"EARLY WELLINGTON."

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 15 May 1918, Page 5

"EARLY WELLINGTON."

ADDRESS BY DR. NEWMAN, M.P

Characteristically bright and breezy was an address on "Early Wellington" delivered by Dr. A. K. Newman, M.P., recently at Godber's Hall, Courtenay place, to members of the Early Settlers! and Historical Association of' Welling-1 ton. There was a good attendance of I members and friends. Mr J. E. Jenkinson (president) occupied the chair. ( "The secretary of the society wrote to me, and asked me to give a lecture on the early days," remarked Dr Newman, "but I hardly know why*. My father brought me here in 1850, and I rather think we belong—not to the 'old identities' but to the 'new iniquities?' " The speaker then gave a brief historical sketch of the foundation of Wellington. He said that it was. a curious thing that we know nothing of the date of the discovery of Wellington Harbor, although when Captain Cook sailed through Cook Strait, and passed close to Barrett's Reef, he looked towards the Hutt river and expressed the opinion that there was a large bay there. "As a matter of fact," he added, "we do not know who discovered the harbor.'' The landing of the first settlers at Petone, and the removal of the infant settlement to Thorndon was mentioned. In those days there were several Maori pas in different parts of the site of the present city, including one 'on the beach near Courtney place, and another, somewhere in the locality of Lindsay's boot store. Very few of the early settlers were now left, but amongst them was Mr John Cudby, of the Hutt.

The settlers in those days lived in a very simple, primitive style, he said, They had damper, black tea, and black sugar. The flour they used was imported from Chili, and cost £45 a ton. The people did their own washing and cooking, but they lived very happy lives. The hi«ls wiere mostly' covered with bush. Large trees flourished where Tinakori road now is, and some of those trees were used by the Natives for making their canoes. Numerous wild birds were to be seen in. the bush. Now about the only native bird left was the more-

pork; very few others, at any rate, remained. In addition to the disappearance of most of the native birds, Dr. Newman mentioned that little green and brown lizards, which then were numerous, seemed to have** s also vanished, as had the blue bottle fly to a great extent. "One of the troubles we always had was to keep the meat from being fly-blown." added the speaker, amidst' laughter. "I sometimes think," he continued, "if some of our dear old people could come back now, and I were to tell them that we could communicate with Sydney by wireless, that we could light a whole city with electricity, and that we could talk from hero to Auckland by telephone, they would say: 'My son, you have degenerated into a d—liar!" (Renewed laughter)^' One of the most interesting nori^s of Dr. Newman's address was his mention of the names of the prominent men connected with the foundation and early settlement of Wellington. He th»n went on to recall quite a number of the "charact-ors" and well-known "personages'' of his own early da.vs. His d>°scrip+'on of the;r characteristics provokrd T"*ich laughter. Dr. Newman eor-cIT-rWI his nddre<-« by eynvee-sin*-** <">ur i"deb+ed*n°ss to the •^endid --ork do^e by the r>ioueer s^ttlei-" an-1 by an eloquent tribute to the no^ile nnd h^roie sacrifice- of our your"? soldiers nt. +he front ir> +he prw>nt. +;- tanic struggle for our liberty and honor