The Conquerors

Southland Times, Issue 22157, 27 October 1933, Page 4

The Conquerors

Saga of the Stations

(By

the Wanderer.)

WAIKAIA GOLDFIELDS. MR J. T. THOMPSON. THE GOLDEN PIONEERS. (1859—1933.) Southland never, never should forget The men who gave to her the golden years That spurred her on; we all still owe a d'.bt To those brave hearts—the Golden Pioneers. (From Thomas Bracken.)

Earliest references to goldmining at Switzers or Waikaia appeared in the Otago Daily Times of October 1862, when Sergeant Bailey reported that he had come across a small party of miners from the Nokomai district working on the Waikaia River to the south-east of Steeple Hill, in a claim which yielded half a hundredweight of coarse gold to the pan, with two feet of wash on a soft clay bottom. The next appears in the issue of the Otago Daily Times on December 19, 1862 when J. K. Wilden, Provincial Commissioner of Police reported that Sergeant Bailey had visited the workings on Mr John Switzer’s run (Hyde Holme) where two hundred people were working on the banks of a creek, seven miles below Cox and Shand’s run (Waikaia Station). The average earnings- of the men appeared to be about six to ten pounds a week. At that time sugar was half-a-crown a pound, tea five and sixpence, meat one shilling a pound, and flour one and sixpence a pound. Long before this district became known to the public through the medium of the Press, one, John Switzers, turned over a sod and found gold, and the area whereon this gold was found was called Switzer’s after him. From Mr John Thomas Thompson, one of Waikaia’s Golden Pioneers, who arrived in the district in 1859, the following account of the early days was related:— “My father Richard Thompson and his brother, Joseph, left Ballarat, Victoria, for New Zealand in 1857 and on the boat coming over Thompson brothers met with other miners, who had heard also that gold was to be found in New Zealand, and it was thus that Thompson brothers joined forces with Dapp brothers and Charles May. Shortly after arriving at Port Chalmers this band of young miners heard about John Switzer’s finding gold alongside the Waikaia River, and they decided to make tracks for this new gold field, and with their swags on their backs they walked all this distance of one hundred and thirty miles; but my father was always a keen miner and had been at many gold fields before he landed in New Zealand. Father hailed from Preston, Lancashire, where his people ran a dairy farm; but hearing about the get-rich-quick methods in other parts of the world, young Richard in 1850 decided to leave his native land and emigrated to New York, and,, whilst there went into the printing and plumbing trade until he had an opportunity to join the mounted police escort, who went across the continent with the covered waggons to protect the prospectors and would-be-farmers on their pilgrimage to the Promised Land. In travelling through Mexico they discovered gold at Sante Fe, and the Californian Diggings, and later, hearing of gold being found in Australia, Mr Richard Thompson came out to Broken Hill, and from there went on to many other mines, including Mount Molago, Bendigo, and Ballarat. It was whilst at Mount Molago that Mr Richard Thompson met and married a Glasgow lady, and it was at Ballarat in a tent on the goldfields that Mrs Richard Thompson passed away for want of woman’s care and medical skill, leaving a small son aged three years old—John Thomas Thompson. “After Thompson brothers and Dapp brothers had decided that Switzers would suit them as a home, Mr Dapp decided to go back to Ballarat and bring over his ov/n and his brother’s wife, and Mr Thompson arranged for Ml’ Dapp to bring over his small son, who had been left in Ballarat with his mother’s people. These partners had done -well in their two years, for gold was so plentiful in the early days, that the first claim pegged out by Mr Richard Thompson, which cost him £2OO, was paid for in a fortnight from gold found in his claim. It was just two years after the first landing of the partners, that the two Mrs Dapps, with young John Thomas Thompson, arrived in Dunedin and Mr Dapp hired a waggon and three horses to take the ladies and child and their belongings down to Switzer’s. They took a whole month to complete their journey, staying at different accommodation houses along the road down, arid also at shepherd’s huts and often camping under the waggon on the road for they would come to flooded rivers ’ and have to wait till they could get across. At length they arrived at their destination and it was November the fifth, Guy Fawkes Day, and eyery miner seemed to have a bonfire on the hill from which belched crackers and fireworks, whilst they burnt in effigy the old-time traitor.

