MATAURA NEWS

Southland Times, Issue 21198, 26 September 1930, Page 3

MATAURA NEWS

R.S.A. EXECUTIVE. (From.,Our Correspondent.)' A meeting, of. the executive committee of the Mataura Returned Soldiers’ Association was held on "Wednesday, Mr A. A. Wright (vice-president) presiding over the following: Messrs I. Maslin, C. D. Smith, T. Clearwater, A. H. Cockburn, and L. MeKelvie (secretary). The Mataura Boy Scouts Troop applied for a donation of a Union Jack which was granted.The Defence Rifle Club wrote asking for a trophy towards its prize list. It was decided that a cup to the value of £2 2/- be donated and the matter of conditions was left in the hands of Mr A. A. Wright. < A discussion took place regarding the annual reunion of members, and it was decided to hold the function in February next. A Wonderful Record. To reside in New Zealand for 90 years is a record that can be claimed by very few people, but such is the record of Mr William Udy who recently passed away at his residence, Greytown. Only a fortnight before his death the late Mr Udy took to his bed and his end, which was a j>eaceful one, was not unexpected. He retained all his faculties and only a few weeks before his death was about the streets of Greytown greeting his friends and discussing the topics of the day. His first real setback was on the last general election day when leaving the polling booth he slipped on the steps and in falling was considerably shaken. The deceased can rightly be termed as the father of Greytown, although he was not of Wairarapa birth. Born in Cornwall, England, in 1838, he arrived with his parents, Mr" and'Mrs Hart Udy, in New Zealand in the ship Duke of Roxburgh, landing on the Petone beach. His father, who was a builder and implement maker died in Greytown in 1890. He was a preacher in the Wesleyan Church and worked for Sir Charles Molesworth, after whom Molesworth street, Wellington was named. Mr Hart Udy built the first cutter and built the first house of New Zealand woods. The late Mr Udy could recollect the time when at high tide the sea flowed over Lambton Quay, Wellington, up to the doorway of some of the shops. He often recalled the fighting by the Maoris in 1844. Some of the settlers returned to Wellington, but his father had a boat and took his family up the Hutt" river. When 17 years of age Mr Udy went to Greytown where his father had acquired three sections. With a primitive plant he assisted his father in running a sawmill at Matarawa and when the bush was cut out there the mill was removed to Woodside. There were no roads in those days and all timber was sledged and hauled by bullock teams. In 1863 Mr Udy married Anne Maria Ticehurst, the daughter of Mr Edwin Ticehurst. The late Mr Udy then engaged in dairy farming and the old homestead still stands near the Matarawa railway station. Mrs Udy died in Greytown eight months before the date of their diamond wedding. In the prime of his life the deceased was one of the giants of the Wairarapa turning the scales at 19st. He was one of the pioneers of the dairying industry being one of the promoters of the Greytown factory, the first co operative concern of its kind in New Zealand, and was amongst the first suppliers when the factory opened in 1883. He was also one of the first directors of the New Zealand Dairy Union. Mr Udy belonged to the old volunteer corps and rose from the rank of ensign to that of captain under Major Cleland. There was an exciting incident on one occasion when the Maoris marched through the streets of Greytown with double-barrelled guns at half cock. The volunteers lay quietly by with their guns loaded with bullets made from the lead lining of tea chests. Fortunately the Maoris did not cause any trouble, although they pulled ferocious faces as they passed through the town. The late Mr Udy was a member of the Greytown Borough Council for a number of years and subsequently held the mayoral chair for a term. During the regime of the late Mr Seddon, Mr Udy was one of the stalwart Liberals of the Wairarapa. He was made a Justice of the Peace and was probably the oldest person holding that office in the Wairarapa. The late Mr Udy took a keen interest in sport, notably cricket, football and bowling. The deceased is survived by his family of three sons and eight daughters, viz., Messrs Edwin Udy (Invercargill), Harry and Dan Udy (Mataura), and Miss Udy, Mrs Hodge and Mrs Leppien (Greytown), Mrs Bellve (Tauranga), Mrs Campbell (Frankton Junction), Mrs Thompson (Napier), Mrs Armstrong (Dannevirke), and Mrs Whiteman (Rangiotu). A sister of the deceased is still living, Mrs Welsh, of Carterton.