DEATH OF A PIONEER

Southland Times, Issue 25305, 7 June 1935, Page 4

DEATH OF A PIONEER

MR JAMES BEATTIE

Farmer, Business Man, Author

There died at Gore yesterday at the age of 95 years Mr James Beattie, co-founder of the well-known drapery firm of Thomson and Beattie, Limited. Mr Beattie spent 73 years of a full life in New Zealand. He was one of Southland’s bpst known pioneers, coming south in 1867 and taking over a farm in the Limestone Plain.

He was the descendant of Scottish stock which enjoyed good health and long life. His maternal grandfather lived 105 years, his elder sister died at the age of 97 and his elder brother died at 95.

Mr Beattie’s wife predeceased him about a year ago, some twelve months after they had celebrated the diamond jubilee of their marriage. He is survived by three sons, Messrs J. H. Beattie, of Waimate; Oswald Beattie, a farmer at Stanley Hill; and Gerald Beattie, a master at the Rangiora High School; and two daughters, Mrs Worsfold, of Wellington, and Miss Jessie Beattie, of Gore. Arrival in New Zealand.

Mr Beattie was born on the farm of Upper Rerriek, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland, on October 2, 1839, and attended the Free Church School at Dundrennan Abbey. He came out to Otago on the ship Oliver Cromwell in charge of some valuable purebred Merino sheep imported by Mr Watson Sherman, the vessel arriving at Port Chalmers on April 7, 1862, after- a voyage of 107 days.

He saw the sheep transshipped into a small coaster and accompanied them up to Waikouaiti where they were landed and placed in a field belonging to Joseph Beal, an “old-timer” who had been in the locality since 1840. Later they were taken to Hepburn’s farm and here the newcomer had an insight into colonial ways and pioneer expedients. Some of his experiences were rather amusing, but it would take too long to detail them here. Suffice it to record that he left the sheep on the coast while he proceeded inland to Shennan’s run at Moutere, swag on back, and accompanied by another new chum. They had many adventures, including tramping for twelve hours without food over eight inches of snow covering the Maniototo plains, but they eventually reached their destination. At Dunstan Rush.

Shennan’s station was then a primitive place and here Mr Beattie was shepherding for six months. In August, 1862, he witnessed the great Dunstan rush, and in after years he wrote a description of it which appeared in Chamber’s Journal. When his year’s engagement with Sherman was completed at the end of October, Mr Beattie bought a strong packhorse and took up a load of provisions from the Dunstan to the new rush at Fox’s. This speculation proved satisfactory and he next packed up the Banks of Nev/ Zealand and New South Wales to the Arrow. The bank premises were mostly of canvas and freight was 2/per lb. Owing to flooded rivers a food famine was threatened at Fox’s, so Mr Beattie, who had now two packhorses, forced them through the raging Shotover and proceeded to Queenstown, which then consisted of Rees’, station and a few tents. Here he bought two 2001 b sacks of flour at 1/6 a lb from Mr Rees and returned to Fox’s. Crossing the Shotovcr he was perched up on top of the bag strapped to the bigger horse. Both bags got wet on one side, but the flour, was not damaged and sold at 2/6, the trip thus realizing a profit of £2O. Gohl Prospecting to Fanning.

Leaving the packing, Mr Beattie joined in with five men to work a claim where a huge landslide had come down to Skipper’s Creek. Much hard work was put in to no end, so the party dispersed, and Mr Beattie went down to Goodwood. His reminiscences of the claim-jumping and lawlessness at Skippers gave a vivid picture of a’now almost forgotten period in the history of the goldfields. His first venture at winning gold from the alluvial deposits having so signally failed, he turned his hand to another form of winning wealth from the ground, acting as ploughman at a big farm near Dunedin. Mr Beattie herded a large mob of cattle on an unfenced flat at Lake Waipori for John Shennan; ploughed with two bullocks for Harvey at Outram; helped to cut logs and construct a stockyard at “The Banks”; went to the Hindon diggings with John Thomson; went prospecting as “a hatter”; joined with five others in working a small pocket of gold, each man receiving £lOO for a fortnight’s work; harvested on the Taieri; worked the winter for George Thompson, a farmer; sailed from Dunedin with John Thomson in the famous old tub, Gothenburg, bound for the Westland diggings; pegged a claim at Kanieri Junction, iri which he had a marvellous escape from death by a huge falling rock; with Thomas Craig went to a new rush at Jones’s Creek; fell a victim to “swamp fever” and attributed his survival to the devotedness of his mate; voyaged to Nelson and was gardening at Richmond; managed a sheep station on D’Urville Island, where he had a narrow escape of drowning;

returned to Otago and worked on the Taieri; was one of the crew of the river steamer in a trip up the Clutha River; Went contract fencing at Greenfield; came to Southland and bought a farm on the Limeston Plain in 1867; offered a job ploughing on the Edendale Estate, but refused; journeyed to BluespUr and erected around the schoolhouse a sod fence (at which work he was an adept): worked for 12 weeks for Morrison and Clayton on their mining claims at Bluespur, where blasting was of frequent occurrence and accidents kept the hospital full; harvested at Taieri in fulfilment of a promise, and thereafter returned to Southland to work the farm at Calcium.

