DEATH OF MR ARCHIBALD ANDERSON.

Otago Witness, Issue 2949, 21 September 1910, Page 38

DEATH OF MR ARCHIBALD ANDERSON.

i AN EARLY OTA GO PIONEER

Mr Aicbiba'd Anderson, one- of tbe very ' earlv sett lore of Orago. passed away on the i 13th Lost, at bis residence, "The Herm fcj itge," Stirling, at the age of 92 years. 1 Born in Stirling, Scotland, on October 22, ; 1817. he resolved while in his twenty-first ] year-to emigrate, and purchasing a land jr>"ant set out for Wellington on the. 21st ! October. 1839, in the ship Bengal Merchant, Irs intention being to start a dairy farm. But he found on arrival that the j land was-not surveyed, and pending thi<? I being dene be paid off the servant* he had I brought with him and erected a store, ' subsequently taking a partner and putting lup a second store in Willis street. He j afterwards stocked a farm at Terawhiti, which was carried on for some two years ! Accepting an invitation from Mr John ■ Jones to visit Otago. Mr Anderson was so j pleased with the country that he decided ; to remove south, and on his return chartered a vessel and sent down his cattle and sheep : which were safely landed at Otago Heads. Mr Rowan, his partner, being left in charge of the stock. After settling his business, affairs in Wellington, Mr Anderson, having in the meantime married Miss Miller, the daughter of a well-known Sydney family who had taken up their residence in Wellington, removed permanently to Otago. Having dissolved partnership w.ilh Mr Rowan Mr Anderson removed his I stock to what is now the Borough of Ro» I lyn and opened a store in Princes street Dunedin, being appointed the first postmaster in Otago. His flock and herd increased, and he removed them to Saddle Hill, Mr William Jaft'ray entering his em- ■ ploy as shepherd. A little later he secured j the lease of the North Molyneux run of 30,000 acres, and afterwards purchased' 200 C acres, extending from about the present railway bridge at Balelutha to the lake front. His next purchase was from Mr Redpath, of Balmoral Farm, of 200 acres on Inobclutha. an exceedingly lovely place, j the features of which were somewhat changed bv the flood of 1878. It was at I Balmoral that the late Rev. Mr Banner ; man conducted his first service in the district, and here also the first school was : held. Mr Anderson leased for some time J the Beaumont run. but sold out about 1860, i receiving £1 per sheep, which a year later. I on the discovery of gold, would realise £3 per head. Mr Anderson took a keen interest in public affairs in the early days, I and was elected a member of the first | Otago Provincial Council, his colleague j being hi< friend Mr Shaw. The two on I more than one occasion walked from the I Cluthy. to Dunedin to attend the Council : meetings, making their way home on foot

also. Mr And'orson had the misfortune to lose his wife in 1860. and this blow led i > hi<s retirement from active participation in public affairs. He offered to the Presbyterian Church authorities their choice cf a free site of 25 acres for a on his two properties and glebe, and they selected tii',? .site of The Hermitage,, where the Rev. Mr Kirkland and afterwards the Rev. Mr Allen resided. With the progress of Stir ling The Hermitage proved to Ik,- somewhat, too far away, and to overcome this drawback Mr Anderson gave in exchange the 10 acres in Stirling, on which the present man.-e stands. He then, with his family, moved into The Hermitage, and here he resided up to the time of his death. From the first days of the Ota.RO settlement he took an active interest in the affairs of the Presbyterian Church. He was one of the first elders of the Inchclutba Church, and continued to hold office till his death. His services and benefactions are gratefully remembered. His sturdy independence and energetic disposition were o!. immense benefit to the people of the district where he lived, as it was not his custom to wait until others undertook works of general utility but rather to do it himself. Of the strictest integrity and with a wide experience of men and affairs he was liberal and broad-minded, and ever ready with advice and assistance when they were required. He is survived by six daughters and three sons. The eldest, Mrs Murray, wife of Captain Murray, who wns interested in the CI ntha Rivci traffic in. the early days, died in

Australia some years ago;; Mrs Christie resides in Oamaru. her husband being- at on© time manager of the Bank of Otaso at Balclutha ; Mrs Turner resides at Stirling, her husband at one time being manager of the. Bank of New Zealand at Balclutha ; Mrs Ward resides at Gisborne; Mrs Stenhouse is the wife of the wellknown Dunedin doctor; and Mrs Drew is the wife of the N.S.W. Government architect in Sydney. The three sons—Crawford, Archibald, and George-—are resident in the Stirling-Inohclutha district. There are 36 grandchildren and about six great-grand-children.

In its obituary notice the Clutha Leader mentions that Mr J. C. Andarson was born at Otakou Kaik. As showing the trust which the early settlers put in each other, it states that Mr John Shaw, who selected with Mr Anderson the property afterwards know'n as Fivegand, brought from the ttome Country a bag of 400 sovereigns. This bag he gave to Mr Anderson for safekeeping. It was taken over without counting the coins, nor did Mr Shaw on his partdream of asking for a receipt.