Matariki

Saw this interesting article by Paul Moon in the Herald today, on Matariki and just what it may be supposed to mean. I'm still not quite convinced, personally, that the modern incarnation isn't just some marketing mob's idea to take a Maori tradition and turn it into the counter-balance for the Western New Year and the Chinese Lunar one -- thereby creating another event to spend our money on. For me, it suddenly seemed to leap up into the calendar out of nowhere -- around the same time I was told by local Ngati Whatua that the tip or near to the tip of Rosebank Peninsula was once Rangi Matatariki, a late 18th century battleground as well as seasonal settlement. (Since then, I've seen the plan for our Matariki Settlement as well.)

It may indeed raise public awareness of our dual cultural heritage here. On the other hand, as Moon writes:

"Hopefully Matariki will endure, if for no other reason than because it is an instructive part of our heritage, and is something unique to our country. But without greater attention to issues of historical and cultural accuracy, it could become yet another state-sponsored Trojan Horse for the Maori renaissance that never quite got through the gates."

Coronation Bridge, Henderson

I think that this could be a "Beware of the taniwha" sign.

This is Coronation Bridge, Henderson, the pedestrian accessway from Henderson Valley Road up the southern side of Great North Road towards the Corban Arts Centre and beyond. With the frosty mornings we've had this last week, the surface iced up.

Why am I posting this? Well, it seems that the date when it opened has been incorrectly noted for posterity by various histories of the district. Easy enough to do -- given that all they had to go on was the bottom plaque. No date of opening -- just when King George V was coronated (hence, the established name of the bridge.)

But, because I am an Avondale history collector, and John Bollard (father of Avondale's name) was our most influential resident for most of the 19th century history of settlement here -- when I saw an article one time in the library about him, as MP, opening the Henderson bridge, I grabbed it and filed it. Only a chance comment by a West Auckland historian over the weekend dredged it back out again.

The bridge was actually opened by Bollard, as MP for Eden (where the site of the bridge was c.1909, when they first started thinking it was a good idea) on 14 November 1912. By then, the bridge was no longer in Eden, due to boundary changes, but that didn't seem to matter much; the other bloke, A. Harris the MP for Waitemata, was there as well, but Bollard did the formalities.

"The township of Henderson presented a very gay appearence on Saturday, when the new ferro-concrete Coronation Bridge was opened by Mr. J. Bollard, M.P. The bridge was prettily decorated with greenery and bunting, and a number of decorated carts and waggons filled with school children added to the gaiety of the scene. Practically the whole population of the township, and a large number of visitors from other districts, including the majority of the members of the Waitemata County Council, attended the ceremony." (NZ Herald, 16 December 1912)

The Great North Road was realigned to lead to and from the new bridge, and everyone went away quite happy.

I have but one, non-historical, bugbear: the bridge, you see, was designed for primarily wheeled traffic. Yes, pedestrians used it too, but it was to provide an access for drays -- and situated so the horses weren't alarmed too much by the trains. Today, it's just for pedestrians , the road has deviated again, and passes alongside. All well and good -- until you see what passes as a pedestrian access along Great North Road above the bridge today:

Yes, this is a carpark. It is also a footpath, of sorts. Walking up here in winter to meetings of the local historical society is a bit worrying.

The footpath starts up again at the end of the carpark. From here, you've got a clear path up to Lincoln Road and beyond. But -- why can't we have a footpath below??

Mainline Steam open day at Sturges Road Station

Mainline Steam will soon have to move from their present base at Parnell, which is land owned by KiwiRail. The good news is that there's another site available, also owned by KiwiRail -- at Paremuka, beside Henderson's Western Heights. Some of the local residents, however, aren't all that keen. So, today, Mainline Steam held an open day at the Sturges Road Station, just up from Henderson. This included free rides in carriages drawn by Ja 1275, an oil-fired steam locomotive.

Sturges Road Station has relatively recently had an upgrade as part of the double tracking for the Western Line. Today, in the sun and with steam train sounds in the air, it looked great.

I think all toilets near railway stations should look like this, if not better. The roof architecture looks like a nod to the George Troup-inspired designs of early stations.

And now, a series of rail photos. My apologies -- I like trains. Quite a lot, it seems. Slightly larger versions available by clicking on them.

Ja 1275 steaming up, about to reverse out of the station to take another load of passengers to check out the proposed new workshops site.

And, here's a brief video of Ja 1275 coming back. Hopefully the sounds make up for the low-res result.

Railway heritage links

It's a frosty morning here on the Avondale ridge ...

Waiting for my morning coffee to take effect, and spurred on by Jayne's latest entry on her wonderful blog, I've nicked the NZ Ghost Railways link from there ... and added a search page link to the NZHPT site regarding NZ rail stuff.

Auckland’s 19th century desperado: Isaac Robinson

Image from Wiki.

(Updated 8 September 2020)

Isaac Robinson was, in 1865, a 25-year-old (or 31 years old, the accounts vary) 5’ 8” tall Irish (County Tyrone) Roman Catholic ex-soldier, a twice-deserter from the 40th regiment, illiterate, with blond hair and blue-eyes. Nothing at the moment is known of his early life, but there is a first trace of Private Isaac Robinson of the 40th regiment, based at Birr, County Offaly, in Ireland (possibly the Crinkle Barracks) having deserted four years after enlistment, and been recaptured and sentenced on 23 August 1858 to 84 days imprisonment, stopped pay, and the brand of “D” for deserter seared into his flesh. 

On 29 May 1860, another trial for Robinson, for being absent without leave, “losing the necessaries” (his uniform, and other kit), and another charge which is hard to read on the record. For this, stopped pay, and 112 days in gaol.

If this is our man Isaac Robinson, the authorities clearly thought that although he clearly didn’t fit in with the military life, they were going to keep him on anyway, and so – he shipped out with the regiment to Victoria barracks in Melbourne, Australia in 1861. The 40th Regiment was the military unit who had suppressed the Eureka Rebellion of 1854 in Victoria, and also saw service in Taranaki and Waikato from 1860. Isaac Robinson tried to desert, but was captured, and court martialled yet again on 12 December 1861. Desertion, and losing his necessaries yet again, earned him 160 days in prison. (Source: Various UK naval and military courts martial registers, including records from Naval, Field General, Military, District and General Courts, via Fold3 online.) 

There is also a report from Melbourne that an “Isaac Robertson” of the 40th regiment “was remanded to headquarters,” in July 1862, “to be dealt with for breaking windows, being disorderly, and assaulting James Kelly and a constable.” (Melbourne Age, 8 July 1862) 

It is possible that he was shipped out to New Zealand sometime during 1863, and was based at Te Awamutu by 1864. There is a report of a “John Robinson” of the “14th regiment” being charged with desertion in November 1864 (NZ Herald, 21 November 1864) which could be him, but with details muddled by the newspaper. Indeed, Isaac Robinson does show up again in the military disciplinary hearing records – on trial at Te Awamutu 22 November 1864, for desertion and loss of necessaries. He was sentenced to stopped pay and 112 days in gaol, the prison stay likely at the Mt Eden stockade in Auckland. Robinson was by no means the only deserter from the 40th while in New Zealand. 

