GREYMOUTH HISTORY

Greymouth Evening Star, 19 June 1926, Page 8

GREYMOUTH HISTORY

WILLIAM H. SCOTT HINDMARSH. (XII.) In January 1867 the s.s. “Beautiful Star” arrived off Hokitika with a full compliment of passengers all drawn there by the lure of the Golden Coast and the love of adventure. Among them was W. H. S. Hindmarsh a Victorian native, who afterwards under the pen name of “Waratah” wrote the “Tales of the Golden West,” those stories of the early days so loved by Coasters. The tide serving, the tug “Lioness” came out from Hokitika to

the “Beautiful Star” and the sea being calm she was able to go right alongside and so tranship passengers and cargo, among those transhipping being the subject of this article, Mr. Hindmarsh. The Lioness crossed the bar in good style, and steamed up the river which was crowded with shipping. Hokitika was then in all its glory, its public buildings, churches banks, hotels and Town Hall all being freshly painted and sanded making a most imposing display. What seemed to strike Mr. Hindmarsh most however, was the glorious l sight presented by the snow clad Southern Alps, with Aorangi the Cloud Piercer, towering above all other peaks. After remaining a few days in Hokitika he booked a passage to Greymouth in the “fast and favourite” passenger steamer “Kennedy,” the charge being ten shillings. Mr. Hindmarsh of the trip up the Coast' and the arrival at Greymouth says: We hastened aboard with our swags, safely re-crossed the bar, and spent a pleasant afternoon at sea., watching the shifting scenery on land, till we reached the Grey late in the evening. After crossing the bar which was well to the north / xvn p*nt safp.lv intn flip Mawhnra

'we got saieiy into me iviawnera “bright running waters” and steamed round the bend of the river from the bar, and saw the crescent city, Greymouth, illuminated by many lights from stores and hotels facing Mawhera and Richmond Quays. We scrambled ashore on to the beach which did duty for a wharf in those days, and climbing up the bank stood surveying the Quay right and left, then made a dash across the roadway and put up ourselves and our swags at the “Brian Boru” (Sheedy’s) where the genial host and hostess very cordially welcomed us to Greymouth.” Here Mr. Hindmarsh opened business as a general commission and insur • ance agent, his wife and family joining him, and here he lived until when a few years ago he shifted to Reefton where he died in 1919 after a long, honourable and useful life. As showing what the lack of roads meant in those days on one occasion, Mr. Hindmarsh was appointed Deputy Returning Officer at Greenstone. How to get there was the trouble. This was at last solved by taking a somewhat round about ride. A horse was hired at Ashton’s Stables in Boundary St., and riding out of Greymouth by way of Arney Street and crossing Sefton Bridge at the mouth of Revell’s Lagoon, the South Beach was reached. This was followed to the Taramakau where the ferry boat was used by Mr. Hindmarsh bis horse swimming behind, the beach was again followed to the Arahura where a pack track went inland until the main road from Hokitika was reached. Following this the site of the town of Kumara was passed over, and again recrossing the Taramakau a good road in the Grey County was picked up which led to Pounamu or Greenstone. This horse journey took the best part, of a day, a motor car to-day goes there in an hour. A good story is told of a visit paid to Kumara by Mr. Hindmarsh in 1879 ; when the late Honourable Richard John Seddon held office as its first Mayor. Mr. Hindmarsh made the visit in the interests of the Government Life Insurance Department (founded a few years before by Sir Julius * Vogel) and in his official capacity he

