DEATH OF A PIONEER.

Colonist, Volume LIV, Issue 13465, 10 July 1912, Page 3

DEATH OF A PIONEER.

AjN ADVENTUROUS CAREER

rSp&ialjt* "The Colonist.") Christchurch, July 8. Tlio death is announced of Mr. W. Gordon Rich, a gentleman who took ati active part in the early settlement of JScw Zealand, and experienced tho hardships connected with 'pioneer work in a now country. Mr. Rich was bora in 1829, and was tho,third son of the. Itev. John Rich, vicar of Ivinghoe, Buckinghamshire. He was- educated at Westminster, of winch school he was head boy, and also stroke of the Westminster eight-oar boat, which at that time rowed a yearly race against Eton. He went on to Christ Church, Oxford, in 1848, and got his "Blue" as stroke of the Oxford boat, and became President of the 0.U.8.C. He also rowed and yon a number of races at Henley ro- : itta, one of them a pair-oared race ",.ith the late Mr. John Studholme. ftcr taking his degree ho left Oxford

Mid decided to go to New Zealand, ar- ■ Iving at Auckland in the Joseph Flet- < her "in August, 1852. He brought letters to Colonel Wynyard, who was Administrator of New Zealand. Two or three years afterwards, after seeing something of Auckland, and desiring, to see more of the colony, he,went on to Whangarei in a Maori cattle boat. After seeing tho country round Whangarei he returned to Auckland, and went on to Wellington and Nelson. At Nelson he found Mr. Duppa's station, which had been established in the Wairau Valley and stocked with Merino sheep from New South Wales. Ho took charge of Mr. Duppa's shearing, and when that was over he took a mob of sheep and cattle through from Nelson to v/hat is now Cheviot, but was they Mr. Caverhill's property. This was the first mob that came through, and none of the party knew the way. However, tho feat was accomplished after many difficulties, and with practically no loss of stock. Coming on to Christchurch and Lyttelton he took his passage in a 15-ton* cutter to Dunedin, and travelled from the-ro down country to the Bluff and on to Colac Bay. Much of this latter journey was made alone, the latter part with a Maori boy. Returning to Dunedin and still intent on seeing the country, he - walked on to Christchurch. Subsequently he was interested in large properties in Otago and Southland.