MEDICAL PRACTICE IN OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND IN THE EARLY DAYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3524, 27 September 1921, Page 53

MEDICAL PRACTICE IN OTAGO AND SOUTHLAND IN THE EARLY DAYS.

By

Robert V alpy Fulton, M.D.

-LXXXIV.— -THE TAIE El PLAIN IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES—SIi'IRLAW, AI‘DEE ARTY, AND INGLIS AND THEIR FLOCKS.

The fertile and productive Taieri Plain of to-day was at the time of the arrival of the first settlers a half-submerged swamp, with here and there patches of white pine forest. A graphic account of the “Taiarea Valley” was given by Mr Tuekett, the N.Z. Company’s surveyor, who tramped over the country in 1844, penetrating fern, flax, and tutu till he reached what was later called Halfway Bush, and came out on the top of the hill overlooking North Taieri. The first sight of the plain was very prepossessing, though it was apparent that much of it was subject to constant inundation. On the west side of the plain there was a beaten track leading towards the Molyneux, and on the east side a large wood of pme timber and two or three small patches, to the furthest of which Mr Tuekett and party walked and camped for the night. lie says : “The Saddleback Mountain is wooded frm the summit to the base, and is a great pig covert. On the west side of the plain there is a wood of great extent. Having found the grass under water for some distance, the water flowing, we kept along the low hills on the east side of the plain, on which we observed the course of the river Taiarea, here a considerable body of water, deep and tranquil, but not saline, though rising and falling with the tide, and well adapted for inland navigation. After half an hour's walk through the wood and beyond upon grass land, at the skirt of another wood we found a Maori settlement—two or three huts made of totara hark and as many raised stages for potato stores, but no inhabitants or even canoes were to be seen. From there our course was by a branch of the Taiarea River to a vast lake at the west side, but, being unable to follow this, we were compelled to proceed along the river Taiarea to the coast.”

Dr Monro, who accompanied Mr Tuekett, wrote to the Nelson Examiner a letter which may be found as Appendix C in Hocken’s “Early History of Otago.” This gives a more detailed account of the Taieri Plain in the “forties.” He particularly noticed the swampy state of the greater part of the back ground, and gave his opinion as to - the earlier condition of the locality. He described it as a deep, basin-shaped hollow surrounded on all sides by hills, with the exception of a gorge, through which the main river finds an outlet. ‘This plain has been a great lake, and the continuity of the ranee bounding its eastern side lias been broken by one of those violent movements of the strata which have been common in the geological history of New Zealand, and a rent has allowed of an access to the sea. About a third of the Taiari basin is available, but its lower two-thirds can hardly he called terra firma, being an immense grass-tree swamp, through which canals of black, sluggish water wind in various directions, interspersed with stagnant lagoons. I very much fear tills swamp is not susceptible of being drained, for its level is not above that of the sea. The plain is a perfect sea of brown grass-tree tops, only relieved by the occasional green of a flax bush "or Ti (cabbage tree) growing along the sides of the canals where the ground has some consistence. Along the edges of t-his basin shaped piece of land much valuable ground will be found. The surrounding Hills are, generally speaking, well grassed with a fair sprinkling of anise, but there is a great want of wood in the district.” This gives a fair idea of the conditions existing when the first settlers penetrated the southern parts of Otago, and we have in an earlier article described how Dr Williams settled at Henlev in the “fifties” and what difficulties he had in crossing the swamps and traversing the plain- On the west side Francis M'Diarmid, Edward Lee, and the Fulton Brothers carved out homes for themselves from pine bush, totara, cabbage tree, and flax. On the south-west, close under the hills, where the Wpipori River emerges, were four; very early settlers. James Harker Wilson, the first man to select a rural lot, had No. 1 rural selection in Otago—running sheep and cattle among the bush and flax. Eor many years he had the hard, primitive life so often described. His property was on land now known as Fraser’s. He was followed by James Henderson on the homestead which is now Shennan’s; and Robert Robinson, of Greenbank, who pieceaed Wither Brothers. The fourth settler to airive was Robert Petrie, who had been shepherding for Chalmers on the Snowy Mountains in the early “fifties.” We have been fortunate in getting some information from his son, William Petrie, who was born in the little hut at the “Clump of Trees,” a stopping place well known to travellers to Waikouaiti. We have referred before to this locality and to the hut which was erected by the exertions of Dr Williams. He and others had often to pass over these bleak hills and along “Johnny Jones’ track” to Waikouaiti. Robert Petrie took up his rural selection at Lower Waipori. or Waipori Lake, in 1857, but did not move there until 1860, when he began work as a shepherd on Terrace Range, then belonging to Saunders. Another very well known early settler there was Robert Twelftree, who worked in the hush, did a good deal of tree-felling, and gradually cleared a splendid farm. The first minister to come to the district was Rev. Jno. Macnicoll, who used to boat over from Waihola, and, bv jumping from nigger head to nigger head, got through the swamp as best he could on the few occasions he could be spared from the

