AN EVENTFUL CAREER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18388, 2 May 1923, Page 11

AN EVENTFUL CAREER.

LLIFE.. IN THE SOUTH- SEAS.

MR. G. COZENS' ADVENTURES;

'INCIDENTS IN. OLDEN DAYS.

; A: life of ;■ action "and incident in the IS ? oas ""* on tlle goldfields of New even a " d ' toria ' characterises the of tt C3 r r ° f Mr ' George Cozens. cLw f a '■?*"**• Parnel1 ' *ho to-dav ceebrates his 86th birthdav. Bizarre '*le?, reminiscent:of the South Sea stories W Louis Beck, are recounted bv Mr Lozens of his early adventures among the ac.fic Islands in the '50's and Ws of last century.. ;.. . . • £Born at Launceston, Tasmania, in 1858, Mr. Cozens left with his parents at* the age of nine for England. The ship Jane J' rancis, when a few days out from liobart, ran short of fresh water owing to rats gnawing through the leaden water pipes leading from the tanks, and Captain W. Crosby was compelled to call in at Auckland to replenish the supply. The ship . anchored off Takapuna, and empty casks were landed on the ' beach At tins period, 1847, the inhabitants were principally Maoris, and the latter filled the casks from the waters of Lake Takapuna and rolled them down to the water's idge, whence they were floated off to the ship. ..This was Mr. Cozen's first glimpse of Auckland. The voyage to England took five months. After receiving an education in Kent and -Norfolk, the boy developed a ' deep ~- love of. the sea, and at the age of 12 joined a vessel trading in the Mediterranean at the time of the insurrection in Sicily. A brief visit to London enabled him to witness the funeral of the Duke of Wellington. Strangely enough, ,he then became articled as an apprentice on the Jane Francis, the same ship on which he had made the voyage to England as a passenger, and in this ship made several voyages between/Australia and England. 'Honour Restored by Gymnast. Many 'of the incidents which Mr. Cozens relates centre round his old prowess as an athlete! One story in particular is told by him in an invigorating manner and with a sparkle of humour, that is quite refreshing. .At Mokill, one,of the elands of the Marshall Group, the native 'ting: had a brother who enjoyed the distinction of being the only man-' the island who could seak English. With the fortune he amassed by acting as interpreter, for the vessels that called in at that lonely spot from time to time, he sailed forth in a.white man's ship to see the sights of the world. His visit to Sydney was full 'of wonder, not the least impressive event being a visit to a' circus. On his return to his island home the native told his sceptical brother, the king, that the Europeans in Sydney were more lithe and supple than the people lof dark races, that they could leap great distances and twist their bodies' into all sorts of extraordinary shapes. .; The pride of 'the natives was greatly hurt, and the king promptly branded his brother a liar and perverter of the truth, and tabooed him from social intercourse with his people.. . -v;; -.: ;-■ The ostracised native, had no appeal from this sentence until one day the brig on .which" Mr. Cozens was a ; seaman anchored off the settlement. Mr. Cozens was an enthusiastic J gymnast, .and regularly exercised on a horizontal bar erected on - the forecastle. ''; The '/ spectacle of the muscular youth performing a series of eccentric feats of strength was a,regular godsend to the unhappy brother, ' who lost-no time in',; obtaining ' Mr. Cozens' consent to give an exhibition before the king. - '

; Remembered . Alter /40 Years. ; The entire -population assembled to witness the performance, and before a delighted and enthralled audience the young man went through a series of evolutions fit .■:to win [■{ the <J admiration of any white man. The king was . greatly impressed, and at once removed the taboo from his brother and in mollification appointed him a privy councillor. The king personally thanked Mr. : Cozens, and said he was "very pleased his brother was not a liar." Six months . afterwards, when the brig returned on a short visit: to this island, all the little boys in the settlement had taken to gymnastics.: '; _ : : '; V;A • curious j coincidence, showing how deep was the impression made on the native mind, has come to light 40 years afterwards. Mr. Cozens' brother, Mr. G. W. W. Cozens, who, is harbour and ship-: ping master for the '.- Pacific Phosphate ComDany at Naurn : and Ocean -Islands, recently wrote to his brother regarding a visit he had paid to the Island of Mokill. He had been accosted _by _an elderly native who had greeted him joyfully with the remark, " Why, I see you twirling round on at bit of wood when you was a boy.'.' The writer was mystified until :he remembered : his brother's gymnastic , record as a youth. .; Mr. Cozen's work, in -later years took him frequently to the • Marshall, Caroline, and lapp Groups in the Pacific, where he was employed on numerous occasions in connection with the winding up of estates, a work that was not altogether, immune in the; early days from dangerous accompaniments in th© lawless regions of the South Seas. On one i occasion he was shot at by an Islander, while he was in,his tent, evidently owing to the fact , that he had seized the person of the chief for appropriating a boat for which he had not paid. This, however, was not the only occasion on which his life was threatened. ■' ■'-,'<■ Hastening to the Wedding.

A remarkable feat at sea was performed by Mr. Cozens at the time of his marriage. Being on the West Coast, he notified his bride-to-be, who resided in Tasmania, that he would arrive at her home on a certain day. He was delayed, however, and when he left Hokitika'in the Alhambra. be found he could not possibly reach the place in time. As the Alhambra arrived off Melbourne Heads, the connecting boat ' for Hobart was seen coming out. Mr. Cozens was acquainted with the captain of the Alhambra. who signalled to the boat to heave to, thus enabling Mr. Cozens to complete,the connection. On the arrival " of the Melbourne-Hobart boat at the Tasmanian port a similar feat was performed, the boat for, Mersey being stopped on her way out from the Launceston Heads and the hurrying bridegroom assisted aboard. Thus Mr. Cozens completed the voyage from Hokitika to the homestead up the Mersey in the record time of seven days with' out once effecting a landing en route. The marriage took place on the date appointed. Mr. Cozens was on the Thames goldfield during the first gold rush, and was also at Gabriel's Gully. He sawvarious kinds of employment in the South Island, and was for six months in the postal department at Hokitika. He was at one time owner of the cutter "Lapwing." trading to Fiji, and was later articled to Messrs. Button and Reid. then a well-known firm of solicitors. For 15 years he was a . Customs House agent in Auckland, retiring about 10 years ago.

Public Life in Auckland.

Mr. Cozens took a prominent part in public life and has the distinction of being one of the first members of the now defunct Parnell Borough Council. He was formerly a member of the Auckland Harbour Board; he has been a prominent yachtsman in Auckland and . has taken a practical interest in rowing, running, tennis and bowling. For a number of years he was treasurer of the Auckland Tennis and Bowling Clubs. Eighty-five years appear to have made very little difference to Mr. Cozens activities. His well-kept garden and extensive poultry yard are monuments to unrelated energy, while his many friends testify to his ability to play a first-rate game" of billiards. His faculties appear in no way impaired and the fact that he. is a voracious reader, yet finds no necessity to seek the aid of glasses, speaks wonders - fear hi* ■ excellent - vision.