THE LATE MR CHARLES HOLLARD.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VI, Issue 1872, 23 December 1884, Page 2

THE LATE MR CHARLES HOLLARD.

'l' BmINISCENCE OF EAELtv!

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Tinjeiith its inevitable .progrojss is now gradually removing fronij this earthly stage the remnant Of the. aarjy settlers whooouldpersonally testify, to the gigantic struggles, tfangers'aiid vicissitudes that attended the efforts of the founders of the -WeUington- settlement. Mr Charles "Hollard, of Greyrtow'n; one of the iwble'tantf of-pioneers who landed with such stout hearts and strong resolutions, upon an uncultivated, and (aa far aa thenatives were concerned) an inhospitable shore, has now passed Hollard and family sailed from JjondonjP'{l)o; ship; '" Aj-ab "about the end of April in the year 1841.. The ship, after battling with the elements in. the Bay of Biscay, lost its mainmast and had to return to Dartmouth- for repairs. After this n'rstdanger and drawback had been surmounted, the good ship proceeded on its/ way .and after a- tedious journey of .live .months and fourteen days sighted land qu the 10th of October, 1841, and anchored in Wei lington harbor the 14th of same month. Mr ; Hollard and a shipmate named George Hi|l stayed iq the immigration depot three weekß, remaining in Wellington three, mouths. They .then, settled with their families, first id Lowry Bay, where they were 60on employed in sawing tirabor for Mr Jackson (a previous arrival,) at the rate of; £1 per 100 ft, cutting timber for the first wooden houses built in Wellington. They remained in Lowry Bay about nine months and commenced, cropping immediately .upoii ar'rival.' At this'time peas were, sold at (Is per quart and cabbages grew there to'an immense size. .While'in Lowry Bay Mr Hollard purchased on one occasion a gallon of peas fop 20s, and the rats, which infested the settlement in swarm come in the night and devoured the lot. Wild pigs also committed great depredations. Mr Jackson, their, etiployer not enjoying good health, wished.to remove further into the country, and requested Mr Hollard and hja mate to accompany him; but they both declined. However, Iflr Jackson, we&Vto ftarori and selected some land for them, about fiV'e acrea each, which Jfr Hollard and bis friend soon, settled upon, having during their nine months' .labor saved sufficient to pay for the same in cash. At this time theroad to Karon was .nothing but/f bridle track to a groat extent, a!tb'pygo : some distance' could be. accomplished by-a bullpci?. dray. After being" twelvo months ia the colony—three in Wellington and nine at'Lowry Bjiy-rtbey went to Povirua to stay tijr|hojr-land at Kwori was fit for settlement, Here they built another tiraberjpijse, formed a garden and stayed till B|j'|eJ3riiary following, Messrs Hollard anfe||^j;ir!. tho moantime going up to and falling some timber. Mr ffdlkrdwith indomitable energy:'. carried the -first plough, a distance of about five miles, over the hill between the Hutt and Wainui, and near where the water works are now, As soon as the new land was ready for oooupation they proceeded to remove thither, first selling their house at porirua and erecting their new house with the proceeds. _ Mr Hollard used to relate that when journeying to their Karori settlement they overtook another settler, Mr H. Jones, at the Devil's Bridge, with a wheelbarrow, conveying by that means 20011* • of flour up tp bis home, Mrs Joges meeting him on the way with a pair of Maori slings to assist him with'his burden. Having nothing to; harry but their son George Mr and Mrs Hollard passed Mrs Jones, and were soon in their new hqine, if it could be aalled such, it hayirjg a roof through which the stare coujd be seen at night, and when raining having to raise an umberella in •tho bed to save being soaked through- with the downpour. Here, at Karori, they soon bad some three acres in crop, partly wheat and partly vegetables. Governor Grey at this time visited the settlement with his ■staff and in passing through;, the clearing expressed his delight aiid'ijatoaish-, meat at the courage of the emigrants in penetrating into such an almost impregnable piece of bosh country. -Beery man han at this time to make* his own r6ad and after producing the grain he could not grind it, but bad to.boil it.to

render it fit for food. "Nordid it eat so badly" was tbe opinion .of old Mr Hollard. Subsequent to this they procured a band mill. Then the .Maori war broke out about the jear 1845, when Jhey bad to, le'aye-'tbeir cropping, which at this tiuie amounted to five acres, .being called toWn\s7 men •getting 2/6 p.or day .to take, shelter in the. louse''(frDr Peatherston. At this. : Chapman,.who. is : (and whose family.;were'l&Tln'"-^e^il i ifated London in. was. their guide,'counsellpr and friend, appears to bave led tbeto ni6Ven)epts ak •this•■'crisis.'. It - was theu five f families took 'shelter .in one\r,own in : Dr Fe : atliei'Btpu'a ■ residence' -wMle the .men watcbed.ahfl worked f&lterriately. For abont.a : thi3 state, of .'anxiety and.-susppiaft. not down upon th.j!ni r and by |j:4sorM' their numbers' probably white population, were: related, byj-the deceived of the falsealai'iiis'iind inby-this little'i band oE|\erpe"B and 'advance' gUard-of '~ki one 'timethe siipplejucks un> duly w.ayingßndsomfltingappeareji tobe WttS be* jiig:hbthih'gt.niore wariiy'-'than th» Judge's donkey;,,which, thanks to the •random''•sßdotwg, 'was not hurt, It was- amunngipj hear Mr-.JbLo|lard cribe-:his : J : firatr;pigeon sTigoting sooiST after'a'rriyal.. v He and iiisf?nlate ha"< ohlydheguri'beiWeen.tuelnt'and that •tfithpuU the gunandtte-OtHer Would stick.'' at'Jo&ofi*about aeven ydarsi -visit to turn,beittjeriiift^; there! Messrs Hill , and Hollard detirmined.to.seil out {all their interest and' 'iriipraJMits at Karori and;,proceed «o where, .they remained #M$ .-.. battle ■ with aimost.incredible. dtapWes, In ' the'first placeitire.heMyb;[)|ihe family " 'and they' were compell&jfepTaell co.w was .; wbefc . • a!n^s% ;S^ . were were also troublesome, "'and'^.whole swarms of rats and wild-pigs •wpuld at .timeß;niaiej)reda,kiry visitations. On , January 22f1d.f855. (tbeanniversatyof the province), tbay paid.t; a yisit to Karori; It waa upon that /jjay that . the. .first .violent r; B.hpck of earthquake was. experienced,..a|(d;olu returning to. their boipes they, found- 1 everything breakablesuiasbedjolcwks, crock effi.k, were in fragments, and and other articles of furnjturo were upside down and othefwis'evdamaged 1 A flood following brought water up 1 rapidly to the depth of four feet in the dwellings, Mr Hollard, Ben., re» tnained at tbeHutt2l 'years andthcV . caraein the year 1871 W'the Wairarapa,. ; 1 where he has just died.;"" The deceased, who has left an ineffaceable, name upou the Tablets of New Zealand.history, ' also leaves behind biro.- i. widow, five . sons and four,daugbtci'B ) -all'of whom are and in. cpmfqrtabje circu|Uj stances, with about sixty jjrajidchildrpjj and a number of great, grandchildren, Mr Charles Hollard was at the time of his decease about 75 years of age, '" andwasanativeofSomerseshiro England.