The Prow 10 Most Recent Added Stories

The School Journal in Renwick

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:36:58 +1300

Every child educated in New Zealand will have more than a passing acquaintance with our national treasure: school journals. A creative incubator for the likes of Rita Angus, Margaret Mahy and James K. Baxter, their pages have filled young minds for more than a century.

School Journal cover, 1964. Courtesy Renwick Museum. Click image to enlarge

The Alexander Turnbull Library has a complete set of School Journals dating back to 1907 and various university libraries and the Auckland Public Libraries hold issues. But a little Marlborough library has one of the most comprehensive public collections dating from 1907 to the 1980s.

Renwick Museum and Watson Memorial Library
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In 1930, a teacher, Herbert Watson, built a small library next to his Renwick home. The book collection, which included school journals dating back to 1907, was later rescued, with another teacher, Marjorie Pattie, cataloguing and adding to it. This significant collection is now housed in the small volunteer-run Renwick Museum and Watson Memorial Library, near Blenheim.

Climate control comes by way of interior block walls - chilly in the winter, but a welcome refuge in summer. It's easy to get lost in a time warp in the windowless room, as the musty smell of old paper escapes from boxes of slim, black and white journals which contain stories of nationhood and ‘home' (England). Books such as The Home Educator (1896), The Complete Grazier and cloth-bound volumes of childhood favourites also line the shelves of the tiny library.

You can dip into nostalgia at an exhibition of School Journals at the Renwick Library and Watson Museum. ¹ And at your fingertips, the National Library has an online exhibition celebrating 100 years of school journals at http://www.natlib.govt.nz/collections/online-exhibitions/school-journal

Written by Joy Stephens and published in North & South, 2012

Tahuna Beach

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:54:45 +1300

Tahunanui Beach did not exist when Nelson was settled by Europeans. What is now the beach was once mudflat near the edge of the main channel draining the Waimea Inlet. It has taken a mere 100 years for Tahunanui Beach to build, with sands from Tasman Bay. Such is the nature of beaches and coastal dunes – they change with the movements of wind and sea, and are transitory formations.

Tahunanui beach (2006) – Les Dunford on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lesdunford/322247040/
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The area known today as Tahunanui is geologically very young – formed within the past 6,500 years, after the sea rose to its present level and formed Tasman Bay. Locally, the sea cut into a gravel fan deposited by Jenkins Creek and Poormans Valley Stream and formed the Monaco Spit. Winds and sea currents then formed beach ridges of sand and gravel over the area we know today as Tahunanui. The gravels lying under today's beach sand were largely derived from the Port Hills. While this was happening at Tahunanui, Rabbit Island and other Waimea Inlet islands were being formed by the dominant longshore drift which shifted material in a south easterly direction from the Motueka River.

On the Sands, Nelson [when the beach was still rocky] The Nelson Provincial Museum, Copy
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In the 1840’s, records of the landscape began to be documented by European settlers in the form of maps, charts and written descriptions. The main channel draining the Waimea Inlet was called the Waimea River by settlers, and it crossed through the present-day beach. An intertidal sandbank – the Waimea Bank – extended from Rabbit Island towards Bolton Hole and was exposed at low tide. Bolton Hole was formed at a point where the Waimea and the Maitai Rivers met.

Some time in the 1870s a new channel broke through the Waimea Bank, possibly during a storm or series of storms. At around the same time the Waimea River, at the head of the inlet, discharged most of its flow into a channel that headed west to Mapua. Without a scouring flow through the old eastern channel it slowly filled with sand and, by 1882, is recorded as being dry. Meanwhile, the new channel started to shift sand underwater towards Tahunanui Beach. and the Boulder Bank – narrowing the accessway for ships entering the Haven and starting to fill Bolton Hole.

By 1882 the fairway, for ships rounding the bottom of the Boulder Bank to enter the Haven, had been reduced to 1800 feet wide (550 metres) and 7 feet deep (2.1 metres) at low water springs. By 1898 the encroaching sandbar had reduced the fairway to 900 feet wide and ships were having to negotiate a tight passage to enter the Haven at high tide. This was hazardous, so in 1899 a cut through the natural formation of the Boulder Bank was recommended. After much public debate as to the wisdom of tampering with nature, a new entrance to the Haven was created by blasting and dredging a cut through a low point in the Boulder Bank. The cut opened for use in 1906.

Tahuna beach - Nelson PhotoNews (1966, August 20), no.70 http://photonews.org.nz/nelson/issue/NPN70_19660820/fig-NPN70_19660820_050a.html [The area at Tahunanui Beach, better known as the "back beach", is to undergo major development in the future. The area on which car racing has been held in the past will be converted into playing fields and the present playing area has been suggested as the site for a tourist hotel.]
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F.N. Jones: Crowd at Tahunanui Beach, Nelson, ca 1928: 1/2-032897-G Federick Jones. Alexander Turnbull Library http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=31986
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While changes were occurring out around Bolton Hole and Haulashore Island, Tahunanui Beach was steadily building up with sand. By 1900 the area we know today was largely formed, but most was an intertidal sandbank and completely covered with very high tides. The sea wall around Rocks Road was completed in 1899. This had the affect of stopping natural sea erosion of the base of the Port Hills and Tahunanui Slump, preventing natural gravels and sands from being transported onto the beach area.

During the 1890's the beach was mostly gravel, much of which had been taken over a period of 27 years for road building in Stoke. This was stopped in 1889 at the insistence of landowners Edward Green and Mathew Richmond.

The beach did continue to change however. By 1904 a line of sand dunes had formed (in line with the intersection of Tahunanui Drive and Beach Road, well south of present-day Bisley Walk) with dune vegetation established above the reach of the tide. Ten years later, the front dunes were well established and the eastern ‘back beach' area was drying out. The dunes were considered so permanent that a recreation ground was established, the first of many developments which were to follow.

Since 1935 it has been possible to record vegetation lines at the beach with assistance from aerial photography. Blind Channel has been moving eastwards at an estimated average rate of 3.85 metres per year. Vegetated dunes that once provided some protection for the Motor Camp are currently not present. The central area of the front beach has been through a period of erosion and sand-building. Vegetation on the eastern-most area of the front beach has been through several periods of change, including the building of a car park in 1958 and the realignment of a stormwater drain in 2005.

Tahuna dunes (2009) - tahunanui beach nelson, heather Camp on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/heather/3298964585/
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Erosion

Since the 1950's the eastern movement of Blind Channel has washed away some 250 metres of the western end of the front beach. But whether this is a constant trend isn't known. The sea and its dynamics are always changing. What is known is that the quantity of sand that moves around Tasman Bay, most of which eventually ends up to the south of the Waimea Estuary, is increasing. Thus any erosion that does occur at Tahunanui Beach is localised repositioning of the sand within the stockpile. In the future there will still be a beach at Tahunanui, but no one knows exactly what position it will be in and exactly what mix of rock, gravel and sand it will consist of.

