GABRIEL'S GULLY.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 30 May 1914, Page 6

GABRIEL'S GULLY.

REM> MEMORIAL CAIRN

cairn was unveiled at licence* on Wednesday in memory of Briel Read, who, in 1861, made the B^us gold discovery in what became $an as, Gabriel's Gully. The Hon. pilien .was present, together with i^r old pioneers and visitors from nous parts. The cairn is about &?lngh, built of* the peculiar stones §o*'as. Blue Spur jasperoids. [fife "Mayor of Lawrence (Mr J. Roffcsbn) delivered an eloquent address. Ie cairn, he said, was erected to the ijinory of • the first successful prosictor in the Dominion. He had ibwn Mr Read, who was a thoroughly en-hearted gentleman. He was a actical miner, always craving for mething fresh, so, weeks after he id "struck it rich at the Gully," he eht away, and "struck it rich" at faitahuna. Before his advent, there as only a sheep-walk from the Gully > JJunedin, but, after his discovery, lere was a rush of miners, with the jsult that the resources of the couny were opened up. In 1864 there ere from 70,000 to 80,000 miners doing ell in the South Island. About iree years ago an attempt had been ade to bring a remnant of that mighty ost together at Lawrence, and about 00 had responded. The place where ie cairn stood was the entrance to ie Gully. In the erection of the qairn ley were doing honor not- only to Mr teffd, but ito the men who had followed a his wake. The Mayoress (Mrs Robertson) then nveiled the cairn, on the side of rhich was a plate bearing the followng inscription: "This cairn was erected 6 commemorate the discovery of gold a Gabriel's Gully in > 1861 by Gabriel jtead." Another plate reads as folbws: "Over 300 miners of 1861 aslembled here in May, 1911, to celeirate the discovery of gold in Gabriel's Sully. A gathering was afterwards leld in the hall, some twenty of the' 861 veterans occupying front seats." ; The Hon. J. Allen then spoke, congratulating those assembled on the spmpletion of the cairn. Nothing, he said, was more pleasing than the camaraderie displayed by the diggers. It w&s a lesson to the countrymen of the »resent day, and the Minister hoped that there would come to be incorporated with our national life some of the friendliness and kindness that distinguished the diggers. For the three years and nine months after the Gully |ras discovered, 1,699,6670z. of gold passed through the Customs at Duniedin, and 63,9700z. through other ports. The figures were not official, but a local resident had informed him of the fact, and he now gave them publicity. Mr Allen concluded with a. tribute to the men to whom the development of the (country was due, I The veterans then sang the old digjgers' song, "Marching to Gabriel's.I —-Press Association. >