THE NORTH SHORE

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 282, 27 November 1926, Page 27

THE NORTH SHORE

OELIGHTFUL DEVONPORT.

SOME EARLY WORTHIES

ffH Y THE MAORIS LEFT

, ..-til 1869 that Devonport rose to the dignity of Bf *Meof its own. In that year Mr. G. Banks was li^»fr-orition of COQstable at a salary O f £ 3 per month _ sppoint« to mc i> forwarded by the Highway District li re3 P° n n e l«ioner Ifaughton, of the Auckland Police Force, Trustees, Cwnnj* mifoym for Constable Banks. His duties under Act, Weeds and Watercourses & nui Art re<nstrar of dogs, and poundkeeper. He was also M ffk regulations. For these extra duties he was in addition. A little Inter a resolution was ,iwiL constable should clear rabbits from Mount Victoria, T* fratior i he being allowed to sell those he caught and is it mus t be remembered, was long before Gilbert and • i, "A policeman's lot is not a happy one."' first publican's license on the North Shore was granted to t rtTh-ien for premises at JS'orthcote. That was in 1845. J" LJot out that the " Inn " had two bedrooms but no stable. ?2K Ttowerer, recorded that Mr. O'Brien had one boat. T 185o'the first public building erected at Devonport was the ~" Qifljch and school. The Flagstaff Highway Board was d in 1862; the secretary receiving £15 per annum for his services.

IS NORTH SHORE.—-Curiom resemblance to Britain* Western Coastline.

Up till the early, 'sixties, ; two camps of Maoris lived at foonport. One was located at the head of the little bay behind liorth Head, and the other on the north-western side of Mount ; Won*,close to the present racecourse. There had been the utmost tadJiness between the Europeans and the Maori residents. In ,1863 there were still about 50 Maoris living at Devonport. One jomag it was found that the whole of them had departed during , M prenoM, night, canoes having been sent to take them away to mc other ade of the harbour. The Maoris had gone to join their Kisses m the Waikato, as war was just about to break out. The Jons were perfectly safe had they remained quietly at Devonport, Jrtfteclan.feelmg called them and they went. To understand this' El 6 ?W^ 0 back a Uttle * Maori Wstor . v - North Head, now XL! St Cai S ejr > * as once the famous Takapuna Pa of the Kin? 179 ° a Nga P uhi p art y ar " ved in a war EoTJL^i 13 " 03 - This was moored in a cave inlet on Knf ° f * he rocks at Nortb Scad end of Cheltenham 3ra M«l SP °S 1S Stdl known to the Maoris the name of sands «mK\ Som '.y ears lat « this canoe rotted away on the 51!s?t a It to that [t had been hidden * * swa mp . NSSS attaC ¥ the N g ati P a ° a > but were finally defeated, RE, v m °l Neck ' the of the tribes from itwas the 7rJT? lODg memo?ies > and it is quite probable ! tb V ssistailce given them many years tittinfluSS! i • g0 from DeTon Port to assist the Waikato struggle against the British 0 * dis Pl a yed a fitting pride in what tyttNewZ^iL queen marine suburb of the bi S£ est S**™ show n by the desire of the early the area ™ i d and Mount Vi ctoria as public reserves. farm, «T/T 10, " 1 as Dev onport was iold in 1850 as Victem. Th7 nfl l, If rese rved North Head and Mount a i'S l Ontles had the use oi the Sandspit (now ft e borough eof tZ • Xt was not > however, until 1892 that 88101 ! ° f - the old and swfcvtt P oin t, S»» 1895il 3 Pleasuig feature of waterfront. It was Board Jut rf a § reemen t between the Auckland Jfadsor BesenfL fl Deyon P ort Borough Council exchanged the vested Ji7 aCT f at Narrow In 1890 the J fteCo ««al,aUo22 » CreS °! ? e Cemeter y site at Narrow eck n at Shoal Ba y> Cheltenham Beach, and SJSport been bWj ß ™?? WOuld not have been secured had epmt en blessed with a succession of men of public fcO DEVONPORt WORTHIES. 221? A^a B 'hT h i O 8 ? R aS aS the " father o£ Devonport » ? bem g a certificated teacherfwas fc^e^^J** 1 *o*'*0*'*- In 1861 he went to live £ held »aeentriS- teacher of the schoo1 ' which was S& 5 81tuate , d where the Parisb Hall now found other openings for his K BO «N thedltiep a ? P fl Om ! ea fiKt P° £ tm at Devonport. wae Sil P ? St Se , Cretar y of Flagstaff Highway ln - 1867 - Later Mr. Mays Ws fo «viJ?Boarib S if D ?J the Auckland H«PiW d Wli «iiiSpS" aJ / WaS eleCted representative **« ef th a^b a l Eod^fOT^^ars,andwa Sa to De Wftfci a 1? School ° T™ + J a i also treasure r the ' filled a nuniber of otter Devonport for 40 years Mr. Mays died ° f mison - The S^flJii ,8 *t Norths Ales - AllSon ' sen., and his wife, m \ 854 - on five J» t\ fi' IUStl USt ? ast the maiD Mr. VTR*>n* serSe w! honee at Devonport. d m one lar^e rQOm of the y^ift l - ***& »w!" s AhSOn Went t0 Devonport what is v Ct °l ia - Another Maori cam P 'V^.-fi?flJS h t^ dr v eds °L Maoris liTCd ther£ Ai P. art m the wa r in the t Alexander Alison, was for 37. jeare

