DAYS LONG GONE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21850, 31 December 1940, Page 6

DAYS LONG GONE

Story Of Pioneers And Stations Mr E. C. Studholme’s Book (Reviewed for “The Timaru Herald” by T. W. Ewart) Wherefore, Whare, old and hoary We would listen to the story

Ot thy building, We, the sons of him who brought thee From the forest, where he wrought thee For his dwelling. Few books dealing with early days in New Zealand so vividly tell the pioneering story as does E. C. Studholme's "Te Waimate" which has just been published. At first glance It might be thought that "Te Waimate" is merely a biography of Michael Studholme, the father of the author, and the first man to settle in Waimate; but that is not so, and even if It were, the life of Waimate’s first white man was so closely connected with the progress of a prosperous town and district that its telling would be more of a history than a biography. Michael Studholme was little more than a boy, only 20, when in 1854 he travelled with a bullock dray from Christchurch and called on the Maori chief, Te Huru Huru at “Waimatemate” (sluggish water). Even though he was so young, Studholme made an agreement with Te Huru Huru which was always honoured by both parties. Te Huru Huru was one of the wisest of Maori chiefs, and Studholme was a wise white man.

There is not only local history in "Te Waimate." The Waimate station was closely connected with South Canterbury’s development, and more than that, the Studholme brothers, John, Michael and Paul, at one time held many thousands of acres in different parts of New Zealand. Among their holdings were Ohauko (200,000 acres), Keroi (about 200,000 acres), Raglan (98,000 acres), Ruanui (12,000 acres) and Morrinsville (30,000 acres), all in the North Island. In the South Island the brothers held Hawkdun (50,000 acres), Taieri Lake (40,000 acres), Waiau River (Southland), The Point, Greta Peaks (24,500 acres), Coldstream (50,000 acres), Opuha Gorge (40,000 acres) and Te Waimate (98,000 acres). “While all these other stations were being broken in,” Mr Studholme states, “a lot of money was required to keep them going, most of it coming out of Te Waimate.” Earlier in the same chapter, he comments: “Had the Studholme brothers confined their energies to Te Waimate station instead of taking up and developing at enormous cost, other properties all over New Zealand, many of them in the back country, they would no doubt in the end, have been wealthy men. But, like most pioneers, they kept moving on, looking for more vacant spaces which they might occupy with advantage.” Indeed, Te Waimate must have been a productive station in view of the costs it carried. The interest bill in one year was £15,000 and working expenses came to £ll,OOO. So £26,000 had to be realised before any profit was obtained. At one period, the station had between 4,000 and 5,000 acres in grain; 1,000 acres were sown in turnips and grass each year, and 300 hands were employed.

The Story’s Heroine

A review of "Te Waimate” could not omit reference to Effie Studholme, the author’s mother. The strength of her character is obvious from the impression she made on those she met. Her death occurred as recently as 1917. It was on April 18, 1860, in the house of Sefton Moorhouse, Christchurch, that Michael Btudholme married Effie Channon. Mrs Studholme later wrote Reminiscences of 1860, a booklet for private circulation, and the reprinting of lengthy extracts, including poems, adds much to the value of Te Waimate as a pioneering story. A horseback ride to Akaroa was the Studholme’s honeymoon. That trip, and the story of their journey to Waimate, is strikingly told by Mrs Studholme. The crossing of the Rangltata is an Instance:

“We reached the Rangitata early in the afternoon. When I saw the river with its rough bed and large boulders over which the water roared and eddied, I was filled with alarm, and declared that I could not cross it. Michael pointed out to me that to go round by the upper ferry would make it impossible to reach the Orari station that night, and the house at the ferry was undesirable for me, as the Mount Peel bullock drivers were the usual Occupants; but that if I really felt incapable of crossing, that we would have to go up. It was about nine miles further round, and Cadmus being a good river horse, I braced myself to cross where we were. The boulders were sometimes so large that the horse appeared to clamber up and then down. All that I could do was to sit tight. At the deepest stream I was terribly afraid, and wept. The noise of the water, its fearful current, and the plunging of the horse, made it truly alarming. . .” Few written passages like that have come down from the pioneers to show what they had to face, even in a journey from Christchurch to Waimate. But at last Mrs Studholme arrived at what was to be her home: “We turned back to the unfurnished house, and Michael took me off my horse, and so we arrived home." “Good Old Days” As if he were throwing down a challenge, Mr Studholme defends the “Good Old Days.” People, he says, did not rush about so much, and were more neighbourly. But he does admit that early station life was not a bed of roses. It was not. He also points to the mistakes that were made because of inexperience and the absence of expert advice. Even so, some of what appears to be mistakes was brought about by necessity: early homesteads, for instance, were usually put in hollows near water because there were no hydraulic rams or pumps. The old days might not have been so good, but they had their bits of humour. The author himself caught a pet rooster when he was trailing a baited hook on his way fishing. Then perhaps, it is not generally known that the public of Waimate once had the opportunity ot buying elephant meat. Mr Studholme is kind to his generation and does not mention purchasers. Some persons might think that the author said just rather much about beards; but what he said was true, and quite apart from the breakfast egg, the stems of clay pipes were always breaking, and a smoker was picked by the smoke coming out of his whiskers. As history was slowly made over 90 years, many scenes were changed, and many players made their exits and their entrances. Te Waimate, for instance, deals with the start of the frozen meat industry, the breeding of new strains of sheep and cattle, and good horses. Stockwhips take several pages, and could as Mr Studholme hints, easily take up more. Then, there were bullock teams, cob and sod houses,

journeys and rivers, swaggers, other stations and neighbours, the moa, native birds, the Waimate bush, wild pigs and rabbits and hares and not the least, the weather. Racing, steeplechasing and hunting recall the fact that the first New Zealand Grand National Steeplechase was held at Willowbridge on May 18, 1875. After that, the book goes on to deal with sport in the early days, such as cricket, athletics, golf and shooting. Wide Field Covered Mr Studholme’s book covers a wide field, and he must be complimented for using a concise style and also for arranging his material excellently. Within 300 pages, hundreds of subjects are covered without any of the verbosity sometimes found in such books; anecdotes are introduced aptly. There is indeed, ample evidence of keen powers of observation backed up by an alert mind which has the experience given by more than 70 years. The book has been improved by the inclusion of 70 illustrations. Some are appropriate sketches from the pens of O. S. and C. E. Bremner and E. S. Hope.

Te Waimate. E. C. Studholme. A. H and A. W. Reed, Dunedin.