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John Kidson (senior) 1808-1875

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:47:04 +1200

Gardener, Nelson settler, participant in Wairau Affray and New Zealand Company agitator

John and Amelia Kidson both had secure jobs in England - he was a gardener at the Royal Gardens (now Kew) and she was a lacemaker to Queen Victoria. However, the Industrial Revolution of the 1840s created great unemployment in England, so the Kidsons decided to emigrate to Nelson for a better future for their family. They arrived on the Bolton on 15 March, 1842.

John Kidson, The Nelson Provincial Museum, 68443-3
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On 10 April, 1843, Kidson wrote to the Reverend Harry Dupuis: "I have been hear 13 months, and ham happy to say it is a helthey climet. The harbours abound with fish, and there is plentiful supply of potatos from the natives, tho very Dear; but I have got good gardin, plenty of things growing."

This letter was, however, interrupted. Kidson was enlisted to help crew the boat which transported Arthur Wakefield, Frederick Tuckett and co. to the Wairau Valley to investigate Maori resistance against men surveying there.

Kidson's statement about the Incident (given verbally and transcribed) was published in the Nelson Examiner on 23 December, 1843: "I thought I should have made a stand and faced the enemy, but there was no getting our men together - they kept slipping off one at a time, until there were few left besides the gentlemen and they talked of giving themselves up."¹

There were "100 fighting men, and on our side 49 in hall, and half of them never fiered a gun in thare lives I ham sartin shore; ford I had to lode thare Peaces for them," he later wrote to Rev Dupuis.

Kidson managed to escape and was pursued by three Maori and a dog. "I again took up my gun, and seeing one about to throw what appeared to be a spear, I leveled at his navel and brought him down." He waded through swamps and rivers, climbing a tree to wait for the moon to rise and finally reached Ocean Bay the next afternoon.

Kidson returned to the scene of the battle a few days later to bury the dead with the Reverend Samuel Ironside, a Port Underwood missionary. As the New Zealand Company boat had been taken by Maori, Kidson and four others walked back to Nelson via the Tophouse.

In August 1843, Kidson resumed his letter to Reverend Dupuis in England: " The Peapel are leaving the colany fast and my wife wishes she wass back, but I fear that will never be......"

The Kidsons saved to buy a piece of land, with John working at the Company store and Amelia preparing bird skins to be sent home to England. In 1850, Kidson signed the Memorial of Mechanics and Labourers² claiming compensation from the New Zealand Company for unfulfilled promises.

By 1853, the Kidsons and their 11 children were living on freehold land in Brook Street. Kidson worked as a gardener for resident magistrate, John Poynter, for several years and his son John (jnr) became lighthouse keeper on the Boulder Bank- living there for 30 years and rescuing many people.

Note - Wairau Affray
At the time of the Wairau Affray, the Government was paralysed by the numerical superiority of Maori (about 6000 European settlers and 120,000 Maori) and knew that the survival of the Colony depended on Maori goodwill. Governor of New Zealand, Robert Fitzroy illustrated this difficulty when he said about the Wairau Incident: "The Europeans were wrong and had no right to build houses upon land who's ownership was disputed. But that, the very bad part of the Wairau affair was the killing of men who had surrendered."

This article is paraphrased from a series of columns written by Joy Stephens and published in the Nelson Mail in 2007

Onekaka Ore

It took nearly 50 years of exploration, analysis and debate ¹ before Onekaka’s rich iron ore resource was to be commercially processed in 1922. While the Onekaka Iron and Steel Company had plenty of potential, a combination of low demand, foreign competitors and an economic Depression saw the works closed by 1935, although it was kept on standby during World War II.

Ironworkers at Onekaka, Copy Collection, The Nelson Provincial Museum, C3014
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Pipe Dreams at Onekaka

From the earliest days of European settlement in Golden Bay, there were high hopes for an iron industry. Crown agent, Mathew Richmond became aware of the value of the mineral deposits in 1852 and was eager to acquire land before local Maori realised its value.

Various companies were formed to develop the region’s limonite deposits from the 1870s onwards, but inadequate capital hindered most attempts. In 1891, 300 tons of Parapara iron ore, along with coke and coal from Ferntown, were taken to the Onehunga Iron Smelting Company, where they produced good quality iron. ³

The frustration felt by enthusiasts can be sensed in the Golden Bay Argus of August 1, 1895: “Unlimited iron of first class quality, coal, limestone, easy access, cheap production, deep water for shipping and plenty of foreshore are all provided by nature, and if the venture will pay at all in the colony this locality offers super conditions.” ⁴

The Onekaka Iron & Steel Company Ltd was formed in 1920 with capital of £80,000. About 50 men were employed to build the works, which comprised 16 coke ovens, a blast furnace, a water race and an aerial cableway. Iron is produced by smelting (heating) iron ore with coke, with limestone being used to remove impurities. The limonite and lime were on hand at Onekaka, but coking coal was brought in from the West Coast.⁵

Onekaka moulds, The Nelson Provincial Museum, Copy Collection, C3276
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Onekaka ironworks wharf , The Nelson Provincial Museum, Copy Collection, C3275
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The first smelting of good quality pig iron was produced in April 1922. By October 1925, 2670 tons of iron had been produced, but the local market was saturated and prices were falling. About 600 tons of pig iron were shipped to Australia, but, when Australian Customs Duty was tripled to $6 per ton, the future seemed gloomy.⁶

