EIGHTY YEARS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 74, 25 September 1923, Page 3

EIGHTY YEARS

A LONG RETROSPECT

EARLY WELLINGTON RECALLED

NOTABLE GATHERING.

The annual reunion of pioneer settlers of Wellington, which took place at the Town Hall last evening, under the auspices of the Early Settlers' and Historical Association of Wellington, was remarkable- for the fact that there were present a number of persons who arrived here in, 1840, 1841, and 1842. These pioneers were accommodated with the seats of honour on the platform. There was a large attendance of members of the association and old residents and their families. His Excellency the Gov-ernor-General (Viscount Jellicoe) was present, and addressed the meeting. Sir George Hunter, president of the association, occupied the chair, and amongst those present were: Sir Francis Bell, Acting Prime Minister, the Mayor (Mr. It. A. Wright, M.P.), Sir John Luke, .M.P., and Lady Luke. The meeting was Interesting, in that many incidents of curly Wellington were recalled, and throughout the proceedings were marked witth homeliness and much good humou.v.

'jfhe Mayor, Mr. E. A. Wright, M.P., on behalf of the audience, expressed their gratification at the presence of His Excellency the Governor-Genera], who'had been . kind enough to take a very keen interest in tlie Early Settlers' Association. '. The settlers who came to New Zealand in IS4O, 1841, and 1842, when there was no Governor and no Government, must look' back and reflect upon that tiioe, and compare it with the present. He knew, from what he had heard' his parents say, of the struggles and hardship which the pioneers had to go through.; but they faced their trials with that courage which had always characterised tho British people. The speaker also alluded to the great progress made by New Zealand in tho past 70 or 80 years.

Sir George Hunter said he desired, as president of the Early Settlers' Association, to join wjth the Mayor in expressing his pleasure at the presence of His Excellency tfjaA evening, and with the interest he took in the pioneers of the Dominion. . ■, HIS EXCELLENCY'S ADDRESS. ! Prior to addressing- the meeting, Hi 3 Excellency the Governor-General was introduced to and! cordially shook hands with all tho'so bo the platform, who came from the 0$ Laud with the ships which arrived in ihe years 1840 1841 and 1842. Viscount Jellicoe then said that it was. with gTeat pleasure he attended the meeting Ahat evening to meet once again the early tattlers. The Mayor had montioned that those who came to New Zealand in the 'forties of the last century came at a time when New Zea-. land was not blessed^ or cursed, with either a Governor—(laughter)— or a Government or a Parliament. He.thought Mr. Wright's remarks more particularly applied to the Parliament, which ha adorned. (Laughter.) The early settlers were distinguished, as were all Britishers, by their gri^ courage, and determination, and by their refusal to Bee-when they were beaten—a characteristic of the British, which lad brought them through many difficulties and adversities. He had taken the opportunity of dipping into some of t|ie history of the early days of New Zealand. He had been reading the life of Sir Frederick Weld, a distinguished pioneer. That book gave him a certain amount of information about those days which his friends on the platform that evening knew a great deal about. That book brought to one's mind the conditions with which the pioneers had to contend. Sir Frederisk Weld left England at the end of 1843, in a 750-ton schooner. Weld was then about twenty years of age. The vessel started by being held up at the Azores by a pirate brig. The speakei: remarked that he thought it was about the last pirate brig which sailed the seas. The schooner got away from the attacker, but did-not reach New Zealand until March, 1844—a voyage of some five months. It interested him to notice that of the 30 cabin passengers, only two or three made good in New Zealand. The difficulties and dangers were too much for the great majority. That showed the grit of those who did make good. Sir Frederick landed first at New Plymouth, and then went on to Nelson, where ho was entertained by Mr. Francis .Dillon Bell, the father of a very distinguished son. Weld then came on to Wellington. He brought from England a hag of sovereigns, and in his pocket he had a deed or grant for 140 acres of land in the country and for one acre in the town of Wellington. When he landed and looked for his one acre, he found that it was at Windy Point—a very appropriate name—and he found someone celling the whole of the soil of that acre for" the making of cement—(laughter)— and a little later he also found that his 140 acres in the country had been taken by the Natives. He landed on St. George's Day, 1844, and in a few days he started to drive sheep from Wellington around the beach to the Wairarapa. His first six months in the Wairarapa was distinguished by starvation/ floods, and attacks of the Natives. In spite of all that, he held on, together with other pioneers of grit. One could not help thinking how the country had grown since those days, and how much it owed to its pioneers. But the people, although they occasionally growled at the Governor and more particularly at the Government, were never downhearted. They made good. They assisted in producing a country which was blessed with the most humane and democratic Government of any State in the world—a Stato in which everyone had a chance to be happy, and to live in comfort, and to make good; and most of the credit for all that was due to the early settlers. Brief informal addresses were then delivered by the following early settlers :—Megsrs. H. Curtis (London), Colin boodm (Martha Ridgway), ,J Vile (Arab), and H. Southee (Lady Nugent) The speakers described the conditions when they landed, and told of the hardships and trials they and their parents and the other settlers had to contend with. Some of the incidents related were not without touches of humour, which caused much laughter..The speakers lived again for a while in the past. SIR FRANCIS BELL'S REMARKS.