After this, it looks like the army had had enough of him. Probably after dishonourable discharge, Robinson was cast out on his own in the colony. In 1865, he was working on trial for Adam Chisholm on Waiheke Island, looking after the latter’s cattle and horses. After just three days, Chisholm apparently found Robinson wanting as an employee, especially considering Robinson had no experience around stock. On 2 September, he told Robinson that he’d better go. 

Robinson’s reaction was to demand £8 in wages: Chisholm had paid him a sum equal to 2s 6d per day for the three days’ work, and his response was that was all he’d pay. Robinson reacted by knocking Chisholm down with a stick, demanding that Chisholm hand over £14 that Chisholm had in his pockets at the time. Robinson took the money, a gun, pair of pistols, two powder-flasks and a box of caps, threatened one Charles Vinning that he’d shoot him if he didn’t clear out, and made his escape. A local Maori, Wiremu Marino, took off in pursuit of the robber, and located Chisholm’s gun at another house on the island. Robinson was caught by Constable Lane of Howick, still carrying most of the items taken from Chisholm’s house. He was sentenced in early December 1865 to three years’ hard labour in the Mt Eden stockade. 

On 3 January 1866, he escaped, and entered Auckland and Waikato history. 

"On the roll being called at the Stockade yesterday, when the prisoners were leaving the works at dinner-time, it was found that a man named Robinson was missing. Strict search was immediately made about the place where the prisoners had been working, as it was thought that Robinson might have concealed himself amongst the stones, possibly with the assistance of others of the gang. He was not, however, found, so that he must have got off unobserved by the warders, and very likely had had two or three hours' start before being missed." 

(Southern Cross, 4 January 1866) 

Reports came in of sightings of him at Mt Albert, going over towards the Whau. At this point, it was fairly easy to spot him – his only clothes were prison gear, boldly marked “M E G” for Mt Eden Gaol. This, however, he soon remedied. 

" … yesterday morning Mrs Griffiths, wife of James Griffiths, residing at Little Muddy Creek, walked in from that place and stated that her husband had been knocked down and severely injured, and that his clothes had been stripped off him. It appears that on Thursday evening Mr. Griffiths was returning from Onehunga to Little Muddy Creek, when, near the Whau blockhouse, he met Robinson, who suddenly struck him a severe blow on the head, which felled him to the ground. Robinson then stripped off Griffiths' clothes, even to his white shirt, and quietly dressed himself in them, first throwing off the prison dress. After he was completely attired he walked briskly away. Mr Griffiths describes his clothes as consisting of a lavender-coloured coat, moth-eaten at the back, dark trousers, and a round felt hat. After recovering himself, Mr Griffiths put on the gaol clothes considerately left for him by Robinson, and managed to walk home, where he is now confined to his bed. Policemen have been despatched by land and water in pursuit of Robinson." 

(Southern Cross, 6 January 1866) 

Robinson then doubled back, walking along the Manukau coastline. He passed through Onehunga at night, and headed for South Auckland. At Flat Bush, among settlers who were none the wiser, he found work with a man named Clow – all while Auckland’s constables were searching the Titirangi bush looking for him far to the west, and towards the Kaipara District. 

Later in the month, two constables, King and McCaffrey, on their usual duties went to Flat Bush, having no idea Robinson might be in their neighbourhood. They recognised him though, at a house belonging to a Mrs Coyle, and immediately seized him. He was returned to the city on 16 January 1866. At the trial, as Griffiths gave his testimony about the attack with his head still bound up, Robinson was reported to have “laughed very heartily at his lugubrious appearance.” Robinson was sentenced to 6 years’ penal servitude on 1 March 1866. 

During this period, it appears Robinson had issues with a former Melbourne policeman, then superintendent of Mt Eden Stockade, Joseph Tuckwell. In September 1866, Tuckwell (according to Robinson) took away his tea and tobacco privileges, and had him gagged with a horse’s bit as a punishment for being too loud. Robinson later claimed that Tuckwell had been corrupt in Melbourne. After an inquiry, the Auckland Provincial superintendent sacked Tuckwell in April 1867, and he returned to Melbourne, setting himself up as a private investigator.

On 17 October 1866, Robinson escaped again. From March up until a few days before his escape, he had been kept under heavy irons, the authorities careful not to just let him walk out of the prison as had happened last time. But, Robinson promised he would be on his best behaviour, and so was relieved of the irons by order of the Visiting Justice. At around 8.30am, while he was working in the mason’s department of the prison work detail, Robinson just slipped away, taking a stone-breaker’s hammer handle with him. In his own words: 

"I was told by Mr Saunders (overseer of labour) to go and split a stone. I went over, and with one blow knocked the head off my hammer. I held it up, and said to one of the keepers that I would have to go to the smith's shop to get another handle. He said, "All right," and I went. I slipped between two lines of clothes that were hanging to dry, and passed beside the prisoners that were washing the clothes. They, of course, made no noise about it."

(Southern Cross, 12 November 1866) 

He hid by an officers’ quarters to the right of the gate, got to the wall, dropped from a height of 10 feet, and legged it out across the paddocks at Khyber Pass. The guards then spotted him – but with women and children nearby, and as Robinson ran close to surrounding houses, only one shot could be fired. The chase was on. 

Several warders took off after him, heading for the Domain. There, Robinson took off his hat and coat, and turned his prison shirt inside out, to conceal the tell-tale marks. He then reached Parnell Road, and began to head for Orakei Bay. Then he veered south, to the Harp of Erin Hotel (where he somehow obtained a glass of water), reaching the Tamaki Road near Panmure Bridge by 11.30 am. 

From there, he doubled back out west on 19 October, on the road from Big Muddy Creek to the Whau district, chatting to a young man and telling him all about who he was, what he’d done to be put in prison the first time, and that he’d like “to get clear of the country”. Swearing the young man to silence, Robinson moved on. The constables found out the following day, and began to track him. 

Robinson met up with a former prisoner from the stockade, and walked with him along the road for a while, chatting – before knocking his companion to the ground and stealing his boots and jacket. These boots, however, didn’t fit – Robinson therefore needed another source of footwear. 

Four miles from Henderson’s Mill, Robinson came upon a house owned by John Lawson, at Lawson’s Creek. After asking a young boy there for bread, he asked where the master of the house was. On being told Lawson was at the stockyard, Robinson headed for that building. A short while later, the boy found his master lying senseless on the ground, bludgeoned about the head. Boots and trousers had been stripped off. The young boy raced to raise the alarm at the nearby saw mill, and Mr Bishop who worked there rode into town to inform the authorities. By the end of October, however, Robinson was still on the loose, last seen heading for bush 12 miles to the south of the city. It is possible that he got a ride on a boat to Maraetai, and headed south from there. 

