MATED PIONEERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 68, 22 March 1933, Page 8

MATED PIONEERS.

DIAMOND WEDDING. MR. AND MRS. J. CHAPMAN. EXPERIENCES IN EARLY DAYS. Sixty years of comradeship and happinese does not coin© to every married couple, but it is the proud achievement of Mr. and Mrs. J. Chapman, of Copeland Street, Eden Terrace, who 'will tomorrow celebrate their diamond wedding,. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman are both 82 years of age, there being only three months between them, and they enjoy the best of health. Mr. Chapman was born at Clerkenwell in 1851. At the age of 13'ihe was apprenticed to a bakery business. Mrs. Chapman was born at Portsmouth, Hampshire, and at the age of two weeks was taken to Dartmoor, where her father was an official in the Dartmoor prison. Later, Mr. Cunningham -was transferred to Milbank prison, London, where he remained for 40 years, becoming eventually chief warder. Mrs. Chapman received her education at the Dartmoor Officials 5 Government School.' The wedding took place in St. Mary's Church in the old Lambeth Palace on March 23, 1873, and the couple sailed for New Zealand a few weeks later. After a voyage of 107 days in the-"ship Douglas they reached Wellington, Onlyto be quarantined on Somes Island, .on. , * account of an outbreak of scarlatina. After living three years in Wellington they,* with Mr. Chapman's relatives — fa/ther, mother and six brothers —went to Taranaki; and s as they went, the men of the party were obliged to hack their way,through the bush. When the trouble with the Maoris occurred in Taranaki.Mr. Chapman was one of a party forming Skeet Road. While he was preparing the lines between Eltham and Normanby he received ail accidental gunshot wound, causing the settlers nearby to thjnk that there was a rising of the natives. The family settled on the Moa Block and eventually saw the first train run between New Plymouth and Inglewood. It was a trying time for the early settlers, and the difficulties of laying in provisions, etc., were great The roads were terribly bad m the winter months and the women were always obliged to wear leggings when going into either Inglewood or New Plymouth. As there was no doctor then closer than 25 miles, Mrs. Chapman, who had had experience in England in nursing .through dire necessity, took up nursing in the Inglewood district and was obliged to ride on horseback at all hours of the day' and night very long distances to attend the sick. Mr. and Mrs. Chapman celebrated their silver wedding at Masterton and their golden wedding in Auckland. About two years ago Mrs. Chapman broke her thigh, a table falling heavily on her. Although ehe limps, her health has not been affected. There are two daughters and seven sone living, and 27 grandchildren and ten greatgrandchildren.