To diversify, a pipe making plant was installed in 1927. Auckland, New Plymouth and Nelson local authorities all bought the pipes for underground use, with some still in use in 1979. Australian pipe makers introduced new, lighter pipes, however, undercutting Onekaka’s prices, and the Onekaka Company went into receivership in 1931. Pipes and pig iron were manufactured until 1935, but competition with the Australians and a lack of local capital during the Depression years, saw the closure of the plant in 1935.⁷

Between 1922 and 1935, a total of 81,499 tons of iron, valued at nearly £210,000 were produced, with up to 180 men being employed.⁸

Ultimately, the company’s hopes were defeated by the economic conditions of the time. Historian Jim McAloon suggests that Onekaka suffered from a credibility problem, with potential customers not believing the company could supply iron to the whole of New Zealand, and continuing to import large quantities. ⁹ It has been suggested there are still many tons of ore at Onekaka.¹⁰

A hydro electric dam and plant were built in 1929 to provide power for the pipe-making operation. After the Onekaka works were closed, the plant continued to generate electricity for Golden Bay between 1937 and 1944.¹¹

Today, there are scant remains of the iron works and wharf, but the hydro scheme has been reconstructed and generates about 900 kilowatts of electricity for up to 450 Golden Bay homes.¹²

2008

Dumont d'Urville's Tasman Bay Odyssey

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:51:33 +1300

On a windless day, the view of Tasman Bay from the ridge leading to French Pass seems enchanting but harmless. The battalions of rocks fringing the southern tip of D'Urville Island, and even the Beef Barrels, in the middle of Current Basin, form dark patterns in the bright water, perfectly visible and unthreatening. But when it blows hard nor'west, the situation changes. The rocks are hidden by spray, and the waves crash furiously against the cliffs on either side. In those conditions, even a powerful launch may find itself obliged to spend hours steaming into the wind, without any hope of making headway, just to save itself from being swept ashore.

Jules Dumont d'Urville, British Museum (before 1842) Image published in H.R.Mill: The Siege of the South Pole Alston Rivers, London, 1905.
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This was the kind of weather that beset d'Urville and his crew when they found themselves confronting the narrow passage between Tasman Bay and Admiralty Bay, on 22 January 1827, and had to decide whether to try and negotiate it or turn back.

Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville was a highly trained and very experienced French naval officer of 36. He now captained the same ship, renamed the Astrolabe that he had been second in command of on his previous voyage to New Zealand. By the time he and his crew reached Current Basin, they had been at sea for nine months, travelling from Toulon in the Mediterranean down the west coast of Africa, across the southern Indian Ocean and the dangerous Great Australian Bight, and after a brief call at Port Jackson, now Sydney, had encountered appalling weather in the Tasman Sea.

Their ship was a three masted square rigged naval corvette, about 31 metres long, with a beam of 8.5 metres (the figures vary) and weighing 380 tons, or under two thirds the size of the ship that brought the first main group of settlers to Nelson, the Martha Ridgeway. Small though she was, she had set out with a crew of some 79 officers and men, including a number of scientists and an artist, Louis-Auguste de Sainson. She also, according to d'Urville's biographer, John Dunmore, carried a vast cargo of food supplies, including 400 kilograms of dried meat, 3,600 kilograms of vegetables, such as dried peas and beans, ship's biscuit, sugar, and chocolate, as well as wine and spirits. Lastly, she was equipped with a small number of six-pounder guns.

The crew numbers did diminish during the course of the voyage. Three jumped ship, 11 died, mostly from dysentry, and 15 more had to be left behind at various ports of call, again for reasons of illness. It all suggests that conditions on board were difficult. How relieved all hands must have been when they finally rounded Cape Farewell, after 20,000 kilometres or so, and finally found safe anchorage in the Astrolabe roadstead. While there de Sainson painted a delightful picture of the men washing their clothes in a leisurely way in Astrolabe Creek, and sunning themselves on the sands.¹

The Astrolabe rounded Farewell Spit on 14 January 1827. Everyone was fully aware that they were sailing in uncharted waters. The local Maoris would have known the coastline for many miles around, and whalers and sealers had been pottering about for nearly half a century- the first shore based whaling station was established in the Tory Channel, on the other side of the island, by John Guard at the end of the same year. But none of these had left records. Cook himself had sailed right across the mouth of Tasman Bay from Cape Farewell to Stephens Island, but in weather so thick he could only sketch the possible outlines of what he called Blind Bay. D"Urville, who was familiar with Cook's work, was under instructions to fill in the inevitable gaps.

His officers and the scientists on board immediately began work. The Astrolabe anchored about 10 kilometres from Separation Point, and the next day d'Urville dropped Guilbert and some of his colleagues on the point itself. They worked there until about 11.30, when a suitable breeze allowed the ship to continue. D'Urville then followed the coast as far as the Moutere Bluff, which he named Cap Blanc [Cape White]. On the way he noticed a Maori village, perhaps near Marahau, a magnificent stand of native pines [podocarps] somewhere about Riwaka, and a ‘narrow channel' that must have been the Motueka river. All the way his crew were taking soundings, which are noted on a chart held in the Alexander Turnbull Library.

