King Pin

The exhibition presents a significant collection recently contributed to Auckland Libraries’ Heritage Collections by the family of Dave Cameron, a former amateur boxer, professional wrestler, and sports journalist. It includes hundreds of scrapbooks, photographs, and historic posters that provide a social history of the communities, personalities, and fans who supported these sports in Aotearoa. The curated display aims to preserve the personal character of the original archive rather than serving as a standard historical record.

Visitors can explore themed sections such as 'The Radio Era,' which examines how live commentary once turned matches into shared national events, and 'The TV Era,' which focuses on how wrestling adapted into a visual spectacle for home audiences. A unique attraction is a large-scale replica of Cameron’s A2-sized Hulk Hogan scrapbook, which is too large for standard display cases. The exhibition also features audiovisual displays and large-scale reproductions of vintage sporting posters.

The final section, 'Dave Knew Everyone,' traces Cameron's personal journey from a competitor to a dedicated collector. Because Cameron was an active member of the sporting community he documented, the archive offers an unusually intimate view of the athletes and promoters who shaped the industry. The collection captures a chapter of New Zealand's social history where boxing and wrestling venues served as major community gathering places.