HUNDRED BIRTHDAYS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 29 May 1930, Page 7

HUNDRED BIRTHDAYS

OLD MINER'S Lo'nG CAREER LIFE ON THE GOLDEN COAST Standing 6ft. high', in spite of (Ik burden of his-100 years, Mr ftlichao Ryan welcomed those- who hud gone U rlo him honour at fcho O'Conor Homo. Wostport, recently, when a numboi" ol lite leading citizens, at the head ol whom was the Mayor, Mr J, H. Hark-

noss, tendered Mr Ryan a surprise birthday party. Mr Ryan—who .'is now blind, but otherwise in good health—was born in Ireland, his parents being fanning folk. Until he was 25 years of ago Mr Ryan worked as a, farm hand and then, having hoard from his brothers, who bad gone to Australia to seek gold, he decided lo join them and left in a ship that reached the new land after a. trip of 147 days. Finding his brothers had already gone ahead to Now Zealand, lie followed them and arrived at Wcstport. From there he carried his swag to Fox's River and joined the rest of the family. The party' worked on the alluvial diggings and got plenty of gold, but the price of food was high. Later tho party went up tho coast to what was afterwards Charleston. They got gold, but not as much as they had boon getting on tho river diggings, alld returned soon after. It was after their return that one of tho brothers, named Denny, lost his life in going to the assistance of a man on horseback who was trying to ford a flooded river. in 1872 Mr Ryan and his two remaining brothers went to Reefton, the discovery of ( gold thore having just been" made. He did not like the underground work, however, and the party worked ail alluvial claim at Boatman's near Reefton. When their claim petered out they went up the Inangahua River to Black's point, at Reefton, which was at that time fast becoming a Cornish centre. Mr Ryan still remembers the pasties.

With tho wandering nature of most alluvial men Mr Ryan then went '. to Greenstone and later to Duffers, Kumara, Nelson Creek, Callaghan's Creek and Ahaura. While working at the lastnamed place reports wero daily coming to hand of the gold being got at Lyell. Mr Ryan and his brothers made up a party. That was tho last move ho made until ho retired.

It is maintained by Mr Ryan that tho Lyell is not worked out yet, as it has never been worked to the bottom. If lie were 30 years younger, ho declares, ho would bo straight back to the Lyell for what is, left there. . '* Mr Ryan has worked in water, ground sluicing ever since he Was 25 and is proud of the fact that he had never had an illness. As a matter of fact, with the. exception of a stray half-crown he gave a man to pull an aching tooth soon after ho arrived in Sydney, he has never paid out anything in medical fees. Ho misses not being able to see, but, apart from that, is hale and hearty.