REUNION OF PIONEERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13305, 11 October 1906, Page 7

REUNION OF PIONEERS.

:. THE OLD PEOPLE'S DAY. i GREAT THANKSGIVING .""'■/ SERVICE.. ; : ; .'.- CELEBRATIONS AT THE CHORAL HALL. ;. Yesterday, the tenth day of October, was . the '.' Old People's Day," the occasion of the • annual reunion of the pioneers of Aucki land, when the younger people combine to / pay honour to those who bore the burdens i. and trials attendant upon the founding of :■" . settlement in a strange land. The celebrations are termed as in commemoration of the founding, of Auckland and the anniversary of tho arrival of pioneer colonists by the ships. Duchess of Argyle, Jane Clifford, I>* Brilliant, and other vessels. The Brilliant : arrived, in Manukau Harbour in 1841, and , -the Duchess of Argyle and the Jane Gifford . . dropped anchor together in the Waitemata on October 10, 1842. . The reunion came to be held on October 10 through a movement amongst the passengers by the two latter '" Teasels, to commemorate their, arrival by a reunion every 10 years,.. thus October 10 • came to be' looked on as the general anniversary day. Amongst those. present yesterday were very •■ many old people, some wry frail, who had to be assisted, to their ' peats by sons or daughters, and others still sturdy in spite of their advanced age, and disdaining to use walking sticks. Several of the" men proudly displayed medals on. ■ their breasts. The procession from the • Church to the Choral Hall was a singularly beautiful spectacle,,.men and women who had set foot on these shores when there was 1 notliing but a wilderness to greet them, ; * . were tottering along supported by loving arms, 1 and their faces, expressive of the keenest pleasure, were as bright as those of children' out for a picnic. One lady t Whp on Tuesday intended to be present, .passed away, yesterday morning, and an ) . early settler who wrote on October-' 2 re- -, gretting inability to be present, died on) October 4, and the dead man's letter was . i \ read to the assembly. One old couple, hus- | band and wife, both, with white hair, were f% endeavouring to support each other. Both were bowed with age and attired in oldfashioned garments, -seeming almost to have stepped out of some picture ot 70 years ago. ;' They seemed to be strangers in the throng! and iwere lagging behind till some young people coming along, rushed up to them in .i body and escorted them in triumph to the hall. The gathering was a very large one indeed, no less than 1300 invitations having been issued by the committee. , ' " :. THE SERVICED ' ' St. Andrew's Church was crowded to the doors by old and young at eleven o'clock, . - and extra seats had been placed wherever there was room for them, but still a large r number were unable to obtain admission to the ■ building. » The pulpit front and ■ the ' choir pews had been beautifully decorated .with arum lilies, palms, etc. , The proceedings were opened by the singing of the - Old Hundredth," and the Rev. B. F. ' Robhweil then engaged in the thanskgiving ;.;,-. - prayer.: " ,- •'* \ " ,' The* Chairman, the Rev. R.F. Maenicol, in a short address' of welcome to- the pioneers, said they had met to commemorate" the arrival of. those, early settlers to '■ whose indomitable courage, perseverance. . and strength _, of character, the present generation owed so much, and *to offer thanksgiving to that Cod Who sustained them in all the vicissitudes and trials of those primitive days, and Who r enabled them to so wisely and well lay. the founda- *■ tions of a large and prosperous community. '■ The gathering represented all denomina.tions and all sections of the community of Auckland province, and it was well for the people, at' least once a, year, to come to- ' gether in ; that way .with a desire to culti- ., vate more and more that "spirit of unity which;"was thei bond of peace, and to pay honour to those who had so bravely ? ** : struggled to make this new land tho glorious country it'now was. On behalf of the . committee "of welcome he extended heartiest greetings to all the old people, and trusted i&at the. day might be one of the brightest of the year for them. '' *' r v - The Rev. Hauraki Paul then led with the hymn, "O. God of Bethel," , after which the solo "Jerusalem," (Parker) was rendered by. Mr. Wilfred Manning. ■■ ' t- The Rev. John Wilkins read the lesson "... • from the 27th Psalm, and the congregation then joined in the Lord's Prayer, led by the ' Rev. Robert Sommerville. . . .:'. i: The Chairman, in asking the Rev. David c Bruce, D.D., to-address the assembly, alluded to him as one' of the pioneer colonists of this district and founder of the Presbyterian Church in Auckland, and in the whole ■ of the North Island almost, and as one who had left his mark not only on the ecclesiastical, but on the social history of New Zea- ' land, especially throughout the North The' Rev. Dr. "Bruce, after referring to the jubilee of the Auckland Presbytery, : ' which he had come from Sydney to attend, went on to say that the services rendered by those whoso arrival in the colony that great gathering had' assembled to commemmbrate, the influence they exerted on the country, and the good- they did