A community coast care programme has worked to protect the dunes since 2005, using sand trapping barriers and vegetation, including pingao Desmoschoenus spiralis and spinifex Desmoschoenus spiralis and spinifex Spinifex sericeus.

The information in this story was written for the Nelson City Council Heritage plaques at Tahunanui Beach, 200

Quakers Acre Cemetery

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:27:46 +1300

The Society of Friends

Members of the Society of Friends, although few, were valued in the early settlement period of Nelson for their concern for the welfare of Maori people and abhorrence of the use of force against them. They were a pacifist, egalitarian group and supported the establishment of churches and schools of all denominations. Early Nelson Quakers Frederick Tuckett and John Cotterell were both involved in the 1843 Wairau Affray where they refused to fight or bear arms; Tuckett escaped but Cotterell surrendered and died; his grave can be found at Tua Marina, and that of fellow Quaker and surveyor Samuel Stephens at Fairfield Park cemetery. Isaac Hill is buried in the Baptist section of Wakapuaka Cemetery.

Isaac Mason Hill 1816-1885
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Although few in number, Isaac Hill treasured the company of his fellow Quakers at the early meetings held in Nelson at the home of Martha and Samuel Strong home. “I must acknowledge sitting in silence though with only a few to be a great privilege, and so all will find it who are absent from large meetings”.¹

The Society of Friends now meets every Sunday in Nelson at its place of worship, 30 Nile Street.

Quakers Acre

Quakers Acre, which was once known as Town Acre 667, marks the site of New Zealand's first Quaker Meeting House. The land is technically a cemetery, and therefore it remained undeveloped. It was opened as a Quiet Garden in 2008.

Martha (d.1875) and Samuel (d.1854) Strong are buried in the top corner of the garden. Both were early members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and attended worship in New Zealand’s first Quaker Meeting House on Town Acre 667, built 15 May 1853. Martha was unwell at this time and the following year she died and was buried here. Samuel Strong is buried beside his wife. Two infant children of Isaac Hill are also buried here, one named Samuel Tertius, the other name unknown.

The cottage of John Sylvanus Cotterell which became the Quaker Meeting House, sketched by a visiting member of the Society of Friends in 1853.
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The Strongs arrived in New Zealand on the ship Bombay in December 1842. They were keen members of the Quaker faith and for a time held regular meetings in their own home. Other Nelson Quakers included surveyors Samuel Stephens, John Cotterell and Frederick Tuckett, and storekeeper Isaac Hill. It was Cotterell who selected Town Acre 667 in 1842 from the New Zealand Company but died the next year. Two English Quakers, Robert Lindsay and Frederick Mackie, purchased the acre from Cotterell’s heir and established the Meeting House in the small cottage that was on the site.

It is thought that meetings were not held here on a regular basis after the death of Samuel Strong in 1875. The land was leased to timber merchant Henry Baigent in 1884 and used as a horse paddock. In 1922 parliamentary authority was obtained to sell most of the acre for subdivision, except 17.5 perches which included the graves and the site of the Meeting House. The Nelson City Council took over the maintenance of the property in 1934.

In 2005 Grace Sutherland, a member of the Quakers, visited the site and, finding it badly neglected, decided to try and recreate the space as a quiet garden in the city. The community had pictures of the original site, showing the cottage, hanging in their present-day meeting house in Nile St. The Friends and Nelson City Council - guardians of the land - agreed to support Grace and her idea, and the area was tidied up, bench seats were installed and a garden was created. The seating area is meant to be a representation of the original rectangular cottage.

Trees

At the time the Meeting House was first established here, the Society applied to the government for funding under a ‘support for establishment of denominations grants’. The Society did not qualify, due to its small number of members, but the government did provide prison labour to clear the property; it is recorded that native trees and shrubs were planted although none from this era survive today.

Today an old yew Taxus baccata, stands at the front of the grave. In England, yew trees have been a traditional tree for planting in church yards and beside graves. The yew provided timber to make bows, cross bows and long bows.

The information in this story is edited from the text of the heritage information panel at Quakers Acre, prepared 2009

Nelson Cemeteries (a timeline)

1840s - 1868 - Haven Cemetery - Malcolm Place, The Cliffs.
1854 - 1875 - Quakers Acre - Rutherford Street.
1840s - 1885 - Hallowell Cemetery - Shelbourne Street.
1851 - 1910 - Trafalgar Street Cemetery (Fairfield Park).
1861 - Present Day (limited burials)Wakapuaka Cemetery.
1960 - Present Day - Hira Cemetery (Family and local resident burials); Seaview Cemetery, Stoke.
1956 - Present Day - Marsden Valley Cemetery

Nayland College

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:28:37 +1300

In 1965, Nelson was growing rapidly and urban development needed to be spread out. New residential development meant that new amenities were required, therefore Nayland College was built.

Nayland College.
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The $220,000 College was built with funding from the Ministry of Education. On February 3^rd 1966, Nayland College was officially opened by the former Minister of Education, Mr Kinsella. 187 students found 12 classrooms ready for occupation, and work on the big assembly hall was well advanced. For the first year the college catered only for third form pupils, but as the roll grew, so also did the accommodation at the school. By 1970, the roll was up to 740, and the school enrolled 3^rd – 7^th formers for the first time. Now, in 2011, Nayland College caters for approximately 1300 students, 80 of whom are international, and employs about 105 full and part time staff.

Nayland College has an excellent reputation for being “more than just a school”, and it seems to possess a special character. Many students who attend Nayland are extremely supportive of their school; they enjoy attending their classes and claim that they “wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.” But how has Nayland developed this positive morale? There are many aspects of the school which make it a place where both students and teachers truly want to be. One of these is the way that Nayland students are treated as both individuals and equals. Our fantastic teachers strive to make sure that everyone’s personal needs are met so that pupils don’t just learn, but understand and enjoy what they are learning about.

Nayland’s deputy principle, Mr Trevor Olley, thinks that our school “creates a culture of recognizing its students as individuals, and works very hard on creating relationships and meeting those needs.” The expectations and values that the school tries to instil in its students is known as ‘The Nayland Way.’

