A Farmer of the Plains

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 April 1930, Page 16 (Supplement)

A Farmer of the Plains

Knew Hawera in 1872

Mr. J. J. Patterson Recalls Stirring Events

Fifty-eiglit years is a long time in the life of a man, and that is the number of years which have rolled by since first Mr J. J. Patterson, as a boy of twelve, came through from New Plymouth round the coast to South Taranaki and first saw the place where now stands the prosperous, Avell-built town of Hawera. “There was very little sign of a settlement,” said Mr Patterson to a “Hawera Star" representative when talking of old times, and of his early recollections of life in those troublous years shortly after the Maori War had been ended and when the Maoris were still in an unsettled, restless state of mind.

“Aiy brother and I, left orphans Nome years before and needing something to do, took on the droving of cattle from tlie north. We had good horses and dogs, and, tilled with the confidence of youth and thinking nothing of the difficulty and danger and possibility of loss, we undertook the long trek, over rough country, mostly roadless. Probably by luck, and perhaps something of good management, we managed to reach tlie end of tlie journey without losing- a beast, and tliis journey we repeated on a number of occasions. Only once did we lose a beast, an old stag, which got away with Alaori cattle, but this one we were able to round up again on the next trip We found cut where it was and, going there with the next draft, were able to cut out the straggler. We beat tlie Maoris because we were on horseback and they were on foot.’’ He and bis brother had little tucker and no blankets and camped in the flax for the three nights they- wove on the road. Generally the trip war? done in three stages —/Stony River. Opunake, Hawera—and it was pretty good going in view of tlie circumstances. The Maoris, though not friendly, were not given to molesting the travellers. The first mob was left at Kaupokomii while the drovers rode into Hawera on a trip of inquiry. .They returned next day and got the rattle safely through to their destination.

FATHER KILLED BY MAORIS. Before that time Mr. Patterson lived with his parents on Frankleigh Bead, four miles from New Plymouth. They had a pretty hard time, but, like all the early settlers, took the hardships, as it were, “in their stride,” enjoyed life and made light of what would now be considered a great trouble. When ho was five, liis father was ambushed and killed by the Maoris. The family were taken" into Dingle’s blockhouse on the outskirts of the settlement. It is of /interest to know that the late John Dingle, as a boy, was on the farm He was an expert horseman and could pick up an object from the ground while going at a hard gallop. This faculty undoubtedly saved his life. On the morning of tlie murder he was out on the farm after a mare which had got away. He found it tethered to a tree, the rope, however, not tied, and without slackening liis pace to any extent he got the rope free and brought out the mare. It was considered pretty certain that the Maoris were watching and had intended to get this young man also, as well as Mr. Patterson’s father.

A DESIRE TO GO TO SEA. Mr. Patterson was adopted by a New Plymouth settler and his wife, and, having had a fancy for the .sea, was allowed to take a journey down the coast and over to Pelorus on board a cutter, the Lizzie, about eighteen tons, owned and sailed by a Captain Gibson. There was a crew of three all told and they sailed across to bring; back timber from the Sounds. They touched at Opunake on the return trip. At ‘ that time there were but few Maoris in that locality. A flax mill, however, ' was then run at Opunake by Mr. Thomas Kelly, afterwards Hon. T. 1 Kelly, M.L.C. The boat was hauled in close and loft on the sand at low tide, ‘ coming off at the next tide. It was, 1 said Mr. Patterson, “a pretty rough [ and rigorous time, and the experience " effectually cured me of my desire to go to sea.” Mr. and Mrs. Burton, Mr. Patter- j son’s adopted parents, had a little farm j near Now Plymouth, and they, 1 ike <

many others, had to leave the farm and go into the town for safety. Later they made their way back to the farm and dug up many articles which they had buried before the Alaoris drove them away. Airs. Burton rode on the one horse they had, while her husband walked. The settlers of those days and their womenfolk had stout hearts and they needed all their courage. Two-thing? were imprinted on Air. Patterson’s mind concerning the life in New Plymouth—he was then about six years old—the British soldiers who formed the garrison, the 58th and the 18th Royal Irish, and the music he so often heard played by the military band He can remember the “Dead Aiarcii” as played on the way to a burial—the' war was then in progresi? — and “The Girl I Left Behind Aie’ ’as the men returned from the funeral. Another recollection is the firing of a cannon from tlie flagstaff on Mnrsden Hiil at 12 (noon) daily. in those days, when communication between South and North was so difiicult. Hawera was little* known in New Plymouth, which was looked upon as Taranaki. HAWERA IN 1872. Air. Patterson returned to New Plymouth and was there until he reached the age of twelve, when he began the series of cattle trekking: that first brought him to South Taranaki and to

Hawera. When first he set eyes on this town, it was composed or about nfteen -houses, two stores, a few tents, the clocivliouse and two hotels. After he had completed his droving contracts he worked at Air. J. Hawlteni? farm at Kaicaramea, and this was practically his first introduction to i arm mg in the south. Air. Patterson recaneu in interesting fashion the very early cattle sa.es conducted by Mr. r*reeinaii K. Jackson. There were no denlieu yards and tne cattle were just herded together m an enclosure, and as the Nines were .made they were put in runs ot twenty or more as desired. The cattle, lie said, were pretty wild and needed expert, careful handling. Messrs Taplin and Muir and Mr. James Daiidson were the storekeepers, while Air. John Winks had a butcusr -s and baker’s shop. Air.'Patterson well remembered the great kindness shown to him, a raw youth of about 15, by Airs. Winks. When first he came round tlie coast there was no fence from Kaliui to Waingongoro and very few houses. People lived in slab whares, raupo huts, or in tents.

