AN ARARATA PIONEER

Hawera Star, Volume L, 10 April 1930, Page 13 (Supplement)

AN ARARATA PIONEER

MR. GEORGE HURRELL’S EXPERIENCES

EARLY LIFE SPENT IN NAVY.

A pioneer settler, Mr. George Harrell, whose active connection (with the district dates back exactly lialf-a-century —he landed here in 1880—has given an interesting story of the conditions then existing, and some details of the life of the farmers and the progress made during that long period. He was one of tlie earliest to go on the land at Ararata.

For some time he was engaged in sawmilling with Messrs. 'Southey and Willy, near Eltham, the mill being between the town and the dairy factory and close to the bridge. The mill at. which Mr. Hurrell worked tv as a big concern in those days and had an output of six to seven thousand feet, of timber per day. He had the job of taking timber by bullock waggon to Opunako to build* houses in that township. Tho journey occupied four to five days, for the roads (were very bad and, in .parts, a quagmire. He also recalls the mill run by Mr James Hobson at the corner of the Bovlan and Austin Roads, which was afterwards moved to Ngaere. The country through to North Taranaki was ail in standing bush and the only access was the twelve-foot road as left by the military when they cut the first track through the bush some vearp earlier. So far as lie can recollect, Mr. Hurrell thinks it was fifty-one years since telegraph and telephone services were available between North and South Taranaki. Some years before he came to tlie district, a public house had been ‘built at Ketcmarae by the Maoris. The late Mr. Joseph Wilson controlled this for some time, selling later to Mr. O’Brien. It was afterwards moved to Normanby and the license still later transferred to Eltham. The district also supported -another hotel, built by the late Mr. F. H. Brett, on the corner of the Austin and Boylan Roads, and this (wias later moved to Normanby, where for many years there were three.

'Mr. Hurrell recalls that the settlement in those parts was to have, been at Kotewnrae, but he believes that when the Armed Constabulary and the military forces came to the district and had their camp at Waihi, Normanln' became the main settlement. THE PARIHAKA TROUBLE. Mr. Hurrell remembers clearly the Parihaka trouble in 1881. It caused a scare all over this district, and a-s one outcome of the trouble, a redoubt was built in Eltham, Colonel Stapp coming down from New Plymouth to enlist men for service in case of need. The redoubt was ut the mill where it was banked up and portholes and look-out arranged. 'Matters quietened down, , rtrough really there was little danger because there nvas no Maori pa in the ueighbourhod. the nearest being Keteiiiarae. The present Bridge Hotel in Eltham was known in those early days as the Shepherd Arms, and was run for some years by the late Mr. 'Gustavo Tiscli, | afterwards of the 'Terminus Hotel, ; New Plymouth. Mr. Hurrell had originally a section . of five acres at the back of the present Coronation -Stables, and on it lie built l a small house. ‘Shortly afterwards, ih L ISBS, he took up land on the Upper Duthie Road, he and his wife being [ one of the first married couples to live i in the Mangatoki district. Near them . lived Mr. and Mrs. T. Linn, whose sons • are Messrs. R. J. Harry, James, Tho- ; mas, William and Hugh, and a daugli- ! ier. Mrs. Mortloek. They were living ! at Normanby before going to iManga--5 toki. ; The nearest school was Matapu, at - which the late Mr. N. T. Maunder was r the master, and Mr. Hurrell’s daugli--5 ter, noovr Mrs AV. T. 'Seed, used to ride r seven miles to that school. 'She was later one of the first nine children to attend the Eltham 'School. It is of in--1 terest to note that Matapu and Ngaerc 3 both had schools before Eltham and 2 that settlers in the district where a . school was needed generally bad to 2 guarantee the salary -of the teacher 1 appointed ‘before the Education 'Board would proceed with the erection of the t building. Mr. 'Hurrell, with Messrs. T. ■’ Linn. J. W. Kenah and W. W. Mitchell, , had to undertake this responsibility - for Mangatoki. Later he. had to do the , same far Eltham and for Ararata. 3 Mr. Hprrell held his bush section for 3 two years, doing a good deal of clear- - iug and then sold to Johnson Bros., s settlers from Scotland, who, in their - turn, transferred to ‘Mr. If. W. llos--1 kin, a cousin to Mr. E. Ha skin, of s Matapu, and he still holds the propertv 1 there. i He returned to Eltham, whore he lived in another cottage he had built near the Coronation Stables. SETTLEMENT AT ARARATA. Then in 1893 he made another move, taking 'up land at Ararata. 'He was a one of the first settlers, contemporane- ,- OUS with Mr. If. P. Greaves, iMr. J. a Cocker and Mr. J. H. Baker., ,T. 'Smith, b Bisehoff Bras. and'F. Riddiford. d It was then reached by a mud road, y the bush being cleared as far. He y knew well Mr. John Hall, now of Midhirst, who, with a mate, Mr Tom Lee,

