“LAIRD OF TOANGA”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 4 (Supplement)

“LAIRD OF TOANGA”

MR. EWEN CAMERON’S LIFE'S WORK. HEAVY CUSH TO SMILING • PASTURES. RACK TO THE DAYS OF BULLOCK DRAYS.

Hale'and hearty despite ins advanced years : —he was born m lnvcrn-es-slnre in IBM2—Mr. Ewen Cameron of “Toanga,” Busiimere, can looic back on 0. lengthy period of residence in this district, made useful by a love or industry and the knowledge which lie gained from his father, who was a noted cattle dealer at Home.

Arriving in Hawke’s Bay in 1870, Mr. Oamerou, who had arrived in Auckland ten years earlier, was, for some months, in the employ of Mr. (afterwards Sir) Donald McLean. He came on to Gisborne in 1871, with two teams, comprising in all thirty bullocks and two bullock drays, one of which-had been imported from Melbourne and the other being of Napier manufacture. Iu those days, Gisborne was simply a roadless waste of scrub. He told an interviewer that lie well remembers, on his arrival, seeing a man milking a cow. on what is now the site of the post office. At that time, Capt. Read was a. real czar and to get on with him one had always to give way to him. Without anv delay, he took up his present property at" Bushmere, but for 25 years be did not receive a proper title. About a dozen other settlers later found themselves in a similar phght. Wi Haronga had reckoned that Capt. Read had no right to sell the land. A NOVEL HOMESTEAD. At the outset, Mr. Cameron converted the redoubt near the river into a office of residence. He formed H moat round it and had a drawbr'doe, making it r. perfectly secure office of abode. To-dav the remains of - til* redoubt mav still be seen, with the oaths of the sentries plainly outlined. ’ On account of floods, however. the moat has been filled in to a very’ appreciable extent. In those davs bis nearest neighbors were Mrs. and the late Ml*. W. W. Smith, who lived on the opposite side of the river. Apart from a few Maoris in the district, there was not 'another living soul about. As showing ht\v isolated was the locality, Mr. Cammon said that on one occ-as.on lie and one 01. bis helpers left their lunch and went after a pig but got lost and it was early next morning be'ore they were able to find their way hack by following the river from Y\ aerenga a-liika, \vhen they had emerged from the bush and were able to gain their boamigs! Mr. Cameron went on to mention that at that time -Messrs. Ferguson and Harris, of Opou, were paying Capt. Read a penny per pound to c-art their wool to town, but they gave tincontract to him. On Ins return journeys, lie would take out stores to

Opou. He introduced the first Polled Angus cattle into Poverty Bay. BOGGED PIGGY-BACKING A LADY. Air. Cameron went on to say that when he took up Toanga nobody lived at Waerenga-a-hika. Of roads the district had none. Many a time he had seen a bullock dray stuck up for hours and even for days and weeks. On one occasion Mr. Bidgocd’s coac-li got bogged near the railway crossing at Bushmere. He had come to him ana said: “I have four horses bogged” ; “Oh let them die,” he had. told Mr. Bidgood. The reply, lie had got was: “But I can’t; I’ve got a lady aboard.” Air. Cameron essayed to “piggy-back” the lady out of the mire, but he, too, became bogged. Eventually, with the aid of bullocks he (Mr. Cameron) had saved the situation. The lady passenger was rescued by means of planks. Amongst the- earliest events held in the district was a ploughing match which lie had organised and which had been held on the property now occupied by bis neighbor, Airs. Smith. It was a great success, but no other was ever held. He had often gone up to Whatatutu in the early days to inspect the oil prospects and liad secured three barrels of crude oil, which was very creamy in appearance. It had, however, proved very useful fcr lighting fires.

“IN DURANCE VILE.” For soma years, about,.tlie time of the Boer War, Mr. Cameron, was '■very active in the export stock business. Within a period of about two years lie handled between SO,OOO and 40,000 sheep, which were all sent either to Auckland, or Napier. Tlie price paid was three pence per lb for mutton and three pence per lb for beef. On one trip he went with some stock by one of the Union Co.’s boats to Auckland. There bad been smallpox aboard and with the crew and the rest of the passengers he was placed in buaraiitine on. Motuihi Island. The afflicted passenger bad been landed at Napier and had died there. He (Mr. Cameron) was very anxious to reach Auckland and. had offered £2O if lie ■ could be landed in 24 hours' but the offer was rejected.' The reason why bo had had a two-storev hon«e. built was so that he might be able from the balcony to see with a telescope when vessels .winch were to cany away the stock came in. ; COMBATTING THE SCAB.; . Speaking of, the’ (visitation of scab. iaihori^st2sheep;finttbe;7o’s'i3lr.i(CiimA cron said thet the first' aliimalsdshpwvi ing traces of the disease were landed;

-J- *' . . from' Auckland oh 'JEaiH.ih ’Somb ! of * them came up. to' Maka'ralffid'through the open run and joinedCMir'-! King’s flock which had been shifted down there on account of the floods. He (Mr. Cameron) had seen scab at Home and he had told Mr. King that that ufaiS w hat was wrong with his sheep. Mr-. Meklrum, the stock inspector, and Mr. Smith had inspected the flock. One said the disease was .scab and the other said that it was not. Mr. Dowell, who leased portion of Marti, complained to the vendors of she sheep, but one of them had said: “I will give you £SOO for the flock and cry quits.” Mr. D'owiell then decided to keep the sheep. The disease, went right through the district. Messrs. Harris and Ferguson spent a lot of money on tobacco which they saturated with water and boiled the mixture up> but it was futile. He personally used , and recommended a lime and sulphur mixture. The dip which he had built was still in existence and he reckoned that it could not be improved upon even today. _ ... Amongst his early-day activities Mr. Cameron did his full share in promoting the first A. and P. Show, which was held at Eoseland and proved very successful, a good crowd turning ‘ up. They used to hold a dance every month at Qrmoiid in a raupo ‘•hall.” Some sixty or seventy would attend, including Major Richardson and Major Pitt and a-contin-gent from town. Maoris, too, were welcomed. The music was provided with the aid of a concertina: At Waerenga-a-hika, the Maoris were a rough lot and lived chiefly on fish. There was 110 work for them.