JOHNNIE JONES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26672, 19 January 1948, Page 4

JOHNNIE JONES

HISTORICAL FIGURE HOME AT WAIKOUAITI MONUMENT TO AMBITION Johnnie Jones—impetuous, domineering, quick-tempered, shrewd, generous Johnnie Jones—will not be forgotten as Otago honours her pioneers in this centennial year. He will be remembered as one of great ambition and foresight, a driver of hard bargains, a fiery man who too often allowed his temper to rule his actions, yet who was always willing to make generous redress. Above all, he will be remembered as the man who, even before the idea of a Scottish settlement on the cast coast of the South Island was thought of, had established a string of whaling stations along the coast and who, by virtue of his monopoly of ships and merchandise, held the infant settlement in the hollow of his hand. On the hills above Waikouaiti, surrounded by bluegums which he planted and facing the sea which was his first love, is Otago’s most tangible reminder of Jones —his old home, Matanaka, now occupied by members of the Bannatyne family. Jones once conceived the idea of becoming a sort of feudal baron and lording it over a huge estate with an army of tenants and retainers, and this stately, gracious old house was to have been his baronial castle. His ambitions were brought to nought by an unsympathetic Government, and Jones himself has been dead for nearly 80 years, but Matanaka still stands, providing countless memories of its builder. Few Changes There have, of course, been alterations. Jones’s kitchen has been converted into a- comfortable living room, and two rooms, one of them the schoolroom, have been removed and now serve as a barn, but most of the house is little changed from the days of its occupation by the merchant prince of Otago. The polished slate mantel-

pieces which he brought from Australia still gleam in the firelight, the Baltic pine flooring, now carpetcovered, is' still sound, many of the catches on the tall, low-set windows, which look out on smooth lawns, shrubs, and colourful flower beds, are the original catches set in place when the house was built 100 years ago. That the house was built to last there can be no doubt. Even the palings on the elaborate fowl-house were made of karri. Some of them have been removed for use on other fences and are still sound and solid, and the fowl-house itself, surmounted by a dovecote, is still in use by hens many generations removed from the original inhabitants. In the stable the cobbled floor was comparatively recently replaced by concrete, and the original stalls and feedboxes are now used by Mr Bannatyne’s Clydesdales instead of the coach horses of Jones. Shelves have been erected in the old storeroom, but before they were installed it was possible to see the black marks on the wall made by the well-greased boots of Jones’s henchmen which used to be hung on the walls. A piece of the stone drainage system which used to keep the stables dry now lies in a corner of the garden, a souvenir of much hard work as it is hewn out of solid rock. Beside it rest two large pots, one of six gallons capacity, the oilier 10, which may at one time have swung on the hooks above the huge open fire awaiting the return from ihe fields or the town of a hungry Johnnie Jones. Living Memorial

The rambling white house, set among its trees and shrubs is redolent of memories of its ambitious builder and the hundreds of bluegums, forming an outer shelter belt are at once a landmark visible for many miles around the district and a living memorial to the planter. Jones's . influence and wealth increased with the growth of Dunedin but it is to his credit that, in spite of an inborn instinct to drive a hard bargain, he did not abuse his power. On one occasion when flour and salt were in short supply in the settlement he made no attempt to profiteer by selling at enhanced prices to the wealthier settlers, but kept the prices normal and saw that everyone had a fair share.

He was ready with his fists against men who offended him and, on one occasion, it is reported, threw a clergyman out of his house and punched his head. On the other hand he respected those who had the courage to stand up to him. The yardstick of modern manners may not, however, be applied to Jones in judging him. He was born in Sydney in 1809 and grew up in a rough and uncultured community. It was a case of every man for himself and Jones, who was born without any material advantages, had to fight a lone hand. Early History As a boy he served in a vessel which hunted seals around the southern coast of New Zealand. Later he worked as a waterman, plying for hire between ship and shore in Sydney harbour. Jones early showed strength of character by saving his money in the face of many temptations to waste it among the attractions of life around the Sydney waterfront. By the time he was 21 he was part owner of three sailing ships and three years later lie was the .proud sole owner of the Sydney Packet, a vessel of 84 tons. Three years later again he owned a chain of whaling stations around the southern coasts of New Zealand. His rapid success may be attributed to a keen business bead and the high profits available in the whaling industry at that time. In 1843 Jones decided to make his home in New Zealand, but for the first five years divided his lime between Wellington and Waikouaiti. It was probably the arrival of the Otago settlers that made him decide to reside permanently in the south. He devoted his time to business and became the leading merchant of the new town. He even went to the length of dressing in a top hat and a frock coat, but it is doubtful whether he was ever really comfortable in these outward tokens of ultra-respectability. His dominant position gradually faded, but until his death in 1869 Jones remained one of the most influential men in Otago. Matanaka, perhaps unfortunately, did not remain in his family. It provides a close link with the past and with a man whose name will always be connected with the- history of Otago. The gravel coach track round which his carriage used to swing as he returned from town is now a lawn and motor vehicles now climb the long, steep, winding road to the dwelling, but his home still stands, his trees still flourish, and his energy and spirit arc still apparent in the spacious acres of fertile land which surround the old homestead.