EARLIER DAYS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25135, 28 January 1943, Page 8

EARLIER DAYS

■ Sir.—Having read with interest correspondence regarding the appellations Roaring Meg and Genffe Annie, I am prompted to ask if any of your readers know the names of the officers and m:n who comprised the Dunedin Volunteer Artillery, as I possess a photograph of that company drawn up. with band in attendance, taken about 1870, when my father was sergeantmajor. The commanding officer was a fine figure, and. as tents can be seen in the background, the men apparently were in camp. Perhaps someone knows the locality. As this was over 70 years ago. it is just as well that a lapse of further time should not involve th 3 risk of the loss of records. Mv lather entered the army pay office at Home in the early fifties, and was posted to Inverness and Fort William at the foot of Ben Nevis, and thence to Malta during the Crimean War. 1853. as paymaster’s clerk. Arriving at Melbourne, he embarked in the Princess Regent. 1245 tons, commander T. Watson, on February 20, 1863. and arrived at Bluff 12 days later, after a tempestuous voyage. On one occasion a fire started, with the result that no snirits were allowed except on the doctor’s orders. On another occasion some of the rowdier element in the steerage put a sheep and pig in the women's quarters. Probably some of these passengers were making their way to the goldfields and comprised those concerned in the Roaring Meg and Gentle Annie episodes. My forebear entered the service of the Bank of New Zealand in Dunedin and married a daughter of Mr James J. Taine, who had a fine residence built at Maori Hill in 1865, which, after he had resided there for 15 years, he sold to Mr Richard Oliver, he himself moving to Auckland. Prior to that, Mr Taine had been an adult resident of Wellington for about 25 years. While in Dunedin. Mr Taine identified himself with the institution of the Dunedin waterworks, etc., and placed some of his older boys at Mr Shaw’s Private School, where Mr Stout, later Sir Robert, was a pupil teacher. The passj mg of the Education Act destroyed all private schools, and this one had to close. Mr Ralph Donkin joined with Mr Taine in the waterworks scheme. I A pipe connection from the streams in i the vicinity of London and Maclaggan ! streets had previously, in 1862, beer: j attempted without, success. Mr Donkin j and Mr Taine got to work, however, and the Dunedin Waterworks Com, pany. with a capital of £50.000 in 10s ! shares, was floated, the bankers being the Bank of Otago. The prospectus was issued i July. 1804. and in 1867 the Mayor. Mr J. li. Harris, turned the water on to the mains. In 1874, after a successful run of seven years, the Dunedin City Council purchased the rights of the'company on a basis of 17s per share. Thus was begun an essential, undertaking when Dunedin possessed a population of over 10,000 inhabitants.- -! am, etc., R. F. E. Fildes. Tintaru. January 25.