“They all started off with tents, and afterwards enjoyed the luxury of sod huts, and wattle and daub houses with thatched roofs. The partners, after working over about ten acres, dissolved their partnership—it was all pick and shovel work in those days, and Mr Richard Thompson and Edwin Dapp started in business as bakers _ and market gardeners, Mr Dapp being a baker by trade. This shop and garden filled a much needed supply among the miners, and was carried on under the title of Dapp and Thompson, and was named ‘The Golden Age Bakery.’ They built the arch of the baker’s oven with small stones, and the remains of this edifice can still be seen among the sluiced out rocks at Frenchman’s Hill. They began to supply the diggers with bread and vegetables, using a pack-mule for carting around their goods and, finding that their business was enlarging, they purchased a waggon and a pair of hefty Clydesdale horses. Young John was sent into Invercargill to be educated and after leaving school was apprenticed to Mr Dapp to learn the baker’s trade; but he also helped to drive the mule and later the horses. It used to be considered a great joke among the miners when the baker’s mule would play up and refuse to budge; but the chief performance was when young Thompson would take along this mule to be shod by the blacksmith, a very peppery sort of man and there was much kicking and protesting by this fractious beast, and much swearing and cursing by the bad-tempered blacksmith. They carried on this baking till Dapp died, and then Richard Thompson and Mrs Dapp carried on under style of Dapp and Thompson, with young John Thompson as baker, and afterwards Mr Richard Thompson bought Mrs Dapp out and the business was then known as Thompson and Son. “Mr Richard Thompson in 1868 applied for and obtained a grant of land about 200 acres and kept on adding more to his holding, gradually buying up four different blocks of two hun-

dred acres, and on this land he built a house, and made a good garden and orchard, put in plantations of trees, and left his son John to manage the business. John afterwards met and married Janet, daughter of Mr McKinnel, also an old pioneer who came out in 1860, and went shepherding at Tapanui for Mr Telford and afterwards for Mr Logan and later retired to Switzers and went into business. Mrs John Thompson proved a keen business woman, and the Waikaia residents still remember the very capable manner in which she managed the shop, tearooms, the milk-run and market garden, whilst Mr Thompson jun. and Mr Thompson sen. worked the farm. Mr Richard Thompson, however, began to fail in health, for he had been a tremendous worker and the hardships of his early years had undermined his strength and he passed on to his last lone trail, and shortly afterwards the Thompsons gave up their business to settle on the farm in a house on the lower farm; but a year after their arrival there, in 1913, owing to the constant floods, the house had to be shifted to a higher level, and there the Thompson family still reside. “Walter Thompson, the second son went to the Great War and was very severely wounded and even now he has not regained his former robust health. John and Walter are both married and settled cn places of their own in Southland; Eric with his father manages the home farm and Grace is now Mrs Dickson Hume. Mr Thompson has seen many changes since he first arrived .at the Switzers district for the township, like Orepuki, has been built on three different sites. In 1860 the township was just a calico town in Welshmans Gully, so named as numbers of miners camo from Wales, Britain, and also from New South Wales —there. were also at that time three hotels with the dancing saloons attached, three stores, a blacksmith, butcher and shoemaker. Afterwards the residents imported comfortable canvas tents, and began to build sod, timber and wattle and daub houses, with thatched roofs. Then the three brothers Wilson found gold in Frenchman’s Hill, which is named after two Frenchmen who worked in Winding Creek, and the Wilson. brothers brought a water-right in, which caused a rush of diggers to Frenchman’s Hill and the stores and hotels shifted to Frenchman’s Hill, following up the miners, and then, finding gold was underground where they had built, had to shift again to Carney’s Hill, which was named after Carney, manager of the water-right. There being such a demand for water, Skene and Haast brought in a big water-right and made Carney manager of this venture. Each miner was allowed a head of water for eight hours snd there were about twenty claims. Then there was such a rush for gold, and it was also found in Carney’s Hill, and this precious metal was under the buildings so that in 1880 the population had to shift once more, this time to the valley alongside the Waikaia stream, and in the centre of the gold diggings. It was surveyed and this time the township came to stay, and was named Waikaia after the river which flows like a winding silver ribbon through it. It was a great town for awhile and there vzere about 1000 Chinamen in the district.

