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A PIONEER PASSES.

By Q. S. T. “ Unarm, unarm, the long day’s work is done.” The death on Thursday last of Mr Joseph Allan Anderson, concerning whom a brief obituary notice appeared in Friday’s Daily Times, merits more than a passing notice. Born at Port Chalmers in 1849, just one year after the arrival of the John Wieklifie with the first Otago settlers, Mr Anderson in his long life of 80 years witnessed the growth and development of Otago and Southland, especially in the country districts, and himself assisted to some purpose in that development. His keen interest in the history of the province, his first-hand knowledge of conditions in the early days, and a most retentive memory, combined with a genial and kindly disposition to make him a friend worth knowing and listening to. Fortunately many of his reminiscences have been preserved. When the late Dr Allan Thomson undertook to write a history of his mother’s family, “ The Taieri Allans and Related Families,” it was Joseph Anderson perhaps more than any other who supplied the family history, and incidentally a great % deal of'information about Otago generally. His grandfather, James Anderson, and his father, John Anderson, arrived in Wellington in the Oriental on January 30, 1840, and there started a butcher’s shop, but in 1843 they sold the business and left for Nelson with the intention of starting sheep farming. Unfortunately the vessel was wrecked while entering Nelson Harbour, and most of their .sheep were lost. James Anderson then opened an hotel, which he called the Oddfellows’ Arms, where the Oddfellows’ Society held its ordinary meetings. Soon after his arrival in Nelson, John Anderson marvied Isabella, the second daughter of John Allan, a native of Sutherland, who had arrived in Nelson in 1842 by the ship New Zealand. There was at that time considerable distress in Nelson and Wellington, due partly to the uneasiness that was caused by the recent Wairau massacre, and partly to insecurity of land titles owing to the dispute between the New Zealand Land Company and the Government. .The Andersens thereupon looked round for some other place to try their fortunes, and no doubt the prospect of living once more in a Scottish Presovterian community influenced them in deciding to settle in Otago. Mr Frederick lucuett, the chief surveyor of Nelson hid been sent down early in 1844 to invest! • gate, and had selected Otago as a site tor the New Edinburgh. Although the plans of the new settlement were held up p, 1 time, the Andersens had sufficient faith to venture southwards, and towards the close of 1844 John Anderson and his brother-in-law, Alexander M'Kay. chartered the Deborah to Wellington and the barab Ann to Otago,, taking with them a large quantity of flour, sugar, and su<-n other stores as they thought they might a very stormy passage ■of three weeks they anchored safely in Otago Harbour at Koputai Bay. and before they disembarked Isabella And»rson, gave birth to her first' son, James, who thus had the honour of being the first white.child, born in the Dunedin district, as his brother John, born iu 1840, had been Die first white child born in Dunedin. The Andersons settled in that pretty little inlet known after them as Anderson s Bay, and the M’Kays remained a phalmers. The two families then settled dowp to wait for the arrival of the emigrant. Dr Hocken has written a most interesting account of their experiences during the long and weary time, three years and more, that they had PK-i yai r efore ? he John Wickliffe and Fm lip Laing arrived,' Zt 3 I r< i m s ueh hardy and vigorous stock that Joseph Anderson was born. Mr James Anderson died at Anderson’s Bay in August, 1848. In the following year John Anderson arid his family went to irort Chalmers, where he started bustness as a butcher, and there Joseph was born in 1849. In 1853 the family iu ll \ ove A to the Taieri, acquiring land that afterwards became a part of Dunr°bln < '. J°hn Anderson left for the Blue Mountains district in 1857, taking a sublease of Dalvey Station, and of this journey Joseph has written the following account: — . ■ . “My mother and family left the Taieri in 'July* 1857, for the Blue Mountains. Grandmother (Agnes Allan) and a servant maid also went with us, and also Mrs William Oliver and her young daughter going to. join her husband, who was on the station with hie brother Adam. We travelled with two fc. lloek drays, driven respectively by James Allan, of Hopehill, and -Joseph Allan, of the Holmes. Travelling by bullock drays was slow work in those days, as it occupied eight days’ travelling to readh Oliver s, a distance of about 100 miles. The Taieri Ferry was crossed in- a punt. At Clutha Ferry there was no punt, so boats did the work, while the bullocks siyam the river. The smaller rivers and creeks and the Pomahuka. River were forded. For six of the nights a camp had to be made. The . women and children slept in a tent, while I was with my uncle, under a tarpaulin thrown over the pole of one of "the drays. " Fortunately., we bad good weather for most of the journey. “My brother John, who had gone out a few months earlier along with friends, driving cattle td stock the run, had a different experience.. They had very wet weather, and the streams were in high flood, so they and the cattle had to swim over the Kaihiku, Waiwera, Wairuna, and Waipahi streams. At Waipahi they found a man sitting on the opposite bank waiting patiently, for the going down of the waters. This proved to be Alexander M'Nab, father of the late Hon. Robert M'Nab, who was travelling on foot from his run on the MataUra to Dunedin. After getting the cattle over they put Mr M'Nab-across on one of the. stock horses, and he went on his way rejoicing. ' ■ “A house liad, to be built at Black Gully, Brooksdale, for the family, and this was, accomplished by the uncles, James and Joseph Allan, with the help of two other men, in eight days’ time. The house was typical of many country houses of the time, and was built of sod walls and thatched roof, with the natural ground for a floor. It consisted of a bedroom and a kitchen, the latter with a bed curtained off for the.- maid-servant, with a loft above as sleeping accommodation. Every station had also a store called a " futter,” built on high piles sheathed, with tin to prevent the rata getting in. Rats were there in thousands, living chiefly on the oily, roots of the speargrass, which grew in great abundance.” 1

John Anderson left Dalvey in 1862, having bought the freehold of a property at Waiwera, consisting of 630 acres, and there, at Kelvin Grove, he made his final home. Subsequently he purchased about 1000 acres of adjoining hill land, which in after years became a part of the Caro) property. After John Anderson’s death in 1873, the three oldest brothers took over the Carol property. After a few years. James sold out his interest to the two brothers, John and Joseph, who ran it jointly until Joseph retired in 1912 to live in Dunedin.

Joe. as he was affectionately known tf hosts of friends, took a keen interest in all matters affecting the welfare of the district, serving on the school committee, county council, and other local bodies. His industry and skill in sheep farming,' and his wide and intimate knowledge of land and land values made his services as a valuer much sought after, and after his retirement from active farming he ivas frequently called on to serve in that capacity. Failing health and advancin'* years compelled him to live very nuietlv during the last few yeals of his life, and he found a great deal of pleasure on the bowling green at Mornington, where he was a well-known figure. And now this tine ojd pioneer and true-hearted gentleman is gone. One who faced all the hardships and vicissitudes of early days with quiet and cheerful courage, a good neighbour, ever ready to help his feilowmen, a generous and most loyal friend Joseph Anderson was a worthy representative of those brave old settlers to whom we of a younger generation owe so much and whom we must ever hold in hi-*h honour. < h

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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19300225.2.25.8

Bibliographic details

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20960, 25 February 1930, Page 7

Word Count
1,411

A PIONEER PASSES. Otago Daily Times, Issue 20960, 25 February 1930, Page 7

A PIONEER PASSES. Otago Daily Times, Issue 20960, 25 February 1930, Page 7