He was finally recaptured in November in Ngaruawahia, and was quite keen to relate the excitement of his bid for freedom to the newspapers. (Southern Cross, 12 November 1866) By now notorious, Robinson was compared in the press to Jack Sheppard, the 18th century English robber and five-times prison escapee. The public gallery at the court was packed for the 3 December Supreme Court hearing. He was sentenced to four years prison for escaping, and six years for assault and robbery. So far, he had totted up 19 years’ prison sentence in total. 

It wasn’t until 20 March 1872 that Auckland came to hear about Isaac Robinson again. With 16 years to go on his cumulative sentences, he escaped again. Yet again, bizarrely, all the best circumstances for him to flee the prison were offered to him. He was placed at a new part of the gaol, where the securities against escape were slightest and incomplete. He was employed as cleaner-up, with greater liberties – and simply left the prison behind. This time, he was armed with a six-barrelled revolver which had belonged to one of the warders. Within a few hours of his escape, he was sighted at the Whau, and by 21 March it was thought he was sighted in the Waitakere Ranges. 

"A new surmise has arisen with respect to the mysterious disappearance of the escaped convict Robinson. 

"It was between three and four o'clock on Thursday afternoon of the 21st ultimo that Detective Jeffery came upon Robinson on a track leading to a gorge which comes down from the Waitakere range. At this time Robinson was about 35 yards in advance, but seeing the detective on him he turned off in the direction of the bush. Before however he had moved many feet Jeffery raised his revolver, and, taking a deliberate aim, fired at Robinson's body. The next instant Robinson had plunged into the bush, which is here very high, dense, and overgrown with scrub and creepers. Jeffery immediately followed, but was unable to trace the direction which Robinson had taken. 

"From that hour to the present Robinson has never been seen by any one. It is now inferred that the shot fired by the detective took effect, and that after struggling for some time the escaped convict has fallen and died. Any person who is at all acquainted with the character of the Waitakere bush where Robinson was shot will be well able to understand that, if he has crawled into the bush and there died, it would be next to impossible to discover where his body lies. 

"The solution of affairs is a very melancholy one but there is every reason to think it is the correct one. Although not taken, had Robinson been alive he certainly would have been seen and spoken to by some-one as his person is peculiar, and his features strongly marked."

 (Southern Cross 1 April 1872) 

Indeed he would. Which was why the stories of sightings of Robinson sprang up again in August 1872, when the Thames Guardian is said to have reported “on very reliable authority” that Robinson was still very much alive, and had made it to Hokianga. (NZ Herald, 19 August 1872) 

Perhaps, but in April 1873, a somewhat more credible report by the Auckland Star related that instead of heading west, Robinson actually had found refuge at the hotel at Maraetai (the publican knew him) and when two Howick-based constables heard that he was back in the locality, they were put off the scent by the proprietor telling Robinson off for being slack in his duties around the hotel, and for being drunk. After that, he headed back to the Auckland wharves, and boarded the Bella Mary bound for Tasmania, pretending to be a seaman with American whalers. His identity, the report went on, was fairly well confirmed by his visible tattoos. 

"It is satisfactory to know that the province has been relieved of one useless unit of its population, and has been saved the expense of his keep."

(Star, 1 April 1873) 

So, either he lies somewhere in the expanse of the Waitakeres, or ended his days somewhere in the wilds of colonial Australia. Here one minute, gone the next, Isaac Robinson is now just a faded memory in our history.

Thomas Henderson, and his brother David

You know, when I saw so many details were out of kilter in Anthony Flude's two editions of Henderson's Mill, you'd think I would have considered his statement about Thomas Henderson having a brother as just as flawed as some others I've picked up on. Well, no, I thought, he must surely have been right when he said in his email to me:

"One further error was found regarding David Henderson. He was NOT Thomas' Henderson's brother, he had only sisters, but was another member of the family who came out from Scotland."

I even altered my post. But -- he wasn't right at all. Thomas Henderson did have a brother -- David, born two years after him in 1812, one of the keepers of the Whau Hotel. And, to top it off, David, along with his own son, Thomas Henderson's nephew, were at the funeral in Auckland for Thomas in 1886. (Evening Post, 5 July 1886)

"Leading the procession of mourners were Mr. T. Henderson, Mr. H. W. Henderson (sons), Mr. G. Von der Heyde (son-in-law), Mr. David Henderson (brother), and Mr. David Henderson, jun. (nephew of deceased), the other relatives being Messrs. John Marshall, Heath, J. B. Hay, and J. B. Graham."

My thanks to a family history website I found tonight, which pointed me in the right direction. So, of all the "errors" Flude pointed out in my original post on Henderson's Mill, none were in fact errors after all.

As for the post ... I've restored it to the way it was before.

Dr. Thomas Francis McGauran, of Auckland and Melbourne

An article in the April 1973 issue of the Auckland-Waikato Historical Journal caught my eye a couple of weeks ago, entitled, "The Early History of the Auckland Hospital". It was compiled by the then-editor, Mrs. E. Macdonald. One paragraph is the reason why I post this:

"In 1856 Dr. McGauren [sic] was appointed in charge. He reported the most prevalent diseases among Europeans were 'those of the heart, kidneys and liver, the outcome of excessive indulgence in ardent spirits.' In 1858 the provincial surgeon was given authority to admit urgent cases direct to the hospital. In 1859 Dr. McGauren was asked to resign on a charge of incompetancy but, despite protests, no investigations were allowed."

I wondered what on earth lay behind that last sentence. So, I picked up the digital shovel and started to dig.

Thomas Francis McGauran is said to have qualified at the Royal College of Surgeons in England in 1843, and came out to New Zealand, settling in Auckland. McGauran seemed to be ahead of the play with medical practice, importing “a quantity of Vaccine Lymph” for smallpox into the country early in 1844. By then, he’d set himself up in Queen Street, with Dr. O’Neill. (New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator, 2 March 1844) By 1849, he was Assistant Colonial Surgeon, and by July 1851 he worked at the Colonial Hospital at the Domain, Auckland’s first hospital. It appears by June 1853, he was out of a job, possibly for political reasons between Lt.-Col. Wynyard and the Coroner, Dr. Davies. (Southern Cross, 10 June 1953)

By 1855, Dr. McGauran was resident in Otahuhu, and by April that year he was a licensed land dealer and auctioneer. (SC, 27 April 1855) In June, he moved to Newmarket. He continued in the business until 26 July 1856, when he was appointed Provincial Surgeon for the Lunatic Asylum, hospital and stockade after the death of William Davies five days before. (SC, 29 July 1856) There had already been letters to newspaper editors complaining that the Provincial Surgeon (Dr. Davies at the time) had too many positions to give either of them enough of his time. Now, Dr. McGauran faced the same situation.

“The duties of the provincial Surgeon are, we believe, to take charge of or attend upon
1 The Hospital
2 The Lunatic Asylum
3 The Stockade
4 The Gaol
5 The Lock Up
6 The Police station and Police cases; also
7 To board the Emigrant ships.”