for-them-selves and others was all due to their quiet determination. That was' the lesson he learned when first he set. foot on these shores, about 13 years after the pioneers - had - planted - themselves in possession of - their holdings. He found the people had adapted themselves to their surroundings, and had made for themselves inviting and comfortable homes, in which he found himself always most heartily welcome, and in which he saw the growth, gradually, of those elements of character which formed the true background of advancement, especially in new lands. The present generations enjoyed the fruits of that determination, and in the present happy state of Auckland was found the illustration of that spirit of determination that dominated all ~ the early settlers, and if there was any • 'advice, they.could give to the young people " now it was to keep hold of that same de- '-' termination," for it was that that had made New Zealand the land it now was, and it was that that would advance it to "higher'position in the future.. . He would be gratified to see that spirit of determination over all their homes and over all the country surrounding them, making them understand that the true way of fulfilling life's great mission ,was. to make the best of their surroundings, in obedience to the God who had given them, the privilege of having their homes in. this bright land. And when they had all done their duty, ' :'.nd passed over the river, might it be 'said that they had done their part capably and well, and left the surroundings improved by the contributions they had severally and collectively made. The address was followed by the hymn, "The God-of Abraham Praise," and Mrs. J. W. Stewart then sang "The Better v Land." The collection . voluntary was ' played by the musical director, Mr. J. H. Philjpot." . - , ; . . ■':,"''•-' The- Rev. "W. Beatty, after paying a tribute to the character and work of the Rev. R. F. Maenicol, went on to say he was ■"■" very glad to be in -the same pulpit as the Rev. Dr. Bruce, who was the Presbyterian Bishop of Sydney, and'who did tor his Church in this colony what Bishop.Selwyn did for the Anglican Church. . (Applause.) He (Mr. Beatty) bad a very sincere, ad- ■ miration and respect for the work of old '•olonists. Dr. Bruce had referred to their .dogged determination, and he (Mr. Beatty) ;" would like to refer to another quality deserving of admiration, and that was their simplicity. , The early colonists were men ■ simple in faith, whatever form of doctrine . they might hold. Some people might believe certain facts .and doctrines which others did not, : but. at the bottom of it, faith meant the sense of human needs and !' ; human weakness, and an entire trust in the power- and grace, and love of Almighty; Cod. He believed the old colonists had that simple faith—(applause)—and they had a very simple code of morals, to love their neighbours as themselves, and to do, to "others as thev would have others do to them. They "did not invent any artificial III!':'-. '''•' - '■■.:'■ ■'■ r ' ■

virtues or vices, they simply believed ', that to walk humbly and serve God was all they had : to do, and he quite agreed'with them. (Applause.) Thevliad a very simple form of worship, for they could not have any of the surrounding outward signs they could howl Still their worship• should always be simple, whatever the surroundings, and of course the surroundings improved as time went on. He desired to earnestly impress upon the younger generation to l keep up the spirit of simplicity. - A great Latin writer had said,, "Great .is ; the man who uses earthenware as if it were plate," and this was what the early colonists did ; they were simple, dignified, and upright. : < No less great was the man who Used plate as if it were earthenware, who, surrounded by the comforts of wealth, yet valued them at their true worth, and remembered that the man was greater than his possessions. He asked the younger colonists to maintain this spirit of simplicity. There was a dangerous thing cropping up now, and that was a desire to be in society ; well, society, to his mind, in the way it was generally spoken of, was a very poor, shoddy, and pinchbeck imitation of a very undesirable thing, and he asked the young colonists to keep preserved amongst the pleasures of civilisation which they enjoyed, owing to the labour and privations of their fathers, the same spirit of simplicity. He trusted that these gatherings would not only be a source of pleasure and profit to those who took part, but also the means of drawing together the whole community, to which they belonged. (Ap-, plause.)" \ ■;■ .. ■ The Rev. J. A. Luxford, on behalf of other Churches', extended a welcome to the Rev. Dr. Bruce, and read an apology for absence from the Rev. Pastor Clark. He then read a poem, "Lovely Zealandia,' composed in honour of the . occasion by Mrs. Bowring, of Auckland, who is over 70 years of age. -The hymn' Lead Kindly Light" and the National* Anthem brought the service to a close, the Benediction being pronounced by the Rev. W. S. Potter. AT THE CHORAL HALL. The pioneers, led by the pipers, marched to the Choral Hall from the'church, and were; there welcomed by the committee. Tables had been'arranged