CHARLES HEAPHY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 August 1939, Page 6

CHARLES HEAPHY

EARLY NEW ZEALAND

COLONIST

WINNER OF V.C. IN MAORI WAR.

AN ADVENTUROUS CAREER.

One of the most interesting of early colonists and one of the-most versatile men who have lived in New Zealand was Charles Heaphy, whose life was adventurous in a generation of adventure (states the “New Zealand Centennial News”). The date of his birth cannot be certainly fixed. The date favoured by the “Dictionary of National' Biography,” 1821, would make Him an exhibitor at the Royal Academy at the age of fifteen. In the same year that he so exhibited, 1835, his father died, a fact which may have had some effect in inducing Charles to sail on the Tory in 1839. Whether he was eighteen or twenty when the Tory picked him up at Plymouth for the long voyage to New Zealand, he was evidently mature enough to be treated as a man, and was apparently not thought of by those on board as competing with the nineteen-year-old Jerningham Wakefield to be the youngest of the ship's company. Heaphy's extremely varied career — as artist explorer, soldier, surveyor, and official —is to some extent typical of the time as much as the man. Ho wrote' a number of lively articles in colonial newspapers and magazines and in the “Transactions of the New Zealand Institute"' But he is likely to be most honoured today as an artist, though people today can hai-dly regret that lie stole time from art to go exploring.

Charles Heaphy was the only colonist to win the Victoria Cross for service in the Maori War. In 18G3 Heaphy had joined the Auckland Rifles, a Volunteer troop, taking the rank of lieutenant, and almost at once of captain. He acted as a guide to the Waikato troops. On February 11. 18G4, a bathing party of troops was ambushed at the Marigapiko River. The troops from the neighbouring camp came to the rescue in very fast time, turning the tables on the attacking Natives. Heapliy, accidentally on the spot, took charge of a party and led it with great vigour and spirit. He went forward to help a wounded man —ho had some knowledge of surgery —and was fired on by a concealed party of Maoris al very short range, receiving three wounds. But lie went on with his surgery, tying up a severed artery to prevent tiie man bleeding to death, go’ the wounded man away, and carried on in the battle.

The official wheels moved slowly, and it was not till 18G7 that Heaphy actually collected his V.C.: but in the meantime he had been promoted major and received the present of a handsome rifle from Sir George Grey in recognition of his services.