(SC, 4 December 1857)

And for all this responsibility, McGauran was paid £300 per annum, around $30,290 in today’s money. (Estimate of the Expenditure of the Province of Auckland, for the Year 1858, from SC, 23 February 1858) From the end of that year, the salary rose to £350, or around $35,300. (SC, 26 November 1858)

He was the first to publicly appeal for the creation of a library for the lunatic asylum, then in a building on the Domain beside the provincial hospital. (SC, 14 October 1856)

By April 1859, he was president of the Auckland Medical and Surgical Society, and ran his own practice from Auckland, having been replaced as Provincial Surgeon by Dr. Philson. At the time it was put to the public that he had officially been dismissed from the post of Provincial Surgeon due to an absence of some hours from the hospital. (SC, 25 October 1859) However, it turned out that he had been accused of being “of too great intimacy with a female patient” (SC, 2 March 1860) named Pemberton. (SC, 24 February 1860) The Provincial Council members heard and read testimony against Dr. McGauran behind closed doors, in “Star Chamber” as one member later put in the 1860, and decided to dismiss McGauran based on the charges, one of which Dr. Daniel Pollen refused to disclose or divulge due to confidentiality, despite councillor’s protests when the decision was reviewed in 1860. “The impression given by Dr. Pollen would be that there was lewdness which made it unfit for public gaze,” according to one councillor. General feeling in Auckland seems to have been divided between McGauran’s exoneration of character or whether he had indeed committed some form of indiscretion. He still remained within the medical profession, apparently.

In July 1859, soon after his sacking, he was the Surgeon Superintendent for the Metropolitan Infirmary and Dispensary, where “the sick poor and others can obtain medical and surgical relief.” This was set up at a meeting at the Victoria Hotel on 6 July 1859, with a who’s-who for a committee: J. F. Boylan, Patrick Dignan, Reader Wood, Daniel Lynch, F. McMillan, Joseph May, H. Hardington, W. Britton, Thomas Poynton, James George, M Fahy, J. O’Neill, and McGauran himself. (SC, 12 July 1859) This venture didn’t last beyond that year.

In early 1862, he undertook a three week tour of the Lakes District of the North Island, and is said to have met Potatau II, the Maori King, there. (SC, 9 May 1862; Otago Witness, 14 June 1862) At that point, he announced that he was leaving the country. (Advertisement, SC, 4 April 1862)

Then, the Australian part of his career began. This isn't known in much detail, except for the following:

"(New South Wales) THE MAORI CHIEFS.-We understand that, by the desire of his Excellency the Governor, the Maori Chiefs now sojourning in this city were taken yesterday morning to Government House, accompanied by Dr. McGauran, where they were introduced to his Excellency"

Courier (Brisbane, Qld.) Thursday 17 July 1862

"The "New Zealand Warriors" who have been performing here at the Lyceum Theatre have had a disagreement with their padrone, Dr. McGauran, and have summoned him to appear at the Police Office to-morrow for breach of agreement. One of these Maories, I see, signs himself Tamati Hopimaua-a name, if I mistake not, rather famous during the late operations in the Taranaki district.

"The dispute between Dr. McGauran and his " New Zealand Warriors " has been thus far settled by the bench ordering each party to give up the goods they held belonging to the other."

Courier (Brisbane, Qld.) Wednesday 20 August 1862

By October, although the show was successful in Sydney, it apparently bombed in Melbourne. (Otago Witness, 18 October 1862)

(Update, 4 June 2009: Jayne has found in the Victorian Gazettes online that T. F. McGauran passed a civil service exam in Melbourne in September 1863, for work at the Immigration Hospital, gazetted 17th September of that year. Thanks, Jayne!)

In 1874 comes the Gunner Dagwell case, apparently where a Dr. McGauran in Melbourne mis-diagnosed typhoid fever as delirium tremens. Dagwell committed suicide and was buried with full military honours. The doctors connected with the case were exonerated. (Brisbane Courier, 13 August 1874)

There's nothing further, until a death notice for one Thomas Francis McGauran, son of Thomas Francis McGauran, appearing in the Argus in 1916.

On the 18th August, 1916, at "Hazelmere” 250 Glebe Road, Glebe Point, Sydney NSW. Thomas Francis McGauran (late of Lands Dept., Melbourne), dearly loved husband of Kathleen; beloved father of Mary and Thomas, eldest son of the late Dr. T. F. McGauran assistant medical officer of Melbourne); 71 years. May his soul rest in peace.

(Argus, 21 August 1916)

Some of T. F. McGauran junior’s maps can be found today on the National Library of Australia website, like this one.

If anyone from Melbourne would like to help fill in more of the story, feel free.

(Update 23 October 2012) Stew Barr from Melbourne has pointed out a link to the database for the Public Record Office in Victoria. A probate entry is there for a surgeon, Thomas F McGauran, dying on 27 September 1875. He had resided at Bunya Bunya cottage, Acland Street in St Kilda.

The metal roads of Avondale and Mt Albert

I found a brief paragraph in, of all places, the Poverty Bay Herald from 3 July 1888, which gives an example of how the early roads, paid for and maintained by Auckland's communities in the last quarter of the 19th century, really mattered.

"It has often been remarked that in some districts the roads of one portion are damaged by carting material during the winter months for the repairing of another road. An apt illustration of this fact is now taking place in the vicinity of Auckland. It appears that the Avondale Road Board applied to the Hon. the Minister of Public Works, and received a gift of 500 yards of metal broken by the unemployed at the foot of Mount Eden. This grant is said to have been made for repairing a portion of the Great North Road, which had been injured by carting bricks for the new wing of the Asylum from the Avondale brickyards.

"To repair that piece of road drays are now engaged in carting these 500 yards of broken metal right through the Mount Albert District, thus damaging four miles of the main road through Mount Albert, which the ratepayers of that district formed, made, and gave to the public free of expense, and for which they have been taxing themselves to keep in repair for ordinary traffic for over 20 years.

"If there are any circumstances under which the imposition of a heavy toll for carting metal is justifiable it is surely in this case, and could only be looked on as a measure of self-defence on the part of the Mount Albert rate payers, We understand that the Mount Albert Road Board have telegraphed a remonstrance to the Hon. the Minister of Public Works, pointing out the injustice of this action. "

Basically, until the coming of concrete and then sealed roads, and until the roads themselves became strategic highways and therefore sorted out on a government level, this kind of thing went on and on between the road boards. At the turn of the century, there was quibbling even over who was going to sort out the Oakley Creek Bridge. There's a story there -- some day, I may have time to write about it.

Ben Copedo, and the mill wheel at Mill Cottage

Continuing from Henderson's Mill:

Ben Copedo is one of West Auckland's foremost historians and researchers. I have the highest regard for him and his work, because he questions everything, checks everything, and publishes research that helps others following behind. Now and then, sometimes more frequently during some periods than others, I call him up on the phone with a question, or to tell him about something I've found which I think he'll be interested in -- and he always is. I consider him one of the major influences on the way I go about my own research.

