WHEN TOKOMARU BAY PASSENGERS WERE LANDED IN A BASKET ON TO A LAUNCH

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22664, 15 June 1948, Page 4

WHEN TOKOMARU BAY PASSENGERS WERE LANDED IN A BASKET ON TO A LAUNCH

“THE OLD DAYS WERE PRETTY TOUGH”

(g.E.) TOKOMARU BAY, June 15. QLD times on the Coast—when steamer passengers were landed by a basket on to a launch in the Bay and when as many as 12 ships were in port at once—were recalled in the Masonic Hall on Saturday evening, when a representative gathering of business men and farmers met to farewell Captain S. J. Plummer, retiring harbourmaster.

Mr. J. Oates was in the chair, and in welcoming the guest of the evening he spoke of the fine work done by Captain Plummer during the 36 years he had been in Tokomaru Bay. He mentioned that the Tokomaru Bay Harbour Board was the only harbour board in New Zealand that had not levied a harbour rate and he thought this was in no small measure due to the retiring harbourmaster Several speakers followed the chairman in praising the work done by Captain Plummer and all were unanimous in wishing him and Mrs. Plummet a pleasant and long retirement. Never Had an Accident

Speakers recalled the days when passengers for Tokomaru Bay weie landed from the visiting coastal boats—at that time the only means of communication with the Bay—by a basket into the waiting launch and thence to the shore. In all the long years of such travelling there had never been an accident in Tokomaru Bay.

One speaker recalled the time in 1822 when there were 12 vessels loading in Tokomaru Bay at the same time. I his included several large liners and tne speaker regretted the fact that it would be a long, long time, if ever, before so many ships were seen at one time in the Bay. The toast of the guest of honour was proposed by Mr. A. B. Williams. Captain Plummer was accorded musical honours. . . “I am sure I have grown an inch listening to all the kind things you have said about me tonight,” said Captain Plummer in reply. , ‘‘After 36 years I thought the end ot the world had come when I gave up my job, but after all you have said I think it was worth resigning!” Captain Plummer said that he had had a lot of luck in his job and a ‘‘terribly good staff ... I couldn’t have done what I have done without that staff and I know I am leaving the rate- , payers in good hands.’ 1 -

“When you get to my age,” said Captain Plummer, “you have to look back on the past. The old days were pretty tough, too.” He told of arriving in Tokomaru Bay and travelling in knee-deep mud by coach from the wharf to the hotel. “And I was mistaken for a clergyman,” he said amidst laughter. . Reminiscing over the old days of the launch Waima, Captain Plummer confirmed that there had never been an accident, but recalled one occasion when he was collecting the fare from passengers and one old lady refused to pay her ss. T’ve just lost my false teeth over the side and I'm not paying you anything,” she said. “We let her off the 55,” added Captain Plummer. Put Head-First Into Basket He also recalled one unruly passenger who had to be landed on to the deck of the ship from the launch and who had decided he would rather swim back to the shore. “He was put head-first into the basket and his feet tied . ~ and we landed him on deck that way,” said Captain Plummer. Touching on the “luck” he had had, he mentioned that when the new wharf was built at a cost of £30,000 he was told by one of the Government engineers that had the board waited for another year to build the wharf the cost would have risen by £IO,OOO. Captain Plummer regretted that Mrs. Plummer had been unable to attend any public (unction, but the doctor had told her to “stay in bed for a week and cut out all parties ” However, he thanked all present on his own and Mrs. Plummer's behalf for the messages and many kindnesses shown to them in the Bay. A presentation on behalf of those present was made to the guest of honour by the chairman. During the evening items were provided by Messrs. K. Mac Kay, N. Vickers » Brown, J. Elliott and P. McCallum-,