John Rosanowski was born in Reefton and studied history at the University of Canterbury under Philip Ross May. In a career in education he wrote or co-wrote seven history text books and was Chief Examiner of School Certificate history. As well as contributing a chapter in P R May's Miners and Militants, his publications include Bottled Lightning: The Reefton Electric Light, and A History of the West Coast of the Southern Alps.He has also written articles on West Coast history for newspapers, magazines and the NZ Journal of History.