Nayland College Crest
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The Nayland College crest was designed by Mr M R Smith. The shield has been quartered and each quarter contains a symbol which is significant to the Nelson region. The top left contains a sailing ship, which represents discovery, Nelsons' early settlers and Lord Nelson, after whom the area was made. The top right quarter signifies Lord Rutherford’s research of the atom. The bottom left has a pine cone, which symbolizes the wealth of Nelsons' forestry, and the bottom right corner shows a Godwit; a bird which congregates each autumn on Farewell Spit before its journey to Siberia. The school's motto, Loyalty and Honour,was chosen by the headmaster, Mr W Kane, and both are qualities which are deeply instilled in many Nayland students.

Nayland has achieved much recognition for its outstanding qualities. In 2001, Nayland was recognized as the Goodman Fielder secondary school of the year. These annual awards are designed to celebrate and reward outstanding initiatives in education, and support schools which Goodman Fielder believes are the cornerstone of every community. One of the things that Nayland is best recognized for is its consistently outstanding performances in the annual stage challenge, winning Nelson-Marlborough stage challenge in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Jeremy Johnson cup, rewarded to the winners of the Kahurangi/Marlborough regional schools debating championship ,has been won by Nayland more than any other school in the region – four out of seven years, which is how long the championships have been in existence.

Nayland College - entry in annual stage challenge. Photo supplied by author
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Perhaps the most iconic aspect of Nayland’s individuality is the relaxed rules regarding uniform. Students are allowed piercings, tattoos and may do as they please with their hair, whereas this could get you suspended or even expelled at most other schools. Senior students (5^th -7^th form) are allowed to wear mufti, with few limitations on what can be worn. This began when Nayland created a senior mufti uniform in the early days, the idea being that it would match what students would be expected to wear when they entered the workforce. Mufti was introduced to the year 13s in the late 1970’s. It then expanded to include year 12 in 1989 and finally year 11 in 2005. Year 11 was included because when NCEA was introduced, senior students could work at multi-levels, therefore it made sense to create a junior/senior school distinction. It meant that there was no stigma when year 11 students were sitting in a level 2 or 3 level class, and vice versa. Nearly all of Nayland’s students, including myself, love the fact that they can come to school while still enjoying the comfort their own clothes. One year 12 student had this to say: “It makes me feel like more of an Individual, and it makes school a place that you actually want to be when you can enjoy the comfort of your own clothing. The fact that we are allowed to wear our own clothes makes students feel more like adults because the authoritative figures are not trying to control us, which I think consequently results in a far more mature student body.”

Senior Students play a big part in the running of Nayland College and make many major decisions which greatly impact the school. We organize events such as stage challenge and the ball, and some help other students as form class assistants and peer mediators. We also contribute to a range of committees that all provide a student voice and focus. One of these committees is the Nayland Alliance of Gays and Straights, otherwise known as NAGS. This group meets once a week to converse, and share thoughts and ideas. The existence of NAGS is a shining example of how Nayland is accepting of all students, and promotes individuality and diversity. Peer mediators play an important role in the school pastoral system. They work in pairs to run mediations between students who are in conflict and connect with students on a one-on-one basis. They also go into classrooms of junior students to help new students connect and settle into Nayland.

“Nayland College is widely respected for innovation and professional leadership. We work incredibly hard to ensure students leave us as confident, adaptable contributors ready to take on the many challenges ahead. We encourage our students to be proud of whom they are and firmly believe that co-education brings out the very best in today’s young people.” Rex Smith, Principle

All of these things are merely contributing factors to what makes Nayland such a fantastic place to be a part of. Nayland College truly is more than just a school.

Nicole Walker, Nayland College, 2011

Early Wakefield

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:39:07 +1300

It is believed that Wakefield (originally known as Pitfure)¹ was named after the Yorkshire birthplace of an early settler, William Hough; however it is also widely accepted that the village was named in honour of Arthur Wakefieldwho was killed in the Wairau Massacre.²

Wakefield town, 1880. Waimea South collection
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Situated in Waimea South, Wakefield’s first European immigrants, who settled in 1843, found plentiful timber, arable land and very few Maori, who had fled the area in Te Rauparaha’s 1828 raids.³

An 1842 map by surveyor, John Cotterell shows much of Waimea South was well wooded. There was great demand for timber, both locally and as an export, and soon thousands of metres of timber were leaving the area each week. ⁴

Hodgsons Store. Wakefield. Waimea South Collection
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Small stores sprang up to cater for the rural community. They stocked food and farm necessities, household goods, clothing and luxury items. Thomas James Smith and his wife Grace arrived in Wakefield in 1846 and set up a small general store. By 1865, there were three stores in Wakefield ^{5 -}Hodgsons, Hoopers and Paintons. ⁶

It wasn’t long before hotels providing accommodation and community hubs were established. The Wakefield Arms was established by William Plank in 1847⁷, with the Nelson coach service collecting and discharging passengers and goods at the hotel. In 1867, stock sales began in yards behind the hotel. The Wakefield Arms was the centre of the Waimea South Steeplechase, a popular event for many years, which began in the summer of 1868 and saw horses entered from all over the Waimeas.⁸

While Wakefield was developing into a busy rural centre, there was some frustration from locals about getting on the map. In 1856, a letter signed ‘One of the Old Settlers’ complained about the inconvenience caused by incorrectly delivered mail. The writer requested that the boundaries of the village be publicised.⁹

In 1878, a letter to the Nelson Evening Mail appealed to Wakefield people to agitate for a telegraph station at Wakefield before it was too late, saying that if a ‘one shop village’ like Brightwater was to get a telegraph office and station master, Wakefield was also entitled to one.¹⁰The Wakefield Post Office was built in 1909. ¹¹

Wakefield School, 1913. Waimea South Collection
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Wakefield School is the oldest school in continuous use in New Zealand. Founded in mid-1843 in the home of Mary Ann Baigent, it was soon crowded and by November 1843, John Wilkinson had established a separate school under the auspices of the Nelson School Society. During Wakefield School’s 168 year history, five additional schools have been incorporated, they are: Eighty-Eight Valley School, Pigeon Valley School, Spring Grove School, Totara Bush Household School, Te Arowhenua Household School, Wai-iti School (formerly Upper Wakefield ) and Foxhill School.¹²

St John’s Anglican Church (1846) is the oldest standing Anglican church in the South Island.¹³ Many of the district’s pioneers, such as Edward and Mary Ann Baigent lie in the churchyard cemetery.¹⁴ St John’s Catholic Church was established at Upper Wakefield in 1870 and the Wakefield Methodist Church was opened in 1919.¹⁵

Early Pioneers

Baigents - Edward Baigent arrived in Nelson and established a forestry and timber business, which survived well into the 20th century. Edward and Mary Ann were both involved with St John’s Anglican Church, which they helped build and sustain for 45 years. ¹⁶ Their 7^th child, Henry Baigent was a Nelson mayor for two terms.¹⁷