The ship moved some distance out to sea to find a suitable anchorage. The wind dropped, and it was a beautiful night. Next day it continued to follow the coastline to the far side of the bay, where the shore rose to form lofty bluffs, perhaps off the Glen or Cable Bay. A group of Maoris paddled out to meet them, and pointed out their village on the shore, perhaps somewhere near where Nelson now stands.² As there was no safe anchorage in the area, d'Urville backtracked to what is now the Astrolabe roadstead, which he had seen on the way in, and there the ship stayed for the next few days.

French Pass tide running from Admiralty Bay: Native vegetation that d'Urville observed visible on right.
Photo taken from ridge above Pass by Beryl Webber ca 1987
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The crew worked there replenishing their supplies of wood and water, and fraternising and trading with the local Maoris. D'Urville had a working knowledge of Maori, which he had picked up on his earlier voyage, when a missionary and a couple of Maoris had travelled on his ship from Sydney, and also during his stay in the Bay of Islands.³. He was even able to recognise dialectal differences. The ship's surgeon, Gaimard, was also doing his best to learn Maori. The Maoris they encountered were very friendly, but on edge, because the marauding tribes from the North Island, led by Te Rauparaha were already very close, and they rather hoped that d'Urville could help them, perhaps by killing and eating a few of the enemy. ⁴

At the same time, the scientists on board, including d'Urville, himself a distinguished botanist, explored the flora and fauna of the area, which de Sainson also sketched. His paintings of what he saw, the landscapes, the flora and fauna, the Maoris, their dress, their equipment, their houses, and their mode of life, many of which are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library, are a remarkable record of the area at that early time.

Sainson, L. A. de, b. 1800 :L'Astrolabe dans la Passe des Francais. Tastu Editeur. Lith. de Lemercier. A. St. Aulaire lith. Paris, 1833.. Alexander Turnbull Library B-052-004 [French Pass]. http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=3322Click image to enlarge

On 22 January d'Urville and his crew set out in light winds from Astrolabe ‘with everyone in good health, the ship completely reprovisioned, and the collections enriched with an incredible number of new finds,' wrote d'Urville proudly. They sailed across Tasman Bay to explore a couple of breaks they could see in the coast on the eastern side. The first, possibly Delaware Bay, or else the mouth of the Wangamoa river, they found too shallow to be of interest, and they continued to the next, which they reached just on dusk. Although it seemed to offer shelter, d'Urville prudently decided not to go in in the dark, and stood out a little way to sea. However, the wind dropped entirely, and the heavy seas drove them relentlessly towards the steep rocky headland on the south-western side of what d'Urville was to name Baie de Croisilles, after his mother's family. The danger was extreme, and the crew spent a nerve-wracking night working with sweep oars to keep the vessel clear. The wind changed about daylight, and the exhausted men could carry on to the north. Not surprisingly d'Urville named the headland Cap des Soucis, Cape Anxiety.

They arrived off the entrance to French Pass January 23, intending to sail straight through, but the lookout noticed rocks ahead. They hove to immediately, and ran out an anchor. Then the wind freshened, and the seas rose. A couple of officers set out in rowboats to explore, and their men came back worn out with rowing against the current. Overnight the norwest wind worsened, until the situation became critical and they were facing shipwreck. They put out another anchor, but one cable snapped, and the second anchor only just held, as one fluke had been damaged by rocks. Finally the weather abated, to their vast relief.

They then tried to cross at the western end, carrying only small amount of sail, but once again they encountered rocks, and the current caught them, sweeping them around in circles several times and right back across Current Basin, so close to Cross Point (named by them Cap des Tourbillons or Cape Whirlpools) that they fully expected to hit it. The ship's boat managed to get down an anchor in the nick of time. At that point d'Urville put his scientists and de Sainson ashore, partly to get them out of the way while the crew tidied up a tangled mess of ropes and cables, and partly to calm down the crew themselves, by seeming to be carrying on as usual. By 4 o'clock, after twelve hours of exhausting effort, they were at last able to stop for a meal, and d'Urville, who had previously called his men ‘pusillanimous' was pleased with the way they had showed what they were capable of in a time of crisis.

Lottin :Carte generale de la partie de la Nouvelle Zelande ... Dresse par M.r Lottin, Enseigne de Vaisseau ... janvier, fevrier, mars, 1827. Gravee par Chassant; ecrit par Hacq. [Paris] J. Tastu, Editeur. Alexander Turnbull Library, PUBL-0038-1-map-04.[Astrolabe's route under D'Urville] http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=40087
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The day however was not over. In the evening d'Urville himself set out with Guilbert to explore the pass. It took six rowers to cope with the current even on its outer edge. Again a squally norwesterly sprang up at night, accompanied by heavy rain. Guilbert spent the whole of the next day, 25 January, charting the pass, and d'Urville too set out again at low tide. The sea had dropped, but the current was still strong, and swept him through to Admiralty Bay. Fortunately he was able to return at what is known as slack water, when the tide is on the turn, and the current ceases to run for about a quarter of an hour. It allowed him to see that the only practicable passage was right under the headland on the eastern side, and measured between 30 to 40 ‘toises' or 60 to 80 metres. At slack tide and with a favourable wind, it could be managed.