and light refreshments were served to the old people. When the tables had been cleared and removed the interior of the hall presented an impressive sight, every seat in the body of the building being occupied, the stage accommodation taxed to its utmost, the gallery crowded, and groups of people standing at the doorways. - A number of humorous selections on a phonograph provided by Bouzaid and Co. provided an opening to the proceedings, and then the chairman (the Hon. E. Mitchelson), on behalf of the committee, extended a welcome to all present, He read the following telegram from the Premier, Sir Joseph Ward: —" I shall be glad if you will accept and convey to your committee my thanks for their cordial invitation to be present at : the gathering of old colonists to be held to-day. Had my public duties permitted of my visiting Auckland at the present time I should have been very.please'u to 'have been present, as there is no class of people for whom I have,greater respect than the old colonists, many of whom* have helped to lay foundations of our happy country. I hope the reunion will be a very successful one, and all may thoroughly, enjoy themselves." The Anglican Bishop (Dr. Neligan), the Roman Catholic Bishop (Dr. Lenihah); the Hon. G. Fowlds, Mr. 'W. A. Prickett (American Consul-General), Messrs. A.Kidd, M.H.R., W. T. Jennings, M.H.R., and Major Shepherd sent apologies for absence. 1•- The chairman also read a letter dated October 2 from the" late Mr. Brookfield, of Onehunga, who died on October 4. Another letter was . from Antonio Penz, stating that Mrs. Penz, who, on Tuesday, intended attending, had passed away early that (Wednesday) morning. Another letter, from * Francis Creighton, stated that he arrived at the Bay of Islands in 1838, and had continued to reside in the province 68 years. For 50 years he resided at Wairoa South, Ardmore, and he would be 98 years of age the last day of next April. He hoped his advanced age would excuse his not attending the reunion. . The chairman's announcement that this letter was in Mr. Creighton's own handwriting, and that the writing was better than that of many a younger man', was" received with loud applause. An apology was received from Mrs. Thomas Keven, aged 85, who arrived by the ship Diana in 1838 at Bay of Islands, and arrived in Auckland before the proclamation. •- '.'•"'■.. The following letter was handed to the chairman, and a little later read to the meeting;—" Dear Mr. Mitchelson.— "Forgive my absence; too painful to be amongst old friends and unable to recognise them. Accept the ! proverb, ' Tho' lost vto , sight .to memory dear.' —Yours truly, J. Logan Campbell." \ A telegram from Dargaville was also read to the meeting, conveying wishes for a,, happy gathering, from tho Northern Wairoa » Natives' ■• Association. ' "Mr. -Mitchelson -then referred 1 to the great number that had passed away since last reunion, and remarked on the great ages some of them had attained. He was -very pleased to announce that there were some there who arrived long before the ship Duchess of Argyle or the barque Jane Gifford, and there was one there who arrived in 1837, there was a letter from one who arrived in 1838, and Mr. Fairburn, who was present, was bora here in 1827. They could only expect that their old folk must pass away, but they could congratulate tiumeelves that the younger, would have risen to carry on the great and good work which the pioneers so successfully initiated in the early days. It was only those who looked back 50 years and more who could realise the difficulties and hardships the early colonists had to endure. They carried on their work without grumbling, and without any Government aid, and the policy they initiated was a true self-reliant policy. (Applause.) Those who were in Queen-street that morning and witnessed' the procei'inn and the huge mass of people in the street SU).I& have realised that this was a happy young country to live in. The committee only regretted there was riot 1 a building in Auckland large enough to accommodate the old colonists and their descendants. The City Council had promised that a town hall would-be erected, and, no doubt, the committee would take care that the town tall would be secured for the reunion. Unfortunately St. Andrew's Church was not large enough to accommodate all . those who desired to attend that day, and, as invita- • tions were issued to colonists'of 50 years and over, it seemed there would have to be a larger church also. (Applause.) The Chairman then announced that the £5 cheque given by Mr. J. M. McLachlan in memory of his late mother, for the oldest liv- , ing person who arrived by barque Brilliant, which reached the Manukau in 1841, wqukl go this year to Mrs. Coyle, of East-street, 85 years of age. This was the fourth time Mrs. Coyle had received the cheque.. (Loud applause.) Mrs. Coyle, upon coming for* ward, received a most cordial greeting. His Worship the Mayor (Mr. A. M. Myers), who was to .have spoken at the gathering, forwarded the following letter: — I regret to find that I shall not be able to do myself the pleasure of being personally present, as I had anticipated, to offer my congratulations to the old colonists who will be assembled together on