Eliab Baigent (Edward’s nephew) arrived in Nelson with his parents in 1848. At various times he worked as a shoemaker, JP, brewer, photographer, musician and tooth puller. From 1900, a huge jar of pulled teeth in his premises was a favourite stop for children on their way home from school. It was felt ‘sheer terror’ was a good anaesthetic for those who visited Eliab.¹⁸

Elib Baigent's business and home. Waimea South collection.
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Charles Faulkner - Charles, a widower, arrived in Nelson with his two sons in the mid 1870s to farm 46 acres of land, now known as Faulkner’s Bush. His large two storied house was burnt to the ground in April 1893. The family was well respected family in the community in church and cricket.¹⁹

Sydney and Sarah Higgins - Married in 1849, the Higgins’ bought land in Mt Heslington Valley. Sarah built the kitchen while Sydney was working and she worked as a midwife in the area for 26 years. They had 11 children, with all but one settling in the Waimeas as farmers or sawmillers.²⁰

George and Dinah Parkes - George Parkes arrived from Nottinghamshire in 1849, marrying Dinah Sutton in 1851. They came to 88 Valley and raised sheep, cattle and crops on a farmoriginally called Glenhope and renamed Punawai in 1918 . Some of the land in the original title is still owned by Parkes family members.²²

Thomas and Hannah Tunnicliffe - And finally typifying the hardy spirit of the region’s early European settlers was Hannah Tunnicliffe, wife of timber worker, Thomas. The couple, who had 11 children, ²³settled in upper Wakefield and she carried supplies from Nelson on her back, walking the distance.²⁴

The photographs used in this story are from the Waimea South Collection which is held at the Richmond Library and on Kete Tasman, an online archive of images, audio, documents and web links. See http://ketetasman.peoplesnetworknz.info/ for more images of Wakefield and from Tasman's past.

2011

Ligar Bay

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:09:44 +1300

A small Golden Bay settlement, Ligar Bay, is currently divided over a disagreement of the fate of eight small baches built on council land. A licence which permitted the baches to be built on council owned road reserve is due to expire in 2014¹, when the baches will be demolished. The moral conflict has resulted in a division of the Golden Bay community.

Ligar Bay. Tasman District Council
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Some Ligar Bay inhabitants want the baches removed. A Golden Bay bank manager, Dean Lund, wants them gone². He has lived across the road from the baches for three years, and bought his land being guaranteed the baches would be removed come 2014. The removal of the baches would provide further beach access and more reserve space. It would also increase the price of his land. He says that the baches are taking up public land and should go.

A claim from Dean Lund and Ligar Bay bach owner, Jim Williamson, that the baches were leaking sewerage and contaminating the beach was later rejected by Tasman District Council's water scientist. A storm from the day previous to the day of testing would have contaminated a river which empties onto the beach, making the "results" implausible.³

Meanwhile, the bach owners are vowing to do all they can to stay. And they have support. Lesley and Garth Bray, occupiers of one of the baches, have lived there for 21 years and raised a family in the home. They think it's unfair to have to leave. "It's far too precious, far too important to let go."⁴

Bruce and Sally Ansley, also occupiers of one of the baches, spend about half a year annually at their bach. They "are not impressed with their treatment by the council."⁵ Bruce Ansley claimed that other baches in similar situations around New Zealand have been granted extended leases. Baches on the Nelson Boulder Bank recently had their licenses extended until 2018 and ten years ago baches on the Punakaiki foreshore reserve had their licenses renewed for a further 30 years. ⁶ He wants to see a similar outcome at Ligar Bay and cannot find anywhere else in the country where a series of baches in one area are being completely pulled down like this.

The Ansleys and Brays. Golden Bay Weekly, 2011
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Ligar Bay resident, Bernie Kelly, has lived at Ligar Bay for seven years and says he fully supports that the baches remain. "I think TDC has to be very careful what it wishes for here. I haven't seen any plans as to what will replace the baches. Is it going to be more space for freedom campers to park up? Access is not an issue here because there's plenty of it onto the beach already. Personally, I'd like to see the bach owners remain. At least they'd carry on making a significant contribution to the community here."⁷

The bach owners each pay annual license fees of between $1200 and $1500 to the council; more than the average Ligar Bay rates.⁸ This shows that families such as the Brays and the Ansleys aren't using this land for free. It's all coming with a price. They are paying annual license fees rather than rates.

A committee meeting held at the Takaka Fire Station on February the third led the Tasman District Council to their final decision; that the licenses not be renewed. The council said that this decision was "unanimous" after hearing from both sides of the argument.⁹ They have said individuals have the opportunity to apply for extended leases but the reasons will have to be extreme if they are to be approved.¹⁰

Many councillors were sympathetic with the bach owners but the vote was passed unanimously. This was decided because the baches are on public land and there is "an increasing demand to return coastal land to the public."¹¹ The future of the road reserve at Ligar Bay will be subject to what Ligar Bay residents want to see happen. An extension to the current reserve is most likely.

But is this the correct moral decision? The eight baches have played such a significant part in many family's lives. They have been homes to some and holiday homes to others. The baches could house future families and holiday goers, remaining an iconic part of Ligar Bay. An editorial article from the Nelson Mail called it an "ugly" fight¹². It seems to be just that.

One bach has already been pulled down. Bach owner, Keith Brown, died in March. His family decided to not take over the lease. It would have cost more than $4000 a year to keep running, and so they ended the lease. The bach was pulled down on Wednesday the 8^th of June, 2011.¹³

Christchurch resident, Elizabeth Smyth, had been staying in the bach after the Canterbury earthquakes and watched it be pulled down. "The whole thing's disgusting," she said. "It's sad. I love the baches. They're part of Ligar Bay."¹⁴ Ms Smyth had been staying in the bach because her home in Christchurch had been ruined.

The Tasman District Council has included money in next year's budget for redevelopment of this piece of road reserve.

Perhaps it's a case of "rich out of towners"¹⁵ coming in and trying to take over an already established community. Yet these people bought land being guaranteed that the baches were subject to removal in 2014, and that once the baches were gone, the new beach access would increase the price of their properties.

The baches were built before Golden Bay became a popular and iconic tourist destination. They were there long before neighbouring bay, Tata Beach, was the busy, inhabited holiday spot it is today.

