MY EARLY DAYS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXV, Issue 10392, 9 May 1927, Page 5 (Supplement)

MY EARLY DAYS.

MR. PARKER TELLS OF DISTRICT IN THE 60’s. THE OLD RESIDENTS AND THEIR HOMES. “In December, 1867,” Mr. W. Parker, of Mangapapa, told a .‘Times’ interviewer, “we left Napier for Poverty Bay in the ‘Cleopatra,’ a small paddle steamer, and, as it was daylight most of the way, we passed between Portland Island and the mainland. The following morning the little craft went up tiie Waipaoa river, pulling into the bank near where Captain (afterwards Major) Charles Westrupp was living. From there we made our way across the Flats to Makaraka, the location of our new residence. JAN®, THE WASHER-WOMAN.

! ‘We had not been long there when my mother wanted a washer-woman and got a Maori woman named Jane for the job I’ve no hesitation in saying that no Maori woman in Poverty Bay at that time' could speak better English. She was much given to talking of the ‘karaiope’—she referred to H.M.S 1 . Calliope—on which she had been given a trip to Wellington several years before. Whether that- trip was undertaken for the benefit of her health or otherwise, I never ascertained. When in Wellington it was not long before she went into tire service' of John Mason (father of Henry Mason, who was in partnership as an auctioneer with Gavvy Wylip in Gisborne some years ago), a much respected settler who lived at the Hutt. Jane was a very good washerwoman, but as the Massacre broke up our homo I never saw her^ again until I returned to Poverty Bay in 1874. There were two young women who made the trip to Wellington ip the Calliope, but I’ve forgotten the name of the other.

FUTILE HANGING EFFORT. “When living at Makaraka I used to i ide to what we called ‘the top end’ of the Whataupoko run and to get there had to pass Dick Poulgrain’s and French Bob’s (Robt. Newnliam’s). There was only a track which, after passing Bob’s, and running nearly to where the present school-house on King’s Road is, I loft it and made in the direction of what is now known as-Gray’s Bush. The track was used by the Maoris who lived at Na Mahanga (near the junction of King’s Road with the Ormoiul Road, where there was a lair sized settlement, the principal man being Henare Rum. On one occasion when 1 visited ‘the top end’ I heard uogs harking, and, riding up quickly to see what was the matter, found that they •were worrying shoe]). 1. stopped them and marked down the ve rst dog of the lot —a big wiry briudle gentleman. By this tme the Maoris emerged from the scrub and tame up to where I was, when I told them what Intel happened. Their dogs were then all around them and 1 pointed cut the hrind'o. They said 1 could kill him and, thereupon, 1 got on the job. 1 took a tether rope off my saddle and with a slip-knot put it round the dogs neck, then over a branch o! a tree and hauled him up. If the branch had been about a foot higher it would have been quite all right, but he got his hind feet to the ground and 1 had to settle him by hashing him over tho head with a sapling. There were seven or eight Maoris in the party, amongst whom were Mi Mahuika and Wi Pere.

FRENCH 808 AND HIS MINE, “I used to ride to Turangamii about once a week for the mail, etc-., and often brought little things for ‘French Bob.’ Sometimes on returning from ‘the tep end’ I called in and had a chat with him and old Biddy, his wife. On one occasion he invited me to go down bis garden to where lie had a shed in which lie kept a- c-ask of wine, and, suggesting that I should have a drink from the cask, lie handed a straw to me and told me to put it into the bung-hole and suck away. I followed his directions and did suck away until I didn’t want any more. I then rode away home—about a mile off—and when I got there didn’t get off but fell off all of a heap. I was dead to the world for the rest of the clay. Bob had a large flock.of goats and their principal run was-from about where the junction of King’s Road is with the main road for a mile or so towards Waerenga-a-liika. Bob would not floe cn the morning of the Massacre and, as a result, ho and his wife and an adopted European child were killed.

