Passing of a Pioneer

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 34, 21 December 1945, Page 6

Passing of a Pioneer

Mr. H. W. Burt

In the death of Mr Harry William Avhich occurred at Matata recently the district has lost yet another human link with the early pioneering days of the South Auckland. Born at Thames (New Zealand) 75 years ago the late Mr Burt was the son ol' Mr and Mrs H. R. Burt who in their turn were amongst tlie first pioneers of Thames and it is interesting to recall that the father of the deceased was himself horn at Nelson in 1845 and lived to the age of 75 years. The wife of this pioneer, was the last known of the Indian Mutiny survivors of 1857. Her father was Captain Holmes of the 18th Royal Irish Regiment and she came to New Zealand in 1862 J living to the age of 93. The lite; Mr Harry Burt # spent his younger days in Macky Town > near Paeroa where his father owned a small farm in the district now known as Marshes Flat. There were only three families there ? and the nearest school was above Karangahake Station, which was a half-time establishment. To this the two Burt hoys 5 Harry and Fred } journeyed from time to until a school was finally opened at Macky Town. In 1877 ? the family shifted to Avhere the deceased continued his schooling, until two years when a further shift was made to Cambridge. This Waikato was in those full of life and activity. Some 500 armed constabulary were permanently stationed there, at a spot above where the high level bridge now is. Jn the family decided to move to the East Coast, and in February of that year—l months before Tarawera eruption set out to make the long journey by buggy and on horseback. The two boys> Harry and Fred shared one horsc > with no saddle and kept touch with the buggy in which were: the rest of the fam r ily. They journeyed via Rotorua and down the old military road to Matata. The boys covered the distance b3* riding the horses in relays one riding on a few miles till he came to a good patch of grass.. He would then tie the horse up and walk on, when the other one would come up and ride till he overtook his browhen the process was repeated. The journey from Cambridge to Rotorua, 55 miles } was completed in ten hours.

at Matata j the two brothers started working on the farm which they owned up till the time of Mr Harry Burt's death. The partnership which was then estalv lish.ed lasted throughout the whole of the deceased's life. Hard times were encountered, maize being the only saleable crop grown and this had to be shipped 12 miles up the Rangitailci, and 18 miles;: down the Orini in a whale boat. The price obtained was 2/6 per bushel. In 1893, the Burt family took up the 6000 acre block adjoining the Ma lata township which is now known as the 'run.' Sheep were brought in from the Waikato, the cost of a full mouth ewe being 3s and lambs "J about Is (id. Fresh sheep were brought in annually to replace those sold. The trip was. made via Tau- j ranga and Thompson's Track over the Coromandels. After a very early start, it was possible to get over the range very late in thie evening. The alternative method was to go to where it was posible to get the pick of some 10,1)00 fresh fullmouth ewes for 4s and splendid Marino ewes' for lis. These drovers came via the Kiangaroa Plains, in three days and two nights and it was necessary to carry all fresh water in bottles during this period. The track used was pioneered by Troutbec'k of Galatea who used it to get his wool to Napier in the early days. Mobs traversing it, were generally increased by about fifty strays picked up on the Plains l'rom previous mobs through, to Galatea, in making their first trip the Burt brothers say that they saw no white person between Taupo-Napier turnoff and Matata, except for the schoolmaster and his family at Galatea t and Mr B. McGarvcy at Te Toko. The long drove was made through broken country and long stretches of swamp the sheep swimming the 1

Taratvera River a little below HaLlett's, 4 at Otakiri. Ln 1908 Messrs. Burt brothers dis- » 7 posed of their run to Messrs Pattie j and Webster of Nelson ancl the; » > i stock taken over comprised 2500 j .sheep and 600 head of cattle. j In the, early Harry and Fred spent many holidays in Rotorua, and on one occasion when J camped at Okaro Lake ? near Waimangu some, natives who were building a whare near their camp warned them of the approach of Te Kooti. As the famous outlaw had not then sur r rendered both lads were pretty scared, but by way of forestalling trouble } they resolved to cook the oncoming rebels a dish of Kororirori (flour poured into boiling water and made into a kind of porridge). This they put in a kerosene tin, and cooked sufficient for about half a dozen persons. They were completely unarmed, and the Hau Haus finally arived an hour later on horseback. Te Kooti dismounted and approached the frightened palcelias who eoukl only mumble "Get the kai " "Get the kai." However the '9 5 celebrated Maori outlaw merely smiled and shook hands He could speak English, and intimated that he knew the Burt family well. Taking a peacock's feather out of his hat he put it in Fred Burt's hat and final]y, shaking hands he rode away. The two broke all re cords in their eight-mile sprint back to the settlement at Green Lake. The. late Mr Harry Burt was a well known who will be re membered as a great cricketer and as a footballer of wide repute. In both games he participated in many well known representative matches when the Bay of Plenty had a high reputation for sporting achievements. As a cricketer he won the trophy for the best batting average, with an average of 33 over eleven innings. As a runner he was also very prominent, and had no equal over the hurdles and up to the 4-10 in open sprints. The late Mr Burt was well known for his kindly and charitable nature, j Of a quiet disposition, he was some thing of a homelover but was known to a wide circle of friends. When only seven years, old, he had saved his brother's life by rescuing him from a deep hole in the Ohinemuri River. Twenty-live years later, the debt was repaid when Mr Fred Burt saved Harry's daughter from drown ing. Mr Harry Burt is survived by eight children. His four Messrs Albiii f Fred, Glen and Trevor all served overseas. He has two surviving brothers in Mr Fred Burt, well known in local body work and Mr S. H. both of Matata. An only sister, Laura is now Mrs Christ mas of Ellerslie.