The alternative was to try and circumnavigate what was to be known as D'Urville Island, which he recognised would be a ‘long and disagreeable' journey. In fact, in norwest weather, it would have been downright dangerous. There is no shelter in such weather anywhere between Croisilles Habour and French Pass, nor along the western coast of the island as far as Greville Harbour. Even if the ship got that far, or further on to Otu or Port Hardy, there was a serious risk of its being bottled up for days until the seas went down. The Astrolabe was in a real pickle.

That night the norwest rose again, accompanied by a thunderstorm and heavy rain. But by morning it turned west souwest, and d'Urville decided to try, only to have his ship swept back once again hard up against what he called that ‘blasted Cross Point' (le malheureux Cap des Tourbillons). After 13 hours of backbreaking work, they were no further ahead. And at night again it blew strong Norwest.

Still, they spent the next day manoeuvring the ship into a favourable position so that they could set sail immediately the wind was right again. D'Urville himself put in a little time botanising on the island side of the basin. And again the ‘eternal westerly' blew all night.

On the 28th the situation looked better. At daylight, D'Urville battled his way up through the dense scrub to the top of the hill overlooking the pass, and had a moment of extreme doubt. If he failed, the ship and all his crew might well perish. But he decided to risk it. The wind was again west souwest, they ran up the sails, but just as they entered the pass, it dropped again. Though they fought to keep close to the headland on the right of the channel, the current swept them left onto the reef and they scraped it twice. The ship keeled over briefly, but then the wind picked up, and blew them on, only slightly damaged, into the quieter waters of Admiralty Bay. Care and cussedness had got them through.

2009

Aorere gold

A few specks of gold, found in the Aorere Valley by a musterer in October 1856, saw more than 2000 men flood into Massacre Bay over the following three years. The gold rush was short-lived, but the region’s new name of ‘Golden Bay’ remained.

Aorere gold

Rockmen on strike: Collingwood Goldfield, The Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio collection, 182172/3
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Edward James and John Ellis, two of the earliest European settlers in the Aorere Valley, stopped by a stream while mustering cattle in October 1856 and James found a small amount of gold.

After further prospecting by G.W.W. Lightband, a digger who had been on the Australian goldfields, it was decided the findings justified a "gold rush". Lightband chaired a meeting in February 1857 at which diggers developed a set of rules later used in goldfields around the country.

William Washbourn was one of many to head to the area from Nelson. With his 11 year old son Harry, William spent several months prospecting. Harry described the start of the gold rush as "a large camping picnic with everyone in the highest spirits, optimistically expecting to make a fortune"¹

Prospectors worked the alluvial gravels of goldfields in the Takaka and Aorere valleys, with Ferntown becoming a boomtown. The Maori settlement at the mouth of the river was known as Aorere, but the growing town there was known as Gibbstown, after William Gibbs who subdivided his land into sections for sale. The Nelson Provincial Government, thinking that a substantial population would develop, had a new town named Collingwood laid out on the plateau. Both names were used for a time but Collingwood prevailed, although Gibbstown was later used as the name of the Rating District.²

Golden Ridge Mine, The Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection 182052/3
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In 1857 the settlement consisted of just two tents, but by 1858 successive waves of fortune hunters had arrived. There were seven hotels, and the 1858 Census recorded 700 European and 200 Maori inhabitants. The rush proved short lived, and by 1859 the majority of prospectors had moved on to easier gold in the Buller and Central Otago.³ In September 1861, however, the Otago Witness optimistically reported: "...we have much pleasure in stating that Captain Walker of the "Supply" brought with him from Collingwood, during the last week, no less than 206 ounces of gold....and that accounts from the Aorere state that all industrious men on those diggings are doing well".⁴

The next large gold rush in the Nelson/Marlbrough area came in April 1864, when a rich strike was made in the Wakamarina River. The river gravels were worked out quickly and the rush soon passed, but the greed for gold was to be the cause of the infamous Maungatapu Murders. ⁵

German geologist, Dr Ferdinand von Hochstetter, had estimated in 1860 that about 26,000 acres of the eastern Aorere Valley were rich with gold, although capital and labour would be required to exploit it. ⁶

Renewed interest was shown in the possibilities of large-scale sluicing and quartz mining from the early 1880s. ⁷

Parapara Sluicing Co, The Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection, 182351/3
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Several companies built large dams, harnessing water for sluicing. The Collingwood Goldfields Company built a dam at Boulder Lake, 24 km inland from Collingwood. With eight kilometres of water channels and more than 100 tons of pipes and equipment in place, sluicing began in August 1899. Within a year, however, the company was in liquidation.

The largest of the dams, Druggan's Dam, was developed in 1900 by the Slate River Sluicing Company, which had a large claim between Slate River and Doctor's Creek. Forty men were employed to enlarge George Druggan's original dam. Despite four kilometres of water race, 70 tons of pipe and equipment and three sluicing nozzles, only 1152 ounces of gold were recovered. The company had been wound up by 1909.⁸

2008

The Nelson Bank

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:41:40 +1300

Nelson led the way with its own money

A One Pound note of the ‘Nelson Bank' of Morrison and Sclander dated 1 July 1851. The reverse of the note is plain. It was probably printed in Nelson.
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The first settlers under the New Zealand Company settlement plan arrived in Nelson in February 1842. Within a few short months, on 30 May 1842, the Union Bank of Australia (now the ANZ bank) opened for business in the new town.

