Little.Robyn wrote: I wonder if they found any of the above sources and tried to work on them?

I find it interesting that the Reeds published the LPs. I hadn't known they were into recordings. They certainly published a lot of books. FWIW, I did such research as I could, from Minnesota, on Reed books. Which include (dum de DUM dum)... the second edition of Song of a Young Country. (Not the third.) The book mentions three Song Spinners EPs on the back, and it cites those recordings for at least some songs (e.g. "Across the Line" says it was recorded by the Song Spinners). But Song of a Young Country does not cite any Reed works or other sources for "Wellerman."

Moreover, I went to great lengths to try to pick up any Reed publications that might be relevant. I looked over Otakou, Early Days in and About Otago Harbour by Hannah M. Chapman-Cohen, The Story of Otago: Age of Adventure by Alfred Hamish Reed, and The Story of New Zealand by A. H. Reed.

Nothing.

All our evidence is negative, I agree. But I think the sheer weight of negative evidence is sufficient that we can say that "Wellerman," while perhaps based on some old fragments, has a lot of Colquhoun and Wood in it.