He's given me some feedback, and aside from some typos (whoops!), his comment is regarding the site of the original mill (not so much "near" the confluence of the two rivers, but 700-800 metres up from it), and regarding the model mill wheel there today. I used the term "replica" -- Ben quite rightly pointed out it isn't a replica, for these reasons (quoting his notes sent to me): it is ..

"An approximately half size example of a water wheel with a small workshop behind it was built in 1995 to celebrate Henderson's official sesquicentary. The original water wheel may have been 6 feet (1.8m) wide and 18 feet (5.5m) in diameter and was almost certainly "overshot" and not "low breast shot" as is the one at present on display."

The model was built by David Harre (noted for, amongst other things, his rescue work with old trams) with funding from the local licensing trust, Waitakere City Council took control, but today it is administered (I've checked with a member of the WAHS committee today) by the West Auckland Historical Society.

More on Hendersons Mill

Anthony Flude’s revised edition of Henderson’s Mill (2008) costs around $30 retail. Right now, I wouldn’t buy it at that price. I don’t think it’s worth it, given the errors within it, and that it’s mainly an extended version of the original from 1977. I may buy it at perhaps half the price, in a second hand bookstore, but that would be if I could spare the $15. It has some value as a reference book, and an attempt has been made to extend the index, but its lack of source crediting and reliance on non-contemporary sources of information aside from some Archives New Zealand records and one book from the 19th century means I just can’t trust it for accuracy.

Instead, I borrowed a copy from New Lynn library today for this review of some of the facts around the story of the mill.

My previous posts on Henderson’s Mill, part of my interest in locating the mill in history (geographically, it’s been fairly well sussed), are here : Henderson's Mill, and Flude's emails.

The Lucidan

The Lucidan name is now applied to the schooner Henderson traded to Ngati Whatua in the 2008 edition. (p. 22) According to Flude, it was purchased by Henderson & Macfarlane in 1843, and he has reproduced an early advertisement (both statement and ad are unsourced).

He hasn’t offered a theory as to why the name is different in Thomas Henderson’s own submissions to the government the following decade, which he hasn’t reprinted from the 1977 edition, but included in the body of the text (pp.48-49). There, he corrects Thomas Henderson’s reference.

Update 3 June 2009: Ben Copedo thought one answer to why the name is different in the Thomas Henderson statement may have been because perhaps it was a transcript, written by a legal clerk, and not Henderson himself. We'll never know for sure, but that sounds plausible, at least.

The John Bull

Flude’s statement in 1977 that the sale of the John Bull financed the building of Henderson’s saw mill in West Auckland in 1849-1849 has now been changed. In his 2008 edition, he has it that in 1846, Thomas Henderson purchased the John Bull in Sydney, sailed her to Auckland, loaded her up with Waitakere Ranges kauri, and sent John Macfarlane to Hobart with the consignment. There, the market depressed, Macfarlane exchanged ship and cargo for a consignment of flour, which was delivered back to Auckland and fetch a high price. The partners purchased the scow Mazeppa with the proceeds.

From Papers Past, we see that the John Bull in March 1846 was captained by Twohey, and had H. R. Cretnay as an agent. No sign in the shipping notices that Henderson & Macfarlane owned or were agents for the John Bull at this time. Cretnay was still the agent in March 1847. In September 1847, we see David Nathan has become the shipping agent for the John Bull, now captained by George Clinch, and Nathan was still agent at the end of 1848.

I believe the John Bull can be discounted from this period of the Henderson & Macfarlane story. Flude doesn’t say where he got either version (1977 or 2008) of his story from – but it does appear to be in error, compared with contemporary records.

As for the Mazeppa – this, also, had H. R. Cretnay as an agent in May 1846. I can’t find any association between that ship and Henderson & Macfarlane. In March 1859, it was owned by Jardine, Matheson & Co, and was lost off the coast of China.

Pheasants

Flude claims (pp. 31-32) that Thomas Henderson was the first to introduce pheasants into New Zealand. This website says they’d been introduced over time since 1842.

Update, 3 June 2009: Historian and researcher Anne Stewart Ball has very kindly emailed me with some further info on the introduction of pheasants into the Auckland Province: a presentation was made before the NZ Institute in 1869 by Captain F. W. Hutton who credited Thomas Henderson as being first in the province in 1851. (Elsewhere, it was reported that Canterbury immigrants brought pheasants into the country as Canterbury was settled. I did read in the papers from the 1840s that at least the first shipment died soon after reaching here).

The Spencer

Flude, in his email to me of 27 May 2009, said:

“The Mill upgrade funds were gained as the result of the sale of the ship and cargo of kauri timber on the Brigantine SPENCER 1849, published later in the NZ Herald at the time of his death.”

But, his 2008 book says (p. 32):

“In 1852, speculating there would be an increased demand for exported timber, Henderson & Macfarlane purchased the brig Spencer.”

Here are notes from research into the Southern Cross newspaper:

SC, 14 April 1852 -- Henderson & Macfarlane as agents for the 222 ton brig Spencer, master C. J. Martin.

SC 15 February 1853 --Coombes & Daldy agents for Spencer, J. C. Martin

SC, 22 February 1853 -- H & M agents for Spencer.

Coombes & Daldy again in March

21 June 1853 -- H&M again.

SC, 22 November 1853 -- H&M agents for Spencer, now captained by Captain Wootton

SC, 24 February 1854 --Reported loss of the Spencer, H&M as owners, J. B. Wootton, captain.

So, yes, Henderson & Macfarlane owned the Spencer, but no, they did not sell it in 1849 to pay for building Henderson’s Mill.

McLeod and Haskell

Flude does not mention, in either the 1977 nor the 2008 editions, the partnership of John McLeod and Cyrus Haskell, who managed the saw mill at Henderson from late 1854 until the partnership broke up by mutual consent in January 1858.

Notes from Southern Cross:

SC, 1 December 1854 -- McLeod & Haskell apply for carpenters, good axemen and labourers at Henderson’s Saw Mills.

SC, 3 December 1855 - Advertisement from McLeod & Haskell, for “a man possessing a knowledge of measuring and handling sawn timber.”

Partnership of John McLeod and Cyrus Haskell ended 18 January 1858. (SC, 26 January 1858)

Not a lot is known about Cyrus Haskell. In February 1858, his name appears on a jury list as a “bush overseer, Henderson’ bush” (SC, 16 February 1858), and in February he was a sawyer, same location. (SC, 7 February 1860) He appears to have been living in Graham Street close to Freeman’s Bay by 1865. (SC, 8 April 1865)

John McLeod, the other partner, is known in Henderson histories as “Long” John McLeod, to differentiate him from “Shepherd” John McLeod who looked after Thomas Henderson’s Delta Farm (Flude, 2008, p. 38). The partnership with Haskell may have expired by as early as August 1856 – only McLeod’s name is on an ad for bush workers then (19 August 1856), for “men who are thoroughly acquainted with working in a saw mill” (SC, 18 May 1857), for “splitters and sawyers” (SC, 7 August 1857). Flude says that McLeod left Henderson in 1859 (not long after the partnership ceased). By 1863, he had established his steam saw mill on the Kaipara. (SC, 31 March 1864)

The 1858 auction

This wasn’t referred to in Flude’s 2008 edition.