Sir Francis Bell, Acting-Prime Minister, after mentioning the long lifetime which had elapsed since those pioneers on the platform landed in the colony ■with their parents, said that he himself could remember, as could some of those present, the earthquake of 1855. (A voice: "Yes; and that of 1848,' too.") The speaker then alluded to the year 1874, when he returned to Wellington, and reminded them of how tremendously Wellington had grown in fifty years. When he came back to New Zealand in 1874, Lambton quay was not then known by that name. It was still "The Beach." The greater part of it was etill beach. • There was then one hut at Pelone. The Valley was swamp until }\ou got to the Lower Hutt. There was o\ily cms house between Lowry Bay and tL>e lighthoyse. There was not a build-

ing at Miramar. Within fifty years a vast change had taken place. He 'reminded them that in ,1874 there was an outstanding statesman' in New Zealand —Sir George Grey. Ha was very charming personally; and Sir Francis spoke from long personal acquaintance with' him. But Sir George Grey was a difficult man to get on with—he alluded particularly to his relations with the Colonial Office and with his Ministers. He was Governor for. two terms—and' Sir Francis added that he wanted to call His Excellency's attention to this point —and after his second term he came and settled in New Zealand, and became Prime Minister. The speaker suggested, amidst laugffter, that •Viscount Jellicde should in this respect follow Sir George Grey's example. If he did, However, Sir Francis said he was sure there would not .exist the same differences between the then Prime Minister or the Governor and his Ministers. (Laughter.) THE PRICE OF WELLINGTON;

The Hon. Dr. A. K. Newman, M.L.C., delivered a short but bright address, and concluded by moving a hearty voto of thanks to the secretary of the association, Mr, W. A. Edwards, and Mrs. Edwards, for the valuable services they had rendered to the organisation— they had, in fact, he said, been the life and stay of the association. The motion was carried by acclamation. In returning thanks for the compliment paid to himself and to Mrs. Edwards, Mr. Edwards remarked that if he had given one half-hour of pleasure to some of the ■worthy pioneers of New Zealand he was perfectly, satisfied; In the course•' of an interesting address, Sir George Hunter mentioned that what was known as Te Arq pa was purchased from the Native ß for £300; Pipitea pa for £200; and the land oji The Terrace in the neighbourhood of the Wellington Club was. bought for £30. The speaker related some incidents connected with the earthquake of 1840. Prior to the meeting Mr. B. Page, City Organist, played some selections on the grand organ, and during the evening songs were rendered by Mrs Scott-Allen and Mr. W. J. Robbins! Refreshments were provided, and a renewal of acquaintanceship and general conversation about old times terminated a most pleasant evening.