DEATH OF A PIONEER

Evening Star, Issue 15343, 18 November 1913, Page 6

DEATH OF A PIONEER

Mr James Shiels, of Port Molyneux, who passed away on Saturday at the advanced age of 85 years, was a man of sterling character, and one (.-ays the ' Free Press') who in his youth had had a somewhat chequered career. He was bom in Edinburgh in 1828, and at the ago of 16 was a pointsman on the railway at the Caledonian station in Edinburgh. The.ro In: was taught telegraphy (then in its inI'ancy) for railway signalling purposes. Before Mr Shiels was born his parents had boon members, of a large party of Scottish emigrants taken by Sir John Franklin (the ill-fated Arctic explorer) to Manitoba, the great Canadian north-west province- since so successfully settled. Sir John's settlement apparently proved a failme- because the Shiels and the bulk of the others alter a- few vears returned to Scotland. While in Manitoba, Mr Shiels u.~ed to relate, his brother John (who died at Puerua. 50 years ago), then a child, was almost kidnapped by an Indian, who made off with the clnld while his mother was milking a cow. The mother, however, with true British pluck, did not sit down and tear her hair, but loosed the family bloodhound, which collared the Indian, and the child was saved, and lived to come out to New Zealand and found a family. Mr Shiels was one of the passengers of the ship Jura, which arrived at Port Chalmers on September 23, 1858. He spent Jive years in Dunodin, most of the time employed by Mr Jameb Paterson, of Port Molyneux, who still lives, and at that time had a store in Walker street, Dunedin. For a few months in 1861 Mr Shiels tried his luck gold-seeking, and participated in the rush to Gabriel's Gully, lie returned to Dunedin, and shortly afterwards went, to Port Molyneux to settle, along with Mr Paterson." At thattime many thought that the Molyneux was to be the port of Otago— a hope that was quickly dissipated by the erratic, conduct of the. big river. Mr Shiels engaged in farming, and passed through all the trials ai;d vicissitudes inseparable from settlement in a new country. He was one of the first to move in the direction of petitioning the Government to build a railway to Catiins, and in other ways he did what he considered to be for the advancement of the district. He occupied the position of clerk to the South Molyneux. Road Board for yeans, and was a prominent man in the Presbyterian Church. His wife, who had also attained the ago of 85, died four years ago, and there are left to mourn a grown-up-_family of five—viz., Messrs W. T. ShieisJ Dunedin ; Robert and James, Port Molyneux; John, of the Bluff; and Miss Shiels, of Port Molyneux.