According to the Southern Cross, 30 April 1858, auctioneers Hardington & Wood arranged to begin “periodical auction sales” at “the mill of Henderson & Macfarlane” to suit demand from settlers in the “District of Upper Waitemata, South”. There may only have been one attempt at such an auction, however.

The items on offer are interesting:

Several Plough, Draught and Saddle horses
Some Milk Cows and heifers
A team of Working Bullocks, with yokes, bows and chains
150,000 feet of sawn timber, 1st and 2nd quality
1 weatherboard house 18 feet by 12
1 weatherboard house 20 feet by 14
1 weatherboard shed 120 feet by 16
1 weatherboard shed 140 feet by 16
1 weatherboard shed 160 feet by 16
6 off-bearing barrows
2 crowding barrows
3 Navie barrows
Spades, shovels, hoes, rakes etc.

Were existing buildings at the mill site being sold off – or was Henderson & Macfarlane diversifying into the construction of simple settler cottages and sheds? Also, a “crowding barrow” is also called a kiln barrow – used around firing kilns, as in brickworks. An “off-bearing barrow” is also used in brickmaking. Was there a simple (and very early) brickyard at or near the mill?

The 1864 Mill Sale

Flude states that in 1862 production at the mill began to slow due to lack of trees. (p. 57) That’s quite possible – it also ties in with a drought over the summer of 1862-1863 which caused the river levels to drop region-wide, reducing the ability of mill owners to transport their timber downstream.

“One arrival during the month (that of the Chilean barque “Dominga,” from Puget Sound), was a novelty in our port, so far as the cargo is concerned. She brought a cargo of sawn timber, &c, from Oregon, to Messrs. Henderson and Macfarlane, well-known timber merchants of Auckland. The reason for this strange importation, which is like carrying coals to Newcastle, is a measure owing to the scarcity of water during the summer, preventing the floating of logs to the various saw-mills of the province, so that with an increasing home consumption which could not be supplied, and with orders from a distance which could not be executed, it was deemed proper to supplement the home produce by a cargo of imported stuff. The development of our timber trade is a branch of business which has attracted considerable enterprise and capital, and we have little doubt in a short time it will be unnecessary to have recourse to imports to supplement our home production.”

(SC, 6 April 1863)

The mill was up for sale in August 1864, along with 5,000 acres of land, including the saw mill (suitable either water or steam power), suitable residence for manager, house accommodation for 100 workmen, store, farm buildings, granary, stables, cowsheds, stockyards, and numerous outbuildings. (SC, 2 August 1864)

Henderson & Macfarlane as a company was already diversifying away from timber supply. By 1860, it appears they had a mill near the bottom of Drake Street at Freeman’s Bay. They sold stock at this mill by auction in May 1860 (SC, 29 May 1860), including “pollard, bran etc., and the whole collected Mill stuff and feeding material.” 1861, J. G. Soppet leased the “Wyndham-street Corn Mill”. (SC, 22 January 1861), converted to a bone mill by 1865. His advertising always included reference to Henderson & Macfarlane’s stores.

I’ve located an “old mill and shed” located along Dock Street, between Dock Street and present-day Halsey Street, in 1866/67 (Vercoe Map). In 1866, there were two or three jetties, fronting onto Freeman’s Bay pre-reclamation. Somewhere there, “near the end of Drake Street” (now part of Victoria Street) may have been Henderson & Macfarlane’s other mill.

What’s in a name?

According to Flude (pp. 35-36, 2008 edition), Thomas Henderson dropped the name Dundee Saw Mills in 1854 after upgrading the mill, and officially called it Henderson’s Mill. Perhaps – but in July 1862, Henderson advertised for an experienced engineer or millwright for the “Dundee Saw Mills” (SC, 16 July 1862), and the first-known horse races in Henderson were run in January that year as the “Dundee Saw Mill Races.” (SC, 14 January 1862) Flude says the races started earlier, in 1858 (p.43). I can’t find a record to substantiate this.

Update 5 June 2009: I've been gathering together more bits and pieces about the mill and those associated with it over the past few days, and have found that the earliest reference to date (via the Southern Cross and Papers Past) is from a letter published by the Southern Cross (31 March 1857) , dated three days earlier, from John McLeod. His address is given as Dundee Saw Mills.

As an aside … Dr. Pollen’s brickworks and John Thomas’ Star Mill

Flude repeats the incorrect tradition (p. 40, 2008 edition) that Daniel Pollen started his brickworks on the Whau River in 1852. Unfortunately, the real date is later – most likely sometime around 1860, when he employed John Malam as a manager there. See this post.

On p. 66, Flude talks about John Thomas’ Star Mill. As at 1865, according to Flude, the “flour building had already been sold to keep his business going, and later became Garrett Bros. tannery. It burnt down in 1873, and was replaced by a three storey building.”

Well, no – the mill wasn’t sold until 1878, when the mill, and the land it was on, was finally sold to the Garrett Brothers. When the first mill burned in 1873, it was owned by John Thomas’ son John, and Thomas Barraclough. See Terminus.

Will this be the last post on the mill at Henderson? Probably not -- noted Henderson local historian Ben Copedo is reviewing my original post, and has said he'll send some comments through on it. I'm pleased with the information that has come out of this so far, anyway.

More information on the North Island Main Trunk line

I've received some very interesting emails from rail historian Anne StewartBall sparked off by my wee piece on the building of the North Island Main Trunk line, "Riders of Hobby Horses".

"Some additions to your information.

Ferdinand Hochstetter investigated the Drury Coalfield in 1859 and from this visit came dreams over a piece of coal burning in the grate at John Logan Campbell's premises in Shortland Street.

Yes a wooden tramway 4ft. 6 in guage was built for the Waihoihoi Coal Company headed by John Logan Campbell as Chairperson to the water. The design by civil engineer James Stewart. At the opening it was suggested a rail or tramway Drury to Auckland. This was raised by Mr. Buckland at Provincial Council Meeting.

The first surveys for Auckland - Drury Railway were carried out by Samuel Harding C.E. and James Stewart C.E. ( you will see this confirmed in books by Lawn, Furkert, Cyclopaedia Auckland Province, Provincial Council Records, AJHR, and what little Archive NZ records have managed to survive fire, flood and shipwreck.These were confirmed by Mr. Weaver - Provincial Engineer - first section out a major likewise the site of the Auckland Station to be decided. The first sod of the Drury Railway was turned by Mr. Graham in Mr. Dilworth's paddock 0n 16 February 1865. There was great discussion about this being the beginning of a railway all the way to the Cook Strait.Before this there were extensive warnings in the Daily Southern Cross, etc asking people not to pull up the survey pegs.

Yes there were two locomotives ( called this before a track is completed) Suggest you may like to read Vicesimus Lush diaries as there is a rather neat account of the boys enjoying seeing the locomotive in action - new technology for its time.

Harding and Stewart were the Engineers in Charge of Construction. Yes things ground to a halt in 1866 (for a number of reasons including the high cost of compensation wanted by landowners.)

