Hokitika is proud of its reminders of the past

Press, 19 August 1978, Page 16

Hokitika is proud of its reminders of the past

By

PAT WARD

Hokitika is very mindful of its heroes and pioneers. This town of almost 4000 people contains reminders of history that would be the envy of much larger communities. The oldest is an obelisk near the entrance to the public cemetery. It was ordered from Sydney in 1867 and records the sacrifices and dangers endured by the pioneering explorers. It first stood in Weld Street on the site of the present town clock. The obelisk bears the names of Charles Townsend, a government agent drowned at Greymouth in 1863; Henry Whitcombe. a

surveyor drowned in the Taramakau River, 1863; George Dobson, a road engineer murdered by the Kelly gang on the'West Coast in 1866; and Charles Howitt, a surveyor and explorer drowned in Lake Brunner, 1863. The memorial was moved to the cemetery in 1880, but 33 years later the Hokitika Borough Council resolved that in view of the approaching jubilee of Westland, it be moved again, to Cass Square, and be called the Whitcombe, or Dobson, monument. The move did not eventuate, and instead a jubilee committee in 1914

erected a 17ft high statue of a digger to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the West Coast gold fields. On its base are tributes to the “Pioneers of Westland” and “The Frontier Line,” and three thoughtprovoking phrases! One of these is: “Where the vanguard camps today, The rear shall rest tomorrow.” This digger, at the Fitzherbert Street corner, where it is floodlit at night, is pictured with dried material in his arm — the work apparently of latterday “artists.” Even so, it is a most appropriate addition. The New Zealand Historic Places Trust has

recognised the beginnings of the business community by erecting a concrete cairn at the corner of Revell Street and Gibson Quay, not far from where the port was a bustling entitv. In October, 1864, the first store in Hokitika was opened at the corner by John Hudson and James Price, and on December 20, the government agent, W. H. Revell, laid out the first two streets. An unusual relic is a statue of Robert Bums looking across Cass Square. The writer had some difficulty obtaining any information about this statue. There is no inscription, only a verse, and the residents asked knew nothing of its arrival. Finally, the town clerk (Mr Athol Robbins) solved the mystery when he offered the loan of some historical notes prepared by an earlier Methodist minister. In 1922, the council granted permission for the statue’s erection in the square and the Burns Society opened a drive for funds. In seven months, £3OB was raised, leaving only £75 needed to clear the debt. The pedestal of Scottish granite was engraved with an inscription chosen by Mr W. Patrick, the principal donor to the fund. To the sound of bagpipes and a brass band, a procession wended its way to the square on June 4, 1923, for the unveiling. Chief Davidson read apologies, including one from Sir Harry Lauder. The Honourable James Craigie, formerly Mayor of Timaru for 11 years, and an authority on the life and work of Bums, spoke at length on the poet, with frequent quotation of his

works, and then unveiled the statue. Later that year, the British and Intercolonial exhibition was held in Hokitika. Afterwards, the organisers decided that a memorial should be erected as a commemoration. A woman’s figure in marble, entitled "Summer,” was carved by a European artist and now stands beside the West C.oast museum. In November, 1925, the tatue was given to the council by the exhibition’s secretary. Two other facets of Westland’s history are also recorded on its base; the opening of the East and West Coast railway (Otira tunnel) and the diamond jubilee .of the □rovince the previous year. Nearby, Richard John Seddon is an imposing figure in front of the government buildings. Erected at a cost of £5BO, the statue was unveiled in 1910 by the Prime Minister, Sir Joseph Ward,

who said it was largely due to Seddon, who had died in 1906, “that relations between the Home Country and overseas dominions were put on a broader basis of mutual protection.” The foundation stone in the background, dated 1908, holds a secret that was recorded in the autobiography written by Tom Seddon, Richard Seddon's son, in 1968. In his official capacity, Sir Joseph Ward waved the presentation trowel and declared the stone “well and truly laid.” He then added, after looking at his handwork: “And I dare anyone to move it.” The dare was too much for someone. A casket had been embedded in the cement, containing brand new coins and contemporary newspapers. By the morning after the unveiling the stone had been lifted and the coins had disappeared. As almost a son of Westland, Seddon has a special place in the area’s history. Imposing photographs of him look down from the corridor walls in the Westland county council building. The museum, too, displays invaluable relics of the man — the menu of a public dinner given in 1904 to mark his 25th year of election as M.P. for Westland; a memoriam card; and a 1900 invitation to Seddon for the opening of the House of Parliament in Tonga “at the tenth hour and thirty minutes morning and that you are allowed to it.” The invitation was written in Tongan and English. A card written by Seddon is in itself a relic, but on reading the words

it becomes a treasure of which any museum would be proud: “A piece of red cloth given by Captain Cook to the grandfather of King GeOrge of Tonga and presented by the King to Richard John Seddon.” In his book, Tom Seddon recalls that visit to Tonga and the King — “an immense man. six feet four inches tall and weighing well over 18 stone. Even my father had not attained such majestic proportions.” The two had talks “about matters relevant to New Zealand and Tonga, the King being very anxious for improvement in trade between the two countries and the better understanding of each other.” The next day, there was a state luncheon at the palace and the Prime Minister received “the cherished relic. Cook had used red cloth as barter for goods. This piece of cloth had been cherished through many generations.”