THE LAKE DISTRICT

Lake County Mail, Issue 9, 23 July 1947, Page 8

THE LAKE DISTRICT

The Lake District has shared with the rest of the province in the ebb and flow of development. Eleven years after the foundation of the , province W. G. Rees took up laud in the Queenstown area and began the development of the district as sheep land. The approach to Wakatipn was made both from Invercargill, and from Dunedin via Central. There was no lake road in those days, and. except for packhorse tracks, all other traffic demanded boats, and the pioneers built boats. The rout through Central had its own difficulties. The Kawarau Gorge was such a hazard that most traffic went from Cromwell over the hill to Cardrona and dropped down from thence to Arrowtown, and so to Queenstown. Sheep and cattle driving were no mean undertaking over unbroken land covered with hush or fern tussock. I have no intention of retelling the adventures of those early pioneers. That has already been so well done by “Tales told by an early pioneer,” and by Florence Hogarth deGronchy in her “ Queen of the Southern Lakes. ’ The “ Early Pioneer ” tells of Mr Rees care for the spiritual needs of his household and staff, leading them in divine service. Indeed, one such service had its atmosphere of worship destroyed by the Presbyterian members’ ignorance of the Anglican order of service. to Mr Rees’s grave annoyance. Nevertheless, the record of this incident is like a breath from another world, indicative’ of how we of to-day have travelled far from the ways of those pioneers. Family worship is almost a thing of the past, and few communities in New Zealand to-day will gather for worship without the leadership of a minister or a lay preacher. Rees was only a few years in occupation of his run when gold was discovered in the Lakes District, first at Arrow, and. then on the Shotover and its tributaries, and by the end of 1863 there were 3,500 men mining in this district. Reading the early history of the church here, one is much struck by the character of those early miners. The general reputation of men in gold rushes is that they are mainly a hardened and godless crew, an impression that we get from the descriptions of lawlessness and riot and drunkenness that came from the goldfields of Australia, America, and the Klondyke. But lawlessness, and violence, and mob law had little or no place in the history of New Zealand. Here is an extract from an early record which carries with it its own commentary on the community of those days: “ Among the miners there was a large number of church-going Presbyterians who early desired to have gospel ordinances established in their midst. The Presbytery of Otago, the controlling ecclesiastical authority, was warmly sympathetic, but it was at its wits end to supply ministers .to meet the requirements of the emergency which had arisen. It did its best by arranging that the nearest settled ministers to the needy districts should supply services as often as possible, and by appointing a number of accredited laymen to continue the work. Queenstown and the Lakes District was not overlooked in these arrangements. Visits were paid by the Revs. Copland (Lawrence), Todd (Tokomairiro), Stuart (Knox, Dunedin), Will (Taieri), Stobo (First, Invercargill). Alexander (Long Bush), and others. On the sth April, 1865, the Southland Presbytery was constituted and took Queenstown under its care, but no minister was as yet availbble, and temporary supply was continued. In 1866 a young student from Edinburgh, the Rev. R. Telford, 8.A., arrived in Otago, and was

commissioned to supply the Queenstown district, which he did for nine months during 1807. He consolidated the scattered people into a congregation; established Sunday Schools, organised local committees, and in general paved the way towards a permanent settlement. The district was declared a sanctioned charge of the Synod on the l Oth April. 1867, and the usual steps were taken to secure a minister. The Rev. Mr 'leilord had other ends in view, so overtures were made in turn to the Re\. Mi McGillivray, late of Riverton. Stevens, now at Wallacetown, and the Rev. Mr Ferguson, of Lyttelton, without result. The Rev. Benjamin Drake, a minister from the Congregational Church, hut not. yet received into the Presbyterian Communion. supplied for several months at the close of 1867 and the beginning of 1868, and was followed by the Rev. Wm. Campbell (later of South Dunedin). The long period of waiting was now, however, nearing an end. There came into their midst the Rev. Donald Ross, who after preaching and acquainting himself with the district, expressed his wili bigness to undertake the work of the extended parish. A call was prepared and sustained by the Presbytery, and the Rev. Mr Ross was inducted by the Revs. Stobo and Alexander on the both April, 1869. In appreciation of the steadfastness and loyalty of the congregation the Synod at its next .meeting passed the following minute: —‘ Your Committee have observed with pleasure the practical wisdom displayed by the people of the Queenstown and surrounding country in the management of the many works connected with the planting and settlement of this Church.’ —The Outlook. We may take to heart how in those days of difficult travel and lack of communication Queenstown and the Lake District were not neglected outposts, but were regarded as integral parts of the whole settlement in the Province, the more developed parts of the Pi ovince stretching out a helping hand, and playing a part in the organising of the church life here; and how the local people themselves did what they could to help themselves, establishing Sunday Schools, and securing buildings.

(To be continued)

the alert lest they step in one of their own traps. All this in addition to {retting meals and doing a dozen other tasks. Their pay is less than most stenographers get. but they know they are rendering their country a real service. Each coyote does damage totalling hundreds of dollars yearly. W ihleats not only kill to eat. but for lust. Every mountain lion will kill a minimum of odd deer, colts or calves in a norma i span of life. Each of these predators killed means more food for the people. With hundreds of male hunters in the services, these women stepped into the breach, and have shown that at • any time, under any conditions, women can he as cool and capable as men.

Have You Tried —? A pinch of salt witli your mustard when you mix it. It keeps moist longer In matters concerning yourself, trust first your head; in matters concerning others, trust first your heart. To r the Table. Have you ever used scarlet geraniums in white bowls for decorating a dinner tablet And do you know what professional flower decorators do before a big dinner party? They drop a spot of “Seceotine” in the centre of the flowers to prevent the petals from falling.