“When gold became scarcer, Skene and Haast sold their water rights to William Mclver, better known as “Sydney Bill,’’ and he did very well out of it and re-sold the water-rights to the Chinamen and they opened a big store, and Fan Tan hall on Carney’s Hill. They sold to Stewart brothers I from Roxburgh and after sluicing for a few years they started a dredge called “Bonnie Dundee” re-named from “The Hesse.” It was driven by turbine-wheel. It was then abandoned for a few years, and then two miners James Allen and William McKee took it up and later sold out to Hugh Nelson, the present owner and he has leased it to Alexander Mutch. “To return to Mr J. T. Thompson: He and the late Mr Colin Robinson and John Maher were among the first agitators for a railway. In 1867 the first telephone, an extension from Tapanui, was opened on Carney’s Hill, and J. Storrie was the first postmaster. In 1866 the first school was opened on Carney’s Hill, the first schoolmaster being J. Dean, then Johnston, Lapham, and Hawson and then James Milne. They were a very honest law-abiding lot of miners and believed in keeping the Sabbath, and the Sunday service in the small schoolroom was always well attended. The Reverend Arnott was one of the first clergymen to minister to the miners, and he was afterwards succeeded by Mr Morrison. Both these old time sky pilots suffered and roughed it with their flock, riding over rough tracks and rivers that flooded, and covering many miles between each parish. In most cases the clergymen of early times were most gifted men who could have made a name for themselves in a city parish; but right through the history of the days that are no more it was the bravest and the best who went out to endure hardship and danger in preference to a life of ease. Mr Nugent Wood, the first magistrate and gold warden, had a wide field for a time, going from Cromwell to Nokomai and then on to Waikaia. When he first arrived he was a typical Englishman, not at all used to the wild ways, nor the slang in vogue in the mining settlement. Mr Cosgrove was the first Clerk of the Court and on one occasion when a miner was had up for debt Mr Cosgrove explained ‘He has skc-dad-dled, your Worship.’ ‘What,’ said Mr Wood, and at length Mr Cosgrove had to explain that ske-daddled meant ‘cleared out.’ Mrs Nugent Wood was a very talented lady, and was a wellknown and versatile writer of prose and verse. She was a regular contributor to the Otago Witness and also wrote a book of poems that had a great vogue in the old days. She died in 1880, leaving tvzo sons. Mr Nugent Wood died ten years later.

“Bctween 1860—1870 all goods were waggoned up from Invercargill; five waggons and two drays were constantly on the road. Harry Wilson at that time became the first mail carrier walking between Tapanui and Waikaia, and then George Hunt took the mail contract over and rode to and from Tapanui and for his services received three pounds a week. He also drove and started the first coach service between Waikaia and Gore. In 1877 a dray road between Tapanui and the township was constructed and thereafter the goods were waggoned from Tapanui, and Dunedin became the shipping centre. Nowadays this once famous mining centre, though still supporting a few miners, and near enough to share in the glory of the King Solomon Deep Lead Company which produced 1760 z of gold last week, has decreased in importance and population and is now simply a sleeping beauty, nestled in the valley of the mountains. In these days of high finance and scientific machinery goldmining has become an unromantic affair. Huge modern winches to lift the wash work on the side of the mountain and the gold, is extracted by modem methods. Ruins of houses, abandoned pipes and dredges lie among the gorse and golden broom on Carney’s Hill, and Frenchman’s Hill, and ruins lie among the tailings of old workings in Welshman’s Gully. As on the human countenance, the history of the old goldfield is written on its seamed and scarred faces, telling of courage to attempt and success realized to those who have eyes to see the truly vast endeavour and boundless energy that actually moved mountains. All around Waikaia are well-worked farms with neat cottages nestling among the trees and orchards which abound in this district. When they first started to cultivate the land, it was very much infested by rabbits, wild pigs and dogs; but poisoned pollard and oafs laid for the rabbits killed out the wild pigs and £5 a head was offered for the

dogs and they were gradually exterminated. Now deer are becoming a great menace, coming down and eating turnips and crops. The deer must be destroyed before they lay waste the mountain pastures of Southland.’ (End of Mr Thompson’s Memories.) The day that our team to the Westward started And the plains like an ocean of hope unrolled To the gaze of the youthful, happyhearted Rovers bent on a road unchartered Into the Land of Gold. (From W. H. Ogilvie.)