The first bach appeared in 1948 when a Mr C.P. Reilly "made application for permission to erect a small three roomed cottage on the Road Reserve at Ligar Bay," on the 13^th of April, 1948. It was approved. A Ligar Bay report from November 1986 read: "Permission be granted to Mr. C.P. Reilly to erect a three roomed cottage on the Ligar Bay Road Reserve, north-eastern side of Nyhane's main gate, subject to the pleasure of the Council and under the supervision of the County Engineer."¹⁶

The road reserve was originally farmland which was purchased by the Takaka County Council to construct a road from Takaka to Totaranui. The council at the time decided it would purchase more than the usual 20 metres of land needed for the road. Instead, a 40 metre strip of land was bought. This strip was inclusive of 20 metres for the road plus a further 20 metres from the road to the coastline.¹⁷ This resulted in the unused road reserve. Being the quiet place that Ligar Bay was in 1948; it seemed no problem to allow baches and cottages to be built. They were subject to terms and conditions outlined by the council. These conditions, subjective originally to a Mrs. Delany and a Mr Jennings, were:

That the area to be not more than sixty feet wide frontage to the road.
The land to be kept clean to the satisfaction of the council.
All buildings to be sited on an area selected by the County Engineer.
No fences to be erected except with the approval of Council and if allowed, to be placed not more than a maximum of ten feet from the dwelling.
The permit to be revocable without prejudice at the pleasure of the Council and within twenty four hours notice. ¹⁸

The council has never had problems with bach owners disobeying such conditions.

The bach owners were granted permission to erect their baches between 1948 and the mid-1950s. In 1989 the owners were granted licenses to occupy the council owned road reserve for a further 25 years, due to expire in 2014. Tasman District Council Property Services Manager, Jim Frater, thinks it only fair and law-abiding that they leave. "Both parties knew what the expectation was... They've known for 25 years."¹⁹ Tasman District Councillor, Cr Riley said, "It's not as if they've only had five minutes' notice."²⁰

Yet Frater does expect protest. He said he expects some will leave willingly, knowing that they have had their time there and that it has come time to move on. He said others will probably protest for a while but then peacefully move on regardless. There will also be the few who protest until the very end, to the point where the bach owners remain in their homes so the baches cannot be demolished. The bach owners have gained support from some local Golden Bay residents who have threatened to lie in front of bulldozers to prevent the demolition of the baches, which they believe are iconic features of the Ligar Bay - and Golden Bay - community and history.

One bach down, seven to go. Only time will determine the fate of the seven remaining Ligar Bay baches.

Sean Maclean, Nayland College, 2011

Inangahua Earthquake

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:09:41 +1300

On May 24^th 1968 at 5.24 am the second biggest land based earthquake in New Zealand history struck the West Coast of the South Island creating chaos and destruction.

The small town of Inangahua, situated on the west coast of the south island at about 138km from Nelson, was hit by a 7.1 earthquake that was felt from Dunedin to Auckland as well as causing damage in Nelson, Greymouth and Westport. At the time, Inangahua had only a small population of around 300¹.

Kitchen after earthquake, Inangahua 1968. Phillip Capper. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons
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The 'quake

As a direct result of the quake, three people were killed and another three were killed days later when a helicopter came down. At Whitecliffs, down the Westport road from Inangahua Junction, Mrs Rona Jackson was killed when the cliffs at the back of the house collapsed and crushed her house. Her mother Mrs Fanny Blackmore, who was also in the house, was pulled out alive but died in Reefton hospital as a consequence of her injuries.² A taxi driver, Mr Walter Guy, was killed in Greymouth when the bridge he was about to drive over lifted up and hit his car as he drove onto it. Three men from Motueka were killed when the helicopter they were using to survey the power lines around Murchison area hit the lines and came down.

Inangahua Earthquake. Road damage. Christchurch City Libraries
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The earthquake struck a low population area. Inangahua was made up of three settled areas. The Inangahua township, Inangahua Junction and Inangahua landing. Damage to the Junction was extensive. The historic Inangahua hotel was destroyed by a slow moving slip that pushed all buildings off their foundations, as if they were a child's toy blocks instead of people's homes and livelihoods. All buildings on the left side of the main road were destroyed. Inangahua itself was relatively undamaged, although the town had to be evacuated due to the Buller River being damaged by a slip. The people who lived on the Inangahua landing were evacuated, many by foot, and the buildings were never occupied again due to the threat of another slip.

Inangahua Junction bridge after the 1968 earthquake. Phillip Capper. Flickr
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Damage in the surrounding areas was less severe. Almost every chimney in Reefton had fallen down, houses had moved on their foundations and several larger buildings were lost, such as the Reefton post office. People were forced to walk from Inangahua to Reefton, which is around 30 kilometres away, to get help and medical attention. Over 40 people were evacuated this way ⁴.

Inangahua never really recovered. Many of the Inangahua people never went back to their homes. They stayed in Reefton or moved out of the area altogether. The buildings took months and, in some cases, even years to be fully restored. The railway was never fully restored.

Aftermath

Inangahua, Friday May 24. A huge slip has cut the road from Inangahua to Westport, and, beside it, another threatens the hotel (big building top left). Nelson PhotoNews
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After the earthquake was over and the damage restored, the area declined. People moved because they feared aftershocks. Employment decreased and school rolls dropped. The main cause of this was the closure of the forestry school. Shops had fewer customers and more and more ‘Help Wanted' signs were seen in windows. The Reefton area was seeing an economic downfall.

The quake had a strong effect on the local people. Children were upset and unsettled by the dramatic change in their lives. The quake meant that many of them couldn't go back to their homes for months. Many had to move to Reefton School for a period after the quake after the Inangahua School was left a mess. For a child, it was a very big change. Problems amongst the children were observed such as crying, bedwetting and anger, as well as many others.

Families were left with nothing except the clothes on their backs. They had to be ‘equipped' by social services such as Red Cross. In some cases, families in this situation came out of it much better than they went in. Some school teachers got their students to draw pictures of their personal experience. One boy drew a broken house with rain falling on it. The caption read ‘After the earthquake it rained'. The rain made the recovery and rescue efforts of the town much more complicated.

Personal Story

"We were in bed at Ikamatua and I heard the earthquake coming and told Gloria to hold tight as a large quake was coming. I could hear the stones deep in the ground grinding together. It was one hell of a shake. As it began to slow down we jumped out of bed and rushed to the other end of the house where Craig and Nigel were sleeping. On the way down the hallway I pushed the water heater cupboard door closed but it flew open and collected Gloria in the eye, result: one black eye. The boys were OK but their beds had moved and blocked access to their rooms. We had to push our way in. Craig, our oldest son at 4, described the earthquake as two big trains, steam trains then, meeting outside his window and making it rattle."⁵

Anna Lineham, 2011, Nayland College

Ngawhatu Hospital

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:49:57 +1300

Ngawhatu Hospital… Home or nightmare?