The bank immediately issued its own Union Bank notes which provided an effectual means of exchange for the settlement and allowed the commerce of the town to develop. However, all was not well and in 1844 the New Zealand Company began defaulting on its debts and went into partial bankruptcy. A period of economic depression followed and upon the declaration of the Paper Currency Ordinance of 1847, the Union Bank closed its Nelson branch on 7th March 1848 to concentrate its note issue in Wellington.

This impacted further on the town. What bank notes remained in circulation soon became dilapidated. There was a desperate shortage of trading currency and barter of goods and services was often the order of the day.

However, within a few months in 1848 a local firm of merchants, Morrison and Sclanders, began to issue their own one pound notes under the name of the so called Nelson Bank. Nelson led the way; these were probably the first private notes to be issued in New Zealand and other provinces were to follow. The notes were not a promise to pay on demand, as with cash notes, but in fact were payable 12 months after the date of issue. This way the notes did not contravene the Paper Currency Ordinance.

The notes were readily accepted by the Nelson colonists and used extensively for trading purposes. It was reported that in 1849 there were Nelson Bank notes circulating to the value of about 750 pounds. Had they been issued in England they would have been illegal, but in New Zealand there was nothing to legally prevent their issue and after some official scrutiny, they were given a tacit approval.

It was emphasized that the notes could not be used for payment to the Government of fines, fees or revenue demands although apparently they were generally accepted by government officials in Nelson.
So successful were the notes that a five shilling note was also issued a few years later. Just when Morrison and Sclanders ceased issuing their ‘ notes is not known, although it is possible that it was about the same time that the Union Bank re-opened its Nelson branch in April 1854. However, the Nelson Bank notes could well have continued for another two years as the Union Bank did not regain its right of note issue until 1856.

This article first appeared in the Nelson Weekly 19^th October 2010

Kate Edger

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:49:48 +1300

After pressure from local women and governors, Nelson College for Girls opened its gates on Friday, February 2, 1883. At the time there were only two other state funded secondary schools for girls in New Zealand; Otago Girls High School and Christchurch Girls High School. With the opening came great anticipation around the town, in particular from sceptical governors at the Boys' College who believed the girls' school would become a drain on their college funds and resources. However, the appointment of Miss Kate Edger as Lady Principal was to prove them wrong. Edger's sheer determination and commitment to ensuring the College was a success meant that by midyear, attendance had risen to 118 girls, 16 more than the Boys College¹ which began to see this experiment as a source of profit. Girls came from all over the country for the opportunity to be educated by Kate Edger - the pioneer of women's education in New Zealand.

Kate Edger at Nelson College for Girls 1889, The Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection, part 179045/3
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Educated with the Boys

Kate Edger was born on the 6^th January 1857 to an educated and musical family who valued the importance of education. When Kate migrated to New Zealand in 1862, the lack of education for girls meant Kate and her sisters spent their early education being home-schooled by their father, Samuel, a Baptist minister and graduate of the University of London. From early on Samuel ingrained a strong work ethic in his children and his utmost support for Kate's academic pursuits proved of assistance when she was advised by Farquhar Macre (the headmaster of Auckland College and Grammar School) to study in the top class of boys. When Auckland College and Grammar School was affiliated to The University of New Zealand it gave Kate the perfect opportunity to study towards a degree. Her determination and hard work were rewarded on the 11^th July 1877 when she obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts, specialising in Latin and Mathematics and making her the first woman in the British empire to gain this degree and second to be university educated (a Canadian woman had graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree two years earlier). This achievement was fundamental for New Zealand women in a time when they were deemed lacking "the physical or mental stamina to undertake intensive study."²The historic ceremony attracted a thousand people, with Edger being presented a white camellia by the Bishop of Auckland, W.G. Cowie representing "unpretending excellence."³ The New Zealand Herald that day noted "Let us hear no more of the intellectual inferiority of women"⁴ and she was sent a letter of congratulation from Queen Victoria.

A few months later Kate Edger took up the position of first assistant at Christchurch Girls High School. Her stamina and strength of character was tested further when while teaching, she decided to pursue her studies to achieve a Master of Arts at Canterbury College in 1882. At her time of appointment Christchurch Girls High School was a relatively new institution and the obstacles associated with this, Kate has stated, gave her vital experience for establishing Nelson College for Girls on a sound footing.

Her time at the College

Girls College Nelson, Girls performing a line drill in front of the College
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Described by her Nelson colleagues as a gifted teacher who commanded the respect of her pupils, Kate's dedication was clear from the very beginning and surpassed the role required. When the Council of Governors could not provide equipment for the school, Kate paid for it herself and she also funded an extra scholarship for a senior student allowing her to stay longer at school. Kate had a full teaching schedule due to a lack of experienced staff and spent her spare time preparing girls for university scholarships. This was on top of carrying out the administrative work as Principal. Throughout her seven years at the school Miss Edger introduced and supported sport and physical training. Edger believed that Nelson College for Girls must not be behind other Colleges and would assemble girls outside on the gravel in front of the main building to practice swinging clubs and practicing drills under her direction.⁵Another influence Edger had on the college was a system of certificates to praise girls for their devotion to study throughout the year. Both Kate and her sister Lilian, who was acting as assistant Principal, were opposed to prizes as they believed that they appealed to "the lower and selfish side of human nature"⁶ The rewarding of girls for their conscientious effort towards their schoolwork continues at Nelson College for Girls today as merit certificates are handed out to worthy recipients for excellent work ethic and overall behaviour in class.

