INGLEWOOD.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 January 1922, Page 6

INGLEWOOD.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) January 24.

The Inglewood School picnic will take place at the Ngamotu beach at New Plymouth on February 23.

A very early arrival in the Inglewood district, and * one who was identified with many of the first steps made by the community towards order from the chaos of the old early bush settlement. Mr. Joe George, was a visitor here on Saturday, and, as old Inglewoodites generally are, he was warmly welcomed by old friends, who remembered him in one or more of the many capacities he occupied—sergeant in the rangers, shootist at the range, official assistant at the railway station. Old Nigger in George Marsh’s cork-faeed coons. as well as many other roles wherein he always played his part with success and was rtever known to miss his cue, even as an upholder of bush efficiency on the billiard table. Ail were glad to see him looking wel] and hope he will live to pay many more visits to his erst? while home.

When, some thirty odd years ago, special settlements were being formed in various parts of Taranaki, t*o groups, the Milsom and Tanner , associations, selected areas for their sett’ements in the Ngatimaru block, about 25 miles east of Inglewood, on the Junction Road, near Purangi and in the Matau Valley. Most of the members of the two groups came from Lyttelton and Christchurch and were totally lacking in experience of bush life. Fortunately there were some amongst them who had had previous acquaintance with somewhat similar conditions to those that had to be faced in their new home. Of such was the family of the late Mr. and Mrs. Dowman, to whom, there is little doubt, that the present occupants of that part of Taranaki are in various degrees indebted for a considerable share of the prosperity they enjoy. These sturdy pioneers/ William and Caroline Dowman, came from Essex. England, to New Zealand in 1874 (bringing with them one infant son) and landed at Port. Levy. Banks’ Peninsula. They were engaged on Mr. Fleming’s property there for a considerable time. They’ with their family of seven sons and two daughters, selected land close to Purangi. and by the cheerful manner they faced the hardships inseparable from the start of a new settlement distinctly helped to cheer those of their fellow settlers who had not before encountered the disheartening difficulties of bush life in new country. Since those days Mr. and Mrs. Dowman have passed away and their family is dispersed to various parts of the Dominion. some near Inglewood, others further afield, but their name will long be held in kindly memory by their former fellow settlers in the Taranaki hinterland. One circumstance of their early life in New Zealand related by Mrs. Dowman will possibly prove interesting to lovers of trees who believe in the 7 value of planting. She used to tell

how the first work on which her husband was engaged, when they went to Mr. Fleming’s homestead, was the planting of some few acres of walnut trees, with the sequel that, after comparatively few years, the product of that plantation paid all rates and taxes charged on the whole estate—a statement surely worthy of consideration by owners of land who have land to plant and are wondering what trees to decide on.