Ngawhatu Valley was the site of an orphanage industrial school, and later a psychiatric hospital. St Mary's Orphanage operated from 1886-1919. Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital operated from 1922 to 2000.

Plan of Ngawhatu. Alan Dalzell 1989.
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Walking up the sloping, never ending driveway at the end of Ngawhatu Valley, 2011, sent shivers down my spine. Gigantic trees loom overhead forming a dark tunnel. Trying to imagine what it would have been like to live so isolated from the public is simply impossible. Hastening up the driveway one suddenly catches a glimpse of a single, poorly kept, condemned old villa. Fifty metres down the drive one sights another, the remaining two skeletons of the past. The eerie atmosphere creates a chilling stillness. Black holes replace the smashed windows of a hidden room on the inaccessible second level. Something stirs in the shrubbery; one imagines the worst and escapes from these ‘ghost houses’. Visiting these buildings is a nightmare in the daytime, so how could these aged buildings in the tranquil valley have been home for so many years?

A rather small house in Shelbourne Street, Nelson, acted as a home to nine mentally ill patients in 1861.¹ An ‘asylum’ was an institution for the care of the mentally ill. This could not possibly be home… Nelson was increasing rapidly in population. With more and more mentally ill people seeking treatment, the undersized house on Shelbourne Street could no longer suffice for the growing numbers. A larger site with more space was needed to treat the mentally ill.. In 1920, the government bought some property that had potential for a psychiatric hospital, deep in the heart of the dense, eerie Ngawhatu Valley.

The building of the new ‘looney bin’ was finished and by 1922 it was running smoothly enough for a newly opened hospital. The psychiatric hospital at Ngawhatu Valley filled up quickly with patients, young and old, ranging from epileptic to schizophrenic. Individual female and male villas were viewed as too segregated for a hospital. In 1984, as a result of a government plan, the individual female and male villas were integrated to house larger groups of mixed gender.

The closure of the Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital, amid claims of patient abuse, came as little surprise in the year 2000. New Zealand had more people per head of population in institutions than anywhere else, which was rather disturbing. Mark Nalder, a registered psychiatric nurse who worked in all areas of Ngawhatu hospital, said “Ngawhatu was growing at an alarming rate.” ²

The main building, once a Catholic orphanage for boys. Nelson PhotoNews (1961, October 14)
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By the 1950s/60s, worldwide, people were thinking of better ways to treat the mentally ill rather than by isolation. It was no longer seen as acceptable to keep people in such isolated environments. Society had started to change its views of mentally ill people in the community. The fact that people were, or became, mentally ill was seen to be a part of life that couldn’t be changed and society was beginning to embrace this. With people’s views changing, the process of closing Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital began in the late 1990s. Martin Anderson worked at Ngawhatu as a project manager for intellectually disabled people, by managing the movement of these people from Ngawhatu hospital to community living. He commented that he thought the closure was due to increasing evidence, and emerging philosophies around the world, that institutions denied people basic human rights and being part of the community. While it would be more expensive to have patients living in the community, it meant people would receive better social and health outcomes.³

The hospital and surrounding property was sold in 2001. Today there are only two villas left standing and they have been condemned. When it was operating as a hospital, Ngawhatu was a solid mental institution functioning efficiently for the time. The way patients were treated there between the years 1922-2000 at Ngawhatu was a lot different to how patients at the Nelson Mental Health Unit (NMHU) are treated today. Electro – Convulsive Therapy (ECT) was probably the most widely used and recognised

The villa, Dunoon, for male patients Nelson PhotoNews (1961, October 14)
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treatment associated with psychiatric hospitals. By the mid 1980s it was used in a more targeted manner to treat specific psychiatric illnesses.⁴ Ngawhatu believed in the use of drugs, individual counselling sessions and group therapy, much of which are similar treatment procedures to those used today at the NMHU. The time patients spent at Ngawhatu was, however, longer than today (usually months) depending on their conditions.

Mr Anderson believes the treatment of patients at Ngawhatu was generally good, but he also commented that the recognition of issues of informed consent and patient rights could have been improved. He had occasionally seen firsthand some patients being deprived human rights:“There were times at Ngawhatu when people were given treatment without due regard to consent or patient rights. Simple things like being asked ‘do you want something for the pain’ – often drugs would be given to the patients without such questions being asked.” ⁵ Now, Nathan Davis, who worked at Ngawhatu for three years in the mid 1990s, said that NMHU is now more focused on helping mentally ill patients without the side effects of drugs.⁶

Nurse’s treatment of patients at Ngawhatu was challenging, as there were large patient numbers and few staff . One psychiatric nurse, Suzanne Win, who worked at Ngawhatu, recalled a time when; “Staffing was tight; an example was 4 staff to 50 patients in one villa, therefore meaning nurses worked very hard.”⁷ In 1971, the nursing staff was 164, patients 641 (excluding 61 on leave), medical staff. ⁸ This shows just how difficult the conditions must have been compared to 2011 (there is capacity for 31 patients at the NMHU).

The housing of patients throughout their treatment at Ngawhatu was by a villa system. The villas operated as homes to numerous people. Most of these people did not have a choice about where they lived, as they were ill and needed the specialised treatment Ngawhatu provided to get well again. However, “Some people who enter Ngawhatu voluntarily may still become quite ill, perhaps even suicidal.” ⁹

Ngawhatu's Rata villa. Image supplied by author
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There were 13 villas, each housing between 40-60 people. The villas often got rather crowded, especially Rata villa. Rata had 23 beds and even with that amount, some patients had to sleep on mattresses on floors in offices.¹⁰ The villa system gave the patients more personal freedom and trust, however it was also a much less private way of living: it must have been a nightmare to have to wash in the same open showers as all the other patients. There were four open showers and two baths in the middle of one room. The Nelson Mental Health Unit at present keeps up better patient privacy with: private rooms, showers and bathrooms. Nathan Davis observed; “Staff did not think they needed much privacy, they were there for treatment not for ‘homely’ living.” ¹¹

Something else that has changed considerably is the outdoor environment. Ngawhatu provided park-like surroundings. There were large amounts of free space outside in the ‘beautiful gardens’ ¹² for patients to do activities such as golf, tennis and croquet. These park-like surroundings Ngawhatu offered are not seen at the NMHU now - but patients are in residence for a much shorter time. The NMHU offers a small outdoor space with a tiny amount of grass to roam around on and a water feature in the middle.

Being labelled a mental institution, we automatically imagine locked doors and big keys jangling off a warden’s belt, however, Ngawhatu was not like this. The patients were not locked in; instead the hospital was secluded down a deep twisting valley road that was far away from town and civilisation.