Yes the railway started again under the Vogel ' think big" scheme. Yes Mr. Wrigg was District Engineer and under him was Stewart and Harding ( Resident Engineers ) who carried out a resurvey for Government. Mr. Brogden concurred the route and likewise Mr. Henderson, Brogden's Personal and Head Engineer.In fact these two were to concur so totally that it abbrogated much of the anti in the newspapers.

(If you had done more research you would have seen much from a Mr. Dalton Civil Engineer who really wanted the railway contract and was a bit pipped because Stewart had won the Mangere Bridge Design competition and he got third )

In 1872 Stewart was asked by Government to report on possible routes after Mercer South through to Wellington. In 1872 Stewart was also put in charge as Resident Engineer Public Works Auckland Mercer Railway overseeing the Brogden contract and ordering rails, sleepers, carriages,locomotives, stations, water tanks or towers, etc. In 1874 Stewart was made District Engineer for all railway construction in the Auckland Province. After Brogden completed railway to Mercer the rest of the route was built by Public Works and Militia to Ngaruawahia.

Yes the first sod for the Mercer - Ngaruawahia section was turned at Ngaruawahia. The special thing about that was that on the first sod was placed a Harakeke, Rose, Thistle and Shamrock representing those who were surveying and constructing the line.

Getting the railway to Te Awamutu is also a delightful story and is one of settler lobbying in an interesting turn, so near and yet so far because of a bottomless swamp sucking up the ballast and a wonderful country fair and dinner.

Interesting point for main trunk is that you will see names of other Engineers Beere, Hunter, Goodall, Jackson and not forgetting the contractors Gallagher, Falloon, O'Brien.

There is a wealth of reference out there to add to R.S. Fletcher - just a little scattered across Archives, Museums, Government Departments, etc. If reading the papers then one probably needs to follow the stories right through
or else only part of the story is gained,

I too am like you - a passion for writing railway history - if you would like my two articles on the Drury Railway you would be welcome. They are well referenced because of the scattered information and I have a belief it helps other researchers. Plus I have been in the process of completing my GGF's Biography - the James Stewart I have talked about. The story need to be written on those early Railway Engineers and Surveyors before they become a lost heritage.

Yours sincerely
Anne Stewart Ball"

Anne has also done a number of articles on New Zealand rail history:

Brief Biography Stewart
The beginnings Main Trunk (Waihoihoi, Drury)
Glimpses of Four Generations - their Horizons A Family in Epsom/ Eden( bit about family, Drury Railway, Mercer Railway, Auckland Electric Tramways )
Beginning Glimpses - Thames Waikato Railway
Steel Horizons to Waihi
The Tarawera Eruption 10 June 1886
Research References on Steamers in Auckland Province Coastal Waters- Those early beginnings 1866- 1875
War Horizons ( the story of PS Rangiriri and PS Koheroa)

As written have been donating or depositing copies with relevant places so others can access for information, research,etc eg National Library, MOTAT, Railway Heritage, National Maritime,etc.)

Also, the following research published on Electric Scotland:
Scottish Influence of my Scottish forebears in NZ

JAMES STEWART M.inst.C.E. – Civil Engineer and Surveyor 1832 - 1914

If anyone wishes to contact Anne, send me an email, and I'll forward it on to her. Thanks Anne for letting me publish this on the blog.

Some links from the Auckland City Libraries website

Every so often, Auckland City Libraries send out an email. This time round, it's packed with some interesting links to other parts of their extensive website.

The evolution of books.

"Where have the books come from?

The medieval books in this exhibition are all part of the collections of Auckland City Libraries. They have been among the best-loved treasures of the Library from the beginning of the Library’s history."

Photographs of scenic NZ by Frederick George Radcliffe.

Frequently requested historic maps (one of my favourite areas on the site).

Real Gold -- treasures from Special Collections

Digitised images relating to the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Emails from Anthony Flude

I've had two emails from Anthony Flude, author of Henderson's Mill, referring to this post, which concluded with:

"Lisa, take some advice from an 80yr old author. You need to verify your facts if you are going to make comments about another author's text,. You are at liberty, of course to put forward your own version ... Please be very careful with your comments in future unless you have POSITIVE PROOF of what you write.

"Lecture over, just watch things and you will have a very interesting publication."

I don't mind criticism, and the input of my peers with regard to local history. I pull information together on this blog from research, available materials, and yes, I do make assessments of others' work from time to time. But, given a fact, I check it against other sources. With local and family histories, I've found that to be a necessity.

One weakness I will say about Henderson's Mill (that is, the 1977 version. I hope that his updated version corrects this) is a lack of source noting. This makes it difficult to use the book as a reference. It is, however, one of the three main references for West Auckland general history (the others are Dick Scott's Fire on the Clay, and J. T. Diamond's Once the Wilderness.) Another is indexing, but not many histories at the time were as fully indexed as would today be expected for historical and genealogical research. I've indexed books myself, including the 2nd edition to Once the Wilderness and the Swanson history Rugged Determination, both done because I was frustrated due to the lack of indexing. It is a time-consuming and detailed process. There is, at least, a simplified but not all-encompassing index to Henderson's Mill.

I'll go through his points.

The John Bull and Thomas Henderson

"You mention that you can find no connection to the JOHN BULL owned by Henderson & Macfarlane.

The vessel was owned by Henderson & Macfarlane in 1854 and funds from a shipment of flour used to purchase land by Thomas Henderson.

The Mill upgrade funds were gained as the result of the sale of the ship and cargo of kauri timber on the Brigantine SPENCER 1849, published later in the NZ Herald at the time of his death."

My source for Flude's inclusion of the John Bull in the story was page 21 of his book, with no mention there of the Spencer. There he discusses Thomas Henderson and "Long" John McLeod, inspecting the area purchased by Henderson covered by the timber diocese in 1848, choosing the land to build the sawmill, gangs of carpenters making their way to the site, and

"a mill was built with the proceeds of a deal that successfully recouped one of the partners' few apparent errors of judgement. They had bought the 72-ton schooner "John Bull" for the Auckland-Sydney run, but were just a few years ahead of their time. There was not enough trade in the fledgling colony to pay the ship's way. John McFarlane sold the "John Bull" in Hobart, accepting flour as payment. The flour sold well in Auckland and the money was put into building the mill."

Perhaps Mr. Flude found additional information since publishing his book first time round that pointed to the John Bull as not being associated with finance for building the mill c.1848-1849, as his earlier chapter did imply. I checked Papers Past and the Australian newspapers online at the time I prepared my original post for reference to John Bull and Henderson, and said, truthfully, I couldn't find the association. That is not saying it didn't exist, only that I couldn't find it at that time. I'll look more closely now.

In Papers Past: In January 1848, the 71 ton schooner John Bull had a Mr. Clinch as master, and W. Coombes as agent. In April, Robinson was master, and D. Nathan was agent. (Some advertisements list her as a brigantine). Then nothing (but OCR isn't 100% reliable, the ship's reference may have been there in intervening years, but just not picked up) until June 1855, when Thomson is master, and Carnegie the agent.

