Purua Pioneer Passes

Northern Advocate, 16 July 1938, Page 4

Purua Pioneer Passes

One ol the pioneers of the Puma r'ifivict. Mrs Philomene Abraham, passed away at the residence of her ; Mr E. F. Abraham. Kamo, at 3 o’clock this morning. Corn of good Walloon stock in Bonder, g Americs. Belgium, nearly K ■>. erne ago. deceased married the late Mr Valentine J. F. Abraham who. : ortly afterwards gave up his position in a coal mine uj seek better conditions in New Zealand. With the Andres. Benoits. Moneyers and AuckInms they formed what war known as “the Belgian settlement" at Puma, breaking in virgin country, and. by their honesty, initiative and hard toil, gradually consolidated their position in the face of the greatest difficulty. Members of the Abraham family were accustomed to packing kegs of butter over pig tracks and surveyor’s trails to Whangarei, where the commodity fetched 4d per lb., and was exchanged for-the necessities of existence. As so many of the Northland pioneers did. they combined general farming with gumdigging and picking fungus from the extensive bush clearings in the district. Not long after their arrival in New Zealand, the young family of four was depleted by the death of a son. Forty-one years ago Mr Abraham senior met with an accident at Hikurangi which subsequently caused his death. Deprived of the principal breadwinner, the mother and youn°: family rose to the occasion splendidly. The memory of Mrs Abraham will long be cherished by the early settlers of the neighbourhood, whom she nursed and assisted in their times of illness. She was a devout member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Although at an advanced age. deceased had never known illness until about five weeks ago. The surviving children are Mrs J. Kershaw (Purua) and Messrs V. A. Abraham (the wellknown storekeeper, of Mangamuka) and E. F. Abraham (Kamo). There are six grandchildren and 8 great-grand-children. The funeral will leave for Puma cemetei’y at 1 p.m. on Monday.