OBITUARY.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 642, 17 June 1921, Page 7

OBITUARY.

THE LATE MAJOR LUSK.

rhe sudden death of Major Lusk, IHelensville last Saturday, deprives (of another of the now rapidly dihishing band oi pioneers who led p early march of civilisation into hth Auckland districts in the 50’s ft 60’s of last century. As a re- [•£ of an energetic and varied peer the story of his life would be jficult to parallel, and the fact that 5 -vigour and energy, both of body carried him nearly twenty irs ; beyond the, allotted span , until died in harness at the last, should t as an object lesson to us,'whose ; ys have been made smooth by the irk, hardships and dangers of thise 10 came across -fourteen thousand

Sles of 'sea'to found our homes, and, [o often, alas, to christen them with

leir blood. 1 [Arriving in Auckland with his parks in 1849, Daniel Henderson Lusk t.nt on to a farm in the Three inars district, But life on a quiet Lburban farm was not to his taste, ad he joined a survey party, workL at his profession in many places oth in the North and South Islands.

[bout the year 1859 he took up several hundred acres of heavy bush End in the Mauku district, and joind the, -hardy band of settlers engagd ir>- hewing, with axe and bill-hook,

omesteads out of the primeval forsc which then extended with scarcey a break across the whole of Frank-

n ‘.County,

Btit f the advance agents of civili;ation were not long allowed to work nhindered The revolt of the Waicato ‘ and Rohi Potae natives, which lad long been simmering, culminated n actual hostility in the winter of 1863, and not only was the safety of the infant settlements threatened, but the young town of Auckland itself was felt to be in great danger. The only hope lay in immediate arriving of all hands, and at this juncture Mr Lusk offered ■ to enroll and train all the able-bodied men of Mauku and Waiuku. The result was the raising of the Forest Rifle Volunteers, a corps destined; to hnake a 'name for itself second only to that of Von Tempsky’s Forest Rangers, with which unit it often co-operated. Meanwhile, the regular troops were pushing on with the great South 1 Road from Drury to Mercer, which the subject of our memoir had assisted the late Mr James Stewart, C.E~. to survey, A chain of stockades was established from the Firth (SM .I*4 es to the Manukau, of three pf'wbfch the Mauku Church, The FalL-Z/and the Grange, Captain Lusk was nut in' charge. On Oct. 21, 1563, jfame the settlers first baptism of fire. A party of Rewi Maniapoto’s tribesmen, estimated at about 350, came down the Waikato River and commenced shooting cattle on Wheeler’s farm (The Ti-ti), ■With the slender forces at his command, it was not Captain Lusk’s intention to join issue with them until reinforcements arrived, but the precipitancy ox the young officer in command of the Grange stockade forced his hand. Ordered to join the main body at the church, Lieutenant Percival marched hit; handful of men straight to the Ti-ti, and with dare-devil hardihood, opened fire upon the marauders. An immediate advance of the main body became necessary if the Grange garrison was to be saved. A sally was made and this purpose effected, though not without considerable loss, including the gallant Percival.

Towards the end of 1563, General Cameron found himself in a position to advance into the Waikato, and attack the rebels in their strongholds. It was determined to send three companies of the 50th Regiment to Kaw- . hia to out-flank the enemy by marching to Pirongia, and Captain Lusk’s familiarity with the bush led ip his being sent to accompany the exnedition. It was an arduous journey through broken and unknown country, much ox it covered with almost impenetrable bush But the little force performed it and kept its time-table, arriving in time to assist at the reduction of Orakau, The Waikato war over, Captain Lusk retired again to his Mauku farm, but still kept well in touch With the volunteer movement. Shortly afterwards he was appointed officer commanding the Waiuku-Wairps military district, extending as far south as Mercer, and later on had charge of the Auckland district. But through all his military life he lived his farm, to which he brought his J-bride, a daughter of the late Captain Butler, of Monganui, and where his family of three sons and four daughters were brought up.

In 1882 Major Lusk sold the Mauku property and retired to Auckland, whore he engaged in business for some years. But city life soon became too tame for him, and ne indulged his passion for the backhlocks by accepting a position as Crown Lands Ranger, first in the far north and afterwards in the Coromtindel Peninsular. In the latter legion he nearly lost his life, owing to" his horse falling down a gully v/ith him, by which he sustained injuries to his neck, from which he never fully rec§'.*cred.

< Ifc would have been thought that when he became too old for the, Government to employ him. Major Lusk >vould have put on his slippers and taken things easy, but the restiess pioneering spirit still possessed him as strongly as ever. To the amazement of his friends, at the age of seventy-five, he took up a large block of bush land at Wairoa, about 20 miles back from Te Kuiti, and settling there proceeded to break it In, even taking a' turn at the manual work with scarcely diminished vigour. For several years he remained on those high, rolling limestone downs, watching the inaccessible district i gradually coming into grazing lands, and taking an active part in local bodies’ work, not only in the Yvaitomo County, but in the rising town of Te Kuiti. A few years ago he disposed of his King Country interests, and went to Auckland, where he devoted himself entirely to the affairs of the Fanners’ Union and Its allied organisations, the Trading Co., and the Farmers’ Fertiliser Co., It was ! while he was on his way to the Farmers’ Conference that the last bugle call of all was sounded for him.