EARLY MASTERTON

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 October 1938, Page 5

EARLY MASTERTON

SURVEYING THE FIRST SECTIONS FOUNDER’S REPRESENTATIONS. ARRIVAL OF THE ORIGINAL SETTLERS. Another article by Mr Charles Bannister on the early days of Masterton appears below. Mr Bannister writes: In January, 18a3, after my grandfather, Mr Joseph Masters, returned to Wellington, he gave to Sir George Grey Ihe papers (puka puka) that the Maoris had signed at Ngaumutawa, also another letter from lower down the valley asking Sir George to come up and fix things himself, which he did, and by September 1, 1853, Sir George had bought 150,000 acres. When the first instalment was paid to the Maoris, Mr Masters and party left Wellington to locate sites, which they did. When they returned to Wellington with a plan Mr Masters asked Sir George to get plans surveyed. The answer was: "Well, Masters, that s all right, but where is the utu (money) to come from?” Buying the land emptied tne coffers of the State. So after a talk Mr Masters agreed to pay for the survey 'of the Masterton Small Farms Settlement, on condition that he would be reimbursed when the land was sold to the settlers. Then at once Mr Masters made arrangements for a surveyor to come tip to Masterton, and lay off the land. He accompanied him, staying most of the time in the locality. He lived with Mr William Adams who was shepherd for Mr Collins, of Te Ore Ore Station, whose boundary on the south was the Waipoua River. Mr Adams had to patrol this river daily from Akura to the Ruamahanga to keep the sheep from crossing on to Mr Donald’s Manaia station. The Maoris used to call him “Piri Rarama.” Mr Adams’s house was at Akura near where Mr L. T. Daniell’s silo is now. In the late /o’s I had the pleasure of finding a two shilling piece there. I was grubbing up the stones that had been used to pave the bottom of the verandah and the coin was between two stones.

FIRST BALLOT. After the land was surveyed and a plan made, Mr Masters returned to Wellington, and all the preliminaries were completed. The sections were balloted for at the “Crown and Anchor” Hotel, which was kept by a cousin of our father’s, named John Bannister. These sections had to be paid for in cash. After getting things straight in Wellington, Mr Masters came to Masterton to wait for the coming of the successful candidates. The first to arrive was Mr Charles Dixon, who had drawn two sections. He was pleased with the aspect. He stayed two days and then returned to Wellington to bring up the equipment for house-building. Mr Dixon purchased some cattle in Wellington and took the opportunity of joining up with Mr John McKenzie, of Te Whiti, who was bringing some stock to his property. The trip occupied ten days. They came through Featherston and Morison’s Bush, thence to Papawai, crossing the Waiohine River to Eke Manuka (crawling in the manuka, an escaped Maori prisoner crawled into this thick' manuka scrub and was never recaptured). That place is called Parkvale now. As they had to take Mr ’McKenzie’s cattle to Te Whiti they were held up for two days with the Ruamahanga River being in high flood. However, they put the cattle into the river to swim across, and the natives ferried those in charge over by canoe. They reached Te Whiti safely, when Mr Dixon drafted out his cattle and drove them to his allotment. ' ARRIVAL AT WORKSOP FARM.

This little band of pioneers arrived at Worksop Farm, as they called it, on May 21, 1854. After unloading their pack bullocks, of which there were three, and each man had a good swag on his back, there was a good heap on the ground consisting of cross-cut saws, pit saws for cutting timber for the house, axes and wedges, grubbers for cultivating land for wheat, cooking utensils, groceries, clothing and carpenters’ tools. While some were unloading the bullocks, another put the billy on and they had their first meal under the spreading branches of a large titoki tree. After finishing their repast they all gathered heaps . of bracken fern for bedding, and as it was 'a fine night and they were all tired, they slept well. Next day they had a. day’s rest. It was decided to build a lean-to with sides of split slabs let into the ground, with a roof of totara oark. When this shack was built and a clay chimney made, they started to grub land for wheat. As soon as they had enough grubbed Mr Dixon bought a bushel of seed from tne Maoris for 10s a bushel. This was sown and harrowed in by dragging a branch of a tree across. The persons who came with Mr Dixon were his son, David, Mr Michael Dixon, his daughter (who became Mrs W. Adams later) and son, Michael. These Dixons were no relation to the other Dixons. Mr H. Jones, with his son John, soon followed to cut the timber for Dixon’s house. Mr Eaton also came to assist as he was a carpenter. Mr J. Cole took up his residence m Bridge Street. CARTAGE BY BULLOCKS. All goods -brought from Wellington cost £1 15s per cwt. They had to be packed on bullocks. Mr lorns came to Masterton and lived a short time with Mr Eaton in a Maori whare on Mr Eaton’s section, close by where Mr C. E. Daniell’s house stands now. After Mr Adams was married Mr Masters shifted his quarters there, too, till they got a shack built on their town acre section. As soon as they got a shack up for shelter, Mr Masters and his son-in-law, Mr R. lorns, started getting timber for building a house for their families. Although Dixon’s was the first house started, lorns’s was the first finished in Masterton. Dixon’s was a much larger house, and it was built of sawn timber. lorns’s house was of split slabs. Mr Masters, who was an expert with a draw knife, soon had the edges fitting close. These cracks were covered with strips of totara bark tacked on to make them draught proof. With a good shingled roof, and a large, well tamped clay chimney, things were pretty cosy in that little four-roomed cottage where I spent my childhood. Dixon’s house was not in Masterton proper. It was on Worksop Farm.