Legend of McKenzie and his dog

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33382, 14 November 1973, Page 10

Legend of McKenzie and his dog

(From Our Outri Reporter) FAIRLIE. j The legend of James .McKenzie, the sheep stealer after whom the: Mackenzie Country is named, and his famous dog, was recalled at the official opening of the .Mackenzie County Historical Society’s pioneer cottage and museum at Fairlie. In opening the museum,; Mrs P. R. Woodhouse, whoj is a grand-daughter of!

George Rhodes and the chairman of the South Canterbury regional committee of the (New Zealand Historic Places I Trust, presented the museum with copies of two photographs of a dog. ' The deputy chairman of the Mackenzie County Council, Mr M. G. H. Murray, said he had been asked to speak as a fourth-generation McKenzie person, and he congratulated the society on the progress it had made in the last two decades. “It is important,” he said,; 1 I “in a district such as thej (Mackenzie, that there be a; (centre where photographs,!

relics and records of the past; can be preserved. “I think too much of our history has been lost. I think if one takes the example of the man the district was named after, ’ McKenzie, we cannot agree now or be certain where he was captured or what subsequently became of him or his dog. TURNED INTO LEGEND “This,” continued Mr Murray, “has really turned' (him into more of a legend; than a historical person, and; I feel that this is a pity. . . . In fact, it has invited an (author to write a novel on jhim which I think was a i very strange novel, and (turned him into a very (strange person.” The county town chairman, Mr C. A. Gallagher, paid a tribute to the memory ofj Miss Mabel Binney, who: bequeathed the cottage to the; historical society, and who,! for two decades, lived behind the cottage so that the pioneer cottage could be preserved in its original state. He also paid tributes to the historical society and the Mackenzie Jaycees. for their work in restoring the cottage and grounds. “I am most impressed with the wonderful work that has been done in restoring this cottage, and setting up a memorial to the pioneers,” said Mrs Woodhouse. TWO PHOTOGRAPHS “I have brought with me, as a gift for the society,

( copies of two photographs (you may wish to preserve,” 'she said. “Mr Murray has spoken of McKenzie’s dog as being a legend, and this is so, but I have here a photograph of a dog and would like to tell you this story. “During the early years of the 1914-1918 war, my father, R. H. Rhodes, Blue Cliffs, i was showing me his mother’s (photograph album, and came; •to a photograph of a dog.: He said: ‘That’s McKenzie’s; (dog.’ I was very much interested. “He worked the photograph out of its slot and read under the photograph: ‘Yours faithfully Friday.’ [This is the photograph reproduced with this article.] “FAVOURITE DOG” “On the back was written ‘The oldest on the station and favourite dog of the late G. Rhodes Esq., July 29, 1864.’ But there was nothing about McKenzie. “He then said to me: ‘That’s curious, I always understood that was McKenzie’s dog.’ ” Mrs Woodhouse continued: “This photograph I am asking you to accept is a copy of the photograph that was in my grandmother’s album.” “In 1917 my father had the photograph copied and enlarged. He gave one to! T. D. Burnett and one was hung at Blue Cliffs. “My father wrote on the back: ‘Enlarged copy of

photo of Friday, the famous (dog of McKenzie, sheep stealer and original pioneer of the Mackenzie Country. Friday afterwards came into .possession of my father. The (original photo was taken at ! the Levels in or about 1864.’ i The second photograph is a copy of the enlargement. “My father must have satisfied himself that this wtfs McKenzie’s dog. though I (don’t know his reasons for doing so,” said Mrs Woodhouse. MASCULINE HEAD “According to the legend it was a bitch that helped McKenzie, but the dog in the photograph has a bold masculine head. Mr Burnett looked al it once and commented: ‘That’s not a bitch, that’s a dog,’ and other people’have agreed. “So we still don’t know,” Mrs Woodhouse added. “But that dog. if it was McKenzie’s dog, was the first dog to enter the Mackenzie Country, and took the first mob of sheep into the Mackenzie. Other dogs and sheep have [followed, we hope not in the same circumstances, but he was the pioneer dog of the Mackenzie Country.” Charles Goodwin, a descendant of the Goodwins of “Eversley,” presented Mrs Woodhouse with the key to (open the cottage, and Helen Edmonston, a descendant of the pioneers, the Burgesses, of Burkes Pass, presented her with a posy.