100 YEARS OLD

Grey River Argus, 7 August 1940, Page 3

100 YEARS OLD

AUCKLAND PIONEER. AUCKLAND, August 5. A veteran of the early colonial days, Mr James Joseph Cooper, of Onehiinga, will celebrate his one hundredth birthday on Friday. Mr Cooper, who has led a varied and at times adventurous life as a sailor, gold digger, and farmer, still enjoys remarkably good health. Taking to the sea as a lad, Mr Cooper saw many countries before reaching Auckland in 1863 as a seaman in the ship Ironsides. The war that was then being fought in the Waikato tempted him to new adventures, and one night he swam ashore at Mechanics Bay with his few belongings. Travelling up country on foot, he did farm work until his ship had departed, and then went to the military camp at Mercer. There he found that hands were wanted for the Government paddle steamer Gundagai, which was engaged in carrying troops and army stores on the west coast of the North Island He shipped in her and remained one of the crew until he received a letter from his mother in England, saying that his brother had gone to the Otago goldfields. By finding a substitute to take his place on the Gundagai Mr Cooper obtained his discharge, and went to Dunedin, whence he travelled inland by bullock dray, and eventually found his brother at what is now Arrowtown. The two brothers were more successful than the average as gold diggers on the Molyneux, Arrow and Shotover rivers, and saw othermen make some extraordinarily rich finds. Among those whom Mr Cooper met on the diggings was a pedlar named Levy, who not long after joined the Burgess-Sullivan gang of bushrangers, and was hanged for murder at Nelson in 1865. In 1867 the brothers, with £5OO each, joined the rush to’ Westland, and were among the first on the Kanieri field. Mr Cooper then returned to Dunedin, and was given charge of a timber lighter plying to and from Port Chalmers. Taking to the land again, he went to Auckland in 1873, and became the manager of a farm occupying the site of the Ellerslie racecourse.

Mr Cooper married in Auckland, and took up land at Pakuranga, where he farmed for nearly 30 years. On the death of his wife he set up in business as sailmaker at Onehunga, where he worked until his retirement. For a number of years he has lived with his daughter. ’ Tis descendants include several greatgrandchildren.