Mr Davis spoke of the differences between Ngawhatu and care of patients today. When he was a student nurse, Ngawhatu did not just accommodate people with mental illnesses and disorders, it also catered for developmental disorders, older patients with disorders that had developed over the years and dementia. People whose mental illnesses meant they could not live independently were cared for by Ngawhatu. ¹³

Ngawhatu today. Image supplied by author
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Today, there are houses available in the community that cater for specialist placements, provided by supported accommodation providers Mental Health Support Services (MHSS) and Gateway Housing Trusts. The NMHU now has an extremely narrow focus with it seeing 3% of the most seriously unwell mental health patients.¹⁴

Rata villa took care of the acute admission and discharge into and out of the community. These were people who stayed at the hospital for a shorter period of time or for intensive treatment before being resettled back into the commutnity. Rata villa’s patients were directly transferred to the Nelson hospital site after the closure of Ngawhatu. The placement from Rata villa is very similar to placements from NMHU now, with comparable medication approaches, individual talking therapy, group activities, shopping and life skills support, for example cooking. This is the unit Mr Davis manages in the position of charge nurse.¹⁵

Despite the apparent eerie atmosphere surrounding the remnants of the Ngawhatu Psychiatric Hospital today, in 2011, it was once a home to many ill people and those with special needs. The mentally ill are no longer isolated in secluded sites, which makes a big difference to how society both treats and views them.

Story written by Catherine Thomas, Nelson College for Girls, 2011

Mount Arthur and the Tablelands

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:59:36 +1300

Mt Arthur /Tuao Wharepapa and the Tablelands

Mt Arthur and the Tablelands have played host to gold prospectors, graziers, botanists, skiers, trampers, tourists, artists, a Bishop, and Henry and Annie Chaffey - who lived above the bush line for nearly 40 years.

Mount Arthur from Tapawera. Tasman District Council
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According to Maori legend, a long time ago, a rangatira named Turakautah i fell in love with a beautiful woman called Tuao Wharepapa. He was already married so had to leave his pä. As he journeyed to Kawatiri where he settled, he passed the mountain and named it for his lost love Te Ao Wharepapa. The Maori name is also said to refer to a flat whare or house "which this well known landmark slightly resembles"¹but this is disputed. What is not disputed, is the significance which the maunga and the range have for Maori. The range has always been an important boundary marker and through it ran a vital trail to the West Coast for food and resource gathering.

Sitting on Nelson's Western skyline, Mount Arthur, named after Captain Arthur Wakefield, is a dominant feature of the range west of the Waimea Plains. The Tablelands, a plateau, of rolling tussock country, approximately 1200 metres above sea level, are surrounded by Mount Arthur, Mount Peel and Mount Lodestone.²

In December 1858, James MacKay and Captain Lockett walked into the mountains from near the head of the Cobb River, naming Mount Peel and Mount Lockett en route, as they searched for suitable land for settlement. They found none, but noted beds of quartz, indicating the presence of gold.³

Thomas Salisbury, one of three brothers from Lancashire,⁴ is regarded as the first European to graze stock on the Tablelands (also known as Salisbury's Open) from 1863.⁵ In 1875, John Park Salisbury (Thomas's brother) drove a mob of 100 sheep from the Graham Valley and turned them out on the Tableland tussock. Later, cattle and another 400 sheep were grazed from Mt Arthur to the Cobb. Stock were grazed in the area until the early 1950s.⁶ Thomas Grooby, a well-known identity, also ran stock on Mt Arthur, riding his horse there, until the age of 80 (in 1932). ⁷

Gold

Golden Bay pioneer, Harry Washbourn, described the ground at the Tableland as ‘peat on the top, then decomposed rock, then gold lying on the solid rock, no more than four feet down', with the gold washed into the gullies and hollows. ⁸

Sluicing, Tablelands. The Nelson Provincial Museum, F G Gibbs Collection: ¼ 201
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By 1868, it was reported that there were 12-14 diggers searching for gold in the shallow stream beds on the Tablelands.⁹ However, a lack of water to wash the gold was always a problem. Billy Lyons, a neat, dapper little man, was known as the grand old man of Balloon and spent much of his time trying to dig a ditch to bring water from Lake Peel to wash gold on the Tableland.¹⁰

Diggers Flume, Baton River. The Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection: 181937
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During the early days of gold activity, a man named Edwards ran a store where the Flora Hut now stands. There was no evidence of this store by 1880.¹¹

In November 1870, West Coast gold fields pioneer, Reuben Waite, went to explore the gold prospecting activity and gave the opinion that, with a road to transport provisions, the gold field on the Tablelands was capable of supporting several hundred men. However without a road, he advised ‘that no one will ever do any good there."¹²

Gold reefs were discovered on the Tableland in 1880, which attracted new interest, with mining licences issued to six syndicates between 1881-1885. Again there was talk of a road to transport diggers and provisions. There is no indication any of the syndicates did any development work and there were few diggers in the area by the late 1890s.

In 1909, a licence was granted to the Karamea and Tableland Mining Co. Ltd, which envisaged pumping water to the early workings from Lake Peel. Nothing came of this venture, except for Mt Balloon Hut, which was built by the company.¹³

Flora Hut. The Nelson Provincial Museum, F G Gibbs Collection: 3x4 105
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Great Outdoors

Tourists to the area included Bishop Andrew Suter, his wife Amelia and a party of young people. Recorded in Edward Jennings' journal, the group, guided by Thomas Salisbury, spent several days exploring in January 1880. Their luggage included ladies swags, blankets, six tents, 1 cwt flour, 1 side bacon and a quarter of a chest of tea.¹⁴ Bishop Suter preached a sermon to diggers at Bishop's Cave, near Cundy Creek on this trip.¹⁵

Charles Heaphy. View of the Nelson District. Mt Arthur in the Distance. Alexander Turnbull Library. http://mo.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=18653
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Until the late 1920s, the only accommodation on the Tablelands was the old Mt Balloon Hut and the Rock Shelter, a huge rock outcrop- used to this day. Teacher and keen botanist, Fred Gibbs, became interested in the construction of a new hut at Mt Balloon in 1915 and the Mount Balloon Scenic Hut Trust Board was formed in 1926. Over the next few years, the Mt Balloon Hut was repaired and new huts built at Salisbury Open and the Flora Clearing.¹⁶

By the 1930s, the Trust Board's brochure of information for would-be visitors to Mt Arthur described the three huts as bases for ‘many delightful trips' in the area. Mr Jas Heath of Pokororo packed goods for visitors to any of the huts: £1 day for his own services and 10 shillings a day for each packhorse required.¹⁷

John Mulgan was there in the summer of 1930. He later wrote ‘Man Alone' - the classic Kiwi wilderness novel. Artists including John Gully, James Nairn, Mountford Tosswill Woollaston and Enga Washbourn have represented the mountain in their paintings.

