CENTRAL OTAGO TO 1862

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21940, 29 April 1933, Page 16

CENTRAL OTAGO TO 1862

Specially Written for the Otago Daily Times. By H. Beattie. VI.—RUNS AND EX-EMPLOYEES. The Long Valley run,-No. 262, is one about which there is some uncertainty. Charles Elliott applied for it in the first half of 1858. I have, seen it stated that Worthington had something to do with this run, but his was really a run further south. Captain Baldwin was in possession in the winter of 1860 although the first sheep return I can locate bearing his name is in 1862, when he had 3500 sheep on this run. At the Waste Land Board meeting in May, 1859, C. Elliott was granted an extension of time to enable him to stock run 262.

I have no further particulars about run 300, Maruwenua Pass, except that J. Borton applied for it in May, 1858, and I have ho particulars at all about No. 307 except that it was described as Taieri East, and was applied for by F. and H. Walker at the end of 1858.

Run 308, however, is very fully defined in my notes as “ South part of Roughridge-west of Linn Bura-£serpen-tine-south of run 247 (Puketoi).” Who originally applied for this territory I cannot say, but W. D. Murison applied for it late in 1858, and the Cyclopedia of New Zealand credits Murisbn Bros, with, being its first owners, and they were succeeded in 1862 by R. M. Turnbull. In the Cyclopedia, there is a photograph of the cookhouse at Linn Burn —one of the original and oldest Maniototo buildings. The sheep returns say that “ Greg and Turnbull ” had 4000 sheep on run 308 in the year 1862. ' ■' ' : ■

After W. A. Saunders visited the south end of Lake Wakatipu in January, 1859, he retraced his steps to Dunedin and applied for a run in that vicinity, his application being No. 330. As the Camerons and others were applying all round the south and east of the lake, run 330 was pushed over further into what was almost a terra incognita round Mount Difficulty. • Mr Saunders therefore relinquished his right to such an inaccessible region. In 1864 this run was owned by Douglas, Alderson, and Co.

The application: for run 330 by J. Paterson and Co. in 1859 defines the land as “between Wanaka Lake and the Clutha.” This should read “ between Lake Wakatipu and the Clutha,” for the locality of -the run is at Hawk Burn. Its subsequent history until 1862 is unknown to me.

John Roy in 1859 made application for a run on the “ Lammermuir Ranges ” and was allotted run 353 below the Serpentine Valley. I have no further details of this run.

W. H. Tescheraaker, a scion of a good old Devonshire family, applied for a run under that very sweeping and extensive description, “ Umbrella Ranges.” This was towards the end of 1859, and he was allocated run 369 on Obelisk Creek under the shadow of the Old Man Range. Whether he took it up I cannot say, nor do I know its after history.

This concludes the list of Central Otago runs about which I have any details, but I have a number of notes collected from various sources about men who worked on these runs. Some of the children or descendants ‘ of these men may be able to produce old letters or may remember items they have heard dealing with the places where, their forbears worked. Such information helps to elucidate the problems of the printed rec’ord. The list makes no pretence to completeness, but may serve a useful purpose. It is as follows: John Armstrong worked on Sowburn run from 1860 onward for many years. Died at Timaru In the eighties, aged 82, leaving 12 of a familyJame3~Sutherland, bom In Caithnessshire in 1836, came to Otago in 1856. Was engaged as a shepherd for two years by John Borton on Mairewhcnua. Took part in the Lindis rush and then at Gabriel’s Gully,, later settling down /to farming at Milburn, John George Grey, bom in Berwickshire in 1822, came to Otago in 1848. Afterwards was employed shepherding in Central Otago, then on Donald Reid’s station at Hindoo, and at Mount Misery. When the diggings broke out he bought a farm at Milburn.

James Cowan, J.P., was born in Roxburghshire, in November, 1838, and cams out to Otago in the Robert Henderson, in 1860, going straight up to the Dunetan district, where he worked for two years on Moutere run. He became manager of the Kawarau Station'and then of Benmore, but in 1867 returned to Kawarau, which he managed continuously to 1898, when he acquired North Burn station, near Low Burn Ferry. Daniel Durbridge was born at Stonohouse, Derbyshire, in 1833, and in 1869 worked on the Ida Valley run. In 1860 he was appointed manager of Pahia run in western Southland. Later he was an inspector on the railways, and for a year was engineer to the Wallace County Council. In 1861 he married the Only daughter of Robert Meldrum, of Invercargill, and had a family of four eons and four daughters. William Cameron, in conjunction with J. Hyde Harris, owned the Mount Hindon run in 1855. Next year he took up runs in Southland, where his descendants still arc.

