ST. BATHANS AND SOME HISTORY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19039, 8 December 1923, Page 15

ST. BATHANS AND SOME HISTORY.

(Written for the Otago Daily Times.) By T. H. Thompson.

Business called me to St. Bathans recently, after a lapse of some years. As 1 had lived there in bygone years I may naturally be more interested in it than the present-day tourist or traveller who scuds through in his motor car. i spent there my 25th birthday, and three more that followed, and, by accident, a verv much later one on the recent visit.

'Meanwhile the youth of my boyhood days have become middle-aged—or rather elderly—men, and the middle-aged have either grown really old or passed away. Pew of the old identities are left, and that is my reason for now writing. When I first knew St. Bathans it was even then a small town. It contained two banks, three very decent stores (two of which remain), two schools (State and Roman Catholic), post office, a bakery, two comfortable and fairly roomy hotels, blacksmith’s shop, a dressmaking establishment. a bootmaker’s shop, etc., am a good-sized public hall The Kildare Hill, Scandinavian, M. and E., aim Eagle and partys claims were in full swing. The population in and contiguous to the town numbered about 300. According to one local banker there was then on fixed deposit in the township about £50,000. Some of us among the young fry promoted a literary, debating, and dramatic society, in 'which movement Naseby—then a town at least twice the size, I think—emulated us. We also had a little orchestra consisting of violin, piano, flute, cornet, and euphonium, and to assist in some of our local concert.

we managed to work up a male ouartet party and a mixed chorus of about a dozen, which was; coached by a very competent pianiste who lived in the district. Everyone in tho locality who could talk, write, act, or sing was a member of on; society. Our inaugural concert was free, with a dance to follow, and its audience filled the hall to overflowing. Some who were there came fx-ora Blacks, Matakanui, Hill’s Creek, and Cambrian involving a drive of from four to twenty odd miles. One of our best performer; was “Bill” Ballard, a professional come dian who had forgone the stage, married, and settled down to farming in the locality. As time went on we were able to put on better and more varied enter tainments, and cur prize performance in eluded, besides two good mixed chora items and two or three male part songs, several solos, a couple of orchestral items a -one-act comedy, a juvenile nigge; minstrel party, and a children’s fairy scene. The nigger minstrels were clad in blue and red tailcoats and knickerbockers made by some of the local ladies, who also designed and made the fairy costumes which were very pretty. 1 was one of the best amateur ‘‘shows” J have seen anywhere. At the end of two sessions, owing to various causes—changes in personnel, etc.—interest began to lag, and we wound up, handing ovc: about £4O in hand to the Domain Ik eervation Committee... In the mean time we had already provided a’oom twice that sum, I think, for various local requirements. A little later a local bras; band was formed, and took a hand ir livening tup matters. It was always willing, and when the proprietor of steam merry-go-round arrived on llv scene it lent its services gratis for sevc ral nights. It was a comical, sight k see white-bearded men and grey-heade women on the revolving wooden horse; tilting at the ring together with yout’ and childhood. A very dignified coir mercial traveller and a local business mm and banker also took a ride occasionally but it has to- be Ibome in mind that many of the 'older people had not seen a merry go-round since their youth, and the younger folk up till then had never seei such a thing—at least, not one run b, steam. Some of the residents, over 2. years of age, had never seen a train c the sea. Hie proprietor of the merry-go round can have had no reason to regre his tour round the goldfields if ho was a well supported in the other towns as iKasebv and St. Bathans.

Winter-time was the season of jo; The mines were frozen out, generally fo, a fortnight, at least, and all hands toe. to curling—an exhilarating pastime ini ported from Scotland, but as muci relished by the local English, Irish, an Welsh as by any native-born Caledonian Why is it called curling? The name ha,no relevance whatever to the sport. It x more akin to bowls than anything else but as it is played on the ice with heav; flat stones it is more exercising, and ha: more of novelty’. Skating, also, was . popular pastime, and as the skating pen was situated on top of a hill, with t! snow-clad Mount St. Bathans and the ‘ Hawkdun Range in view, it was doubl attractive when there was a bright him sky overhead. Its attractions wen further enhanced by the galaxy of you', and beauty generiHly adorning the pond; —and this is no mere flower of speech. St Bathans could “deliver the goods” i; those days, for among its natives were some of the handsomest men and womei it has been my lot to see. Not the least among the red letter day: of the town were the winter and Christmas wash-ups, when two big pay-dayr arrived. It was only by some of the miner: that quarterly payments were made. Or these six-monthly occasions there was :• general squaring up of accounts, accon: panied by much rejoicing. Even the hotels gave credit, and it was almost a. customary for them to “charge it up” ar to accept cash. To one who had, like myself, come from pretty big centres, this struck me as being extraordinary, as did also a system of settling accounts onh twice a year. To see a man walk into a bar and “shout” for those present, —gener allv three to six— and say to tho landlord. “That’S mine, ‘Uncle',” was a new experience for me. “Uncle” was the sobriquC of one of the hotelkeepers. His name was William Thurlow, a most genial and popular Englishman, who had not an atom guile in his composition. A rule of the house was never to charge the clergy ic-r accommodation. The other hotel mbs kep l by Michael Nolan. Hvm I saw once leaving tho bar at 9 at night, taking n bottle of whisky and heading a procession through the snow over rocks and tussocks to rescue an old lady who had lost her way. In those days the coach arrived from Blacks about 6 o’clock in the evening twice a week, and left for Middkrnarch at about 3 o’clock in the morning. A little later tho service became ifri-weekly. We breakfasted at Mase by, putting up en route to take passengers and mails at Hill’s Creel:, which then had two hotels and a public hall. Those aboard were usually thankful in the cold mornings to got something to warm there up. It was customary also for some of the St. Bathans folk to keep com pan v with “Uncle” in bis long vigil till coach left, inlaying cards meanwhile. “Uncle” would take a hand as well ns act as waiter and doze spasmodically, waking up, when urged to play, and usually asking “Wbs.t’s trumps?” It is related that when at church one Sundav he thus dozietl over’ the sermon and startled the congregation by asking this question when h-e suddenly awoke Tho arrival of the coach with the nail was an event corresponding somewhat fro the arrival of the steamer at Queenstown. Lake Wakatipu ;—everyone who could cam-e down to see. There was a good football ground adjacent to the town, where matches were often played with visiting teams, and everyone turned out in his Sunday best to havo a look at tho game. Once in a while a travelling comedy, concert, or mixed theatrical came and played to a tan house, but when a circus appeared upon the scene at prices from 4s down the wholo countryside turned up and made a night of it. Usually a dance followed anv theatrical performance. The usual holidays, excepting St. Patrick’s Uav, Chr : stmn.s Day, and Boxing Day, were ignored in St. Bathans. Sports were h<4d regularly on St. Patrick’s Day, and on Boxing Day the annual race meeting was held. An old bus. annually requisitioned on this occasion only, was unearthed from somewhere, and rattled across tho tailings—a real bone-shaking tiip at Is 6d pei' head.