ACROSS THE YEARS

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 25 January 1933, Page 7

ACROSS THE YEARS

ARCHBISHOP T{EDWOOD 'l A f AYS. MEMORIES OF EARLY DAY’S. Seated in a comfortable easy wicker chair with hiis audience or early settlers his Grace Archbishop? Redwood, the senior Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church of the world, yarned away pleasantly for half an hour at the anniversary gathering of the Wellington Early Settlers’ and Historical Association'at the Oddfellows’ Hail on Monday afternoon (reports the “Dominion”'). So informal and pleasant were the conditions, so “understanding” was everyone within the charmed circle, that the rapid flow of the Archbishop’s reminiscences passed all too quickly. ~ His- Grac-b said that it was unfortunate that lie had not had the opportunity to come among them more I> cquenfly, but he now seldom ycntaiocl forth at night, and his days were very much occupied; still he was glad to see them all and wished them well ■ “I am proud of the fact thirty I am, one year older than Wellington. ’ saul his Grace. “I was born in in 383 y, and did not come to Y\ el lin 3 ..on until 1842. I am sure you would not think yourselves so badly oil it .you could realise what the people ot t -osc times went through without complaint. I was the youngest son of a large famdv, and mv father was induced to think of settling in New Zealand because of being badly treated oy his landlord in England. ith a large familv he knew he could never be ■■■ any better off than . .he was. and jus„ at that time there came under Jits notice the fact that the New Zealand , ompany was 1 being formed to settle a new country on the other side of the world. “The idea of the promoters was to make it a model colony, and f * r that reason only desired people who were nioraly and iphysijcaily sound. me settlers had to Ire picked 'mot, -'jod. women of good standing. My lather was attracted by the idea, and eventually took passage by the ship Ocoige Fife,* of -560 tons. YVliat do 700 think . of that? When 1 wq£ in Bienne tin some time ago I met a man nho said that when the George Fife got hack-to England after that trip he joined her and served his npprenticesni-p upon hoi. ALL IN THE STEERAGE. “My father wanted to save all the money he could in order to have it to use in New Zealand, so we all went steerage, but we had one advantage as we were all placed in 0110 apartment in the steerage, which was the greatest boon, as we .could lead our own family life undisturbed by others. . And I remember a good, many things, that occurred on the voyager said the distinguished nonogenaiuan. “I can remember a sailor motion me to go below with him. I can remember «ecing him knock the head of a bottle and giving me a little dr>ok. It was Very delicious. , 1 did not know what 'was at the time, but afterward •armed it was champagne. The man had broached the cargo in the hold—“I also remember that one ot the sailors felL overboard. Though, an attempt was made to rescue him, lie disappeared. The weather was very rough in the Bay of Biscay, and as most of the people had had no previous experience of the sea they were all very frightened. The voyage lasted live months. Y\ e called at the Cape, ot Good Hope for water and provisions, and then went on to Wellington to discharge cargo, and after that e went to Nelson, so that nearly .six months had elapsed before We readied our destination. tent LIFE for. six months. 1 “It seems that the country had been surveyed at Home, and my father had been 'induced to purchase ‘on spec a block of fifty acres 111 the Nelson district. We found it was neai the mouth of a river about 14 miles ram Nelson township, but we went straight out to the place as best we < ou . k “ taking a large tent, which was uivi .m-i into compartments. We lived in tort tent for six months, as we could not build a house in less time. You must remember that then there were no cattle, no pigs, no sheep, so we had ... on birds, and every day my Lit, he 1 and mother had to go out anti shoot ducks and pigeons, and also set ..nes for eels and fish. Later my ocl'e’bought some cattle, pigs and rheep. There were no horses for some time. “I will never forget what fun there was when the Maoris first. saw horses. They were amazed beyond description. T’hev did not know what to call them. They could not call them W uogs. so they finally called them ‘lioihoi. a cuiruption of. ‘who are you.’ Alter gettino- used to the horses, the Mao. is 1 »/d to gallop them all: over the 1 umtrv, until the poor animals sweated tcrriblv, and some of them died, but with experience they got to know l ov. to treat the animals. SOUND EDUCATION. “There wore Charlie. Tom and n.vself on the place, and thcie was 110 school, so mv father got a survey 01 to us in his spare tune, and.. he taught us well, giving us a sound imglish education, so much so that vhen I went to school in Nelson it „■ s found that in English I knew as no- h as mv schoolmaster. But there I lied French and Latin gnder lather Garin, after which I went to Europe, where I was given a very good education during the next fire or■ six veins Mv French was so good that I vas given the. prize for French composition against, the Frough students “Oil March 17 of next year will be celebrated mV diamond jubilee ‘is a Sop.” said his Grace, “and I hope you will all 'he present on that o.Casio,. I am now the senior tbsnop of the Roman Catholic Church m Lie world, and have been sixtv-eight yea is a priest. In another year I will rtach my diamond jubilee, if Cod give* me than advantage.” . . His Grace looked particularly 10bust in." health, and though 0! years of ;me, his sight, hearum and speech arc practically unimpaired.