HOBSON'S MEMORY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 215, 11 September 1931, Page 8

HOBSON'S MEMORY.

HONOURED AT HIS TOMB.

FITTING MEMORIAL.

-' mayor; suggests ; statue.

For the seventh-year in succession Mr. Spenceley Walker,, headmaster of:. the Newton Central; school, ■ and the pupils of the, higher glasses, yesterday made a pilgrimage .to .Hobson's grave in the . Symonds- Str.eet. ccmetcrr, and laid wreaths ;' "to; keep.: : his memory green." If a- fitting -'memorial should ever,rise to honour the first governor-.o'i the colony, due;credit must be given to Newton Ceritral,-school,' for prior to these annual visits to his grave on the anniversary of his death, few people ever gave him a thought, and very few people knew even where his resting place was. Now, however, there seenis every probability of a suitable memorial beinoerected. : Mr.rA' : . J. -Eritrican, deputyMayor, attended' the ceremony, laid a wreath on-the:grave on-behalf of the citizens, and made an announcement that .will give tho liveliest satisfaction; After ap'ologisiirg for the absence of tho Mayor, Mr. G." W.' Hutchison, through' illness, he spoke, of his Worship's ke*n interest in the endeavour to have a suitable memorial, in the city to perpetuate its founder's memory. He had-already brought the-matter before the CityCouncil, and had outlined a programme for the celebration . of Auckland centenary in 1940, with the provision :i such a memorial, as a leading part of the programme.' The matter which hm-. been referred; to a committee, was''- ::<■-. ferred to in his Worship's report in these words, "The occasion of the centenary might, also be'made the incentive to add to our. city statuary statues of Govern.>r Hobson. and', the JRev. Samuel Marsden.' , Mr..-JEhttfican .-sincerely hoped the suo--gesy.on wduld be realised. . . °

.: , ,/..'; Citizens' Thanks. . Mr." Ehtricnn.expressed the thanks, ol the. citizens'.to-. Mr.' SpencSley - Walker and the scholars" of 2s T e\vton Central for the very great ; interest they..had taken in Hobson's .memory. It' Avas rather remarkable, said Mr. Entrican, that the name of a man who took such a leadinopart in the early history of Xew Zoa° land'was so; soon forgotten. In neither the Encyclopedia _ Britannica' nor "the

Dictionary, of- National Biography were tliere any details of Hobson's. career. Mr. Eri'tricaii; gave a fine eulogium of the founder of ■ the, city, and sketched the salient events,- such >as the Treaty of , Waitangi,..the race to forestall-the French at Akaroa and .the .choice of'-a site for the capital," when Russell was found unsuitable. Like all- men, ,Hobson made mistakes, and he had many-critics in his day,, but as. the years : passed by we could now take an unprejudiced view arid we could only marvel at Svhat a man in very . poor health had # accomplished under trying ''circumstances. ' • ' ; 5 A Man of Courage. . Round the'graveside yesteruuy afternoon tliere was a gathering of some 150 children.- In : addition to the Xewton Central' pupils there' were representatives of other schools. It was interest; ing to see' present Mr. Syd. Coldicutt, hon. secretary of the Old Colonists' Association, and several members. Also present were Mr. J. S. ■ Bvighanii town clerk, and Mr. Johii Barr, chief librarian. . Mr..'Spenccley Walker . briefly traced the history of Captain Hobson's life —-briefly, .because very little was'kiiown. There was no . doubt, however, of the nobility of his character. His courage, both physical and moral, was remarkable. He. had , a strict .sense of duty, and showed uiishakeable determination in carrying out Avliat he considered' was right, even though he was obstructed in every possible way by those opposed to him. Time had proved that he was right, and to-day his judgment was vindicated. People -to.'day realised that Hobson had huilded even better than he thought. Mr. Spenceley Walker went on to say that the virtues that stood 'out in Hobson's character were just the ones that were needed by people to-day, when times were difficult. One could imagine how Hobson would face, a time of depression. He possessed great courage and determination, and he had that faith which people must have in themselves if they expect to win through. There was an optimism about Hobson which would be invaluable if the Aucklanders. of to-day possessed it. Still Unhonoured. , Turning to-the funeral of the founder of tho city, Mr. Spenceley Walker dwelt on the great changes that had taken place during the intervening 89 years. The very names of some of the bays on the city's waterfront had vanished, and the city had spread practically from one side of the isthmus to the other. Yet. though Auckland had become such a great city," the man who chose its site was:practically-unhonoiu-ed.; There were,

cei-tainly a. few place names,-a tablet in St.-Paul's Church, an obscure notice at the entrance 'to the Symonds [Street Cemetery, and a plain slab over-tlie grave itself, but that was all. ' ~ . There was no really fitting memorial of 'ithe great man. Seeing ' thafr.Aiu'klanders took such a pride in their city, there should certainly be sonic atlcqu'iti' reminder of its far-seeing fouiider.. Inferably' the monument, whatever ■' \U form might be, should be placed, on;a» eminence so that, we .could- imaging JiV spirit hovering over the city. . 4- suit able place would be somewhere 1 jn^frp. 1 , 1 ' 1 of the War Memorial Muscunvor perhaps on top of Mount Hobson., " y W latter place vould be' particularly "appropriate, for it was. from' the top »■ that hill, then- called Kciuuera,- tlwt Hobson first looked out over fche'Taniaki isthmus and said ■to :hiinself, '"Here ■" a site worthy of the capital.". The,children laid on the grave-a -liml'-' ber of wreaths, which they had'themselves made. '' ' Afterwards the party moved ■t»' , grave of, Judge Mailing, the aiitlior;'" , "Old Xew Zealand," and there MiV ■}■ Beasley. first assistant at Xewtoii Ceil tnil, referred to the life and action? <" that picturesque early colonist, w"" loved New Zealand so well that althou? 1 ' he died in England he "left iristructtplH that his body should be brought ba«< to the. land "of his adoption: Flower were also laid on Mailing's tombstone.