WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Southland Times, Issue 21605, 18 January 1932, Page 3

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

ORIGIN OF “INVERCARGILL” YESTERDAY’S ANNIVERSARY. Yesterday was an important anniversary in the history of Invercargill as on January 17, 1856, this city received its present name from the Governor, Colonel Thomas Gore-Browne, who, as the guest of Captain William Cargill, was endeavouring to honour his host by associating his name with the proposed southern settlement. The Governor’s choice has since been variously described as a barbarity and an ’absurdity and more appropriate titles suggested have been "Inverpuni,” “Inverwaihopai,” or “Inveroreti.” meaning, of course, the township at the mouth of the Puni or the Waihopai or the- Oreti. However, the name given by Colonel Gore-Browne at a banquet in Dunedin many years ago has remained to remind posterity of the work done by Captain William Cargill, the first superintendent of the province of Otago, in founding the city in the south. Invercargill’s Growth-.

In reviewing its growth one might say that Invercargill possesses a comic history as several comic incidents occurred during the early stages of the'Town’s progress. In fact its history can be termed a five-act drama, although the difficulty arises whether it was a tragedy or a comedy. Very early in the history of New Zealand the country was divided into provinces for administrative purposes. Eighty-eight years ago Invercargill’s site was an uninhabitable waste. At that time the only people who were in the habit of visiting the southernmost portion of the South Island were men engaged in scaling. Various small settlements came into being and sealing stations were established along the coast with the result that a certain amount of trading was carried on. When the seals became scarce Southland fell back into its original position. In 1884 the Government of the day sent Mr Tuckett, chief surveyor for the New Zealand Company, down the coast to make a survey. In his visit to Southland it was unlikely that, he penetrated into the interior and in his report he stated that. Southland was “a mere bog, utterly unlit for habitation.”

Southland was definitely purchased from the Maoris in 1853, the first £lOOO of the purchase money being paid down at the port of Bluff. In the same year a sealer named James Kelly penetrated inland for sonic distance and found that he had been mistaken about the country. On his next voyage he settled down in Southland, and is thought to be the first man who did so. He built a whare and took unto himself a native wife. Upon her death he travelled to Dunedin, a journey taking from a fortnight to three weeks in those days, and married a Scottish widow. He then returned south and settled on Invercargill's present site. He is stated, however, to have had nothing to do with the founding of Invercargill, J. T. Thomson alone berng responsible for the site and survey. A site on high ground had been surveyed by Messrs Proudfoot and Carvie. On the death of Mr Proudfoot, Mr Thomson was appointed to his place as chief surveyor of the Otago Province. Mr Thomson shifted the whole survey from the elevated block first selected to the lower ground on which Invercargill now stands. The first cargo of wool, probably amounting to only a few bales, left Invercargill in 1857. The first land sale was held in Invercargill in 1557 when a quarter-acre section on the corner of Tay and Dee streets was sold for £46. "Mind Your Ways.” All this time the population had been steadily growing and in 1861 after much agitation by the townspeople who were dissatisfied with the Provincial Council in Dunedin, Southland was separated from Otago. This took place in March and in September a town district was formed. The first loan raised was £25,000 for the construction of footpaths of wooden battens. That this was a necessary step was obvious from the following article which appeared in the Invercargill Times in March, 1863, under the title of "Mind Your Ways.” “Winter is almost upon us and what provision has been made for those residing in the northern part of the town to reach their homes? None! A storekeeper in Tay street who has the misfortune to owm or lease a section in Leet, Gala or the neighbouring streets cannot reach it without danger after sunset. It is possible to do so, but the man who encounters and overcomes the difficulties ought to have a presentation of some kind com. mcmorating his daring. Darkness, total and complete, is bad enough, but when to that is added the necessity of stumbling over some fallen trunk of a forest monarch, or sinking knea deep in half marsh, half rivulet, the inducements to go home are certainly very slender.” Tragedy and Comedy. The year 1864 was important as it contained a tragedy and a comedy. First of all the “Great Fire” occurred and wiped out nearly all the buildings in town, resulting in a number of deaths. The comedy, on the other hand, was the opening of the railway. Up till 1864 there had been no railways and the great difficulty was transit. Invercargill was surroundtd by dense bush which had gradually receded during the past 50 years and the main road into the town was the North Road as it was today. When the question of a railway arose the cost was debated and a man named Davis suggested that it would be more economical to construct a wooden railway than a steel one. A great deal of discussion ensued and in the end the provincial authorities imported a little loco, motive which was called “Lady Barkly.” A wooden railway running north for some miles was constructed at about, one-eighth of the cost of a steel railway. On the opening of the railway a gala day was declared and the train carried a full complement of passengers to the picnic ground. Before its return to Invercargill, however, rain set in and owing to the slippery nature of the track the train was unable to return and all had to camp out that night. Later, the locomotive was used at a sawmill at a place not far from Invercargill which now was called Lady Barkly. , Evil Days Set In. With the gold rush to Central Otago in 1874 a large number left Invercargill and the town fell upon evil days, financial embarrassment. setting in. The revival came in 1869 and in 1871 Invercargill, with a population of 1900, was constituted a borough and the province of Southland was abolished, becoming reunited to Otago. In ' 1875 the town was first lit. by gas and ' the next year the railway between Invercargill and Dunedin was opened. Until 1886 there was no water supply, but it . was found that a splendid supply was obtainable underground and the water was accordingly pumped up info a tower. The Town Hall and Municipal Theatre were 1 constructed in 1906' and in 1909 the popu- 1 lation had grown so rapidly that the town was laid out in suburbs which comprised 1 the boroughs of Gladstone, North, East and 1 South Invercargill, these later becoming amalgamated into the Borough of Greater < Invercargill. In 1912 the Borough Coun- I cil introduced electric lighting and power t for the tramways. The town continued to 1 grow until in 1930 it gained the status of i a city. ’ ■ i