The Conquerors

Southland Times, Issue 21886, 12 December 1932, Page 16

The Conquerors

Saga of the Stations

(By the Wanderer () UK u u u n mun i m u u i iiiiuiiiuuiiiiiim NOKOMAI. 1857—1932. DONALD A. CAMERON. Southland never, never should forget The men who gave to her the golden That'spiirred her on, we all still owe a To those brave hearts —the Noble Pion(Adapted from Thomas Bracken).

Southland owes much of its prosperity to the Highland race. No matter what remote part of it you will explore, it will be found that men of Gaelic speech have travelled there in the very early days, and have given to the mountains, lakes and valleys, names that abound in Scottish history, stories and songs, and the familiar place-names of the Highlands. It has made many a lonely exile who has braved the sea and left his beloved Highland birthplace and clan, feel as if, after all, he was not very far away from his native country. In fact, many parts of Southland are said to resemble Scotland. We have the mountains and valleys, the rivers running between the trees, the neat'homesteads and in every village rises the Kirk and the Manse nearby. There are the Banks and Braes and Bens, but there is not the great glory of the purple heather, and the winds are not laden with the fragrant aroma of the peat. In the early days, if the exile called at any of the great sheep stations far inland, or even on the barren coasts, he would probably get a great Highland welcome, and be made to feel quite “at home” by perhaps a Macrae from Kintail, a McLeod from Skye, a Mackay from Sutherland or some other Gael with a homely Highland name. Wherever a new country opens up, among the first of the newcomers will be a Scotsman and a Chinaman and a Jew. However, we have, roughly sneaking, no Jews in Southland, for after a few Southland Aberdeenites had visited Dunedin and other South Island cities, the Jews held a mass meeting and came to the conclusion that though they were more than holding their own in all the other cities in New Zealand, they would never be able to make any headway in Invercargill or Southland.

Wherever Scotsmen settle progress and prosperity at length reign. Someone anxious to perpetuate a joke at the Scotsman’s expense, has said that if two Scots met in a strange country they would straightaway start a Caledonian Society. There is a popular organization in Invercargill called “The Highland Society of Southland” of which the first chief was an enthusiastic Gael—Mr Donald A. Cameron of Lochaber, but later of Nokomai, and though many years absent from the shadow of Ben Nevis, he still spoke his mother tongue with the freshness and richness of youth. Donald A. Cameron was bom at Fort William, on August 8, 1835, and was educated at the Grammer School there. At the age of 14 he entered the employ of Messrs G. and J. Burns of Glasgow, where he remained until the’ Highland steamers were acquired by Messrs David Hutcheson and Company. After two years’ service with the latter firm he sailed for Australia in June, 1854. Soon after arriving in South Australia, he took to sheep farming there, and also in Victoria. At this time fie had the management of Mount Sturgeon Plains Station, the propertv of his uncle, Mr Alex. Cameron, popularly known as the “King of Peppla.” In 1859 Donald Cameron came over to New Zealand and with two of his relations—Angus Alphonse McDonald of Reaby, Gore, Southland and William Cameron, another cousin, son of the celebrated stock owner of Lochaber, called (Corrychiollie) he explored a large portion of the Wakatipu Lake district and Lochy and Nevis river, Ben Nevis, and the Devil’s Staircase were named after their prototypes in Lochaber and Glencoe, and also Mount Cameron on the Nokomai estate.

Six months later Messrs Rees and von Tunzelmann took a trip over the same ground and claimed to be the first navigators of the lake until they found that they had been forstalled, but it is to these brave pioneers we owe most of the place-names in the Lakes district and their combined writings did much to interest and open up hitherto unexplored country. Mr Cameron landed in New Zealand on the ship Peregrine Oliver. The captain was a very kind sort of man called Rippon and as they had been through a rather rough trip, Mr Cameron was far from well, and had to lean on Captain Rippon’s arm in the walk from the Bluff to Moko Moko where they were welcomed at West’s accommodation house. From there they were rowed up to Invercargill by stalwart men of the Maori race. Mr Cameron had brought sheep—Merinos and crossbreds from Guirhen Bay, South Australia, and with a drover, he drove them up to Glenquoich Station, then held by his cousins—Cameron Brothers —where they stayed whilst Mr D. Cameron looked around before he settled down at Nokomai. Mr Donald Cameron had arrived in June, 1859, and had chosen the coldest part of the year for exploring, but these hardy Highlanders made a great trip all over the Lakes district, climbing high mountains, exploring valleys and rowing over rivers and lakes in a tiny cockleshell of a boat. They had terrific thunder storms, frost, hail and heavy snow, sleeping under cliffs and in the morning would dig a passage out through deep snow. They never forgot for a moment the motto of. the clan was “A Cameron never can yield.” Mr Cameron was descended from two famous branches of the great Lochaber race—on the one side from the Camerons of Ben Nevis and on the other side from the Camerons of Letterfinlay or Muccomer —Sliochd lian—’ i.e. Mhartainn (formerly chief of the clan), the Dochwessie men who were the bulwarks of Clan Cameron against the invasions of the neighbouring tribes.

