PAKURANGA HUNT CLUB.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 621, 5 April 1921, Page 7

PAKURANGA HUNT CLUB.

ITS EARLY HISTORY. ORIGINAL MEMBERS. (Continued.) IN 1872, at the end of the year, the Pakuranga Hunt Club was established, and it is interesting to know who the original members were. Their names were: —Alfred Buckland, Seagar Buckland, T. Morrin, S. Morrin, R. M. Wynyard, Tom Brown, Every McLean,, E. P. Donnelly, A. R. Harris, R. Bent, Albyn Martin, Captain James Walmsley, R. McLean, Wm. McLaughlin, and E. Woolfield. Most of these are, of course, dead ; but Tom Brown still lives at Otahuhu, as hale and hearty as he was of old. From him it is that many of these incidents have been gathered. At East Tamaki lives Mr A. R. Harris, of a considerably more aged appearance than MiBrown.

It now became necessary to build kennels, and it was decided to have them on Pigeon Mountain, Pakuranga, on some land kindly placed at the disposal of the Club by Mr Robert McLean. These kennels were built by donations fx’Om the members. Mr R. McLean supervised the work, and took charge of the hounds. He appointed Joe Roberts to look after them, and they were kept in a loose box at Mr Buckland’s at Tamaki Farm while the kennels were in course of erection. J. Roberts was later appointed huntsman by the Club.

THE FIRST MEETS

In 1873 hounds were hunted for the first time in Auckland, with Mr McLean at the head of affairs. The huntsman (Joe Roberts) was on foot the first day the hounds were out, and had only two and a-half couple of hounds. No kills resulted. They were out several more times in 1873, but in a very informal way. On May 16th, 1874, the first formal meet of an established pack was held, with Mr McLean as master, Joe Roberts huntsman, and his son, C. Roberts, whip. Colonel' De Quincey’s property, at Howick, was first draw, and a hare found immediately. It gave a longhut slow hunting run, and was eventually lost among some sheep. Two other hares were found and gave short runs.