Mount Arthur. Archibald Willis [c.1886]. Alexander Turnbull Library. http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=8649&l
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‘Mount Arthur Area a Potential Resort' was the headline in the Evening Post in June 1937. The newspaper reported three miles of excellent downhill skiing from the summit of Mount Peel to Balloon Hut, with a further 2.5 miles to Salisbury Hut and ‘nursery slopes' near Lake Peel. It was considered that, if extended to the Tableland, a proposed road to the asbestos deposits, would take cars close to the ski fields.¹⁸ The Nelson Ski Club had been skiing on Mt Arthur since 1930, but eventually found the walking distance too great, with Mt Robert, at Lake Rotoiti, offering easier access.¹⁹

In the early 1940s, it was proposed that 163,000 acres of mountainous country, including Mt Arthur be added to the Abel Tasman National Park.²⁰ This did not happen, but Mt Arthur became part of the Kahurangi National Park, which was formed in 1996.

2011

Shelbourne Street Gaol

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:23:33 +1300

Unwanted, Unneeded, Unremembered: The Life of the Nelson Gaol 1850-1898

The Nelson Gaol built at Shelbourne St in 1850 is little known or remembered as part of modern day Nelson society. But at its prime it gained a lot of social attention, from the controversy surrounding its introduction, to the Maungatapu Murderers right through to its destruction in 1898. The Gaol was constantly put under the spotlight.

In 1846 money was approved by the provincial government to build a Gaol at the site on Shelbourne St.¹ The Gaol however wasn't opened until 1850. The Gaol was made out of wood to prevent earthquake risk and the structure had six cells and one juvenile cell.

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The Gaol wasn't exactly needed in the area at the time, the crime rate was quite low as people busied themselves with creating the colony. Gaoler William Rogerson was mostly left to look after himself, but the government found it was their duty to have a building suitable for housing people who offended; this was essential to building the foundation of a city and further creating the colony.²

The European settlers of Nelson were nervous about robberies of their new found land and possessions as well as fearful of the Maori tribes in the area, as they were unsure of their values and beliefs. A civil prison relaxed the nerves of the citizens of Nelson.

In 1854 a commission of enquiry was set up by the Provincial Government Select Committee to examine the gaol conditions and they found it "unsuitable in every respect"³. It was, according to the commission "Badly designed, badly constructed and destitute of many of the conveniences requisite for the health of the prisoners. Its accommodation is so wretchedly inadequate that it is impossible to attempt any classification of prisoners. Debtors, lunatics, felons, prisoners awaiting trial and runaway seamen all mix indiscriminately together"⁴.

Prisoners were paid 10 shillings per week to watch the "lunatics", as the Gaolers were unqualified.⁵ Most of the prisoners were Maori and the language barrier proved a problem.⁶ Law and Order was good in the region and the Gaol proved a major embarrassment for the provincial government.

The fact that the lunatics and the prisoners were held together become a matter of issue for the enquiry and in 1855 the provincial government responded. Tenders to alter the gaol and provide a separate wing for a lunatic asylum were commissioned.⁷

This did little to help though. By 1864 the Gaol was notorious for the extreme ease in which people who were incarcerated could escape.⁸ Any dangerous criminals were sent to the far more sturdy Wellington Gaol, which was made of stone. The Nelson Gaol, however, held its fair share of dangerous criminals, ones that would be remembered.

The story of the Maungatapu Murders is a legend in Nelson. In 1866 three of the gang of murderers were housed in the Gaol awaiting sentencing and on 5^th October 1866 they were hung in the prison yard on scaffolding built by the prisoners themselves. The hanging drew a large social crowd to the Gaol, which had never seen more people, and the death of three criminals became the social event of the year. After they were hung the bodies of the murderers were buried in the prison yard and remain there to this day.

They were not the only victims killed on this scaffolding. A little over a year later on, 20^th December 1867, Robert Wilson was hung after being found guilty of murdering his mate James Lennox. His hanging is less well documented but his body is also buried in the same yard alongside those of the Maungatapu Murderers.⁹

Many great policemen were appointed Gaolers in Nelson including the first, William Rogerson followed by Henry Clouston and, in 1874, Sergeant Major Robert Shallcrass. Shallcrass was the head inspector in the case of the Maungatapu Murderers.¹⁰ The Gaolers were considered by The Colonist (Nelson's Local Newspaper) at the time to be "lame and aged" and would meander around the Gaol in a leisurely fashion. The prisoners suffered an exceedingly gentle form of punishment. The Gaol was not up to scratch and public opposition to it began to grow.¹¹

Nelson Gaol Tragedy. Observer, Volume 6, Issue 151, 4 August 1883, Page 6 [Papers Past]
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On 28^th July 1883 Warder Samuel Adams was killed in the line of duty by convicted killer John Davidson. Davidson was due to be moved to Wellington prison, and the fact that he was still in Nelson several months following his sentencing was a bureaucratic oversight. Davidson stabbed Adams with a butcher's knife from the kitchen and then stole a revolver. Gaoler Robert Shallcrass was awoken by a scream and a gunshot and went down into the Gaol to find Davidson pointing a gun at him and ordering him to open the barrier gate. Shallcrass talked him down for 50 minutes before convincing Davidson to kill himself, Davidson carried out the suggestion and shot himself.

Davidson was buried in the Gaol Yard and Adams was buried in neighbouring Hallowell Cemetery. Shallcrass was criticized for his role in the tragedy and he resigned later that year¹². The tragedy brought the attention of the community to the prison once again and caused the provincial goverment to rethink the situation of the Gaol.

In 1898, after the completion of the building of Rocks Road, there was no longer any labour for the inmates of the Gaol to carry out as punishment, and it was decided that the Gaol be closed and the inmates and warden would be transferred to Wellington.

Plaque marking the site of the gaol
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Nelson now only contained a Police Gaol at the John St Police Station.

In 1906 The Nelson Education Board secured the Shelbourne St site for a Girls School and the Gaol was demolished the school building opened in 1908. In January 1927 all area schools became co-ed and the building became the Nelson Education Board Office until 1996 when it was sold.¹³

The Shelbourne St Gaol site is now a tan coloured town house and only a plaque marks the spot where it once sat. Nelson Gaol is not the city's proudest facility but it has marked its place in Nelson history as a place best known as unwanted and unseen, but a necessary part of the community.

Gemma Winstanley, Nayland College, 2011