AUSTRALIA IN THE FIFTIES

Waikato Independent, Volume XXIII, Issue 3072, 19 June 1923, Page 2

AUSTRALIA IN THE FIFTIES

INTERESTING COMPARISONS DOMINIC)X 'S WONDERFUL, ADVANTAGES Interesting reminiscences were narrated to ;i Standard reporter by a lady resident of Palmerston North, who spent 44 years of her life in Australia, and whose memory carries Kir back to the “fifties,” when site first landed in 'Melbourne as a child of six years of age. ‘‘l was only six years old,” site said, “when 1 left England for Australia, and we sir rived tit Snndridge, now Port Melbourne, in ISofi. The vessels used to be moored to a tree stump at the foot of King Street, but the ship on which 1 travelled was berthed at a small pier, which was a great event in those' days. Earliest Impressions “I remember well the earliest impressions I formed of the new country to which I had come. Whnt impressed me most was the sight of the convicts working on the new buildings that were then in course of erection in Melbourne. The warders with rifles slung across their shoulders marched slowly up and down during the work, and I shall never forget how frightened I was as a child of those poor men. “In those days Melbourne, as near as I can describe 51, was just, like what Foxton is to-day, but. with the difference that Ihe city proper was all laid out. The buildings that were erected in those early days were not beautiful, but they were most substantial.” Asked to discuss the land settlement policy of that period she replied: “In the first place Australia is- such a big country that, when I was a girl, the laud was measured not by the foot, but, by the mile, and the sheep and cattle stations were enormous. As time went on those big stations were thrown open for what is called in Australia ‘ selection, ’ and very bitter was the feeling among the nig settlers to the small selector.”

The Gold Rush The huly then recalled the days of the sold rush. "When the sold rush set in for Ballarat and Bendigo,” she said, “everybody, or'nearly everybody, left their occupations to «o ,tn the gold fields; even tin l police left their posts to take part in the rush and there was practically no labour available anywhere. People refused to stop at their work and everything was left in the stampede for fortunes. “Those who had the sense to remain behind, however, and open businesses' reaped the benefit. One young Englishman opened a crockery store and made a fortune in no time. “You may have heard (he story of the miner who rode a horse shod with hoofs of gold. This is popularly supposed to be a legend, but I can vouch for the truth of the story. The township through which he rode his horse was Beochworth, which is about 150 miles from Midbourne, and the clergyman there actually saw the horse with its golden hoofs. In the gold-digging days life was a gamble. Nobody knew who had made fortunes and who had not. The effect of all this on the national characteristics of the Australian lias been remarkable. The characteristics of the people of Australia have been largely influenced bv the exciting and stirring days of the gold fields, together with the nils and downs of the hard life in the backblocks. Australia has. to some extent, developed characteristics which are in sharp contrast with those of England, while, on the other hand, New Zealand has retained the characteristics of her British founders, and perhaps we might say, has modified Ihem somewhat by the exceptional natural advantages of the country and the groat distance Xew Zealand is from other and older lands. Impressions of New Zealand

“ When I'first came to flu* Dominion in .. .1900 thorn worn three different things that impressed me. The first, was the fact that many chimneys wore built outside the houses. In Australia we ■don’t do this, because we have no earthquakes; at least they are practically unknown. The second Il;ing with which I was impressed was the way the vehicles were built—high up to enable them to .ford rivers, and. the other thing that, struck me was the almost perfect climate and plentiful wafer supply. You people in Now Zealand "do not know what a drought is. Another great advantage of this country is that where you have young children you do not have to be continually on the watch for snakes when you are walking in the country. In Australia you have to keep a close watch for everything that resembles a black stick, because you never know whether it is a snake or not. In my young days the. snakes were a menace, and it was every man’s duty to kill every snake In l saw. The ladies, too, used to kill them, but; I never did. When you see a snake raise itself vvith fangs exposed ready • to strike you ere inclined to remember another engagement. ’' Interesting Comparisons Asked how Mew Zealand compared with Australia, generally. Yum replied: ‘‘ The natural advantages as • regards