SXf ? e^ on P° r t Ferry Co., and another son, the Hon. E. •i i *«• L - G -' has filled man y Positions in public life, mcludmg Mayor of the borough; membe? of the Har&ur Board member of Parliament for Waitemata, and is now a member of the Legislative Council. SAW DEVONPORT DEVELOP. Mr. and Mrs William Hoile. Brown, who still reside on the other side of the harbour, have lived to see Dcvonport crow from a comparatively small place, when they went there in 1861, into a somewhat crowded marine suburb. Mrs. Brown was born at Tauranga, and was one of the first, if not the first, white babies at fauranga. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Binns, came out to Wellington, but, after a flood up the Hutt River, removed to lauranga. Mr. Brown was born in Kent, but when a lad of Vi years ot age was taken to America by an uncle. In 1854 he landed at Auckland, at the old Wynyard Pier, being mot by his father, who had come to this country to settle. Mr. Hoile Brown, who was 1 len , 16 i ? ears of a S e > w« apprenticed to Mr. Henry Niecol at his shipbuilding yards, Mechanics Bay. During the Maori war Mr. Brown served three years in the militia, aud was engaged, when in Laptam Clark s company, building a redoubt at Miranda. The Army pay in those- days was 2/(5. J n 18<U, Mr. Browu. in partnership with Mr. Sims, started boatbuilding at Devonport. J he firm built a number of boats in tlioec days, some of wliich are still afloat, One of these is the Northern S.S. Co.'s steamer Daphne, which is still in commission. From 1871, for 15 years. Mr. Brown was a member of the Devonport Highway Board, and at one time chairman. In 1880, when the borough was formed Mr. Brown was elected a member of the first Council. He also served on the Harbour Board, the Devonport Domain Board, and the bchool Committee. His connection with the Auckland Kegatta dates from as far back as 1555. He built the schooner Sovereign, winner in that class the last time that race figured on The programme for Regatta Day. At 88 years of age, Mr. Brown lias not lost his interest in the regatta or in ships. THE HOLMES BROTHERS. Another family at Devonport. some of whom were connected with shipbuilding there in the '"sixties, were the Holmes Brothers. Mr. John Holmes came to Auckland in September, ISSB. He had previously been in Melbourne, and returned to England on account of his wife's health. Mrs. Holmes came to her husband in the next year. About the same time bis brother James arrived from Melbourne, and soon afterwards a third brother. Mr. William Holmes, reached Auckland. The latter carried on shipbuilding at Devonport for many years. His son, Mr. James Holmes, died in Melbourne in 1823, where he had also carried on shipbuilding for a long time. While the early settlers had hardships to endure, they also had some compensations. Fish were plentiful in the bays in those days, and oysters could be picked off the rocks without fear of being pounced upon by an inspctor of fisheries, while curlew could be easily shot on the beaches as they followed the receding tides. (To be continued next Saturday.)