WAIPUKURAU.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 14

WAIPUKURAU.

« THE PLANTATION TOWN. INCIDENTS IN ITS HISTORY. 'Waipukurau—tho plantation town — was formed and laid out by the lato Air. Henry Russell, of Mount Herbert,' ouo of the first pioneers into the district. By his wholesale provision of plantation reserves, Mr. Russell has bequeathed a picturesque and beautiful legacy to tho town; and ono which present and future generations of Waipukurau should ever associate with his name. It is said that Mr. Russell's lovo of plantations amounted almost to n passion. He laid them out in all directions, thousands of trees covering

hundreds of 'acres, pines, macrocarpas, willows, blue gums, wattles, elms, oaks, j. and beeches, and the result is seen in gardens and lanes and patches of verdure, making up some of tho finest landscape effects to bo seen in any New Zealand town. No doubt the town will some day commemorate in a fitting, manner the name of. tho mail who so adorned their fields and pastures with natural beauty. Mr. Russell also gavo large land grants in tho town for'bos-, pitals,, churches, and cemeteries, and ..everything lie did bo did with a lavish hand'... It appears that when Mr. Uussell,. Iqid out Waipukurau ho had an idea of-running tho,town on tho Eng-lish-lilies, .so much,'.in evidence in some of, tho British country seats. His ..•family,. it-is. said, was related to that of the Duke of Bedford, aiur the connection is seen in tho name Tavistock, one of the Bedford places, and 0110 which Mr-Russell sought to attach ; tb/overy'business-, opened up in the new 'tbw.ni on the'/.estate l . There was tho ■Tavistock-Hotei, tho'Tavistock Bakery, tho.Tavistock Smithy, every trade and business was christened with this adjective designation. .The town, was cut. up and let 011 ninety r nine year leases,, but in the end was sold on freehold. Mount Herbert it-self was named after Mr. Russell's wife —a Miss Herbert — and up to within a year <ir so ago, was known all' over New. Zealand for its splendid Shorthorn herds, which more than held their own on all. tho principal show grounds of New Zealand and New South Wales. Mr; .Russell. himsslf- died , in London a good many years ago,- and .his wife late last year in 1 Napier. In tho "Fifties." Some account of Waipukur.ua in the early days lias been supplied- to Thk Dominion by Ml'. A. "Jones, who cams to tho placo in 1565 from Dunedin, and in the ship ]3erar, under engagement to Mr. Russell as"a blacksmith. Thero was then not-a tree to bo seen growing to any height, although Mr. Russell bad started his scheme, in which by tho way he was greatly helped by Mrs. Russell. Tliere was not a fenco in the .district, . and one could ride twenty miles without meeting any such obstacle. Nothing could be seen but fields of-flax, raupo, toi toi ( fern, six feet high, and swamps. Wild , pigs abounded everywhere,, and ducks were shot in tho swamp which has since become Dr. Godfrey's grazing paddock. The. only dwellings in tho "town" were three, namely,' the Tavistock' Hotel," kept, by Mr. George Lloyd, a reside'neo by Mr. George Winlove' (a builder), and. Mr. Jones's own-house, which adjoined his smithy. ' ■ .Militia Drill. Although there was 110 fighting when tho Maori troubles, occurred everybody joined tho Militia, and drilled in the open, and did : sentry go around, The stcckado on the hill.. Tho .Poverty.Bay massacre had just taken place, Yon Tompsky had been killed in Taranaki, and the names of To Kooti and Tito •Kowaru were on everybody's lips. Gaptain Gollan did not know much about drill, but ho had - a good man in Mr. Sydney Johnston, a young lieutenant, and everybody ' got through . somehow. When. Ngatapa-was taken by Wliitrnoro, Mr. Henry Russell was so elated that lie built a huge, bonfire-on Stock--ado Hill, which burnt all night. Then thero was the first A. and P. show, already referred to in another column; the shearing, too, wjs always something more than an incident. Tho work, was all done by Maoris, and when the.sea-

