FIRST SETTLERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 November 1938, Page 7

FIRST SETTLERS

MASTERTON SMALL FARM ENTERPRISE ARRIVAL OF CHAMBERLAIN FAMILY. RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY DAYS. “The years 1855-56 saw the coming of most of the settlers of the Masterton Smail 'Farm Settlement to their allotted sections,” states Mr Charles Bannister in a further article on early x.iasterton. “Mr H. Jones, who had cut the timber for Mr C. Dixon’s house in 1854, and had returned to the Hutt to do some contract bushfelling, came back with his family. Mr Dixon, who had a carrying business in Wellington, had brought one of his cart-horses up to his farm. So borrowing Mr Mas- ■ ters’s cart, he met Mr Jones and family at Burling’s, by appointment, and brought them to their section, where they soon had a lean-to built as the' timber was already sawn. It was not so hard on the new arrivals now, as there was good accommodation at Burling’s, Greytown, and Dixon’s Worksop Farm. Of all the pioneers who came to Masterton I always thought that the Chamberlain family was the best Type for such an undertaking. The family comprised Mr and Mrs Chamberlain, one daughter, fit and healthy, and five sons, all over six feet three inches, and all with a good robust body. William had a wooden leg, but this did not make much difference to him, as it had been amputated when he was young. These hefty lads were full of jokes. They were a generous, straightforward, clean living family. JOURNEY FROM WELLINGTON. “Mr Edmund Chamberlain, who was my companion for the last twenty years of his life, was very fond of relating experiences in the early days. When I was working at his place, Rosswood, he always brought me a cup of tea and a bun. We would sit down and he would start. The stories were so interesting that we would forget about the work. He said that after tne great earthquake had shaken Wellington to pieces, they thought it was no use to patch up their shack at Makara and that it would be better to sell it and get going on their sections at Masterton. So they put the Makara farm in the hands of a land agent. They then packed up a cart load of unngs that would be easy to carry. These were taken to Mangaroa in a bullock cart. From Mangaroa they carried all their belongs in two loads each down to Burling’s. From Burling’s they each took a load, leaving the rest to be called for. They arrived at Masterton, doing the journey from Burling’s in two days. To get to their sections in those days one had to go up where Albert Street is now, so as to keep round the heavy flax, then on up to' the Dairy Factory out on to the Akura Plain, which was clear. They had to keep up above the Ngaumutawa Pa so as to be above the numerous creeks ■ that start there. Once they got across the Makakaweka Creek they were on Mr E. Chamberlain’s section. SELECTING A BUILDING SITE. “They wanted to locate a building site on their father’s section which was over by the Upper- Plain Road, where Mrs Major now lives. The site they decided on is where Mr C. O’Donnell lives, in the same house that they first built When they got there they dumped their swags on the ground, and got a fire started and swung the billy. While the billy was boiling a wild pig, hearing some strange sounds, came to investigate. One of the boys got his gun, and with a well-directed shot bowled it over. It happened to be in good condition and they were sure of a meat supply for a few days. As the billy was boiling tea was made and they had their first meal on their section. After a bit of a rest and a talk, they had to rig up temporary shelter. This was easy as they had brought some good calico flys with them, and it happened that there was a good patch of tall, straight manuka not far away. So they made the sides of manuka, with a. calico roof. They made two of these, in which they lived till they got a shack built. On ’heir first night there they never got a wink of sleep. The noise the woodhense made, from dark to daylight, was not quite the music to lull one to sleep. Woodhens were always plentiful there, so the Maoris told me. It was one of their favourite hunting grounds. There was' no bush of any value on their father’s section All the timber for the house would have to be sawn on Mr Giles’s section which was over where Mr S. Gawith lives now. Good totara was plentiful there. That would have to be carted across. MARVELLOUS ACHIEVEMENT. “After a consultation of the family, the boys decided to go to Wellington, and buy a cart, bullock and harness. Ihree of them went. Their section at Makara had been sold, and 'with the proceeds they purchased the cart, bullock and harness. What was left they spent in buying the things most needed —groceries, tools, seeds, wheat for sowing, and nails, not forgetting a camp oven. These were all packed on the cart. The three hoys each had a load of soft stuff on his back. They got as far as the Mangaroa, where they unloaded the cart, which they pulled to pieces. The body they placed on the pack bullock. The two wheels the two elder boys trundled from Mangaroa to Burling's. I think that takes the cake in the game of hoops. Only think’ of it; it was a marvellous achievement. Mr Edmund remarked that his arms ached for a week. He said that going down hill was worse than going up, considering it was only fit for pack bullocks to negotiate. When they got to Burling’s they had a good rest. The lad in charge of the bullock went back to the Mangaroa for another load of goods. In the morning the two tired lads put the cart to rights. By this time the packman and his bullock had got the remaining goods to Burling’s. They decided to leave foi' their sections in the morning but when they went to get the bullock he was gone. After searching, they located him at Mr Mathew’s farm. They arrived at their destination, safe and sound after their adventures. WILLING WORKERS. With five strong willing lads and their father, it did not take them long to get the timber sawn, and as William was a carpenter, they soon had a comfortable house built. But as for fencing, that’s what took the time. They had to split the posts, trim, bore, and mortice them, then the rails had to be split, trimmed and pointed and the holes had to be dug deeper and larger, as it was before the wire age. It took some time to enclose a forty-acre farm and then sub-divide it, and what a good job some of the,

