OBITUARY

Southland Times, Issue 20613, 11 October 1928, Page 5

OBITUARY

MR. J. T. CROFTS. MINING DAYS RECALLED. The death of Mr. Joseph Tring Crofts, which occurred on Tuesday at his residence, Richmond Grove, at the very advanced age of 94, removes one who experienced all the adventures of Victorian and New Zealand gold rushes, figured prominently in Queenstown’s early history, and during the last forty years of his life lived in Invercargill to see the town rise from comparative obscurity to a thriving city. Mr. Crofts was born at Margate, Kent, in 1834. At the age of 19 he sailed for Australia and took part in many exciting gold rushes in Victoria. During the Chartist rising he saw service as a special constable and had not a few adventures. In 1861 he was lured by glowing reports to try his fortune in New Zealand. He came over in the little ship “Red Jacket”, but did not remain long in this country for the year 1862 saw him again in Melbourne. It was in Melbourne that year that his marriage with Miss A. S. Cheeseman took place. She had been his financee for some years and during the period of her engagement had undertaken an adventurous trip as companion to two ladies who went to England via Panama. In those days people travelled across the isthmus by rail, thence by boat to New York and across the Atlantic. Not long after their marriage Mr. and Mrs Crofts decided to see what the New Zealand goldfields could offer them. The sailing ship “Lightning” carried them across the Tasman to land them in Dunedin towards the end of the year 1862. Mrs Crofts remained in Dunedin until after the birth of their first child while her husband went to seek gold in the Dunstan and Lakes diggings, taking part in some -of the historic rushes of which he has ever retained vivid memories. In 1863 Mrs Crofts and a companion decided to join their husbands at Queenstown and for this purpose sailed to Invercargill in a vessel in charge of Captain Jarvey, afterwards notorious in a trial for wife murder. In 1863 the Invercargill jetty was a very rough-and-ready structure passengers having to walk the plank to reach dry land. From Invercargill Mrs Crofts travelled by coach to Kingston, her driver being the famous coachman Flint. From Kingston a perilous journey had to be made up the lake in a small boat owned by Mr. Howorth of Halfway Bay. Queenstown was a typical mining village in those days, and Mr and Mrs Crofts had to be content with the accommodation of a tent for some time. Then they had the honour of moving into the first wooden house built in Queenstown. After following mining pursuits for a number of years Mr. Crofts accepted a billet as manager for B. Hallenstein. Later he bought out his principal and had the store for many years. While in Queenstown Mr. Crofts took an active part in public affairs, having a seat on the council for a long time. He was a keen Freemason and was one of the founders of the Foresters Lodge in Queenstown. Mr. Crofts was also the first postmaster at Queenstown. More than 40 years ago Mr and Mrs Crofts came to Invercargill and took up their residence in the house at Richmond Grove where Mr Crofts was living at the time of his death. For some time Mr. Crofts was in the employ of Guthrie and Larnacb, merchants, and later was a traveller for Roope and Co. Mrs Crofts died on July 23, 1917, leaving three sons and eight daughters, all of whom are living. Mr. Crofts was a great great grandfather and has decendants all through New Zealand. Though practically all his contemporaries are dead there will be a great many in Southland who will long retain an affectionate memory for one of the province’s worthiest pioneers.