son'was 011 the shearers ' brought all their families, wives, children, horsea, "' and dogs, and lived and' ate on the station. Tho longer the Shearing, tho better the shearers were satisfied,' ■ Coals, to Newcastle. Mr. Alexander Jones .'made ''horse*'"' shoes, and various-'implements at which manufacture he had a reputation - for : superior workmanship. ' Wonderful ' t*j ' : relate, the coal he,'used came from '■ Newcastle .in'.England in fifteen bun-drecl-weight .hogsheads, jtKe freight, of-; which cost £7 from Napier' in the buN lock dray.. The freight-' cost' consider-' ably . more than did the coal, but . 110- ! - body complained. ' . '.' • V. One; man, Sir ...James. Ingles, still " lives, who saw more, of the life than anybody else. Ho was Mr. Henry Russell's first foreman at Mount. Herbert,-' and is now. living, away up on the .uplands .of ' the t ßualiiriesj,. many".' .miles';]; scenes of.]hiOoung .manhbddv.v -Thoii'chere•wero' ; iiessfs; !^, . H. iJrijver, ! ; a worthy man, who had the first store, ; and also had a sawmill, and. who. brought the first telegraph poles from;.' the Forty-Mile Bush, and M'Greevy, 'of - Waipawa, who carried' the hogsheads, of coal 011 his, bullock 1 drays, and still " lives to tell the tale, and Goodwin, who : was then in the hotel, young Spencer Gollan, and '■ Captain ;Newman, Henry "; Garsford (tho finest-looking,' man and the best rider that Alexander ." Jones ever saw); James Evispn, James Maine,'. John Sharper, John Evans, Hugh'Rob-.; erts, Peter Gow; and'' John Palmer. ' These were the men Who lived in Wei-' - pukuran;ill' tho early days. . v ... Great Changes. Since then" thero 'have been' great changes. The great Restates of Mount ', Herbert, Mount Vernon, Woburn', For- , : est pate, Mahgatarat-a,- Mutuot-araiei, >' Argyle, and Oakburne are gone in the advancing wave of settlement, leaving behind them honoured'names and histories.. but in most cases with their homesteads still intact, and -nefrer y generations who possibly look more closely, into things ithan those who ' passed before. ' Waipukurau is at the present time-' at the ond of five years of almost continuous prosperity and progress. i'.T.be ; result 'is seen in "the., number of :new .' -residences and business, places, whicK give the town quite a spick' and 'span .' appearance.- It has ! a splendid hospital'.' with fifty beds, two banks, a public ' school, a municipal; town hall, a pojt - and telegraph office; and last-, but hot least, ■ stock saleyards, in which , are l held tho largest sheep sales'.seen, in' the North'lsland. Sometimes as many .' as .40,000 sheep are yarded in one day h ' while a /sale of, '30,01)0 ,sheep .is. a common occurrence during the busy season. ". There is also a;'fine racecourse and a - beautiful lake, in which ducks, swans, ' and bitterns abound. The population, has increased so niiich lately that .it. is considered that ■ the census in April will afford the torfn an opportunity, of", borough honour's. ! The. area" of. the.' town is 1140 acres; there ara : 157.: dwellings, 236 ratepayers, and- 374 ■rateable properties'. 5 , The town .is lit. 'with''-'Dreadnought" gas, an inventionof Mr. W. A. Chambers, a resident, and'. this lighting,- with the town'halt;'and'., library, has cost £5000. A'..loan of £10,000 has been carried for a'water. .; supply; and it is expected that- the : contract ''will be finished in about- 12 *or 15 months' time. ;The present chairman of the Town Board is Mr. W. A. ' Chambers, while the;commissioners are Messrs. J. E. Flood, B. J. M'Cormick, •W. Grenfell, and Wi Seymour, ■. ■