ROMANCE OF BOMBAY

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 517, 26 March 1920, Page 2

ROMANCE OF BOMBAY

ITS EARLY HISTORY. KEEK ON EDUCATION. BATTLES FOR SCHOOLS. (By courtesy of Mr. W. K. Cornthwaite.) The following' are a few reminiscences of the pioneer settlers of the Bombay district and early school mutters: The Ship "Bombay." The pioneer settlers of Bombay sailed from London on November ?', 1864, in the ship "Bombay," some SCO passengers on board (Captain Sellars in command), and had an eventfni passage. In going down the Channel she was run into by a schooner T.d fine of her boats was carried away from the davits. And when crossing the Bay of Biscay she had a very narrow escape of being run into by a ship carrying no lights, just crossing the bows of the Bombay. No thing of importance occurred untiJ we were about: 400 miles from the coast of New Zealand, when we eni ountered a terrific storm on the 3th j and i)th of March, 1865. On the night of the Bth of Majch the bowspirit was earned away by knight heads, the foremast being carried away at the same time. On tiic following day (9th March) at noun, the mainmast- was carried away by the 1 board, carrying away the mizzen lop mast at the same time. On the 10th the storm had considerably 'bated, and aftei>clearing away the wreckage, etc. (no accident occurred during the storm.) a jury mast was rigged. Slow progress was made. The barque Constance (Captain Thompson) was the first to come to our ■ rescue: hawsers were got out, but proved too weak. They broke during the night. The captain of the Constance called through his trumpet that he would stand by us during the night. He kept his word, and next morning he called out that it was going to be a calm, and he would go on and report our condition t'j the agents, so that they could send out a tug to our assistance. When we were opposite the Whangaroa harbour a steamer came out, which proved to be H.M. man-of-war Curcoa. She towed us into Auckland on the 17th March, 186. r >, and the passengers landed on the 18th March, 18G5, and those who elected to go to their land were taken to the bairacks at Onehunga. After a few days at Onehunga we were taken to Drary by boat. Some of the larger boats were on the water three days. Settling Hewn.

When we arrived at Diary we were met by a gentleman named James Mellsop. He was the officer in charge of the road work at our new settlement about seven miles from Drury, known then as "Williamson's Clearing." We were taken by drays to our destination. Some were camped at tho Redoubt, and the bulk of then in tents on part of "Williamson's Clearing." From Bush to Pasture." "Williamson's Clearing" was a farm of some 300 acres, -running from the late Mr. Baird's farm (now Mr. Jas Harris') to the boundary of the late Mr. Macky's farm at the fifth bridge, owned by John Williamson, superintendent of Auckland Province. "Williamson's Clearing afterwards became the property of Messrs Jackson and Russell, who cue it up into seven or eight sections-. What is now the Bombay settlement was all very heavy bush, surveyed into 10-acre sections. The work 'of the pioneers was to fell the 'bush a chain wide on the road lines and clear a track. 12ft wide under the superintendence of Mr. Mellsop. The. wages were 5s a day. As there was no name for the new settlement, a meeting of the settlers was held, an-I it was unanimously settled tint the name should be Bombay, after the ship that brought us through storm and tempest safely to our destination. -

School Reminiscences. Now for school reminiscences. When the Bombay Road was cleared ever the big creek, and some of the married settlers had cleared a pai-t of their sections and built whares, Mr. Mellsop g<st up a la-ge square tent and opened the first school in Bombay, on the Bombay Road, opposite Mr. Thomas' house. Mr. S. Breach, one of the single men was the teacher. Before the end of 1865 the ro*.d works were knocked off, and. of course, the school was closed, and most of the single men cleared out. Some time after Mrs William Evans, who had been a teacher in the Homeland commenced to teach a class of little ones in their whare on Portsmouth Road, paying her sixpence a week each. In the year 1871 Mrs Flaszard, wife if the late Mr. Charles Haszard, who lost his life at the Tarawera eruption, was the first teacher undo.- the Auckland Education Hoard, . the si-hool beinu held in St. Peter-; Church. On April Bth, 1872. a meeting of the settlers was held in St. Peter's Church (.Mr. S. Kempthorne mi the ihair) lo deride upon a site for a school. There were three edication reserves in the settlement, one of (our and a-half a.ves at the cross roads on the mill ro.id, one ol 1) acres on the flombay Head at the 1,.j, of the hill, and one of six and alulf acres at Ra/.orback, but they ~uld not a»roe. As the late Mr. Haszard tin-n owned the land along the Bombay Road from the Cveat South Road to the Barbers Road, he (.Mr. C. Haszard) came to the res- ,•::,>. and offered a site of one acre at thf> south-eastern corner, free, v.inch was accepted by the Education Hoard with thanks. First School Committee. On April 10th, 1872, at a meeting in St. Peter's Church, the following were the lirst school committee under the Auckland Board of Education, namely, Messrs. R. Proude, J. Jessup, W. Sawyer, Mackenzie and J. Wootten. Mr W. K. Cornthwa'te, was elected lion, secretary, and Mr. R. Proude chairman. The first school was opened.towards the end of 1872. In February. 1873, the settlers were desirous of having a male he d teacher. Mrs. Haszard resigned the position of teacher. The late Mr. and Mrs. Forde were appointed

