THE PASSING OF JOHN ANDERSON.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18938, 11 August 1923, Page 15

THE PASSING OF JOHN ANDERSON.

THE FIRST WHITE CHILD BORN IN DUNEDIN.

By Fred 'Waite. Died on August 8, loved and respected by all who knew him, John Anderson, of ‘'Carol,” Waiwera South, well known to all the early settlers of Otago as the first white child born in Dunedin. When this nation of New Zealanders has a past such as that of the United Pbiles of America, those of our great-grand-children who survive us will look back with pride to the particulars of those heroic souls who. In the davs wtimi New Zealand was young, came out hero to the ends of the earth to establish a freer and more independent Britain of the south. Before the John Wvoliffe and the Philip Laing arrived, however, there were the few hardy pioneers. Wo must go back to the rear 1844 and contemplate the arrival of two historic families at Koputai (Port Ihalmers). This was on December 30. 1844. The M’Kays stayed at Koputai. but the Andersons pushed on and finally settled at what is now known as Anderson’s Bay. The chief surveyor, Mr Kettle, arrived on February 23, 1845 and Mr Anderson took service with this early survey. The Anderson family subsonuentlv shifted over to Poliehet Bav, and hero it was on December 10. 1846, that John Anderson was horn. And now in Dunedin, on August 8, 1083. John Anderson passed awnv. During big lifetime ho has seen the city of Dunedin grow from the surveyors’ Imts to the magnificent citv it is to-dnv. In one main lifetime has this marvel been achieved. John Anderson was a little toddler of 15 months old when the first emigrant ship arrived in Otago Harbour on March 02. 1848. As the venrs slinned bv. and the little village of Dunedin grew into a small town, those with the pioneering spirit went farther and farther afield John Anderson’s neonle went out to the Taiori Plain. A bullock sledge was to have met them somewhere in Dunedin. b"t the driver of the sledge was late, and there was nothing for it but starting to walk, hoping to meet the sledge on the wav. 'The father and mother, with the two elder hovs walking, the father with one younger child, and the mother carrying the other. walked up through the. swamp at Oversham, over T.onk-ont Point, along the Kaikorai Stream Valiev through Breen Island, and up over Saddle Hill in the dark to their rendezvous On the Taieri Plain. That was the pnirit of the men and women of the earlv davs. 'Though John Anrlerson was the first child horn in Dunedin, hriek and mortar bad little attraction for him He was "a. man of the open spaces. When onlv 10 years old he was driving cattle and sheen out. to his father’s and uncle’s runs nn near Tnnamii. Ami from that Any till a fortnight before his death his life was on the tussocV country.—he was hanpv with his horses anrl bis does, tie saw the introduction of horsed vehicles into Otago; he saw the early settlors come farther and farther out as the handier runs were C’t up; he watched the long thin line of railway creep slowly southwards. he saw the Procession of the old settler with the reaping hook, the marvel of the hack-delivery, and that modern miracle, the reaner and hinder: and then came the motor car and the tractor threatening his beloved horses: and one day he and I stood on a tussookv hill and heard a low honoring that nuzzled bis sense of hearing. “This is not the time for a threshing mill to he opt.” he said. T pointed away towards Bonobmoa at the small obleufc in fh#» nir. tI A Hvin" mar'-hinA,” ho n.hd h*> mif, bis hand over his eves. “Who •wotTM ever have Avino* machines -would k© seen in Ofcaoro? n But po it was: his lifetime has peon the orresf develonment of fko tnnmnh of man’s mind over mftforial oh--Btholes; has seen the transformation of a wilderness of swamn smiling OJis+nres and oomforf«He konr>pg, .Tokn Anderson* was a c*nor? ehnrehcroer. Whaf Bmrlnnd and Senthmd—n,nd this vonmr country too—owe* to those who have ck*n«r to the simple faith, no one ran evpr toll. But mnrh of the errentness of onr Empire is based on th* unmipoHnnlnjr fn.lfk nnd that real, nrnrfianj thnt drwxt not fthWelr in the market nlo/*e. hut omWJv end pimply works for the betterment of mankind —works to the country n Fetter home for the children that are to bo. Those who were to know Anderson knew him -for a. p'ood onnrt, TBs interest in cricket he maintained to th« last, and how ho loved n. frond knrep | A voar aero T had from a of all the farm aulrnnlq for n, hundred veam hark —horses and cettln and sheep. T took the paper to IVTr TTp turned fho pn.frps over fairlv mmdlv. locked earefilllv nt the niettmaq of fkp prJo penios. and then no.m« fo the prkrorfioompr»f,g at the hnck. Ho looked dhapnointod. ‘‘Are there no pictures of kloorl horses?” he pc.ked. He never said I *H of anv man •Ohie.’d tahlo, G'ood-hurnmired those US priviloo-ed to him vdU rflnsr that kindhr smile thnf wnnirl llrr-kf, up his t»one=t old face. *Wo dnn-rW n lolro • for hollas he ■’vrvrdd ted klq efortoq o f ,*utd life W'Hk hie own |n|rr>?fnk]A wav TTic edventliros the old erv>r fc meefinfr.s nnrl picnic i” Ofnnro w<v’M make vet-*» htimorn-ns nnd -pee do He kopL wu alwnvs re«d for B- dev off nuf on the hill whether it iv a,a hnnt.in,«r frv* TN-Tior? rweps or fl.ftev a, fmv f.ronf f-orn the ’W’oiwera. TTr> to the timn of k|o death he rnfh nro”*>d +he fene.es and emonrr fko qkoor) everv dev—wet or fine, T'Vo’rtf frnTk- everv of tmeh weijld nn old-Hme r*l*r kq-of ov an edvenfiirn n’lfk onme »iow oknm o" A f~o-»n XTornp. TXp or'orvfklnrr in p k-.T-roofoncs ■oro'**. will mttiq h’m in + h OLo-n* Knt the Irvc's io the —d non-in of “P— 1” L irven.nr. C,VI o TTi« homnTife fozniU- H't if ell hi« dewnfed wife npd he P*ve” murmured nn-ntnef T?-fe. Tf wn.q a fierhf. x ~ epe this eJd cppple m*mvn old t/\e*ethe»r. so T»rrf»P*-.ed UP in enpk 'ether And ne*y one ic NHa nw.av and the other left* W if ..„ e f he comp to Lnen' +,h,of Tehn At.rW.rvn T-iP he rnN^rcolltr h««ed n nigf pnd nnvirrhf man honour, ohle in .nil h h hnlln-Q o C *he pfron.ff neilq thet hold thio f—i l tta-U fofrether n-he |on the perrTvnr'-’h io o-reof. the lo«s to the hmtt« iq inec+’re" He • V-t!! if enn he said that. ceof ferefl ell nr> find hwn Ofp.o*o. monv of no *>r n he*f n r men end nr omen heomiso io m-»r *>nd o*enera. fion wo under the kiodhr irfiTiencC of Tehn Andereen