more thickly populated parts of his charge. Macpherson Brothers, John Shennan, and Robert Charters were also very 7 early settlers, and their names are household words at Waipori Lake to-day. The youngsters at Waipori, who were now in considerable numbers, were taught first by Dominie Cameron and later by Anderson and Ross. In addition to the small farmers were hush sawyers, who came in considerable numbers, and Avson erected a sawmill driven by a water wheel which kept them all busy. The bush sawyers felled the black and white pine giants, cut many of them with their crosscut saws over the bush savvpits, and hauled the logs by jankers and bullocks to the sawmill. Here, with upright saws, later followed by circulars, they were cut into planks, slabs, and joists and floated or boated down the river to the Ferry. After a time Ayson sold out to D. and A. Hnghan, who finally closed down, and the mill, water wheel, and jankers were sold to Allan Mann and transported to Woodside, then called Maungatua. The “jankers” were left for a time, and g'ave the name to the gully in which they lay, and which to this day is known as Jankers Gully. The timber was boated or rafted down and loaded on to small schooners such as the Spec, Rainbow, and Pioneer, and taken round to Dunedin. M‘Donald put up a small flourmill above Heenan’s, and history has it that somewhere in this neighbourhood a “distillery” turned out whisky which paid no duty to the State. Accidents were frequent in the bush. Men were caught by falling trees, limbs were broken, terrible cuts were received from contact with saws, and every now and again Dr Shirlaw had to come to the rescue. On one occasion a bullock dray from the sawmill upset, and a man called Randall was killed. On another trip from the sawmill down the river with a load of timber the man in charge fell overboard and was drowned. Still another case in which a man committed suicide, and Dr Shirlaw gave evidence before Dr Hocken, the Coroner, who came all the way, from Dunedin to hold an inquest. This must have been about 1.866, for Petrie, a small bov by this time, remembers that he (Dr Hocken) was still limping from a recently broken leg. Frew was one of the first carpenters in the district, and David Greig brought barracouta and other fish in bis cart or took measures for suits of clothes, which he sewed laboriously for half the nights. When Shirlaw died M'Brearty took up the running, but by that time roads had improved, and good horses were available, and the difficulties of travel were considerably decreased. Across towards Henley the greater part of the plain was under water, or consisted of high flax and nigger heads. Deep side creeks and cross channels from stream to stream made locomotion difficult. At Henley Mitchell had an accommodation house which he called the Bush Inn. from the thick bush which surrounded it. Amos M'Kegg bought it from Mitchell, and changed its name to the “White House,” after a village near Carrickfergus, his native place. Among the coach drivers who tised to pass, making this house a stopping place, were James MTntosh and James Carmichael. John Stevenson was an early settler near here, also James Blair, and a little westward, though still oil the east side of Lee Creek, was David Carruthers, and further north Thomas Adam’s house provided excellent fare for hungry travellers from Dunedin. The old wooden Taieri Ferry bridge had one span built fo swing, so as to allow the small coastal sailing vessels to pass up and down the river. To this part of the district Drs Baird and Weber came from Tokomairiro, and later Inglis and M‘Caw from Mosgiel. It was at this ferry that Dr Baird picked up the poison which ended his life. To-day a. doctor can come across from Outram or along the Alianton road from Mosgiel in a tenth of the time it took the pioneer doctors to negotiate the same journey. Halfway across towards Outram is Taurima farm, formerly occupied by John Allan, one of the Hopehill family. Taurima is now the fine homestead of George Niehol, and we have been fortunate in getting from him an interesting account of early West Taieri. Not far away was the residence of James Shand, one of the most active and energetic settlers on the plain. For many years a great breeder of horses, cattle', and other stock, his extensive homestead and buildings made quite an important section of the Outram railway line, so that Shand’s Siding was a regular stopping place for trains. His buggy and pair of beautiful chestnut horses 'was a feature of interest to the youngsters at West Taieri Church every Sunday in the seventies. The property is now owned by Mr James Blair, wlio is well known in connection with the Agricultural and Pastoral Society. He has brought the estate to a modern condition with up-to-date machinery, electric light, etc. Peter Grant, of Gowrie, had a fine homestead on the opposite side of the road nearer Grey town, and here he brought up a large family of strapping sons and daughters, many of whom have made their mark and are known throughout Otago.

