dunedin, where he has been since. Over time, he found himself homeless and in the seaside town of Port Chalmers.

“It was just the way things happened for me I suppose, as I got older.”

Adams said he took every day as it came but would like to get into housing.

“Right now things are not looking good for me, being homeless. I rely on winning the Lotto and scratch-and-win more than ever before - that’s the only thing that’s gonna get me out.”

He was on the waiting list for a home.

“It’s a long waiting list, it’s going to take ages and ages to bring my name up.”

Gallery owner Robert Scotts said it would be fascinating to find out who the photographer was.

“The photograph is actually signed but, of course, we can’t make out the signature.”

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The photo was being auctioned on Trade Me and the auction closes on June 2, with all proceeds to be given to Adams.