SHIPPING IN THE TARUHEEU. “Excluding Turanganui, now the town of Gisborne, Poverty Bay was very sparsely settled in 1867. The IT’Re ns were at Makaraka. Two sons, Tom and John, lived there, their home being called Roseland. Robert hacl died shortly before and his widow resided on a small property adjoining Roseland. These three were sons of the original U’Ren, who settled very early—l think in the 4(Vs, at Makaraka. The original Espie, father of J. E. Espie, was not in occupation of any of this property, which consisted of about 150 acres of very good land. It adjoined U’Ren’s, which was smaller. Espie had two houses on his land, one of which we occupied on arrival. It had previous-

ly been occupied ,by Mr. H. S. Wardell, who, I believe, was the first Resident Magistrate in Loverly Bay. Tho other was in possession of Alexander Robb, a son-in-law of the original Espic. On Espie’s property was a/large .store-house, which had, in earlier days, been used for storing grain and 'other produce and immediately in front was a wharf up to which small vessels used to come to load the produce. The storing and shippeing had ceased before 1867. OLD RESIDENTS' A LOUT/ MAKARAKA. ‘•■Old Tarr had just come to Makaraka from some other part of the Bay. He hacl a large family, and many of his descendants are slid living in the district. lie was living in a slab wliare just' outside ’Espie’s property. Pilbrow was another resident who occupied a house on land adjoining Espie’s (this house after the Massacre was occupied by olcl James Dunluj-,* who had a large family. (They raised more in those days than they do now.) Mr. Dunlop', at the time of the Massacre, was living at Te Kohanga, on the bank of To Arai and had a lew acres there. Dick Poulgrain lived .just to the westward of Espie’s. He iiad. a good house and orchard, and ‘French Bob’ (Robert Xewnbam) lived a bit further away on the edge of Makauri bush. The only two residences between those around Makaraka and Turanganui were—one in the occupation of Tom Goldsmith (who was head stockman for G. E. Read, and usually had one or more other stockmen living with him); and the other had just been placed in the flax a little eastward of where the Majcaraka. Hotel now stands. This was on a sledge and occupied by one Mann,

who, with i-.is wife, were murdered on that fateful morning—loth November 1868—beio ewe got away. We lived within a mile o: Mann.

MAORI WOMAN WHO SAW COOK

“An old wha'er named William Brown lived at Tabaka, on the iaruhevu, within half a mile of our residence. Ho hacl several descendants living around him there, end a very old. Maori woman was the only occupant of a wh.ire close to Brown s. 1 saw the woman on e: sue was crouched in a dark corner of her. wliare. An interesting statement regarding her. and I believe it to be? a iact, was that she had seen Captain .Code. It is quite likely thrt when I saw her she was over 110 years ol age. She was mother of Brown’s wife, who had died years before. Living within quarter of a mile of Brown's were George Williamson and Bill W arc! they had \ huts about :v chain apart on the bank of the Taruheru. Each had an aboriginal as a companion and cook, and each' had a canoe, used _ between bis abide and 1 uraiiganui. r tlii.nk I’ve embraced all the Europeans livim?: in. 1868 between Turanganui and Makauri, except William King, who was a new arrival and lived in one- of the UTien's houses. SETTLERS WHO WERE SLAIN. “At Matawhevo the most conspicuous residence was that of Mr. Bloomfield. a brother or stop-brother of G. E. Read. He died shortly before the Massacre. Near that residence. Major Biggs lived, and Captain "Wilson’s house was not far away. "Welsh and Padbury. who were ill partnership as butchers, had premises there, a rub Cable and Blair* were also in partnership there as storekeepers. These firms’ premises were each within thirty chains of Major Biggs’ residenceAll those mentioned, with the exception of Blair, who did not live at Matawhero, were murdered on the morning of the Massacre. An old bullockdriver named Jim Garland, who lived on Bloomfield’s property, escaped death. Captain Wilson's residence was further away from the centre of Matawhero than any of the others mentioned. Near him lived George

Goldsmith rnd another settler named John McCulloch. Goldsmith escaped but Maria, his daughter ot about lb years of age, who was .out around Matawhero on the morning ot the ivf'assacrt looking for their milking cows, was shot and killed oft her horse. McCulloch was killed and Jus wife also was killed, but uim lair, his brother-in-law, escaped, 1 saw Sam come into the redoubt on Ivaiti later that morning. A family named James had been living near McCulloch’s, but whethtr they had left before the Massacre I’m not sure. Anyhow their hoy Charlie was un Major Hifrtrs’ employ and lie escaped with ms life. I also saw. him in the redoubt that morning and. as lie had a .spot ot blood about the size of a. five-shilluio piece on one leg, of his trousers T asked him.liow he got it and.lio said ill running away ho had fallen o.i - • - . ior CiggS.. .who. was Lving. dq.ad -in the JVassage Jidtwefen • fclm .house'-.and an. outhouse. - ■ Beyond Mataw.h.ero,: and •^^:‘is;hdw::kncrwn;as.BuJnneiejJn- ; jafties -Wylie - and dns, faf mlyy and Janics Hawthorno and Hbward Strong * ‘ -had a"'sniftlV-store on sledges.