young pioneers made of it. There is no doubt the Chamberlain family deserve credit for their pioneering. After helping his father, Mr Giles, put his own section in order, Mr Edmund fixed up Rosswood, which his family still holds. Mr Sam sold most of his and bought his Miki Miki farm. I think his daughter retains a part of :he original section. Mr Tom farmed , the section on which Mrs Major now resides. Mr William, being a carpenter, got plenty of work at his trade. He built his own house on Kibblewhite Road in the early sixties and it is still in use. He also helped to build Mr Dagg’s house, about the same time. It is still in the occupation of the Dagg family. He also built one for the Benningtons at Railway Road. He helped to build the first Waipoua bridge, also the Ruamahanga bridge and a good many others in the district. He left this district for Feilding, where he had a flour mill. FIRST THRESHING MILL. “The Chamberlain Bros, had the first threshing mill in Masterton. I remember seeing them thresh a stack of wheat for my father in the late sixties. The stack stood in our orchard, where the Wairarapa Seed Co’s shop is now. The power for driving this mill was a two-horse merry-go-round. It was Mr Sam’s job to attend to and drive the horses. Mr Tom was the forker. Although he was minus the fingers and thumb of one hand he could, use a fork well. Mr Edmund was the feeder and Mr Giles did all the odd jobs. The drum was on the ground; the sheaves were fed in at the top, ’he straw, chaff and grain came out at the back on to a cloth. Mr Giles had to first fork away the straw, put the chaff and grain into a milk dish, then put it through a hand winnowing machine, the grain falling on to a cloth and the grain had to be bagged. Mr Giles had plenty to do to keep up. If a person wanted the straw he had to build a stack himself. Some years after this the Chamberlains procured a portable steam engine and an up-to-date thresher, which was moved about with horses. Many a time I shifted it for them. Then when that got out-of-date they got a traction engine. They owned the Masterton flour mlils, also the bakery. I think they have done their share of pioneering. Mr Edmund also told me about taking some wheat to Greytown to, Mr Wakelin’s mill to get ground into flour. There were four of them, Mr Masters Mr T. Tankersley, Mi- Giles' Chamberlain and Mr Edmund Chamberlain. They each had a pack bullock loaded with wheat and a slasher, as they intended to cut a track through the Three Mile Bush, as Carterton was first called. This short cut would save a good many miles. They only took enough food for a couple of meals each. ■. CAMPING WITHOUT FOOD.” “Things went very well till the afternoon, when a very heavy thunderstorm came on, and when they got to the Waiohine River it was not crossable so they had to camp without food. Mr Masters, who had been in the locality before, knew of a Maori whare lower down on the bank, of the river. He said there was a goashore pot there. He went and brought it to the others. (A goashore pot has three legs to stand on if one is using it on the embers, also a handle over the top to swing it over the blaze. One can bake, boil oi' fry in it. In fact, it is a first cousin to a camp oven). In the pot they boiled some wheat for supper. They had boiled wheat for breakfast, and as it was still raining in the ranges they had boiled wheat for dinner. The rain stopped and the river began to go down. They were glad, as their jaws had gone on strike. They got across just before dark and got to Greytown, where they procured some food that took less chewing. Wheat was out of their menu for a long time. Next morning they took what was left of their wheat to the mill and exchanged it for flour, a commodity which they had not tasted for two years, Having lived on hand-ground wholemeal. ■

“NO SUCH THING AS MONEY.” "When Miss Chamberlain was about to be married to Mr B. Hunt the family gave her the town section as a wedding present. As 'he wanted Lhe cash she came to my father for advice. He said: “Money, there is no such thing as money in Masterton. Everything is bartered, but I think I can fix you up. Mr So and So has asked me to sell him some ewes. He has gone to Wellington to mortgage uis section. When he comes back we can fix it. I will give you £l5 for the three acres. When Mr So and So •■ame back he got lhe fifteen ewes, Miss Hunt got the £l5 and father got the three acres. Those sections started at the State Picture Theatre and extended to Mr J. Bradbury’s shop. Mr W. Hunt and Mrs A. J. Welch, of Masterton. are of that family. A lot of town acres were sold for a £1 as they vere an incumbrance to their owners, as they had to be fenced and £1 ;n money was a great thing for those settlers. Most of them never saw the colour of money for the first five or six years. I have been asked how they lived. My answer is that they didn't live; they existed on what they grew and caught.”