Her legacy continues

Kate Edger, an inspiration for women. Nelson College for Girls archives
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Kate Edger remained heavily involved in raising awareness of the importance of education for women throughout her lifetime and this has continued into the future. With the same goal, of promoting and assisting women in education to aspire to be future leaders, organisations such as The Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust and Women in Leadership are providing financial assistance in scholarships to women in the tertiary sector.

Kate Edger's achievement of being the first woman in the British Empire to gain a BA has also been honoured and recognised at the University of Auckland. An architectural-award winning Information Commons building bears her name and was opened in 2004. The University also holds and displays her degree testamur in their Library.

Kate Edger will always remain an inspirational leader for women and will be remembered for her tenacity and sheer determination now and into the future.

Kate Atkins, Nelson College for Girls, 2009

Effie and Ralphine Richardson

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 08:08:49 +1300

Effie Newbiggen Richardson, 1849? - 1928, and Ralphine Zealandia Regina Richardson, 1887-1969.

Euphemia [Effie] Johnstone was born sometime between 1849 and 1859 in Argyllshire, Scotland. Her father had died by the time she was six years old leaving her mother to run the farm. In the early 1860's Effie emigrated to NZ with her mother and probably other members of her family. Her mother remarried in 1865 and died near Hokitika in 1883. Effie worked as a barmaid in Hokitika, where her mother moved on remarrying, before her own marriage to Ralph Richardson, barrister, solicitor and owner of the Matai run-holding, in 1884. ¹

Effie Richardson, late 1880's, Nelson Provincial Museum, Tyree Studio Collection
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Effie and Ralph Richardson had two children, Effie Louisa and Ralphine (known as Queenie). Ralph died five years after their marriage and his father, Doctor Ralph Richardson, sent for Effie and his grand daughters. They remained in Southern France, where the girls finished their education, and England for 18 years , before returning to Nelson.²

During this time they lived off rent from various landholdings in Nelson. In 1908, Effie and her two grown daughters returned to Nelson and bought a property at the corner of Richardson Street and Princes Drive.

Effie took control of the Maitai Valley leases, as well as buying adjoining land, which included riparian rights to the Maitai River. She was involved in lengthy battles with lessees, local bodies, adjoining property owners and members of the public,³ who were used to swimming in the river. They were banned, except for one area known as Big Hole. Wandering dogs were shot and trespassers sent fleeing. Various groups in the community regarded her actions as an infringement of their rights and the Nelson City Council even petitioned Parliament. After many years of battles, land was bought by the Council and became a reserve for the Nelson public.

While Effie was occupied with protecting their land rights, Ralphine managed the farm. Ralphine had eloped with the family groom a few years after their return to Nelson, but was brought back from Christchurch and immersed herself in farm work. She learnt to muster, hand shear and crutch sheep, and was well respected by her workers. Her visits to Nelson were often made riding astride on horseback in riding breeches, a habit not entirely approved by Nelson matrons.

By the 1950's, Richardson land holdings included the 6500 acre Maitai property, Tonga Island and additional land in the Abel Tasman National Park area.⁴ Effie died in 1928 and Queenie, one of Nelson's largest landowners, farmed the Maitai run until her death in 1969.

Although Ralphine never married, she adopted two infant boys from Australia (in 1937 and 1945). Denis and Richard, were brought up with the help of her close friend Miss D.A.Vercoe.

The Nelson French Society, set up to keep the French language alive, saw Ralphine's closest friends Mrs Perrine Moncrieff, Mrs Gladys Bisley and artist Marjorie Naylor gather regularly at her home.

Ralphine was involved in the Nelson Suter Art Society, the Nelson Women's Club, the Nelson Chamber Music Society, the Nelson A&P Society, and Federated Farmers, and she was a life member of the Nelson Scout Association.

Story compiled by Debbie Daniel-Smith from information sourced by the Nelson Genealogical Society, 2009

The Edwin Fox

Tue, 26 May 2009 09:30:10 +1200

Overlooking Picton township, showing the ships Edwin Fox and Maori, Alexander Turnbull Library, 1/2-031025-F.
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The Edwin Fox is a vessel of great cultural and historical value to New Zealand and, more specifically, Nelson. Built in Sulkali in the Ganges region of India in 1853, it has served as a troop transport, an immigrant ship, and a cargo ship. It now rests in Picton, where it is undergoing restoration work.

The Edwin Fox was purchased in 1843 for the princely sum of £3000 by Duncan Dunbar, who almost immediately chartered it to the British Government, where it was used for several years as a troop transport. The Crimean War had broken out the year before and the Edwin Fox’s first mission was to transport 496 troops of the 51^st French Regiment to the Baltic Sea. The Edwin Fox was deployed as a transport vessel by the British between England, the Crimea and Malta until 1855, when she was refitted to carry civilian passengers and cargo. Her first voyage as a trade ship was made on February 14, 1856 to the Southern Ocean from London, carrying cargo and five passengers.

In 1858, she was once again chartered to the British Government, this time transporting convicts from England to Western Australia. Between 1858 and 1872 she made numerous trips between England and the East carrying mixed cargoes, including rice, coffee, cotton, cinnamon and general cargo, and in 1861 and then between 1865 and 1868 she made five voyages carrying troops between England and Bombay.

