EARLY CANTERBURY RUNS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20316, 15 August 1931, Page 14

EARLY CANTERBURY RUNS.

LI -['KUXALLX TCRITTKX rOB ' 'THK J?KES S .-., ~ U$M I L- G. D. ACIAND.] II

I I have 'ulisady published accounts ! 3 in The Puess of most of the early j < Canterbury runs. During the next few ( weeks I hope to give accounts of 'iho j ] hill runs which lay between the Ra- I J kfiia and llangitjita rivers. I shall be j grateful to anyone who will let mc ] have any farther information about : i these runs cr the owners, or who will ! ■ point out any error he may notice. ! * AX AM A. • ; : (Originally Htm 8, New Zealand Ueguia- '' tions, afterwards renumbered 401 under the < Canterbury Insulations, and finally numbered 106.) i Anama ran from the south bank of < the Ashburlon to the south branch of the Hinds. The eastern boundary was ' near Mayfield, where Anama, Shep- 1 herd's Bush, 'iJracroft, and Valetta all met at a. corner post. Anama took in the front range of hills, now known as Peter's Kange, and ran back to the Blue Duck Creek, where it joined Mfc. Possession. It was taken up hy George Gawler Russell, to whom the Waste Lands Commission allotted the license on October 2nd, 1854. liussell and his friend and neighbour, Rogers of Maronan, Mere, I believe, "Prophets"—old Australian squatters who came, over to Canterbury soon after the settlement was started. Rogers lived with Russell for some time and they _ were both men who looked after their sheep and let comfort and appearances take care of themselves. John Barton Ac-land spent a night at Eussell's station in September, 1855, and recorded in his diary: "Russell and Ropers, with Sewnrd and an Irish shepherd are living, and have . been living for twelve months, in a large wooTshed without doors, windows, or chimneys, built with manuka poles and thatched top and sides with Ti-trec [cabuage tree leaves]. The fire is made in the middle of the floor, and at night a blanket is hung up to serve as a door. It is a wonder why some people will make so needlessly uncomfortable." Russell named the station Gawler Downs. He had 27C0 sheep there in 1855 and 4000 in 1858, having apparently sold a thousand or two in the meantime. RusSell, who was a brother of Mrs O'C'onnell, of Mount Grey, seems to hnvo died of" left the country suddenly about 1860, as the run was transferred to George Alexander Anstey on March 20tli, 1861, and the transfer was signed j by Sarah. O'Conriell. Anstey was ! another old Australian squatter, 1 i suppose, a relation of J. G. Anstey, of Mount Parnassus. He did riot keep tho run , long. He sold it to W.. S. Peter in 1862 at 30s a head for, the sheep. There were then about. 17.000 on the country, arid they were scabby at tho time... Anstey's .manager was a man named Slater, whose wife was thrown from her horse, and killed where the present stockyard is. William Spencer Peter came out to New South Wales'in. 1838.' He joined two others in a station, but they failed. Peter then joined a Government party which was exploring and surveying the coast of South Australia, and, getting further funds from his father took up a run where Port Lincoln now is. He went back to New South Wales and bought- sheen which he drove overland to ' his new run. These must have been one of- the first mobs brought overland to Soutlx Australia. Peter sold Ms first" run and either took -up or bought' another about a hundred ana twenty miles north of Adelaide. This, lie sold in the late 'fifties —only about six months before tho rich Burra, Burra copper mine was discovered on the Tun. After a visit to England, Peter came down to New ;Zealand (which he had previously visited) and- bought Anstey's ' run which he named Anama" after the Hawker's Anama station in South Australia, where he had met and married his wife. Peter was a nlember of the Legislative Council from 1868 until he died in

1S!)1 . aged 73. Anama on • taincd over forty thoL teen thousand of freehold. The station d 20,000 sheep. I n S 0 was pa »l with land orders I 6' C he work, and selected u Downs on Anama, about I Gilt acres of tho rue. p art E , s Peters executors carried „ ™ ' tion from his death untiUaw K . a certain amount of the eminent for closer settlements '• thoy divided tho station « family, Charles Peter I stead block. Charles & B VW t sold this in 1929, but * owns the old leasehold coiiati/ 4 ** share of the freehold „ very nice station. The stead now belongs to J. rw?>i $ carries 2500 sheep. $ Duncan McDougaU was a nthU : d seer of Peter's at Anama V sr j fant, v/ho left to go J $ W akaki station on tl- 3I Peter and Joseph Palmer.^J afterwards came back to aTg ;k and bought a farm on till ttil * Creek. His son, the Enriislir breeder, still owns it. The next overseer was i-uL'i o ton, a son of the man fSj** tf Peter had bought the A overlanded to South Anstr« 1 Barton was at Anama, then*' drought in New South WaL 88 Barton's brother advised himSJ! I .up any money he 'could, aCH * and buy a run. Barton did b , .it made a tor tune out of -the-sfcL L bought, and afterwards becaiw.l . tor of several important ooimwi. ,fa New South Wales. ' [ot Willie O'Connell, from 'jft t, <& was the next ovehseer. then cm Ja Pitts, then K. B. Bain (affi ' well known lamb buver) '® him Peter appointed ~hia' eldat ; E. H. J. Petdr, as manager. B«i accidentally killed in 1887, tHuleWj ' to inspect a property in Hatfe,fc and from then Frank Peter the station until it was snbMet William Butherford was Peat's fc shepherd, and stayed at Anaanofi: .; died nearly thirty vears aftoni He was only in tlireo billets i| 1 ' life—one in Scotland, a yearnitla . Boags at Fendalton, and at Mi (1 j Anotiie.r shepherd McAuley, on j only swak Gaelic yrhen he '>mn but lie soon picked no em '■ English to get- on with." Be i tie a . first-rate man. One, 1 u iug before breakfast the- nisi was walking down to-'the BtaiVtfi ,Tel tlie shepherds, and a friend W j ieß Peters from Scotland who tfai'fejj iill at Anama happened to go* wiflf lj ,fAs fcooii as McAuley caught visitor he disappeared, and.fl»ljj v be found all day. The manager!® mm in the hut late that Ssr asked him what in the world le Wls doing. "Iss ho gone?" nervously. "Who?" askedtbeiganp " "T'at shcntleman, i\fr Brown;lti aiter me!" "Nonsense, tnan; hi never heard of you. Wky tWij -g Ixj after you?" McAuley saidt&* r.ight he had been poaching iaW loch in Scotland and that JBnvii his water bailiff had chased li ft Auiey had tho faster boat, but Kit getting near .daylight, so benefit ( picked up a stone. and ] DT bailey," as ie. said, and leSfcjf' n e Zealand. ta ehen%Kii ie come here riter me." Thein?! j) asked Brown about it. Brmra iw with laughter. The wafer bailiff W or.iy been- stunned. - Allan ' Kennedy was with Fid I'fter for eleven years—until hie land to Nosworthjv Ono day & nedy and another stuck i? - r boar on the run, and Kennedy offes to show the other how to kill ti _ ■ .boars. Ho picked up a rock; rail to the boar, and brought the rock ta on his head. The hoar charged betiK Kennedy's legs and ripped hun badlyi It both thighs. •