In later years Mr Beattie wrote an account of the Westland diggings for Chamber’s Journal ,and also an account of his D’Urville Island experiences. From 1867 Mr Teattie was a resident of Southland. His five years’ wanderings had given him pjenty of stirring adventures as well as the usual experiences of the ups-and-downs of fortune, and had left him with barely enough to get a start on the land. Partnership Commences. Two years later his old partner in several gold rushes, Mr John Thomson, approached him about going to Fiji to take up a sugar plantation, but Mr Beattie declined, and the outcome of the matter was that the pair started the firm of Thomson and Beattie, the first premises being a tiny store at Flint’s Bush. Soon after a shift was made to Winton, then booming because of the construction of the railway from Invercargill, and while Mr Thomson held the fort at Winton, his partner drove a hawker’s van round the back country of Southland, ranging up the Waiau to Te Anau on one side and up to Kingston on the other. An entertaining account of his recollections and experiences was published, entitled “Trade Hunting in the Backblocks of Southland.” These trips continued for three seasons and then Mr Beattie settled in Invercargill where the firm had commenced operations, being rejoined by his partner when the Winton branch was closed. In 1876 Mr Beattie went up to Gore and bought Lamb and Dabinett’s store, converting it into a branch of Thomson and Beattie, his brother George being manager. Early in 1881 he took charge of the Gore business and in April of that year he bought a house and removed his wife and family to Gore, which thereafter continued to be his home. He had been married to Miss Mary Thomson of “The Banks,” Taieri, in April, 1874. Activities in Gore. Gore was -then in the heyday of its vigorous youth and although Mr Beattie had not previously taken any part in public life, it was not long, before he was prevailed on tb help in the formation of various societies and institutions, and eventually he found himself involved in the lively skirmishing that then accompanied local government. He was about 45 years old when he first attempted to speak in public, and he never fully mastered the art of platform speech, being mqre effective as a writer than as a speaker. Some time after his arrival in Gore he was made a Justice of the Peace. Mr Beattie assisted in the formation of the Gore Athenaeum, which later became the Gore Library of which he was a life member; the Gore Domain Board of which he was a most valient upholder during its existence, strenuously opposing its abolition; the Gore Caledonian Society of which he was president for a term; the Gore Farmers’ Club; the Horticultural Society; and the Gore Literary and Debating Society during its career in the eighties. He was responsible for the founding of the Gore Bowling Club and was its first president. The Congregational Church largely owed its inception in 1892 to his vigorous action when a split occurred in the local Presbyterian Church. He was in favour of founding a second Presbyterian Church in the town, but as the controlling body of that denomination would not hear of it, he acted as leader in getting the seceding party to form a unit of the Congregationalists whose principles of church government seemed to embody the largest degree of liberty. Interest in Local Affairs. He had all of a Scotsman’s admiration for education and early joined the ranks of the School Committee, of which he was chairman for a period. When in Invercargill in the early seventies he became a Freemason, and took an interest in them until advancing years hindered his participation. He was also a member of various small institutions in Gore at various times, but it is perhaps for his work in the municipal sphere that he is best remembered. In the Jubilee Number of the Mataura Ensign in October, 1928, it was stated that he was then the only survivor of those who were in active harness when Gore was created a municipality. Mr Beattie was then (1885) chairman of the Town Board and it was through his instrumentality that the Government proclaimed the town a borough. He was acting-Mayor until the time of the, annual election. He was Mayor of the town on three occasions and was defeated at three elections, largely through his outspoken opposition to popular institutions, such as the Fire Brigade. Return to Farming. In 1903, when Thomson and Beattie was formed into a limited company, he left business and reverted to.farming, but eventually sold his farm at East Gore. He was an excellent gardener and for many years was a successful competitor at the horticultural shows. He continued gardening until he was about ninety years old, but then had to desist owing to rheumatism, a trouble which he claimed was a legacy left him by sleeping on wet ground in the early days. He was an enthusiastic member of the Gore Congregational Church, and was a regular attender, morning and evening, until advancing years prevented him going. He was a Sunday school teacher for many years and for some considerable time was superintendent of the Congregational Sunday School.