THE EARLY DAYS

Hokitika Guardian, 27 August 1930, Page 7

THE EARLY DAYS

A WELSH PIONEER OF HOKITIKA INTERESTING REMINTNSCENCES. . > #1 .*• ‘ -t? V The/population of the West Coast in the/-early days was a very interesting . study, Italians, French, Irish,-' Scotch, Welsh, English (with Yorkshire and Cornish), Chinese and Jaws, 1 ■'and others being wei.l represented.'/' r , .

- Hokitika was tlie home of Mr. Josepli:.Joiies.yahd. family from 1868 for : years. He wsb a well known *#d beloved man, interesting himself in ..everything connected with the advancement of the town. He was a lay preacher for the Methodists taking many a long wa/k to Staffordtown and Kanieri and driving to Ross and Ku.mara .in later years to conduct services..

A ; prominent temperance advocate, , lie was connected with the early Good Templars "Lodge. Among early' associates 5 were Messrs Johnston (ironmonger),, John NSchoiison (draper), John Tait;;(photographer), Wm. Perry (merchant), Frank Clark (coal merchant), V l Mr .• and Mrs H. J. Hansen (Post Office Hotel), Mr and Mrs J. (Red Lion Hotel), Mr Jas. oco£t, M,A,/ (head of- Presbyterian Academy), and Captain Turnbull (harbour-master), whose' names ' will still; bePrenietnbered by many on the Coast, " : 'yy ;■ Mr Jones; opened a small branch store for’.' Messrs CowSijshaw and Plaisted/atyGreenstone, later coming to Hok'itika where his wife and children. , jbi tied him from Victoria. The. "ironmonger’s shop was situated on Gibson Quay, adjoining the Red Lion Hotel,' Mr Jones acting as manager'for-; many years. A very busy scene. the- Quay presented in those days:. ' ''//v

: ' The tragic, death of Mr Thos. Cowlishaw, wife/.was making, a trip to . the Coast,; vsas.vi.a- sourOe; of. great.(grief 1 to him.' 4-;;wild stormy night . And j the little tug .was!.tendering;. and v Vay (if slipped ‘ and - he was -thrown.'into The the,;' scene of no small at ■> one time. A plumb-er—-pepfge 'Hem n—had a smal 1 tmsmith’s ' shop: below.: the Red Inom .and' tunnelling a passage imderneatli s . ; th^'Hotels gained . entrance' to and, : was able to which .he 'found . useful in .The - story of how he sawfjthe ,i jppfice( in the office -waiting for'.him to come in by the front withdrew.; Later he was arrested and A. the judge/ complimented Mr Jones , on I his clear evidence which convicted ' Chamberlain, who served seven years for his thefts, Those ■ wore wild days on the Coast —Fenian riots, Mr Jones with other citizens •(•bhing sworn in as special constables‘. and armed with clulbs—tidal .waves (pouring through the

rip jlit-o’-ways—great fifrets in Revell Street and other excitements, but in the' end Hokitika settled down to quiet .peaceful ways. Amid the stress and- storm of all happenings never a West Coaster but looks back with longings for the ‘‘good old days” and the hospitality of the Coast.

A joyful remembrance of bush, lakes, rivers, Alps and wonderful sunsets, and jaunts and picnics, is with the exile in other (scenes..

On Giibson Quay, Mr Jones’ house looked out over the river to the bushclad hills and the snowy Alps. On removing to Christchurch Mr Jas. Park bought the property and he resides thereon. J From Christchurch Mr and Mrs Jones went to Victoria, later returning to New Zealand and finally settling down at Petone, where he bought a small business. This quiet was not for Jong. A man named Boscher, whom Mr and Mrs" Jones had assisted in many ways, needed money and to cibtain it deliberately planned their destruction and on August . 27th, 1896—24 years ago—he murdered both. This man suffered the extreme penalty of the law, , being hanged seven months later.'

Of Mr and Mrs Jones’ daughters Mrs Wm. Wade resides at Invercargill, and Mrs G. Kerr at Oamaru.— “REMEMBRANCE.”