MY EARLY DAYS.

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVI, Issue 10473, 31 December 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. TV. 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 tne 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.

JANE, THE WASHER-AYOM AN

“We had not been long there when mv mother wanted a washer-woman and got a Maori woman named Jane for the job I’ve no hesitation in saving that 110 Maori woman in Pov-erty-Bay at that time could speak better English. She was much given to talking of the -karaiop;'—she referred to HALS. Calliope on vn-cn she had been given a trip to Wellington several years balore. Y\ bother that trip was undertaken for the benefit of her health or otherwise, 1 never ascertained. When in "Wellington it was not long before she went into the service of .John Mason Gather of Henry Mason, who was in partnership as an auctioneer with Gavvy Wylie 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 home I never Saw her again until I returned to Poverty Bay in 1874. There were two young women who made the trip 10 Wellington ip the Calliope, but I’ve forgotten the name of the other.

FUTILE HANGING EFFORT

“When living at Makaraka I used to tide to what we railed 'the top end’ of the Whataupjko run and to get there had to puss Dick i’oiilgrain’s ancl French Bob's (Robt. Ncwliham’s). There v.is only a track which, after passing Bob’s, and running nearly to where the present school-house on King’s Road is, J left it aud made in the direction of what is now known as-Gray’s Bush. ’lhe track was used l*v the Maoris who lived at Na Mahanga (near the junction of King’s Road with the Ormond Rond, whore there was a lair sized settlement, tiic principal man being llenaro Burn. On one occasion when 1 visited 'the top end’ 1 heard uegs harking, and, riding up quickly to see what was the matter, ioiuid that they -were worrying shoe]). 1 stopped them and marked down the verst dog oi tiio lot—a big wily brindle gentleman. Bv this fine the -Maoris emerged front the scrub and .anie up to where 1. was, when J told them what had happened. Their dogs were then all around them and 1 pointed cut the hrind'e. They said 1 could kill him and, thereupon, I got on the job. 1 took a tether rope off my saddle and with a. slip-knot put it round the dogs nock, then over a branch ol a tree and hauled him up. if the branch had been about a foot higher it would have been quite all right, but lie got His hind feet to the ground aiul 1 ban to settle him by bashing him over the head with a sapling. There were seven or eight Maoris in the party, amongst whom were M i Mahuika and Wi Pore.

FRENCH 808 AND TITS WINE.

“[ used to ride to Turanganui about once a week for the mail, etc., and often brought little things lor ‘French Bob.’ Sometimes on returning from The tep end’ 1 called in and had a chat with him and oid Biddy, his wife. On one occasion lie invited me to go down his. 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. 1 then rode away home—about a mile off—and when I got there didn’t get eff but fell off all of a heap. I was dead to the world for the rest of the day. 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 s.o towards AVaercnga-n-liika. Bob would not flee oil the morning of tho Alassacre. and, as a result, he and his wife and an adopted European child were killed.

SHIPPING IN THE TARUBERU.

“Excluding Turanganui, now the town of Gisborne, Poverty Bay was very sparsely settled in 1867. ’1 ho U’Rens were at Alakaraka. Two sons, Tom and John, lived there, their home being called Roselaiul. Robert had died shortly before and his widow resided on a small property adjoining Iloseland. These three were sons of the original U’Rcn, who settled very early—l think in the 40]S, at Alakaraka.' The original Espie, father of J. E. Espie, was not in occupation of‘any of .his property, which consisted of about 150 acres of very good land. It adjoined U’Een’s, which was smaller. Espie had two houses on his land, one of which we occupied on arrival. It had previous-

lv been occupied by Mr. H. S. TVardc!', who, 1 believe, was the first Resident Magistrate in Poverty Bov. The other was in p'ossess.on el Alexander Robb, a son-in-law of the original Espie. On Espie’s property was a large stove-house, which had, in earlier days, been used for storing grain and other produce and immediate! v in front was a wharf up to which small vessels used to come to load the produce. The storing and shApeing had ceased before IS6< -

OLD RESIDENTS A DOI T MAKARAKA.

"Old Tarr had just come to Mnkaraka from some other part m the Bay He had a large family, and many ui liis descendants are Mid liv.ng m the district. He was living su a slab wlinre just outside Espie’s property. Pilbrow was another resident who occupied a house on land adjoining irispie's (this house alter the Massacre was occupied by cid James Uuniuj-. who had a large* family. (They raised more in those days than they do now.j Mr. Dunlcp, at the time oi the Massacre, was living at To Kohanga, on the hank of Te Arai and had a lew acres there. Dick Poulgrain lived just to the westward of Espie’s. He liad a good house and orchard, and ‘French Bob’ (Robert Newnliam) lived a bit further away on the edge of Makauri bush. The only two residences between those around Maknraka and Turanganui were—one in the occupation or 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 Maicaraka Hotel now stands. This was on a sledge and occupied by one Mann,

who. with his wife, were murdered on that fateful morning—loth November ISOS—hell) -e we get away. We lived witliiu a n:do oi Mum.

MAORI WOMAN WHO SAW COOK.

<; An old winder named William Drown lived at r laboka, on the iarulioru, within half a mile ol our residence. He had soveial descendants living nr. and liim ti’.ere. and a very old. Maori woman was the only occupant of a wh ire dose to Browns. 1 saw tho WfTii m oil.c : was fi'oudiccl in a <Jark corner of la*.’, a lu’-ro. An interesting statement regarding; her, and I believe it to be a lact, was that she had seen Captain Cod;. It is quite lik'dv that when .1. saw her slio was ovci 110 years of age. She wa ; , mother o' Brown’s wife, who had died \ear.s hi foiv. Living within quarto- of a mile of Brown's wove George Williamson and Rill Ward they had V huts about a chain apart on the bank of the Tarulieru. Each had an aboriginal as a companion and cook, and each' had a canoe, used between bis abide and lurangauui. I think I’ve ciuluneod all the Europeans living in. I?6S between Turanganui anc! Makauri. except William King, who was a new arrival and lived in one of the U’Rcn's houses.

SETTLERS WHO WERE SLAIN

•■At Mate w hero the most conspicuous residence was that of Mr. liloomfield. a h:other or stop-brother of G. E. Head. He died shortly before the Massacre. Near that residence. Major Biggs lived, and Captain "Wilson’s house was not far away. Walsh and, Padburv. who were in partnership as butchers, had premises there, and/Cadle and Blair were also in partnership there as storekeepers. . These firms’ premises were each within thirty chains of Major Biggs’ residence. All those mentioned, with the exception of Blair, who did not live at Matawliero, were murdered on tiie 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 Matawlicro than any of the others mentioned. Near him lived George

Goldsmith end another settler named John McCulloch. Goldsmith escaped but Maria, his daughter of about lb years of age, who was. out around Matawhero on the morning of tne Massaert looking for their milking cows, was shot and killed oft her horse. McCulloch was killed and his wife also was killed, but Sam Tarr his brotlier-in-law, escaped. I saw Sam come into the redoubt on. Kaiti 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 boy Charlie was in Major Biggs’ employ and he escaped vith u s life I also "saw- him in the redoubt that morning and. as lie had a .of blood about- the size of a. five-shilhn piece on one teg ot his trousers. I asked him how he got it and. he said J... in running a way; be bad fallen°’V-La-ior Bi< r ”S,. .wiio. was lying dead -m tne 'passage -between - the house and an outhouse. - Beyond Matawherop and what- is now'known as Bushmeie, liriid James Wylie and his family, and rfhout haif a s niile; from.his;^esydenceJames Hawthorne and Howard Strong had a small store on sledges.