In the Australian papers: I did find a reference, 10 June 1853, in the Argus, where the 71-ton brigantine John Bull was up for sale: "Family matters are the sole cause of the owners parting with her," and the buyers to to approach the owner on board or James Dowdall. December 1854, Ewart and Ginn in Australia owned her.

I won't look any further. Back at my original post I wanted to see, out of interest, if John Bull had any part to play in the story of the building of the sawmill at Henderson in 1848-1849, because of what was written in Henderson's Mill. I couldn't find anything, and said so. I'm glad Mr. Flude has confirmed that (by his email, he's confirmed I wasn't in error), and provided the additional information that the ship may have been part of the story in 1854. I say might, because I still haven't seen the evidence.

At the moment, I can't see anything for a sale of the Spencer in 1849 in the contemporary papers online. All we have to go by, I suppose, is what Mr. Flude says the obituary had included, but in writing about maritime ship ownership and disposals, I find it's best to have a contemporary source.

Lucy Dann, Lucy Dunn and Lucidan

Mr. Flude writes:

"The comments you made on the schooner owned by Thomas Henderson need to be qualified correctly so your readers can understand why the schooner has two names mentioned in the books, Henderson's Mill [2 editions] and Dick Scotts books also.

"If you refer to the documentation at the back of my book, Henderson's Mill, you will see that Thomas Henderson himself referred incorrectly to the schooners name as 'Lucy Dann' in his High Court statement to the land Claim Commissioners, which was then repeated in other Government papers, including his final settlement, whereas the correct name of the schooner was 'LUCIDAN' as we know for sure.

"So this was not an incorrect statement to make mention of both names, the reason explained in the text and the correct name used thereafter through the authors books.

"Your comments on the plight of the ship after it was beached in Thames is interesting also.....conjecture perhaps but a likely outcome if correct."

Some notes in the text of Henderson's Mill might have been helpful here in the first place (see my comment above), but -- on page 104 he reproduced a copy of the 21 December 1857 land claim document made out by Thomas Henderson. "We had a Schooner called the Lucy Dunn which the Natives had repeatedly asked to give them in exchange for land." It looks like "Dunn" to me, not "Dann". Thanks though, Mr. Flude. I had wondered how such a broad error could have crept into your work.

Nothing on Papers Past for either Lucy Dunn or Lucy Dann. You've opened up another mystery, though -- why would Thomas Henderson himself have recalled the ship's name incorrectly? We'll probably never know.

Oh, and I think the Thames beaching came after the incident on the North Shore, not before (no date was provided in Henderson's Mill, p. 17) especially as the term "stripped" was used -- but if Mr. Flude has more information on that, perhaps where he got the information from, that would be helpful.

With source notes to his research work, and perhaps with someone to help index his work more fully as well, Anthony Flude's books will be a useful research tool in time. At the moment, there's a bit of wading through to do in using them. I might quietly index my copies of his work some time, just to make them easier to use.

Update: 29 May 2009

A Tale of Two Mills

I've been looking into the story of the mouth of the Oakley Creek for some years, now. I've already released the product of that research, Terminus and posted it online via Scribd. But the centre of the obsession was the old Star Mills of Waterview.

To the right is a map from LINZ records of the Oakley Creek, drafted as part of the land transaction records to do with John Thomas from 1859. The yellow circle is the site where, I believe, any archaeological remains of the Star Mills are likely to be found. There were two mills, one built c.1859, burned down in 1873, and the second which replaced it, and disappeared from history c.1909.

But these are not the "two mills" of this post's title.

At some point, someone in the Auckland Central Library found a photograph of a mill (below). Perhaps they thought that it looked somewhat like a scene from Oakley Creek. The fact that the Star Mills existed was fairly well-known -- it's been a part of the fabric of our local knowledge since A. H. Walker wrote about it in Rangi-Mata-Rau in the 1960s. They added the following information to it:

"Showing the old mill on the banks of the Oakley Creek at Waterview built by John Thomas around 1859 and burned down in 1873. A second mill, known as Star Mills, was built by Thomas Barraclough and John Thomas Junior. It was converted to a tannery by the Garrett brothers before 1878, and was demolished about 1910." (Photo reference 7-A2820, Special Collections, Auckland City Libraries)

But, it just never looked quite right to me. It was used in a report on the Star Mill by Robin Mason and Peter McCurdy, who naturally went by the caption on the photograph, and subsequently used in displays during talks by Robin Mason to the Avondale Community Board, Friends of Oakley Creek, and West Auckland Historical Society in 2006. WAHS even published it in their newsletter. But -- still, I wasn't convinced that this was Oakley Creek.

Then, in the latest issue of Memories magazine (June/July), I found a familar photograph on page 8, in an article on Captain Ninnis of the Kawau Island copper mines, from the "Muir Collection". It seems, after Kawau, he turned to flax-milling. The caption to that photo, identical to the Special Collections one, reads: "The Flax Mill with the water wheel, built by James Ninnis and Dr. Purchas at the Waitangi Falls, Waiuku, later used as a flour mill."

I was delighted, but cautious. I checked with Special Collections, showing them the two photos, and they found this one (below) in thier Waiuku files:

This (A8084) is captioned: "WAIUKU. Flour mills at Waitangi Falls. From Waiuku Museum."

From there, I went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. They have another version of the above photo, even more of the building cropped out, from the "Botany Division 1971". The focus of the photo wasn't so much the mill building, it was the plants around that stream. Another faded photograph at the museum showed the mill, identical to the Special Collections photo, at Waiuku. 75% sure now that the Special Collections photo had been mis-captioned, I returned to Auckland Library, to hunt for further proof. I found it in B. D. Muir's 1983 book Waiuku and District: The Romantic Years. There, on a page beside a description he's taken from the Weekly News of 1889, was the photograph in Special Collections and the Memories magazine.

So, we are now left with just two photos of the Star Mill, and both (from the NZ Graphic, two different dates) show only the second Star Mill, by then converted to being part of a tannery, possibly housing the tannery's steam engines. (Photo ref: 7-A1683, Special Collections)

Of course, the site of the old mills at Oakley Creek are right in the path of the SH20 motorway, so all this discussion over which photo is which is most likely moot. But at least I know now my gut feeling was correct.

Avondale College reunion

As a past pupil of Avondale College (1977-1981), I'm delighted to see that an organising committee is up and running for a proposed reunion next year. At the moment, they're aiming for the Labour Weekend.

Contact them via their new website, and spread the word, folks.

The Pioneer Winemaker

A couple of photos of "The Pioneer Winemaker", a sculpture at the corner of Sel Peacock and Alderman Drives in Henderson. The sculptor was Anthony Stone (1995), and it was unveiled on 9 February 1996 by Dame Catherine Tizard, then NZ Governor-General. The names of 32 winemakers and their families who assisted with the work are listed on one of the two bronze plaques at the base. The sculpture is one of my favourites in Auckland.