OBITUARY.

Wairarapa Age, 21 December 1932, Page 4

OBITUARY.

MR. CHARLES BENTLEY. LINK WITH EARLY MASTERTON.

Another pioneer settler of Masterton, Mr. Charles Bentley, passed away in the Masterton Hospital on Monday night, at the age of 84 years. The late Mr. Bentley was very well known in the district, in which he had resided nearly all his life. He was a son of Mr. Henry Bentley, who was born in Scotland in 1819 and came to Wellington as an A.B. on the ship Lord William Bentinck, arriving in this country in May, 1841. With five companions Mr. Henry Bentley ran away from his vessel, being subsequently arrested as a deserter and discharged on promising to join a coastal vessel. After the Wairau massacre, Mr. Henry Bentley served in the militia and the armed constabulary against the notorious rebel chiefs To Rauparaiha and Rangihaeata. After settling at Karori for a few years he visited the Australian goldfields, but soon returned and took up land at Masterton in 1855, when together with, his wife and family he established his new home. The late Mr. Charles Bentley was born at Wellington on September 8, 1848 and by his association with Masterton since 1855 he had seen the town grow from a bush settlement to its present stage of development. Detailing his experiences in the early days on the occasion of his eighty-third birthday, Mr. Bentley said “there were no roads, no bridges or anything” at the time of his arrival here. The journey from Wellington was made on horseback, three of the children, including himself, then a boy of about seven years, being carried on one horse in hampers. His mother rode another horse and had a baby in arms, while his father walked the whole distance. After a stay of eight days at Lower Hutt, the journey was completed in 'five days, stops being made for the nights at Mangaroa, Pukuratahi, Featherston and Greytown. There was only a bridle track but the journey was accomplished without incident, the party being fortunate in not being stopped at any of the rivers. After they left Greytown, they came out at Taratahi, where it commenced to rain very hard and all were wet to the skin on reaching Masterton, which in those days was bush, scrub and flax. They stayed with Mr. Michael Dixon, who lived in a street now known by the same name. His father took up two forty-acre sections between what is now Queen Street and the railway station. The only road through that part of the settlement was Lincoln Road. “We worked like slaves clearing the land of flax and scrub,” said Mr. Bentley, and “then dug up some of the land and grew wheat. We each had a piece of land to do every day and if it was not finished we got no tea and had to do extra the next day. We reaped the wheat by hand, and when it was threshed, ground it by hand at night. There were some very good times and some very bad ones,’’ he said. At the age of about 15 or 16 years, Mr. Bentley looked after the bullock teams. “None of the others would take it on,’’ he said, “but I liked it very much and it was amusing to me.” After his father gave up fanning, he had a store for a short time in Queen Street, and Mr. Bentley himself followed carpentering pursuits. In 1863 they had what was called the Maori scare, at the time when the Waikato wars were on. A blockhouse was built in the Park and a volunteer corps formed, but nothing came of the trouble in Masterton. Mr. Bentley was a member of the Masterton Cricket Club, “and one season, ’’ he observed, “we swept the floor with the whole lot of them.” He was a member of the volunteer corps for 53 years and was also associated with the Fire Brigade for nine years. He was also a prominent bowler, being a member of tho Park Club. The late Mr. Bentley, who had the misfortune to break his thigh about a month ago, is survived by two sons, Messrs Charles and John Bentley, of Masterton, and four daughters, Mrs E. Wilmot (London), Mrs T. Olliver (Waihakeke), Mrs B. Witt (Stratford) and Mrs C. Williscroft (Mokau). His wife predeceased him some years ago.

The funeral will leave the residence, No. 1 McKenna Street, to-morrow (Thursday) at 2 p.m.

MBS RACHEL JONES.

Deep regret will be felt by a wide circle of friends at the death of Mrs Rachel Jones, wife of Mr. Henry J. Jones, 44 Cornwall Street, which occurred at the Masterton Hospital yesterday morning. The lato Mrs Jones had only been ill a few days. She was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs James Ansell, and was born at Waimate, South. Island, forty-one years ago. Mrs Jones possessed sterling qualities of character and capabilities which she used for the help of others. She was a wonderful organiser in all church work and was at the time of her death secretary of the Kuripuni Methodist Church Ladies’ Guild. She had been a faithful member of the Methodist Church all her life. She is survived by her husband and young family of four boys and two girls, and to them and her three brothers and four sisters will be extended the sympathy of a large number of friends in their sad loss. The funeral will leave the residence to-day at 1 p.m. for the Masterton Cemetery.