OLD RESIDENTS OF SOUTHLAND

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 80, 28 December 1940, Page 5

OLD RESIDENTS OF SOUTHLAND

Two Centenarians WINTON MAN IN HIS 99TH YEAR Southland's oldest resident is Mr. Thomas llarrett, Waikaka, who celebrated his hundredth birthday on July 14 of this year. Mr. Barrett is still enjoying good health and retains all his faculties practically unimpaired. Born in Tasmania, his life has been one of continuous adventure since 1857, when at the age of 17 he set out from his home town, Newton, for Australia. Since then he has travelled the length and breadth of Australia and New Zealand, has groomed and driven for famous coaching firms, worked on tlie goldfields and in other occupations. He has not married and now lives at Waikaka. Mr. Barrett was born on July 14, 1840, and was the son of a veterinary surgeon. He received a good education, and when 17 years old he gathered his few belongings together and went to Australia, where he later joined tlie coaching business. He was employed on the Ballarat and Bendigo runs. After a few years crowded with adventure he came in 1878 to New Zealand, and, landing at Port Chalmers, soon secured employment with Cobb and Company, a famous coaching firm. Two years later he went to Queenstown to engage in private work as a groom aud coachman, afterward giving this work up to rejoin Cobb and Company at Victoria Bridge, the first stage of' tlie coach run from Cromwell to Queenstown. He then moved to island Block, the first stage from Beaumont to Roxburgh, and later to Beaumont. He left the firm in IS7S, and after a brief stay at Dunedin, where he worked for the Fernhill Club, he spent some time as mail carrier from Cromwell. He had many adventurous trips over the Carrick Range, and even found time to prospect for gold. About 1915 he went to Milton and worked about Adam’s Flat on the gold diggings, and some 23 years ago went to work as a labourer and odd-job man

in the Crookston and Waikaka districts. Up till three years ago lie cultivated a vegetable patch. lie has been in ill-health for only one short period in his long life. This was when he spent a few weeks in hospital because of bronchial trouble. \ 100 on Christinas Day.

Dozens of messages of congratulation anti many bunches of beautiful Howers were received on Christinas Day by Elizabeth McFarlane, Invercargill, to mark her hundredth birthday. There was also a constant stream of visitors throughout the day. Among the messages received was o

oiio from Lord and Lady Galway. Seated in an armchair by the lire, Mrs. McFarlane received her visitors in her drawing-room, which was decorated with the many lovely Howers she had received. She greeted each' with a dignity and an old-world charm that was as delightful as it was redolent of the past. She was delighted that so many old friends had remembered her and had come to offer her birthday congratulations and seasonal greetings. She was wonderfully bright and cheerful. Some time ago friends of Mrs. McFarlane proposed to celebrate her one hundredth birthday with a party, but it. was eventually decided that it would be better not to do so lest the excitement of such a gathering should adversely affect her health. She had a very happy and exhilarating birthday, nevertheless. Almost a Centenarian. Another old resident of Southland is Mr. Andrew Liddell, Winton, who is 9S years of age. Born in Paisley. Scotland, in IS 12. he left iiis native town with' his family when 15 years of age, in July. 185" (S-l years ago), and sailed

from London for New Zealand in the windjammer Palmyra. The ship carried 200 passengers, with a crew of 12. The Liddell family consisted of father, mother, two sons, and two daughters. The voyage lasted nearly four months. The family landed.at Port Chalmers, and Mr. Liddell, who had been apprenticed to the saddlery trade in Paisley, within a week of landing had secured work of a vastly different nature in driving a team of bullocks, carting posts from the bush outside Dunedin to the farming areas on the Taieri Plains.

Later, when gold was found in Otago at Gabriel’s Gully, Mr. Liddell was engaged with his team in carrying all sorts of implements, timber, stores and all manner of foodstuffs from Dunedin to the goldfields. The time taken for the round trip was three weeks. A flat rate of £lOO to £l2O a ton was the cartage rate. Flour was more precious than gold itself and was sold by the storekeepers on the fields in very small quantities. Ilalf-a-crown was charged for a pannikinful. In some instances armed troops saw that the flour was properly distributed. Shopkeepers, professional men, tradesmen and labourers abandoned their jobs in Dunedin, leaving the town with a deserted appearance.

Arrival at Winton. After many varied experiences Mr. Liddell, learning that there was a great future ahead of the province of Southland, decided to get right in among Southland’s farms, which were being broken in out of the tussock. Accordingly he packed up for the journey south, travelling most of the way on foot. The township of Winton was his objective. A railway' line had been opened from Invercargill to Winton, but the only train left late in the afternoon, and this he failed to catch. Unperturbed, he set out to walk the 20 miles and arrived in Winton in the early hours of the morning. There he opened up a saddlery business which he carried on for 46 years. During his long residence in Winton, where he arrived in ISS2, he was mayor for several terms, and a councillor for many years. Mr. Liddell enjoys splendid health and has a good physique for a man of his age. 100TH BIRTHDAY Message From The King (By Telegraph—-Press Association.) INVERCARGILL, December 27. An Invercargill centenarian. Mrs. Elizabeth 'McFarlane, a former mayoress, ’ yesterday received a cablegram from the King, congratulating her on the occasion of her hundredth birthday. The message, which was dispatched from Buckingham Palace, read :—“The King and Queen are much interested to hear that you are celebrating your hundredth birthday today, and send hearty congratulations and best wishes for a happy Christmas.”