Albert Cassels, J.P., was born in Glasgow, in'May, 1841, arrived in Melbourne in 1854,. and came to Otago in the Gil Bias, in 1856, when he assisted to take a mob of sheep from Fortification run, Hindon (a run later owned by Boyd ■Bros.) to Waicola Station beyond Otau-

tau. Accompanied by N. Bates, he then went up to Glenquoich run, where they; erected the first hut. Nest year he visited Nevis Range and soon after built a hut for Trotter. These-were the first buildings erected by white men in the South Wakatipu country. In later life he was a storekeeper at Orepuki.

William Philip Mirrielecs, J.P., was born in Aberdeen, in 1837, arrived in Victoria in 1854, and came to Otago in 1860, proceeding to work on a station north of the Dunstan Mountains. Next year he left to go to Gabriel’s Gully rush, and he followed mining thereafter, finally settling at Orepuki. Alex Stalker was born at Kintyre in 1838, and was engaged to come to Otago in the early sixties as a shepherd. . He worked on a North Otago run for a year, then on Coal * Creek, afterwards at Hamerton Station, Otago Central, and then on Avondale run for 20 years, leaving station life to go farming in western Southland. ' Alfred Frederick Blatch was born in s Surrey in 1835. From the mid-fifties he spent many years on various stations, finishing up with eight years on Cottesbrook. Started farming in 1874, later going to western Southland.

Thomas Hanning was born in County Cork in 1839 and in 1861 he came to Otago In the Melbourne, starting work on the Sowburn run. He left this to follow the gold rushes, then commenced wagonning in the central, later farming at Hcdgehope, - Southland. Married in 1862, he had a family of four sons and three daughters. ' ,

Robert Hutton was bom in Fifeshlre in May, 1844, and came to Otago by the Seville in 1859. Later he secured work on the Moutere run. It is said he drove Hartley and Reilly from Waikouaiti to Black’s station at the time’ of the Dunsfan rush. For several yearn he was emr ployed bullock driving on a station at the Djinstan, and later began sawmilling at Glenaray, Switzers. He had a family of five sons and four' daughters.

.Gi Miller carted material for the first wool shed built in Shag Valley (probably 1859 or 1860); He also carted,, stores to the diggings and later 1 was farm-" ing at Wendon Valley.

Edward M'Glashan came to Otago in 1850. He acquired Snlsted’s interest in the Otepopo run, but sold put In 1862 and visited Home. Returning, he bought the Mount Stoker Station on the Upper Taieri.. ", V. ■

T. W. Parker was born in -1809 aud came to New Zealand In 1858. He was manager for Borton and M’Master in 1860 and 1861, hut on the discovery of gold was appointed gold receiver af fPua*. peka and later RM. at Oamairu; James Greenfield Smith in 1859-81 was in partnership with John Martin in a run at Tuapeka, but the discovery of gold compelled them to sell, and thenha took up the famous Greenfield’estate on the Clutha. -

William Inglis was born in Glasgow in October, 1837, and arrived in Otago by the Strathallan in 1858. He was in the party that took up the first sheep to the Dunstan for Watson Shennank He had a family of five. V; George Creemer was a bullock driver on Sowburn run in 1860 and'lß6l. He later settled in South Canterbury, where' some of his family now live. George Taylor worked for Wilkin and Thomson in the early sixties. He died in Southland leaving a family, of three sons.

In addition to the names ’ recorded above (all too few in view of the vastness of the subject), many of the runholders, such as Messrs Shennan, Marison, Studholme, Bowler, Valpy, Bell, Maitland, Preston, and others, left families from whom information might be gathered.

The Radiant Health Club held it*, weekly meeting last Monday. The.'.pwsident (Mrs Brooks) presided. Mr Perry delivered a very interesting lecture and quoted extracts from a book by Professor Hooper on the law of unity. ■' Nature, s he said, had all her foods balanced —her fruit and her vegetables—all mineral elements for the building of the-body were stored up. Every thought sent but a destructive or' constructive electric; current. They had to cease thinking of-,.’ depression, which went»against the law ; of unity. All Divine laws Were un- : changeable, and as individuals they must change if they desired unity and vhappi* ness.