Mr Cameron was a great sheep man with the true sheep sense and both at Nokomai and Glenfalloch his wool clip would bring the highest price given for wool at the wool sales in Invercargill proving that though the runs were situated “away back” neither, the owner nor the property were “back numbers.” In 1863 Mr D. Cameron left New Zealand and took a trip over to Australia, going by boat from Invercargill to Dunedin and sailing from there in the s.s. Pilate for Melbourne. On December 11 Mr Cameron was married to Miss Margaret ■ Macdonald in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne. His bride was the daughter of Mr Archibald Macdonald of Cambellfield, near Melbourne, one of the pioneers of the Penala district of South Australia, and belonged to that branch of the Macdonnells of Keppoch, known to this day in the braes of Lochaber as Sloichd-an-Liglie. Mr and Mrs Cameron returned to New Zealand and Mrs Cameron seemed to have been happy on the outback station, Nokomai. She was brave and cheerful like the other 1

pioneer wives. Her children were born there; she was a great housekeeper and mother and extremely kind and gracious to any visitor or stranger who visited Nokomai. She was also a great gardener and an authority on PoulrtyMr and Mrs Cameron were both great home-makers and hostessesii^ n much beloved and respected by all who had the honour of knowing them. IM eldest son, Ewan, became an architect; the youngest, Alexander, followed the lure of the land and managed Nokomai and Glenfalloch whilst his father, at the ripe old age of 72 took a trip, returning to his native land for a while, facing the dangers of sea and land rounding Cape Horn and when he reached his destination travelled alone over a great part of th e lsles. He loved his native land and found that all the well-known parts had made great strides in country and city. He wrote long interesting letters to Nokomai telling them of his travels and of the doings and changes which had taken place among the Cameron and the Macdonnal Clan —all his life he was famed for the great spirit and eager enthusiasm he put into any task or undertaking he started, and he went on his voyage with the same zest that somehow always put colour and cheerfulness into all his tasks. Many Highland friends were honoured by an interesting letter from their "Highland chief” telling them the news, the changes, and conditions of their native spot. He struck an extremely cold winter in Scotland but wrote cheerfully of braving Lochaber’s snows as if they were one of the greatest delights of a pleasure trip. He met many public men, and was entertained quite a lot, especially in his native soil. His interesting conversation, and brave spirit appealed to all he met, and everywhere he went he spoke with such fondness and love of the land of his adoption—New Zealand—the gem of the Pacific—these public-spirited men have done so much for Southland and the people—they gave a prestige and a dignity to our early days. Like his neighbours Mr Cameron was a great loser of both sheep, cattle and horses in the great snows of 1878 and the flood that followed and like many others stayed on and made a fresh start with a much heavier, sturdier type of sheep and cattle, and with his keenness and sheep knowledge succeeded so well that he was among the prize-winners in the Southland A. and P. Shows in the earlier days. Mr Cameron and his wife and family were all most devout Roman Catholics belonging to great Catholics on both sides of the family—they are mentioned in Scottish history, stories and poetry many times. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote of them and also Georgette Heyer in her books about old times in Scotland. Perhans it was an old memory of when both the Cameron and Macdonnell Clan were mixed uu in religious strife in the early eighties when the Stuarts still aimed at getting the English throne, and one, Ronald Cameron, joined Prince Charles and under Lochiel was second in command of the Camerons at the muster in Glenfinan. All these circumstances and great experiences must have given to Mr and Mrs Cameron the great religious tolerance which came down to the family. When it is realized that the Southland Highlanders, who were nearly every man a strict Presbyterian, elected Donald Cameron for their chief, it shows that they realized their leader to be above either class or creed pettiness. The Camerons were always fighters for their country, breed and clan, and Scottish history records great bravery and fearlessness in Lieutenant Alexander Cameron who commanded the 79th Highlanders at Waterloo during the last hours of the engagement. Another, Sir Alan Cameron, of Erracht, K.C.8., was known as old “Cia mar the,” from always addressing his soldiers in their native Gaelic. Afterwards when there was a period of peace in Britain Sir Alan Cameron went into the customs office but disliking desk-work he went over to America and joined the old 84th or Royal Highland Emigrants and was one of the leading officers when the great Battle of Quebec took place. The number of people with Highland surnames has always been a most noticeable feature in Southland and it is due no doubt to the fact that all Highlanders are gentlemen by birth that Southland and Invercargill are at length coming into their own, and if the Southlander has neither the outside polish, the showiness and gush of the Northern New Zealander, their greatness is founded on a more solid foundation of absolute sincerity, the best blood of Britain. A great love of the land and a passionate loyality and a reverence for their religion and their Sabbath. Southland will stand supreme one day, and when weighed in the balance will not fail. Mr Cameron passed on about eight years ago, regretted by all. Mrs Cameron joined him in the far country about three years ago. Alexander Cameron and his brother-in-law manage Nokomai and Glenfalloch and the daughters reside in different parts of New Zealand, but Mr and Mrs Cameron of Nokomai will live on forever in the hearts of their friends. Delightful land; in wildness ev’nbenighn The glorious past is ours, the future thine: As in a cradled Hercules we trace The lines of Empire in thine infant face, What nations in thy wide horizon's span Shall teem on tracts untrodden yet by man. (From Thomas Campbell.)