MR JOHN KINDER.

Grey River Argus, 28 January 1911, Page 1

MR JOHN KINDER.

Mr John Kinder, an old and respected resident of Balcjutha, passed away on "Friday morning after some weeks of painful illness, borne with the fortitude one would expect from a man of iron ; will, who had succeeded wheremany failed in the strenuous gold-hunting- days of the sixties, when men contended with the implacable wilderness and endured almost incred ible hardships in the search for the precious metal. Mr Kinder, who had reached the advanced age -pf. 72. years, was born at Bedford, --England, and emigrated to Australia in 1855 along with his mother. He was -then , a lad of 17, and after spending several years on various goldfields in that country, including Ballarat, Bemdigo (Victoria) Rockhampton . (Queensland) and' Glenelg (South Australia) was, attracted to/Otagp in 1861 by the reports of the gold discoveries. , He landed at Dunedim 50 years ago last Christmas and followed the .rush to Tuapeka, but after eight months removed to the Dunstan. (Clyde.) How he came •to adventure there is rather a curious story, recalling the tales one has. read of 'digger's luck.' At that time rumours were current of a rich goldfield at Coromandel, in the North Island and Mr Kinder, together with" a few other adventurous spirits left Gabriels for Dunedin, w)here they took passage in a vessel "bound for the North. The night. before sailingthey spent on board the vessel, and Mr Kinder had a dream wherein ho saw himself journeying to the interior, traversing barren plains, crossing rivers, and scaling snowy mountain peak's, eventually to arrive at an Eldorado on the banaks of a mighty river. Next morning word reached the little party that-Hartley and Riley had: made a great 'strike' pn the banks of the ./Molyneaux Riven at the Dunstan. That decided Mr Kinder. He got his swag and prepared to go ashore, and when his companions cried out that he would lose his passage money he replied tjiat it did ,not matter; it would probably be lost money anyway. It was a true word, for they went to Coromandel, did nothing, and soon had to return tp.Otago; while Mr Kinder and, one Heth'erington (a mate who stuck to him) braved the hardships of the interior, a then barren wilderness, and fpumd the golden sands the su^fect of this sketch had dreamed of. They had the astounding fortune to find the . Molyneaux at the lowest level known in its history ,and Mr KLnder and his mate literally scooped up the' gold from - the_rocky crevices of the - river bed. To^gcT a full ounce of gold on the point of a shovel was no uncommon experience for them ; but although gold was so plentiful provisions were terribly scarce, and Mr Kinder and his mate had a difficult • job to get his mate cmfwyp — — - > job to get enough to sustain physical fitness. However, they stuck it it, and in seven weeks ol'iairjed .21 pounds weight of gold. Then a flood came down, their camp was .swamped, and the rich stores of placer gold were unget-at-able, and so they > remained !» tfcb day. One man Mr Kinder used to relate, watched that riyer claim for -three years in the hope of the Avater receding to the old level, but his sleuth-like patience went unrewarded. Mr Kinder, did •not waste time, but went prospecting new fields on the Shotoverj where -his good fortune still followed him, .till his mate's ill-health compel \s:l him to resign' his claim and return to the Dunstan. so that the ailinar man might have medical treatment. Soma time afterwards Mr Kinder with . a party of 10 chartered a schooner, and went on a twalv^ mcEtks' prospecting adventure to :'ae West Coast. Leaving the srac>-;rio.r they took a whaleboat and pro ,p acted in all the sounds from Jacksoa's Bay to Preservation Inlet, meeting with but little success. They got plenty of 'prospects' but did not saike anything payable,, and all the tlti'ie endured cruel hardships from stre;.;. of weather at sea .and scarcity of food on an uninhabited coast. ' One maa was drowned in the Haast River and •another badly •attacked with scurvy, so that eventually it:, was with relief that the little band of gold-seekers at the end of a year put into the haven of Riverton, and abandoned the enterprise. It was this trying experience *hat deterred Mr Kinder from joining in the rush to Hokitika, which set/ in three years later. From Rivcrton he returned to Dunedin, and tried the Waiamarina diggings but remained there only two months, as the results did not come up to his expectations. Mr Kinder agaip. found his way back to Dunedin, and as he had accumulat ad considerable wealth" determined tofollow for some time the less exciting life of a farmer. He therefore bought a farm at Stoney Creek, near Balclutha, which he not only farmed

successfully, but went in largely for contract road-making, and it was his boast that he always paid the highest wages to his road-workers, ! but he always got the best men. For som t c years he devoted himself entirely to the farm until 10 years ago, his family being grown up and scattered/ he retired and came to live at_ Bal<;lutha. Mr Kinder never took any part in general public affairs, but he was always. much interested in the cause of education, and was for mam* years a member of the Stoney Creek School committee. He was a firm believer in the benefits of a good education> and his children all received the best in the way of educational facilities that money could buy. Duringhis residence in Balclutha he took a keen interest in the game of bowls, in which he acquired great proficiency, and he was always rea.dy to help the club financially. He was an upright man in all his dealings, and a shrewd judge of character. Mr Kinder married Miss Nelson, daughthe of the late Mr James Nelson, of Lovell's Flat, and has^had a family of six sons and four daughters, maxy of whom have had a distinguished career at College. Mr John. Kinder, the;,-eldest son,, after, .taking his B.A degree at -the University vof Otago, received an " appointment at the Gisborne High School, but some time ago gave up teaching to go in for the law, and is at present with the. Gisborne legal firm of Chrisp and Coleman. Mr James Kinder, the second son, studied for the law, but after a short illness 'died at the age of 21. Dr Alexander Kinder, B.S.C M.8.8 Ch had a successful career at the Otago Boys' High School (where he was dux and took the Board's junior and senior Univei^sity scholarships) ; after practising- at Greymouth he went, to England, where he took the degrees of F:R:C.S., Eng. and L.R.CP, Lon.. Returning to New Zealand he commenced practice of his profession at .Parnell, Auckland. Mr Wm Kinder, the fourth son, qualified as a-jchemis.t, and is now in business on his own account at the N.E. Valley, : Dunedin ; while Mr Stanley Kin., der is employed with Mr R. R. Grigor, ; solicitor, Balclutha. Dr Jane Li-, the eldeti JBtapgbter, graduated as a Doctor of 'MeHicine in the University of Otago in the year 1900. She. subsequently had charge of the plague patients at Torren's Island, •nea Adelaide, and became assistant .bacteriologist at the Adelaide Hospital. Unfortunately her health failed and she had to resign her position forego her bright .prospectSj and return to her father's home >at Balclutha, where she died in 1902. Miss Jemima Kinder, the second daughter after nine years of school-teaching, married Mr Jasper Clark of Lovell's" Flat. Miss Jessie Kinder, the third daughter, is a. schoolteacher, and the youngest is Mrs Orr-Campbell, of Dunedin. A widow and five sons and three daughters are- thus- ■ left to mourn the departure of a good husband a-nd kind father.