Ship Edwin Fox at Picton 190-?], Alexander Turnbull Library, Louis John Daroux Collection, 1/1-039355-G.
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In 1873 the Edwin Fox became an immigrant ship. She was chartered to the Shaw Savill & Company to carry immigrants from England to New Zealand as part of the assisted migration scheme started by New Zealand Prime Minister Sir Julius Vogel. She made four voyages between 1873 and 1876, carrying a total of 751 passengers. These voyages weren’t without turmoil. During the first voyage to Lyttelton, she hit a gale that badly damaged her and the ship’s doctor was killed after being impaled on a metal drifting on to rocks. Her last two voyages to New Zealand, in 1878 to Nelson and in 1880 to Lyttelton, were plagued by similar problems but she delivered all her passengers safely to New Zealand shores.

Edwin Fox fitted out as a freezer Edwin Fox Society
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During the 1880s the steamship was rapidly making the sail ship obsolete. This was not the case, however, for the Edwin Fox. The mutton industry was booming in New Zealand and there was a shortage of refrigerated storage for the mutton before it was exported. The Edwin Fox was refitted in London with refrigeration equipment to store mutton carcasses on board while awaiting transport. She made her last journey between England and New Zealand in June 1885 when she arrived in Dunedin. She was then towed to Picton on 12 January 1897, where she continued to serve as a refrigerator hold until 1900 when the Picton Freezing Works were built. When her refrigeration equipment was found to be beyond repair it was removed and she was given to Picton Freezing Works in return for a meat-carrying contract to England.

In 1905 she became a landing platform and coal hulk. In May 1965 Norman Brayshaw founded the Edwin Fox Restoration Society, and purchased the Edwin Fox for one shilling. The Edwin Fox was moved to Shakespeare Bay where she lay unattended for 19 years until being pumped out and refloated; alas with the loss of many artefacts. Various groups made efforts to move the Edwin Fox from Picton to other parts of the country, but the cost was prohibitive.

On December 4 1986, as the Edwin Fox was towed into Picton Harbour; the Inter-Island ferry, the Arahura, came into view. Marlborough maritime law states that all shipping must give way to the ferries, but on this historic occasion, the ferry waited for the Edwin Fox to pass. The ship was moved to a berth in the harbour while a dry dock was built to house her in her final resting place. This was completed in May 1999, and the Edwin Fox was moved into it on 18 May 1999. A roof was installed in 2001 to protect the ship from the elements and extensive chemical treatment undertaken to preserve the wood.

Edwin Fox Maritime Museum Picton. Edwin Fox Society
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The New Zealand Historic Places Trust has given the Edwin Fox a category 1 classification in recognition of her huge significance to New Zealand’s maritime history.The Edwin Fox had a magnificent career on the world’s seas, carrying troops, cargo, commodities and immigrants from Europe to New Zealand. Her condition today is testament to the hard work and dedication of the many people who worked tirelessly to restore her and to the quality materials used to build her over 150 years ago.

Troy Stade is a year 11 Nelson College student. This essay won the College Year 11 history prize in 2009, for which Troy received an Edwin Fox Trophy.

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

Fairfield Graveyard

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:53:01 +1300

The Fairfield graveyard, along with the popular Fairfield house was for a long time thought to be haunted (as are most graveyards).

Nelson Cemeteries. Nelson City Council
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On the 21st of January 2007 a paranormal investigator team came to inspect both the Fairfield House and graveyard for ghostly activity. Some people have said that they have witnessed the appearances of a transparent woman both walking around and becoming a realistic figure in their dreams. But few results were found to truly call Fairfield House and Park "haunted."

Fairfield graveyard has had over 78 people buried on its land from 1851. The first person to be laid to rest is unknown, as many of the earlier gravestones are damaged, faded or unmarked and, in some cases, have been relocated to other cemeteries. Damaged graves were relocated to the Rhododendron Dell in August of I948, but some more recently damaged headstones, whether by time and mother nature or vandalism, still remain in Fairfield.

The land now known as "Fairfield Park" was originally Reserve D, when it was marked on the town plan in 1842 by chief surveyor Frederick Tuckett. The land was to be used for "Military Stations", such as barracks and a parade ground. Once streets began to be named debates grew about the naming of Reserve D, and it was then christened Copenhagen Mount, after a battle involving Lord Nelson. The cemetery was quickly renamed Trafalgar St. Cemetery and is sometimes referred to as Trafalgar Street South Cemetery. This cemetery became the preferred choice for the deceased residents of Nelson than, rather than Reserve B, which in later years became Hallowell Cemetery.

A group of trustees was given the task of dividing up Reserve D into different sections - for Roman Catholics, Church of England and the "general public" . There was one very confused case involving these sections. A young Roman Catholic man named Mr. Otterson, who had come from overseas to stay in Nelson but had died at the age of 17, was to have been buried on the Roman Catholic section, however Mr. Otterson's parents were Protestant and so a debate began. This was quickly resolved under the terms that Mr. Otterson was to be buried on the dividing line between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants, so as to please all.