BUSINESS CONDITIONS. His next move was to serve an apprenticeship to the blacksmithing, and at this trade he served his time. He worked afterwards for some time for the Williams brothers at Paten before lie settled down at Manaia to found the business which lie carried on for many \ears. The old smithy is, however, now demolished, and thus lias gone a familiar landmark in the town of the Plains, Patea was, in those days, a .comparatively flourishing town, having been settled earlier than Ha we r a and being the landing place for troops and stores, a kind of headquarters for the coast in the days of the war. There was a good deal of bush in the gullies round the Manawapou and Tougalioe and many men were employed in splitting palings and shingles in that locality and also at Kaupokonui. Jobs were pretty hard to get in those days and men had to be content to do work of any kind. It was fortunate for a man to be able to turn his hand to anything. He was glad to take 7s a day and find himself, and a shilling an hour was considered juite a good wage.

For some time Mr. Patterson was road contracting' between New' Plymouth and Waitara and the Breakwater with bullock and horse teams. There were few roads and most of the travelling wits done by the coast. He recalled that the Maoris assisted to carry the first poles to Stony Hirer for the purpose of erecting them to convev the telegraph wires.

INTERESTING RELICS. Mr. ‘ Patterson lias - amongst lii» papers many treasures and one oi special military value is a photograph showing the presentation of the colours to the Taranaki Militia Volunteers by Mivs. Colonel Vvarre during the Maori \\ ar on June 15, 1861. Amongst these present were Major Stapp, • Captain Good, Major Atkinson, Justice llawson. Major Herbert, Messrs George Patterson, W. Lawrence, M. Francis, G. McKellar, James Melville, M. Jones, Spence, J. Hirst (father of Mr. J. \Y. Hirst), Honieyer, B. Wells tsenr., L. Lawson, G. Tatton, and Bob liangi (a native). A treasured relic of the Maori times is a small box carved by Kimble Bent with a pocket knife. It was sold many years ago by a wahine to the late Mr. Davidson for a shilling. . A reiic of the famous story of Betty Guard Island is held by Mr Patterson in the form of an ancient round cannon ball ploughed up near the mouth of the lvapuni, where the famed wreck and the subsequent visit of H.M.S. Harriet and her shelling of the Maori pa Waimate. He recalled also that he had seen when droving the anchor and chain, but neither of these was recovered.

EARLY MEMORIES. Another eariy recollection is the wreck of the schooner Marchioness on the coast below Warea. The crew got away after setting fire to the wreck, but parts of it were on the reef for years: The first settlers were objects of intense curiosity to the Maoris and one could imagine that they were criticising the pakelia while appearing to work and to be taking no notice oi the stranger. Mr. Patterson recalled the sensation caused by a European who wore a wig, taking it off in the presence of some Maoris when the weather was very hot. They considered him an object for admiration or thought he' was a ‘'taipo.” A cannon, he remembered, was taken from the Harriet and set up in New Plymouth, where it stood for some years until destroyed by a charge .of powder put in by some larrikins. Some of the iron of the masts was also taken and made ii flag-pole that was erected by Maoris at the start of the Haupaie i o l I o i/in

BEGINS FARMING. Mr. Patterson iuui no visions o> fanning when he first came south, ami especially after lie qualified as a b.atksmith. But he found he could get land pretty cheaply and he went in fairly largely for grain growing and threshing, in which latter lie worked in partnership with Mr. MeViear. At various times he had up to three hundred acres in crop and got pretty good returns, because it was practically virgin soil and very fertile. He commenced dairying on the land which is now the Waimate West Demonstration Farm and the land adjoining and got fairly good returns, with butter-fat at sevenpence and with cows that were mostly Shorthorn. ‘‘Sometimes I think,” he said, “the returns were \proportionately as good as those of to-day.” He lias continued to increase his dairying until now he lias over two thousand cows and lias thirty-two fami- * lies milking for him. His Tatuanui place in the Waikato includes 1800 acres and supports nine families, with 900 cows. • All are ex-Taranaki people. On the property there is a factory built by the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, with three vats last year, and this is to be doubled for next season. The present season has been so good that there lias been feed “to burn” and it is difficult to use it all.

Mr. Patterson lives at liis old home on the Winks Road near Manaia and, despite his age, is still a great worker and keenly interested in all that goes on in the world. “We had to work hard in the early days,” lie said in concluding his story, “and the habit persists.” Cm the day previous to the interview he had driven by himself from the Waikato, two hundred and fifty miles in the day, and next day he was out as usual looking after his local farming interests.