George Niehol says:—“l arrived on the Taieri in April, 1857, and at that time there was no Outram. The only way of getting across the Taieri was by the canoe worked by Donald Borrie. Later this was replaced by a boat and later still by a punt. A bridge was built by the Provincial Government about the year 1864. The West Taieri Hotel was built by the Provincial Government in the year 1861, and leased to Hooper, who was proprietor for a number of years. The next erected was the Buckeye Hotel, though this was only a small wattle and daub but kept by a man of the name of Moir, better known as the “Professor.” Before Moir came to New Zealand lie was a baker in Dundee, and when he arrived in Dunedin was badly off for money, so gave lectures on mesmerism as a curative agent, and that is how he came to be called the “Professor.” The Professor sold to Maekay, better known

in those days as Mack. Mack, a Canadian, first worked for Campbell Thompson, of Rocklands Station. Later he came down to the Taieri and married a daughter of Gibson, of Silverstream. It was after his marriage that he took over the Buckeye Hotel. After Mack was Glassen, who was a brother-in-law of Hooper, of the West Taieri Bridge Hotel. Hooper later took over the Commercial Hotel in Dunedin, and Glassen went into the Bridge Hotel, Tut still retained the Buckeye Hotel; and Tom George, who was a nephew of Glassen, was- put on as manager. Glassen sold out to Emerton. Emerton and Young ran a daily coach from Outram to Dunedin. After Emerton came Broadway, and after Broadway came Harper. Prior to ’6B the township of Outram lav between where the National Bank stands and the river. The main road rail straight through the town to the river to what they called the upper ford, but after the flood of ’6B, with which most of the town was destroyed, the people rebuilt on the site where the township now stands, and a new road was made from the National Bank around to the bridge through Borrie’s property. All the buildings on the old site were either washed away or shifted and rebuilt on the new site. Forbes’ smithy was one of the buildings that was shifted. E'orbes sold bis business to one Reid, who was seriously’ hurt by’ the accidental discharge of a rifle. The flood in which Bob Borrie was drowned occurred in the early seventies. He was drowned on the road between his own place, “Huntlv,” and the Outram pound, where an old lagoon crosses the. road. The Outram Hotel was started by Tynan,.and later on Iveson built and opened the Railway Hotel. The police camp was started in 1861, Sergeant Hagerty and Constable Moore being about the first policemen. The first baker was a black fellow, and later Bewley started a bakery business, which he carried on for a number of years. I myself started the first butchery business; John Forbes was the blacksmith; Chisholm and Robertson, the carpenters; Tynan, produce store; John Joseph, bricklayer. Dr Shirlaw was the first resident doctor in Outram. Drs Inglis and M‘Caw were residents of Mosgiel. Dr Cattan, who came much later, was a grandson of the Marchbanks.”