IN THE SIXTIES.

Waipa Post, Volume I, Issue 48, 29 September 1911, Page 3

IN THE SIXTIES.

EARLY TE AWAMUTU. [Jobin H. Mandeno.] As I stood on Pickit Hill on the Rangiaohia Road one morning, and looked down on the spreading town of Te Awamutu, with its large buildings, its streets, churches, and trees, the railway station beyond, and everywhere around green fields and gardens, also the green valley of the Mangahoe,- with the stream showing out here an:l there among the fields, all so beautiful and so prosperous in appearance, I was forcibly reminded of my first sight of the place, and I have thought that possibly you or some of your readers-ftiight be entrusted in a slight and very meagre account of the appearance of the future town in those far-away days. It was in the early part of 1866 that I looked down on “TeAmute,” as it was usually called, from the top of Green Hill. I had been riding for three days from Auckland, mostly through fern and titree, and the sight of the military camp, as it then was, made me stop to gaze and admire. Before me was an extent of tents and buildings, covering the whole of the present town she. The church stood then as it is now, and the mission house, surrounded with trees, and being at least twice the size it is now. It was then the headquarters of the officer commanding. The road down Green Hill ran straight on and crossed the river by a substantial bridge, going through the middle of the camp on pass *l>T.Ban.k corner. On either side of the road were big raupo and

ti-tree huts, each-ho accommodate t thirty.me.n. Where Mr Brown’s ' and other shops are there was a line of small huts for the married men,, At the corner opposile'the post office was a very large raupo building, which was used as a soit of club'rooin by the officers. There was a bridge where thepresent bridge is, and a narrow road running up past the church,. but this was private, and a sentry was posted on the bridge, to prevent passengers. Where the gale yards are now „ there was a

long double row of stables, where Major Jackson and Mr Andrew Kay, who had the contract for carting for the commissariat, kept their horses. Where the Courthouse and Public Hall now stand was the old 4Qth Redoubt, and close-by were very large commis-sariat-stores of wood and iron Where the Bank.stands there was' a canteen or public house run by “ Micky Dinneen,” as he was then called. Where the old sale yards were there, was a row of great camp ovens, big iron things covered with earth,. They were afterwards taken away and utilised by settlers as chimneys* for their shanties. The whole of the site was closely occupied.by tents or buildings of some kind, and .everywhere there were redcoats. Of course by this time most of the troops and all the militia were away, but there was still one regiment left —the 57th, if I remember rightly —and it was withdrawn shortly afterwards. Most of the mission farm was in grass, and the hill where Mr Wallace’s house is was green, but the rest of the country was mostly in fern and ti-tree. On Mr North’s flat there was a lake of 40 or 56 acres in extent, a great reso. t of wild ducks and pukekas.. But everywhere through the fern were groves of fruit trees, where the Maoris had had their cultivations. . Fruit galore, for man and beast, for droves of pigs fattened on it, and even the cattle and horses would pick out the ripest and the sweetest under the trees. Ah, it is then, as it is now, a beautiful scene, though of a very _ different character from the present,, and as I looked I inwardly determined that' I must have a farm, in the neighbourhood by some means or other. I thought that it looked to be what it has since proved to be, a goodly land' and scon there were many coming like myself, to try to get a home in it. - Those were the days of hope and energy. Hard and rough times came afterwards, but we battled through them and a few of us have lived to see the results of our worki But where are all the friends of the long ago.? How few there are left; so many have gone on the long journey, and others are scattered far. arid wide to the ends of the earth, so that of ail the.old friends remaining, I think'l could count all on the fingers of one hand. May the new generation prove worthy successors, of the old hands. Exit I must not ramble on, otherwise I could tell of the danger's and hardships of the days that followed. But- you would accuse me of being prosy* and I would be taking up too 'much of your valuable space. N - [We offer our thanks to Mr Mandeno for his valuable contribution, and we are sure our readers would be more than pleased if we could assure them that this interesting article is but the beginning of a series dealing with the history of Te Awamutu from the sixties onwards’. No subject can bemore interesting to either the' “old hands” or the rising generation of the district. We sincerely hope that Mr Mandeno may see his way to give us more. Such contributions from any such reliable source will always be most welcome. —ED. W.P.j.