BLENHEIM’S ARRIVAL

Taranaki Daily News, 20 November 1934, Page 6

BLENHEIM’S ARRIVAL

CELEBRATION OF ANNIVERSARY.

LAST SURVIVING PASSENGER.

The last survivor of the pioneer settlers who landed at New Plymouth from the ship Blenheim on November. 19, 1842, celebrated the anniversary of the landing yesterday and received congratulatory telegrams from many friends at New Plymouth and from the Mayor of New Plymouth, Mr. E. R. C. Gilmour, on behalf of the citizens. She is Mrs. Mary Hamerten, widow of Mr. R- C. Hamerten, now living at Central Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington. She recently celebrated her 95th birthday. . The Blenheim was the fifth of six vessels with emigrants dispatched by the Plymouth Company between November 12, 1840, and September 3, 1842, and she covered the distance in 140 days. Before this voyage she had already brought out emigrants for Port Nicholson under charter to the New Zealand Company in 1840. On her second voyage the Blenheim left Plymouth, England, for Wellington and New Plymouth on July 2, 1842, the last pilot greeting the ship off Rome Head at 8 o’clock that evening. Captain John Grey was in command and the gurgeon superintendent was Dr- Samuel Norway. A number ,of the passengers disembarked at' Wellington, but the majority continued to New Plymouth, where the ship arrived on Saturday, November 19, 1842, most of the passengers landing the following day.- It was also a red-letter day for the earlier settlers in that the Blenheim brought a mail direct from England.