FORTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3962, 29 June 1929, Page 2

FORTY-EIGHT YEARS AGO

Mill. W. E. BARBER TELLS OF FIRST VISIT TO FOXTON. At the public gathering held on Wednesday to celebrate the re-op-ening of the port, Mr. W. E. Barber (chairman, of the Alanawatu County Council) referred to his first visit to Foxton which was made forty-eight years ago in the Jane Douglas. It was a school holiday excursion, said Mr. Barber, and I’ve never fancied the water since. In fact) when I was sent into the Manawatu district som'e time after I preferred to inmke the trip from Wellington to Foxton on a draught horse, rather than risk the boat again. On Mr. Barber’s airrival here live went on to what is now known as the Biaiber estate, then an area of undrained swamp and sandhills stretching between Foxton and Himilatangi. Together with other pioneers, the Barber family stuck to it and to-day have succeeded in converting the country into fairly good land. Mr. Barber referred to the spirit which had characterised the old pioneers in this district, the diehards/ who had had to put up with many inconveniences little known of to-day. In referring to the early days of the railway between Foxton and Palmerston North, M|r. Barber said lie could remember when the wind used to blow the sand over the rails between Foxton and Himatangi and when a good westerly was experienced, the. Railway authorities had to keep men stationed on this portion of the line digging the sand off to. allow the train to get. through! !