1 visited Mr. Seddon, who welcomed hin warmly. Having explained his busi ness, Mr., Seddon “looked so pleased’ that he tried his best “to take his life’’ on the spot—but without success Mr. Seddon expressing his surprise it very eloquent terms at the New Zealand Government undertaking sue! risky business as Life Insurance. In “Tales of the Golden West” Greymouth’s first race meeting is thus described by Mr. Hindmarsh:' “There were many solemn faces in Greymouth after the races on St. Patrick’s Day 1867. The owners of the faces were invariably, by some mental process, counting up their losses and gains, striking a balance mostly on the wrong side. The newly fledged Jockey Club had secured for all time the flat at Omoto and had laid out a course, and erected a contrivance that did duty for a grandstand. There were no roads leading to it, not even a track available for pedestrians, and to gdt to the course one had to go by

boat up the river. Fortunately the splendid fleet of 20-ton coal barges belonging to the old Ballarat Coal Company was available; and under the command of Captain Rugg and his merry men, the flotilla loaded up with passengers at the makeshift for a wharf at Greymouth. Each barge was poled and towed up the river by horse power, and discharged its passengers near the creek, who made their way to the course by a track through the scrub. For the occasion the Club had imported from Christchurch a-t great expense one “Dicker” Hamilton, to boss the races and engineer the whole show. Dicker appeared in grand form in the orthodox attire of an English gentleman hunter, to the admiration Qf the crowd of diggers off work for

the holiday, and to the astonishment of Mr. and Mrs. Tainui and their olive branches, who pronounced Dicker’s turn out as “kapai.” “It need not be said that Greymouth residents interested in racing turned out to a man, not counting the women, and, visitors and diggers from 'till parts attended to do honor to St. Patrick of pious memory, many sporting the little bit of green. “It was grand weather that year and the races were well run, and must have been most profitable. The return home after the races in the extemporised “gondolas” was most enjoyable; for we all came down the swift flowing river with the current, safely shooting the rapids near town, in charge of Captain Rugg and his crew, ‘experienced steersman all.’ ” When in 1868 the “Greymouth Literary Association” came into being and Mr. Hindmarsh was one of those responsible for its birth, at first merely a debating society, it two and a-half years later merged from a semi private club into a public society and both sexes were admitted to the privileges of the reading room and library. The re-formed association passed from the Tramway Chambers, to the twosi orey building which belonged to Mr. H. Harrison of tile Melbourne

Hotel, who was then ' Member for Grey. (This site was where the Midland Chambers are now situated). Shortly after this the Society moved to spacious and handsome quarters specially provided for them by the ! Masonic Hall Company, in its' building in Mackay. Street, where for somei years it was located, until the disastrous fire in the eighties destroyed the : Masonic property, and with it the valuable library of works and furni ■ 1 ture belonging to the association, which were not even insured. Nothing daunted, the Society still kept the flag flying, and opened again in the old School of Mines, opposite the Post Office (where Revington’s Commercial Room is now) and there remained until the completion of the Town Hall, where the works of reference and fiction of this good old society found a fitting home in the Carnegie wing ( of that building. Mr. Hindmarsh was one of the finest penmen ever or the Coast, and many of his efforts are still in existence. One evening he went along to the then Borough Council meeting. A question at this meeting arose which was a veritable bone of contention every time it came up. On this particular evening a man-sized argument took place and some very straight talking was indulged in. Mr. Hindmarsh got the outline of a fine sketch and next day completed what he termed the “Greymouth Zoo”—a faithful etching of the Borough Council Chamber, showing the City Fathers as animals, their faces being shown true to life. This- was afterwards photographed and the few now in existence are indeed highly prized. Mr. Hindmarsh’s wonderful penmanship is further shown in some beautiful work now in the possession of an old friend of his, Mr. William Cochrane, of this town. A cultured and hiahlv educated cen-

1 zx iiuiuieu ciuu ingiiiy euucaceu gen--1 tieman—a Freemason of high stand- > ing—a broad minded man of the . world, who for his intimate friends > had Dr. C. L. Morice, F. B. Fox, War- ; den Revell and the Rev. Watkins. Such i was W. H. S. Hindmarsh, who by his . quiet way of getting things done endeared himself to the men and women of his day, and to Coasters of to-day left a priceless record of the days of gold when he wrote his “Tales of the Golden West.”