teachers in March, 1873. Miss Wootten, the esteemed present first assistant, is a granddaughter of Mi. J. Wooden, one of the first members of the school committee; and the wife of the present chairman oi the school committee is a granddaughter. In July, 1876, at the quest of the committee, the EduAr ,-ation Board authorised tenders be called for additions to the school: Messrs. Buttress and Roke were the successful tenderers for one-third larger for K6O 15s. New School. In November, 1880, the Education Board authorised the erection of the present school, and on January 31, 1887, Messrs Davis and Swanson's tender of £515 was accepted, the old school building becoming the property of the contractors. The contractors disposed of the old school to Mr Ford in payment for excavation work for the new school site, valued at about £35. A syndicate was formed, 35 shares at El each, paying Mr. Ford, and the old school became tbe first public hall in Bombay. Battle of Sites. In July, 1882, the committee agitated for a teacher's house. The difficulty was a site. The late Mr. H. S Evans, who owned the land on the north side of the present house, asked £3O per acre for not less than two acres. Mr. Giraud, who owned the land on the south side of the Bombay Road (now the new recreation ground) asked £SO per acre. The lite Mr Proude was so disgusted at the prices asked that he offered the board four, acres at the north-east ,orner (now Mrs Landon'J -atWttfr acre, or three acres on the- north-west corner on the Great at £2O per acre. The Educaifii Board accepted the four-acres.'* The teacher's house was erected irCIBB4. The late Mr. Forde, owning the land from thj Great South Road to the Basher's Road, crave a-half acre «P site - where the house now staaM When the late Mr. Forde's Sstatigcame into the market the comn>|#e recommended the Education- Bolird to sell the foul acres, whic&was purchased from Mr Proude, ajid4wi«i»se a paddock adjoining.thes&ftcl property from the trustees m* late Mr. Forde's estate, which: Was done, the board uathorising the committee to call ten-. ders for,the Tenders were called. Only two tenders were received, Messrs D. Mackenzie, £9 per acre, and Mr. E. McNichol, £7 per acre. Mr. Mackenzie's tender was accepted. •. . The following have been the Aead teachers at Bombay' School:— r Mrs Haszard, part of 1871, 1872, and nart of 1873. . " :s " Mr F. Forde, head teacher fromMarch, 1573, to A^«*rSV r J*Bs- & years. !*. « * ' : 1 Mr. H. Neville Ross, from Septem- - J ber, i«B§, to January, 1887—one year and nine months. Mr. J. Hogwood, from February, 1887, to August, 1894—eight years. Mr E. C. Purdie, from Septem- . ber 1894; to Christmas, 1893—four ; and a-half years. Mr. H. Hocken, from January, _ 1599,'t0 August, 1901—two and a-;>^ half years. Mr C. Cooner, from September, 1901, to December, 1912-11 years . and three months. , M Mr. R. J- Corbett, from January; x<m 1913. to September, 1917—four years M and nine months. :j£v Mr. A- M. Laing, from November, 1917, to January, 1920—duration of M the war. ! \ ~ u Mr. F. R. S. M * Laing. ^ PICNIC AND SPORTS. j% ■ " v ; *-:;... • The 55th anniversary of the Bortbay settlement was celebrated on tt» < 18th inst. in Mr. Poples' paddock, ■■■■%■ n the top of the Bombay Hill, and, barring the weather which, after . threatening all day, came on wet "&i?j|||j the afternoon, was a very successful • " day's outing, many people being present from far and near. The Bom<v nionte run their anniversary on the good old style, with plenty of * "kai," and a strong catering CTM«W;§ mittee was kept busy most of the *J| day. The children's races were start- \*? d about 10.30, and every child prov- M ed a winner. The prizes were in |lj cash, and paid out at the tape. The following are the sports re- m suits:— . Local 100 yds.—A Eades 1, J. Mill 2, J. Moffit 3. Boys' Race, quarter mile.—D. Barker 1, Howarth 2, H. Flay 3. Egg and Spoon Race.—A Wray 1, I Matheson 3. J. Moffitt 2. 220 yds.—A Wray 1, Howarth 2, High Jump.—F. Porter 1, Mathe- : son 2. Single Ladies' Race.—Miss L. Flay 1, M. Flay 2, A. Donovan 3. Married Ladies' Race.—Mrs. A. Eades 1, G. Cameron 2, J. Morgan 3. 440 yds.— C. Flay 1, J. Gaskell 2,. ~' A. Lowrie S. r Tug-of-war was won by married men with two'straight pulls. * Half-mile.—C. Flay I,'A. Lowrie 2, J. Gaskell & Sack Hurdle'USee J. Cskell 1, J., Townsend 2, Welch 3. Returned Soldiers' Jlace.-W. FIaJM 1. J. Gaskell 2, A. Wray 3. . vwW Old Buffets' (lace.—G. Common It. Wilson 2, Wera Wera 3. Addition Race.—Miss G. Wo-.-tten and A. Lowrie. .Donkey R'ice.--Miss M. Flay and" •J. Gaskell 1, G. Wootten and M. Wray 2. Stepping Distance. —G. Bycroft . ■ and J. Fletcher tied.