A COMPETITOR AT THE FIRST SHOW

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 7 November 1933, Page 12

A COMPETITOR AT THE FIRST SHOW

A pioneer resident of Hawera and Patea, Mr L. S. Barraclough, still lives in Hawera, where he was in business for many years. He was a competitor at the first show in the horse leaping competition. Mr Barraclough recalls clearly the show being held in a five-acre paddock opposite the King Edward Park gates, part of which was later the Stock Department’s paddock and the pound. “It is now just on 50 years since I mounted my horse Butcher Boy at Patea early on the morning of the Hawera Show and rode through to compete iii the jumping event,” said Mr Barraclough in conversation with a. “Star” reporter. “The hurdles, I remember, were a bluegum pole fastened to good posts let well into the ground, and if your horse hit this crossbar you were almost certain to come down. I got over the jumps all right, hut I did not win, for there were a lot of very fine horses of a stamp rarely seen nowadays and they were hard to beat. It was a great experience.” Mr Barraclough’s mount was a grey, bred .by the late Mr John Paterson, formerly of Kakpramea, and, was a fine stamp of horse and a great} jumper. j His recollections of the first show, ire naturally somewhat hazy after so great a lapse of time, but he recalls! rividly the happy, good humoured j crowd, with the show more or less! under “rafferty” rules. It was, he said, more like a picnic than an organised show. There was what was considered in those days a huge crowd Tom many parts of the district, and j ill were out to enjoy themselves to the

Mr Barraclough had, it is interesting to recall, previous association with. Hawera, having lived in Patea from 1879 to 'about 1885. While there he had been captain of the Eire Brigade, and had brought teams of firemen- to compete at Hawera in the days when Mr B. C. Robbins was secretary of the Hawera Brigade. Mr Barraclough lia« been an active supporter of the show and the association for many years, and some 25 years ago showed a trotting mare Dolly in harness. The horse wa,s a real good one and had the distinction of never being beaten “on the road.” The mare was never raced on the turf, but was often matched privately along the King’s highway with the horses of other owners who considered their own “could go some.” Dolly more than held her own with the best and was a wonder on a long journey. She was entered for a Wanganui show and was driven down by her owner, but unfortunately a mistake had been made and she arrived too late for judging. She did the journey down one day and back the next without any trouble, and was full of going when she reached Hawera. She was bought from Mr George Coekerton, of Te Roti, and her sire was' owned at one time by a. Maori settler of Austin Road.

The names of the riders have gone from Mr Barraclough’s memory, except one whom he knew well, the late Mr George Clout, of Taiporohemri, who rode a famous hotse Jubilee, belonging to the late Mr James Davidson. He was one of the best known settlers of Hawera and Taiporohenui.