Wednesday next, and I shall be glad if you will kindly apologise for my absence. I venture to say that there are few of our annual celebrations which we ought to value more highly than this gathering of our surviving pioneers. There has probably been no period in the history of the world during which greater industrial, social, or political progress has been made in all civilised countries, in the space of one man's lifetime, than in the nineteenth century. But those who have grown old in New Zealand have witnessed not merely an advance in civilisation, but the establishment of civilisation where before was barbarism. They have seon a collection of shanties become a flourishing city, bush and scrub give place to fruitful fields: they have seen a few isolated handfuls of settlers grow into a community of nearly a million souls, carrying on all the varied activities of modern life, and known throughout the world as among the foremost pioneers of social and political progress. In short, they have witnessed the birth of a nation. We ought to cherish and preserve, as a precious heritage, the memories and traditions of the early days, the first beginnings of our colonial history; and we ought to pay all honor to those who, amid toils and privations and perils, laid the foundations of the comfort and prosperity which we to-day enjoy. We most all regret that during the past year so many of them have passed away from among . us; but they : have left us the best of all legacies, the content illation of their sterling character and the inspiration of their example. I would ash yon to tender to the old colonists present on Wednesday this expression of my sincere respect, and my best wishes for a pleasant 1 and successful gathering.

The Rev., Wr-Watkin delivered a characteristically humorous speech, in the course of which he.congratulated the early colonists on', living so long, ""and told the story of Colonel Despard's advance on the Ohaeawat pa. He referred to the settlers who had laid down their lives in the Maori wars, and also spoke of the successful conquest of England by the "All Blacks." : v; The "Rabbi Goldstein said the ; younger generation was rather, apt; to forget that it was under a great obligation to those who did yeoman's service. When he looked round on the good, kindly : faces of the old colonists, he. could not help recalling the words of the Book, The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness." ■ Again, they were: told that the glory of a young man was his strength, and f the adornment of old ago was a hoary head. Then there were the kindly faces of the old mothers—(applause) —who had done so much for this young land. Of those mothers it might well be said, their children rise up and call them blessed.v< The Book also said, "Give unto her of the fruits of her need, and let her work praise her in the gates." The colonists possessed, beside determination, simple faith and patience, those qualities which made for character. If the good work done was to be continued those qualities would have to be fostered in the minds of the rising . generation. " Education would not do it. Certain, factors would have to be introduced into the educational system if there was to be established in this colony character, he meant true manhood and true womanhood. (Applause.) It was a virtue which .would not grow of its own accord, the seed had to be tended and nourished. He congratulated the old colonists on what they had done, and hoped that God would spare them that they might 1 be there at many and many other reunions. In conclusion he said, "May God bless our colony, may God. bless . God's own country, and may God bless those who have done so much for us." (Applause.) - Mr. A. J. Black delivered a brief address, "in the course of, which he related some humorous anecdotes, and referred to the inspiration such a noble gathering afforded, and the cause for congratulation there was in the fact that the country had been peopled in tho early days by so fine a race. The gathering reminded him of the experience in the life of the great discoverer, in the western world, who, when all seemed .hopeless, was encouraged by the visit of birds, later by a. bunch of berries floating by, then by a piece of carved wood, and then land was assured by a glimmer of light seen at the approach of night. The pioneers of this land had the birds of promise with them in the initial stages of development of the colony,, the berries of encouragement "had grown beside their life's pathway, the carved wood of progress they had known, and they hopefully looked for a light at eventide, a light which would indicate a better and larger country in which they would ever abide. Applause.) During the proceedings organ selections were contributed by Dr. Neil McDougall. a, march, "The Old Colonists," by Mr. W. Over and sons, composed by Mr. Over, on a xylophone made by him from the black maire wood, vocal solos by Mrs. J. W. Stewart, Dr. Keith ("Sweethearts," and " Tom Bowling"), and Mrs. A. J. . Black (Tosti's " Good-bye"), humorous sketches by Mr. Allan McElwain, and the part songs "My Love is Like the Red, Red Rose," and "Scots Wha Hae," and "Auld Lang Syne,", by the choir. The celebrations then terminated.