GOLDEN WEDDING AT TE ARAI

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVII, Issue 11347, 16 April 1900, Page 3

GOLDEN WEDDING AT TE ARAI

Mr. and Mrs John Brown, of Bleak House, Te Arai, on April 6,1900, celebrated their golden wedding. 'I hey were mam"'.. April, 1850, at Driffield, Yorkshire, England, in the Independent Chapel, by the Rev. John George, minister of Market Weighdon, who was a personal friend of Mr. Brown's. Mr. and Sirs'. Brown arrived in Auckland by the ship Northern Bride, oil October 11, 1860, at the time the old 40acre system was in operation. Mi;. Brown made his selection of land at Te Arai, and, almost ever since, he and some of his family have resided here. By hard plodding he has brought up a family of five sons and six daughters, some of whom were born here, and both Mr. and Mrs. Brown know the struggles and hardships the early settlers north of Auckland had; to contend with. All communication to Auckland was by fore-and-aft schooners or cutters, sometimes occupying 10 to 14 days; sometimes no wind, and sometimes too much wind, and, if. any way easterly, had to run into the Kawau, Barrier, or other places until it went southerly or westerly. I recollect the time when Mr. Brown and family arrived by cutter at Mangawai, and he had,: with his wife and family, to trudge for the first four miles on a track only wide enough for a pair of bullocks, and the only vehicles then, commonly called sleighs, were a fork cut out of a tree top. Then for miles further they had to . tramp to what was then the back country, over the stumps, in a surveyor' 3 line, taking two days to make a tirip to the port. We had then no usual mail service, and no Auckland Wekkly News to spend a, wet day with. In those days, when the bag of flour was getting low, sugar, and other things, it was a trudge of nine miles for a supply, and often this fell to the 101 l of the women, the men being too busy trying to make a blade of grass grow, and establish a home in the wilderness. These old times were talked over at the golden wedding, and some of the, younger people thought it hard and rough enough now, but could not think how we got on then. Mr. Brown, with his good wife, gallantly struggled on and overcame difficulty alter difficulty, and now, at 80 years of age himself, and his good lady 7*2, can look back with' pleasure at a good homestead, with herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, horses, etc., and i say to anyone: " See what we have jdone"—and it is a struggle passed through which any old couple should'be proud of. They are in fairly affluent circumstances, and have four sons settled down with homes of their own, and four daughters married and on good farms. There are also 33 grandchildren. Mr. Brown, when 14 years old,' .commenced to follow the plough, and has continued to do so to the present time, for 66 years..* He is a real practical Yorkshire farmer. His services have bee'rt regularly called on to act as judge at the surrounding yearly shows, year after year. The hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Brown is well known to travellers. Tired, oi; caught by night, they were sure of being taken in and well cared for. At the golden wedding Mr. and Mrs. Brown were most highly honoured by having the pleasure of entertaining a guest who was present at their marriage 50 years ago. Kindly wishes were expressed that Mr. and Mrs. Brown might live to see their diamond wedding, in which all heartily join. Mr. Brown has always taken a leading part in public matters, and is universally respected.—(Own Correspondent.)