ACROSS THE YEARS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 102, 24 January 1933, Page 8

ACROSS THE YEARS

Archbishop Redwood Talks of Early Days

A SETTLER OF 1842 Seated in a comfortable easy wicker chair with his audience of early settlers his Grace Archbishop Redwood, the senior Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the world, yarned away pleasantly for half an hour at the anniversary gathering of the Wellington Early Settlers’ and Historical Association‘at the Oddfellows’ Hall yesterday afternoon. So informal and pleasant were the'conditlons, so “understanding” was everyone within the charmed circle, that the rapid flow- of the Archbishop’s reminiscences passed all too quickly. His Grace said that it was unfortunate that he had not had the opportunity to come among them more frequently, but he now seldom ventured forth at night, and his days were very much occupied; still he was glad to see them all and wished them well.

“I am proud of the fact that I am one year older than Wellington,” said his Grace. “I was born in England in 1839, and did not come to Wellington until 1842. lam sure you would not think yourselves so badly off if you could realise what the people of those' Mmes went through without complaint. I was' the youngest son of a large family, and my father was induced to think of settling in New Zealand because of being badly treated by his landlord in England. With a large family he knew he could never be any

better off than he was, and just at that time there came under his notice the fact that the New Zealand Company was being formed to settle a new country on the other side of the world.

“The idea of the promoters was to make it a model colony, and for that reason only desired people who were morally and physically sound. The settlers had to be picked men and women of good standing. My father was attracted by the idea, and eventually took passage by the ship George Fife, of 560 tons. What do you think of that? When I was in Blenheim some time ago I met a man who said that when the George Fife got back to England after that trip he joined her and served his apprenticeship upon her. All in the Steerage. “My father wanted to save all the 'money he could in order to have it) to use in New Zealand, so we all went steerage, but we had one advantage as we were all placed in one apartment in the steerage, which was the greatest boon, as we could lead our own family life undisturbed by others. . . . And I remember a good many things, that occurred on the voyage,” said the distinguished nonogenarian. "I can remember a sailor motioning me to go below with him. I can remember seeing him knock the head off a bottle and giving me a little drink. It was very delicious. I did not know what it was at the time, but afterward learned it was champagne. The man had broached the cargo in the liold“I also remember that one of the sailors fell overboard. Though an attempt was made to rescue him, he disappeared. The weather was very rough in the Bay of Biscay, and as most of the people had had no previous experience of the sea they were all very frightened. The voyage lasted five months. We called at the Cape of Good Hope for water and provisions, and then went on to Wellington to discharge cargo, and after that we went to Nelson, _go that nearly six months had elapsed before we reached our destination. Tent Life for Six Months. “It seems that the country had been surveyed at Home, and my father had been induced to purchase ‘on spec’ a block of fifty acres .in the Nelson district. We found it was near the mouth of a river about 14 miles from Nelson township, but we went straight out to the place as best we could, taking a large tent, which was divided into compartments. We lived in that tent for six months, as we could not build a house in less time. You rpust'remember that then there were no cattle, no pigs, no sheep, so we had to live on birds, and every day my father and mother had to go out and shoot ducks and pigeons, and also set lines for eels and fish. Later my father bought some cattle, pigs, and sheep. There were no horses for some time. “I will never forget what fun there was when the Maoris first saw horses. They were amazed beyond description. They did not know what to call them. They could not call them big dogs, so they finally called them ‘hoilioi,’ a corruption of ‘who qre you.’ After getting used to the horses, the Maoris used to gallop them all over the country, until the poor animals sweated terribly, and some of them died, but with experience they got to know how to treat the animals. Sound Education. “There were Charlie, Tom, and myself on the place, and there was no school, so my father got a surveyor to teach us in his spare time, and he taught us well, giving us a sound English education, so much so that when I went to school in Nelson it was found that in English I knew as much as my schoolmaster. But there I learned French and Latin under Father Garin, after which I went to Europe, where I was given n very good education during the next five or six years. My French was so good that I was given the prize for French composition against the French students.

“On March 17 of next year will be celebrated my diamond jubilee as n Bishop,” said his Grace, “and I hope you will all be present on that occasion. I am now the senior Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church in the world, and hare been sixty-eight years a priest. Tn another year I will reach my diamond jubilee, if God gives me that advantage.”

His Grace looked particularly robust in health, and though 94 years of age. his sight, hearing, and speech are practically unimpaired.