EARLY WHAKATANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 68, 30 April 1943, Page 5

EARLY WHAKATANE

BUSINESSMAN'S REMINISCENCES

MR CEO. CAISLEY RETIRES

Interviewed yesterday with reference to his 30 years in business in Whakatane Mr George Caisley who retires from active business thisi week-end, had some • interesting stories to recount of Whakatane as the honest-to-goodness one-horse show it undoubtedly was in the early days when the plains were a swamp and the Maori population outnumbered the Pakeha by four to one. Mr Cais'.ey who with the active partnership of his wile can lay just claim to have established one of the oldest, remaining businesses in Whakatane recalled having arrived in the town on March 17, 1906 to assist in the construction of the Bacon Factory (later known as the Arawa Dairy Factory) for Messrs Kirk and Carter Ltd. He later worked as engine driver for that firm for a number of years. In 1913 with his wife he deter-: mined to commence business in the town as a bookkeeper and stationer and so on September 13 Caisley's first shop was opened. In those days the coach service from Rotorua (inaugurated in 1906) used to leave Rotorua at 7 a.m. ancß alter fording the Ta'rawera, Rangitaiki and Whakatane rivers, arrived in Whakatane at • 5 p.m. (perhaps, as Mr Caisley puts it). A tenhour trip of discomfort, over a route which can now be. covered in an hour and a half! When the rivers were high the: water w T as crossed by "canoe and. a new conveyance provided the other side. Sometimes at low tide the. coach forded the Whakatane river at the back of Messrs Paterson and Piatt's farm.

The Strand in those days was but a one-side street. It was not so wide as at present constituted and revealed cither tidal waters lapping up to Pohaturoa Rock or a broad expanse of mudflat. The only entrance to the town was between the Rock and the cliff where Messrs. Hamill Bros, now have their garage.

With. the. reclamation scheme, the Post Office was erected on the first consolidated .section. With the Har-i hour Board's more active reclamation, new sections were open for selection between the Post Officc and the Square. The first was taken up by Messrs Kirk and Carter, a site now occupied by Mr Max Hunt's butchery. The other three went to Messrs Stone and Reid, furniture makers, Messrs Bridgers Ltd. and to AJr Caisley himself.

The plight of the average businessman in the early days of Whakatane Avas not all the proverbial 'beer and skittles,' and the budding commercial centre experienced some vcit hard times. The big strike in 1913 held up all coastal shipping, the only means of delivering goods that Whakatane had. With Christmas fast approaching the shopkeepers were desperate. The shelves were empty and the one season where they expected to recoup their ill-fortune «eemed about to be- de-

nied them

However the boat arrived a "week before Christmas and hopes rose accordingly. Unfortunately again the bar was unworkable. The boat accordingly went to Ohiwa and discharged there. With a local carrier (Mr J. Pyne) Mr Caisley said he Avas forced to go to Ohiwa, ferry the six large cases across the harbour, load them on to the truck and. then return to Whakatane. But at any rate the goods were there for Christmas. During the great Avar, Avhilst Mr Caisley was seiwing abroad, Mrs Caisley carried on the business single-handed for 18 months. Since that time. Avith the closer settlement of the Plains and the groAving town the establishment has steadily increased. Mr Caisley attributes this largely to the loyalty of the townspeople, the support of their many friends, and his own cordial relations Avith .the warehouses and wholesale firms Avith which he deals. Number 13. says Mr Caisley, is apparently their lucky number, as •hev were married on September 13, 1905:, started business on September 13, 1913, reopened, after being burnt out on September 13, 1932 and two years ago when removing to their new house on Hillcrest, he asked Mrs Caisley if she realised the date, which happened to be again March 13.