FIRST WHITE SETTLER

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 25, 22 October 1937, Page 9

FIRST WHITE SETTLER

Our Own Correspondent.

Ormondville Woman's 86th Birthday EARLY DAYS RECALLED .

. From

ORMONDVILLE, Last Night. Mrs Susan Groom, who is believed to be the earliest remaining Ormondville settler, celebrated her 86th birthday yesterday, receiving visits from many friends, and messages of congratulation from all quarters.' Among her gifts were a birthday cake from her son and daughter-in-law, Mr and Mrs R. C. Groom. Mrs Groom came to New Zealand in 1874 on the ship Winchester. The voyage caused her intense suffering, so that upon landing in Napier she was in eo precarious a state of health that her husband was warned by a doctor that unless she was at once taken inland, she probably would not live. Within two days of landing, therefore, the family of three left for Waipawa, where they remained for two years, then coming on to Ormondville, where Mrs Groom was the first white woman to make her home. At that timo Ormondville was all virgin bush, and Mrs Groom tells how the settlers formed the "Farmers' Association," and taxed themselves heavily to provide i'unds to make a road. After the road fiad been made, the Government of that time had the trees felled along the route of what was to be the railway, these trees talling across and blocking the settlers' new highway, greatly to their consternation. iiepresentations were made to the a-u-thorities and the tiees were subsequently removed.

Mrs Groom clearly remembers the gradual growth of the township from the old sawmilling days, and the build-. ing of the old wooden viaduct, built entirely of totara, which preceded the present stru'cture. During the building of the bridge, tho settlers' road was onco more rendered impassable by the transport of timbor from the Makotuku sawinills to the bridge site, and it was not until some years later that a really usable road was establisbed. After living in Ormondville for 12 months Mrs Groom's husband, the late Mr R. R. Groom, opened a store on his section> which Mrs Groom and he retained until his death about 26 years ago. Mrs Groom then- disposed of the store, and took up residence in her present home, which is named Dartford, in memory of the late Mr Groom's birthplace in England. Mrs Groom well remembers the opening of the Ormondville railway station, and is an authority upon the events which from time to time have marked the advance of Ormondville from a bush settlement to the existing township, which is the railhead for a big district. Mrs Groom was in the early days a oentral figure in social aifairs, being the pioneer of such aetivities in this district. She has also always been an ardent church worker.