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Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1922, Page 2

. Souk examples may l >e Riven of the scope of the work being done in regard to local lore in Australia, a ,s a guide for similar research here, should so desirable a. step be made apart of the school work. A Sydney paper goes on to say that Hall’s Creek school provides the information that the district was named after George Hall, who obtained a lease there in 1845. The river Gydir was said to have derived its name from the native word “guida” meaning “the river with red banks” Hall’s Creek says this is wrong, and suggests that when Allan Cunningham was there, in 1827, he followed the usual practice of naming places after his friends or friends of Governor Darling, and christened it Gwydir. There were some families of that name residing in the Burren district. Bingara means “shallow crossing,” and Bobby Whitlow (a creek and a school) is the extraordinary corruption of Barbee! Wirrilla, “the home of the scrub oak.” Barmedman, the name of a small village in Scotland, was originally Barbryman. Gold was accidentally discovered there by a woman appropriately named “Treasure”. Murwillumbnh, says the local historian, is aboriginal for “I am satisfied.” Dunbible Creek got its name from the following incident: An old pioneer was rending his Bible on the banks. When he had finished he was crossing the creek on a log bridge when the Bible fell into /te erepk. His black fellow remarked “Done 'Bible, boss.” And Dunbible, it has been to this day. According t G the Byron Bay historians, the survey-

or who laid out the town was under the impre&sion that Cape Byron was named after tlie poet. To perpetuate the literary flavour of the district, he christened most of the streets after literary men. For instance Byron Ba y school is surrounded by streets named Kingsley, Middleton, Carlyle, and Tennyson. The name Tallow Beach, about a mile eastward from the town, has anything, but a literary flavour. It is said to have been named after a ship, laden with tallow, which was lost there. Our hardy pioneers worked from daylight to dark; hut the Emu Plains historian says that they danced hard also. It wag the custom when anyone got married in the district to have a dance every night for a week. On one occasion a dance was kept up for eight night first in one hotel an 1 then in another until each of the eight

had had one night. Nignt revels were part and parcel of life On the diggings in the early days, and Hokitika, was a place of great festivity in that respect over a long number of years. To recall these old time happenings is to awaken memories which give a charm to local lo r e, and suggest the great amount of pleasure which can he derived along the lines possible in tlie collation of stories from the early pioneers of the brave days of old now slipping rather from memory. Before too late the stories should be secured.

! Thf, good reports received as to the Advanced condition of (the (tramway from Ross to Waitaha is very satisfying news. Another link between South Westland and the north will soon be forged, always providing the Government authorities will permit the transport of goods and stock over the line. No doubt the authorities will see that proper safeguards to r traffic proposed, is provided, but outside of this precaavtion the Government should be most anxious to come t<, the rescue of the southern settlers. The fact that

the Government —tlie present Government—failed go on with the Ross-Wai-taha. railway throws an obligation on the authorities to make good now ag far as circumstances will permit. Private enterprise has provided, a public utility which the Government failed to do after Parliament had not only authorised the expenditure hy legislation but had also voted the money to initiate the work. To avoid taking advantage on behalf of the public facilities rtow provided for traffic would he to punish the district quite unduly. It lias been suggested that the Minister of Public Works be taken over the line—for which his Department rests the licensing of the tramway for public traffic. As the tramway is in the nature of a light railway Mr Coates will He what can he done by private enterprise in tapping back block country. He will not find the line cheaply built, but he will find an economically constructed piece of work which might he something of 0.11 object lessen to the Government on the subject, of light railways. The wisdom of a personal inspection by Mr Coates is, therefore at once apparent.