worked on the roads and at pit sawing, and was later manager of Quin’s mills, near Eltham. SERVICE IN THE NAVY. Mr. 'Hurrell had a good knowledge of the South Sea Islanders, far he had previously served four years •in the British Navy on board the H.M.IS. Blanche, a full rigged ship, one of the last of the class designated gunboats, and fitted with auxiliary engines. There had recently been passed an. Act abolishing slavery, and • under its terms, natives had to be transferred to their own islands. It was the duty of these ships to board every vessel they saw at sea, and to inspect cargo, papers, etc., in case of an offenceagainst that Act. They carried two breech-loading guns and six muzzleloaders, all tiring conical-shaped shells. There were three other vessels servingon the station —Pearl, the flagship. Dido and Rosaria. One of their jobs also was to take back, when required, the natives to their own islands. TRIBUTE TO NATIVES. < Air. Hurrell says the Maoris were the best native race, he has known and he had had experience among all'the best in the .South Sea Islands. They were better, in his opinion, even than the Samoans. At the cutset of settlement in Ararata, there was no Maori land available and Mr. Hurrell took up an Education lease, Maori leaseholds being procurable about 1895. There was a bridle track, down the route of the Rotokare and Mangawliero Roads to Eltham. It is a matter of. history, that eight bridges were erected on that route and never a cart wheel >went over them. When he was going oyer the site of the last to bo erected a workman said in reply to his question “we are filling in a gully to put a bridge across” —some excavation was necessary and it was this to which ho referred. Boon after the bridge was finished, a slip covered it and it was never used. Since that time there has been no outlet to Eltham. THE LATE CHEW CHONG. Air. Hurrell went in at once for milking cows and like so many of the early settlers he made butter which i.vias" taken to Eltham through the Rotokare track. Fourpenee a pound was the amount paid them in those days. Ho sold his supplies to Chew .Chong, of Eltham, and R. A. Adams, also of that town. As an instance of the enterprise of Air. Chong, Air. Hurrell relates that he was the first to send butter to London, but in order to test -out the butter he made a trial by sending two kegs Home and having it consigned back to him —Eltham to Eltham —in order to see how it would keep. The result was quite satisfactory and he continued to ship. The butter was rolled in cheese cloth in pound pats and put down in brine. Air. Chong built the first dairy factory in the district, -on the Eltham Road close to the bridge. Air. Chew Chong was the pioneer ot Eltham, and “a real white man.” He would always buy fungus brought to him. It was that which kept many a farmer going in tnose days. He would buy anything from the farmers and it ,w.as lucky they had such a man in the district.. CHEAP LEASEHOLDS. For a section alongside of him taken up under the L-.1.P. system, the lessee paid -only sixpence per acre for 999 years, without re-valuation. The education leases were subject to valuation every twenty-one years. “Often,” said Air. Hurrell, “in the early days, we had to depend on our rifles for food and we went out after wild cattle and pigs. This was the experience of many early settlers, and I had three months experience of this round Hunterville, before coming to Taranaki.. We often had to go out when we wanted fresh meat. ’ ’

Mr. Hurrell knew Wellington well, having reached there in 1*874 and having keen married at Ohariu, near the Empire Oity. Though retired from active life, he takes a keen interest in •all that goes on in the world, and has been amazed at the changes he has observed in the town and in the district, die certainly carries very lightly -the burden *of his three score and fourteen years.