PASSING OF PIONEER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 18, 14 October 1937, Page 9

PASSING OF PIONEER

Memories of Early Days Mr John Kilmister, of Cottleville Terrace, one of Wellington 's early settlers, who died on Monday in his 101st year, was bora at Bath, England, and, /with his patents, arrived in Wellington on MaTch 17, 1841, by the ship ; Lady Nugent. ' j Tho first hoine of the Kilmister" f am- : ily was a hut' at 'the top of Bolton; street. His father took an aetive part in. the pioneer settlement of the Wellington ' district, pit-sawed the timber for the first house in Khandallah, and! assisted in compieting the road be- ( tween Johnsonville and Porirua. The > family • shifted to the Hutt, and subse- i quently built a house on a section of land on what is now called The Terrace. , Many stories of early Wellington were told by Mr Kilmister. When the family first arrived, there were Maori pas at Te Aro, Thorndon, and at Kaiwarra. He was 12 years of age when the eartkquake of 1848 oceurred. He, during memories recalled on the occasion of his hundredth birthday last year, that he was playing marbles when the earthquake occurred, and was surprised to eee' his marbles rolling about on the ground. When .the family shifted to the Hutt, the natives helped them to bnild their home. On their removal back to Wellington, the timber for the new home was rafted down down the dlutt river and across the harbour. Mr Kilmister recalled that the earthquake of 1S55 started at about 9 d'clock at night and occasional shakes occurred .fov some days. t Tracing back to the davs of tho when he first arrived in Wellington, Mr Kilmister recalled that the Maoris nv.e very friendly to the new amvals. One old wairior used to xe late how_ he could remember the visit of Captain Oook. The Maoris thought the ship was "a great rata tree floating with its branches sticking up. " Mr Kilmister also remembered seeing Te Rauparalia driving a carriage presented to him by Sir George Grey.