NOTABLE CENTENARIAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19691, 18 July 1927, Page 10

NOTABLE CENTENARIAN

CELEBRATION OF BIRTHDAY.

LINK WITH EARLY DAYS.

GOLD DIGGINGS AND POLICE.

[BX TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] NEW PLYMOUTH. Sunday.

Still hale and hearty, Mr. Dennis Ryan celebrated his 102 nd birthday to-day with his family at Huiroa. Mr. Ryan was born in Ireland in 1825, and spent his early lifo in his native country. As a young man he left Southampton for Adelaide in tho Lord Hungerford, which took 130 days on tho voyage. For four or five years the gold diggings of Ballarat and Bendigo claimed his attention and subsequently he joined the mounted police force, which escorted gold from the diggings to Melbourne. While in Melbourne Mr. Ryan was one of those who gathered to bid farewell to the Burke expedition, which set out on tho exploration of tho Northern Territory. Only one member of the expedition returned, the rest having perished of thirst.

Word of the finding of gold at Gabriel's Gully attracted Mr. Ryau from Australia, but. while there was plenty of gold, he was not one of the lucky ones. Coming to Dunedin ho joined the police force. Later he set out for the West Coast gold rush, but on arrival at Wellington he heard of the unsettled state of affairs, and of the notorious exploits of Burgess, Levy and Sullivan, the bushrangers and murderers, two of whom were hanged. He then joined the police force in Wellington, being placed in charge of the Porirua district. Tho then Governor, Sir James Forgusson (father of the present Governor-General) with his party, was escorted by Mr. Ryan on an inspection of tho various beaches round tho coast. In one of these excursions a flooded stream was encountered in the centre of a Maori pa» The horses had been left at an accommodation house some distance away, and His Excellency docided to return. Mr. Ryan, however, thought the party could leap the stream, and the Governor thereupon agreed that if tho proposer went first he would follow. The two landed safely on the other side, but Mr. Hare, the Governor's secretary, was not so fortunate and landed in the middle of the stream.

Mr. Ryan remained at Porirua for some years, and then resigned from the force to take up dairying at Tawa Flat, near Wellington. Land in those days could be purchased for 5s an acre and butter realised 4d per lb. He farmed successfully for 30 years and then ceased active work.