A WAIROA PIONEER

Evening Star, Issue 19398, 5 November 1926, Page 8

A WAIROA PIONEER

SIR J. CARROLL'S FATHER An outstanding pioneer in the early history of the Wairoa district, m Hawke’s Bay—which has just celebrated its jubilee—was the late Mr Joseph Carroll, father of the late Sir James CarMr Carroll, whose record is referred to in the Napier ‘ Telegraph,’ came to Now Zealand in the early thirties from Sydney, where he was a servant of the Government. On arriving in the Wairoa district, he made his home theie and flung himself whole-heartedly into the work of assisting to develop the country. He imparted burses and ploughs from Sydney, and took wheat into the district, amd encouraged Die Maoris to take up farming. Considerable areas of land v ere acquired from the Natives by Mr Carroll, notably the Hurumoa property, which is still in the family. This fertile block he is reported to have traded from a prominent up-country chief in exchange for a store he built hun up the Wairoa River. He was also a blacksmith, and he engaged with success in whaling pursuits. He had quite a Heet of schooners in tho coastal trade at the time, and was a large exporter of wheat.

As colonisation progressed Mr Carroll turned his attention to sheep and cattle farming, in which pursuit he was materially assisted by prominent Native chiefs, with whom he was directly connected through his marriage toTapuke, a beautiful chieftainess of high rank in tho Wairoa district. As he prospered in life ho became one of the most respected men in the community, and the Maoris looked upon him as a father. Over the turbulent Natives of the early days Mr Carroll exercised a great influence, and it was largely duo to his judicious intervention and tactful handling that the sale of tho present Wairoa town site was made to the Government. Ho acted also as adviser to Sir Donald M'Lcan, Superintendent of the Hawke’s Bay Province,find many progressive developments can be traced to his influence in this direction. Mr Carrol] died at Awatefe, Wairoa. on October 27, 1899, and now lies peacefully at rest in the Wairoa Cemetery, where a simple headstone looks down from the hill to the charged scene of his early efforts.