Burton Bros. (1880's). Nelson South, showing Reserve D and the cemetery. Nelson Provincial Museum
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Once the Wakapuaka Cemetery opened in 1861 only close family members could be buried in Trafalgar St. Cemetery. On January 1 1910 the cemetery was closed completely by the Nelson City Council. In some cases a family member's grave was moved, despite the rest of the family being buried in the Trafalgar St. Cemetery. This happened to the daughter of James Palmer Black. James Palmer Black was buried on the 29 October 1889 after living in New Zealand for 38 years. He was buried with his late wife Joan who died in 1861. Their first child, a daughter named Jessie Black, was buried with her parents (dates unknown) but was then transferred to Wakapuaka Cemetery on the 25 August 1917 for reasons unknown.

In later years the Trafalgar St. Cemetery was renamed Fairfield Cemetery by the Nelson Historical Society, because of the cemetery's close proximity to the public Fairfield House.

Anastasia Byrne, Nelson College for Girls, 2009

Additional information from the Nelson City Council Heritage Plaque at Fairfield Park

(text by Janet Bathgate)

Copenhagen Mount
Reserve D, a parcel of land marked on the 1842 Plan of the Town of Nelson by chief surveyor Frederick Tuckett, is now Fairfield Park. The six acre reserve was set aside for "military stations" - for barracks and a parade ground. Hot debate amongst the newly appointed strreet-naming committee occurred when the majority chirstened it Copenhagen Mount after one of Lord Nelson's battles. Possibly, some people felt uncomfortable with a recollection of a battle that was fought against a country with which Britain was technically not at war.

Trafalgar Street Cemetery 1851-1910
In late 1851 it was decided Reserve D, what was Copenhagen Mount, would be more suitable for a cemetery than Hallowell (Reserve B - the cemetery today accessed from Shelbourne Street) and the name Copenhagen Mount was quickly replaced by the Trafalgar Street Cemetery (and sometimes referred to in records as Trafalgar St South Cemetery).

Separate areas of Reserve D, under the control of a group of trustees, were set aside for Roman Catholic burials. Church of England burials and a "general public cemetery for the burial of all persons of all classes and denominations without the imposition of any sectarian creed." After the Wakapuaka Cemetery was opened in 1861, burials of close relatives were still permitted here but the cemetery was completely closed on January 1, 1910 and the land vested in the City Council.

Fairfield Park
The name "Fairfield" was given to the Park in 1963 at the suggestion of the Nelson Historical Society, because of the close proximity of Fairfield house, the early home of the Atkinson family. Together Fairfield Park, Fairfield house and also Melrose house make for a fine historic parkland precinct on upper Trafalgar Street. Fairfield house is open to the public and tree-top views from the reconstructed observatory tower are well worth the climb.

The headstones
Many of the Trafalgar Street Cemetery headstones have long gone, but those of the following people can be easily found amongst the trees and shrubs

Reverend Charles Sarda. On his way from missionary work among Maori in Auckland to take up new work in Akaroa, Canterbury, Charles Sarda developed consumption and died at the Catholic Station in Nelson, aged 28 years
Francis Otterson - Drowned crossing the Wairau River. Otterson was a leading member of the Roman Catholic community.
The headstone of Thomas Rollinson and Margaret Dalkis, includes the inscription "Drowned at Awaroa". Until bridges were built river-crossing accidents were a frequent cause of death.
Robert Shallcrass- His contribution as a police sergeant towards the Maungatapu murders case led to the appointment as Inspector of Police in 1866. Later as Nelson's goaler he was held at gunpoint by a prisoner who stabbed warder Samuel Adams to death and then shot himself. Robert and his wife Annabella had a son who died of diptheria aged 11.5 years. Samuel Adams is buried in the Catholic Block at the Wakapuaka Cemetery.
Thomas Blick. A master weaver from Gloucestershire England. Blick was the first person to manufacture cloth in New Zealand owning the country's first woollen mill which was sited in Brook Valley.
Samuel Stephens - A Quaker. Stephens was a member of the New Zealand Company's preliminary expedition to Nelson in 1841 as first assistant to the chief surveyor. At the time at his death he was the member for Nelson in the House at Representatives. His gravestone is now illegible but contained the following words:
‘Sacred to the memory of Samuel Stephens Esq., who died at Nelson N.Z. 26th June 1855. He was one of the first English settlers and ever took the warmest interest in the progress of the colony.This tomb is erected in affectionate remembrance by his widow. Requiescat in Pace.'
The headstones of William Hale and his wife Eliza and daughter Hannah were damaged beyond recognition by 1948 and were buried along with others in the north eastern area at the cemetery. Wiilam Hale was one of the first to establish a nursery in Nelson. Some of the trees growing here at Fairfeld could be from his stock.
Neil McVicar is buried here under a simple headstone facing Fairfield house, which was once the site of his home, nursery and orchard. Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1808, he was a nurseryman in Bath, England, when his first wife Mary, the mother of his sons, William and John, died. He emigrated to Nelson from England in 1849, on the baroque Cornwall. His second wife, Margaret and infant son, Wishart, died on the voyage. Neil built the original dormered four-room cottage where Fairfield House stands today. He established a large orchard behind his home of some 500 fruit trees, which included 30 varieties of apples, as well as shrubs and some of the forest trees, we can see today. Neil developed a nursery supplying fruit trees, choice shrubs, oaks elms, poplars and cypresses etc. to the early pioneers. "The Nelson Examiner" of 1852 records that he won prizes for his rose blooms. After only four years in New Zealand he died leaving his remaining sons William and John orphans.They both moved to Blenheim and trained to become builders and cabinetmakers.