RAKAIA DISTRICT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 29, 14 November 1939, Page 3

RAKAIA DISTRICT

FARMING IN THE EARLY DAYS. THE PROBLEM OF SHELTER. COMING OF THE WATER RACE. Specially written for the '‘Guardian” by John Brown, “Loweliffc,” Ashburton. (Copyright.) This is a story of sixty and one years ago, when Rakaia had the unenviable reputation of being one of the windiest of the settlements on the plains of the Ashburton County. It is told by one who, as a boy of 16, knew what it was to toil, with Nature not always smiling upon him when he turned the virgin sod. ' This boy was William Oakley who, with his hospitable spouse, now lives the retired life in a beautiful home on Oak Grove, on the outskirts ol the town of Ashburton. Looking out from the room in which he had been writing when I made my call a day or two ago and where we congenially talked of old times, I could not help admiring the beauty around—a lawn, perfection; fllowers, magnificent. It was in 1878 that Robert Oakley, William’s brother, took up land at Rakaia and William came with him. Both had been working with Charles Withell, of Brookside—one of the oldest settlors and the laVgost land-owner there, famous as stud sheep breeder and agriculturist. The land Robert Oakley had bought had been taken up three years previously, was partly fenced and about half the area had been cropped. He named it “Overdale Farm.’’ When he, 16 years later, gave the land for a school, both school and district were named after the farm “Overdale.” The school is now closed, but it served its purpose for over 35 years. Robert Oakley lived on the same farm for 50 years, until lie died in 1927. Ho had increased the area to 2500 acres. His sons are now farming the property.

Settlers from Brookside. It was the completion of the railway to Ashburton in 1874 that led to a flood of settlers in the County, and a number of these were men from Brookside, which seemed to absorb many of the Christchurch workmen when the swamp country was being broken-in there. In our talk Mr Oakley quoted, off-hand, men who had come to the Ashburton County from Brookside or nearby. To Wakanui there came Messrs. Corbett, Wilson, Stewart Bros.. Butterick, Brown, Scott and F. Frampton. To Ashburton: G. Kidd; to Rakaia: Hood, A. Withell, R. Oakley: to Kvle: Bueklev; to Dromore: A. Hight. To places south of the Ashburton River came Messrs Small, Bishop, C'roy Bros., Brooks, A. Buckley, McLauchlan, Mawson Bros., H. Frampton, Crowe and Gray; to Bunpuna, Messrs McLauchlan, Doyle, Murison, Christiansen and Gallagher Bros. These were, as I have said, quoted off-hand, but there were others that, given time, Mr Oakley could have named. Brookside was only a small place and it had only a .small school, but its pioneers must have been stalwarts, and its school turned out lads who were among the Ashburton County’s finest settlers. A reading of the names given by Mr Oakley will show that some of their descendants are still going strong on the farms of their fathers and grandfathers.

The first Plantation. But to come back to Ralcaia. as "William Oakley remembered it in 1878 and for 22 years afterwards. There were no plantations and the first settlers had the idea that bluegums were the trees to grow. Although a very line plantation of gums was established on the south bank of the Ilakaia River, most of the trees in other less wellsituated positions were killed by the heavy frosts and pines were planted in their places.- These have proved of great value for shelter and timber. The north-westers were in truth “terrors” to the early settlers. They came roaring out of the Ilakaia Gorge, lifting everything that was not securely placed. At certain stages of cultivation, too, the free silty nature of much of the land—more especially after .rolling—led to “blowing” of the soil. In authentic cases the soil has been known to be shifted to the full depth of the ploughing (the plough share marks on the bottom of the furrow showing) and piled up against fences, practically covering them. Even to-day there are signs of these devastations in certain districts—they can be seen from the roadside. As settlement came the land was broken-up out of the native, and Mr Oakley says that wheat was grown quite successfully the first year after cross ploughing, but the land ran to sorrel the next year. This then was fallowed, to be followed again by another wheat crop. The yields on the lighter lands were about 15 bushels to the acre, varying according to the season on the better land 25 bushels. Speaking more especially of the land below the present railway lino, Mr Oakley 7 mentioned the undulating and uneven nature of the soil for about a mile

out from the Rakaia River, which in parts grew good crops of wheat. Acton Estate owned all the land surrounding the township. The more even land ran from Overdale to the beach and grew very good crops of wheat. The gradual lightening of the land as it went further south made it less suitable for cropping. Sod Houses Withstand Wind. Some of the settlers previous to 1878 built sod houses to begin with. These sod houses were very comlortable and stood the north-west winds much better than buildings erected with wood. When material was used for firewood and fencing it had to be got from Alford Forest—a distance of 40 miles—by drays, and this was chiefly done in the early summer, when the days were long. The supplies were usually got from Mr Andrew McFarlane and William Oakley speaks of it as being a treat to go there, for Mr and Mrs MoFarlane put them up for the night and entertained them in a manner well known to 1 all who knew them. At the same time Mr McFarlane gave the younger men useful advice which they valued highly. The real trouble to begin with in the early days was the shortage of water for stock. Wells could be put down within half-a-mile of the river and a fairly good supply could be got at about 40 feet', but further out it was 175 feet to the water. Itnvas no easy task to wind the water up with windlass and buckets. Windmills were erected, but the north-westers in most cases played havoc among them and proved very costly. To sink a well., line it with 1}- inch, totarn boards, rig up the long windlass and two. buckets and erect a windmill cost approximately £2-10. In February, 1881, the first water races came to the district from the Budding Hill stream dam above Methven, and the nightmare of littlewater was dissolved. Mr Oakley says rightly that hut for the water races the farmers could not have carried "on when the land—in the nature of things -—had to he stocked with sheep. As Mr Oakley remembers them the farmer settlers, between the railway and the beach prior to 1878 who made Rakaia the centre for their business were Messrs Hood, Murdoch, Copland, Stony, White, Morrow,' -McLean, McCrory, McGuinncss, McAmilty, Lambic, Carruthei's, Baxter, Boyce, McMillan, Dolan, Harrison Bros., Richards Bros., Wilson, Mulligan, iD'oig, Kingsbury, Muckle, Ross and Gardiner. The cutting up of the Acton Elstate later on brought many other settlers to the district. (To be continued.)