Kennedy Park Rose Garden Part 1

Today I will show you the fragrant (and it really is!) part of the garden that is especially for the blind.

I will explain more of the history of these garden in part 2.  However in case you are wondering this park was named after the man whose homestead use to be here in around about 1874.  Charles Dugal Kennedy was a qualified civil engineer, then later he was a barrister and solicitor.    

mint

 

Part 2 will be on here the day after tomorrow.  Tomorrow is the first so thats a theme day.

A walk through part of Marewa

Today I walked along one of Napiers many walkways.  This is one of the longest however I like walking and it can be split up into smaller circuits if one wants.

This clock The Manchester Unity clock and has been here since 1956, it is a four faced clock 

one more look at the bridge :)

more cars

I was particularly interested in this one as Stuart Nash is a politician here in the Bay and I like him.  Our boys also go to the same school :)  I dont know if he owns this car or not

another oldie but goodie 

people and their cars

spotted these people in town recently 

Old Napier Cemetery Part 7

The Williams family plot

comprising of 12 graves

I have decided to show you only the photos of the members of the family that I have been able to find out anything about

William and Jane Williams
William Williams  was the first Anglican Bishop of Waiapu and father and grandfather of to others. He led The Church Mission Society missionaries in the translation of the Bible into Maori.  He also wrote a dictionary.

His grandfather was a minister too.  William was only 4 when his father died.  His mother had a school for young ladies.  After school was completed he undertook an apprenticeship to a doctor.

In 1818 when he was 18 he was persuaded by a priest to become an Anglican, then he joined the Church Missionary Society (CMS).  He went to university.  In 1824 he became a deacon.  The year later he went to the  CMS college with the aim of following his brother Henry to new Zealand.  He also married Jane (a teacher at his mother's school) that same year.  Within a month they sailed to Australia then on to New Zealand.

The couple had 9 children.

It took another 41 years for the couple to get to Napier.  In that time the family worked around the North Island of New Zealand.  During that time he  taught and ran several mission schools with his wife Jane, he translated the Bible into Maori, became archdeacon of the East Cape and then the Bishop of Waiapu.  Here he set up a school to train Maori missionaries.  He tried to stop the government from getting so much Maori land.  He had a visit back to England.    Upon his return he set up another  Maori missionary training school . He made a Maori copy of the Treaty of Waitangi.    

 In 1867 William and Jane moved to Napier.  His nephew and son in law Samuel Williams  set up an estate upon which William established a Maori boys school.  21 years later a Maori girls school was opened.  Both of these school still operate today.  William continued as bishop until 1876 when he had a stoke, casuing him to resign.  He died 2 years later. 

Arthur E Turner Williams was the youngest son of Bishop W.L. Williams.

 As William Williams headstone says he was the third bishop of Waiapu (This area is around the East Coast of the North Island of new Zealand and includes the cities of Tauranga, Taupo, Gisborne, Hastings and Napier). 

He was the third child and first son of William Williams (the first Bishop of Waiapu) and Jane.  He was born and educated in New Zealand.  He attended university in the UK and became a member of the Church Missionary Society.  He commenced theological training at the Church Missionary Society College.  He was admitted to Deacon's Orders by the Bishop of London in 1853.  He married Sarah and they sailed to New Zealand.  A five  month journey in those days.     

In New Zealand he was put in charge of training Maori students into the church.  He was considered to be  the most knowledgeable specialist of maori culture.  He travelled around his area on horseback with two assistants.    

During his lifetime he twice upgraded his fathers book - a dictionary.   He also published his own book of Maori language.  He also helped in the study of New Zealand plants.  He was the third bishop of Waiapu in 1895 retiring in 1909 when he found the job too hard.  He died at home in Napier in 1916.

 

Sarah was one William and Jane 's daughter in laws.  She was married to (William) Leonard Williams   The couple worked alongside their father and father in law most of their lives.  There were 10 children from their marriage.

Another of Bishop W.L. Williams sons.

 The Williams sisters Maria, Kate and Marianne
These sisters were educationalists and Christian missionaries.  There were daughters of  Jane and Bishop William Williams.

They spent a lot of their childhood at the mission station and later mission farm.  They were all bilingual and knew first hand about Maori life and customs.

In 1859 their parents set up a mission station among the Maori.  The school did very well until 1865 when the family had to leave due to a disagreement between a certain Maori tribe and the government.  In 1868 they purchased land in Napier and built a house.  William Williams being the bishop gave a part of his property to set up a Maori Girls school (this is still in existence today).  This school did very well with the sisters teaching and over seeing its running.  The main aim of the school was to convert the girls to Christianity and to domesticate and civilise them.  There were about 50 girls, aged between 4 and 18.  They were dressed as Europeans.  They did very well in writing, masp drawing and needlework.  As well as the 3 Rs they also learnt domestic work, hygiene, drill, dressmaking and singing.   Maria organised them into small groups she believed that students learn better this way.  The girls were expected to help with the running of the school.  The school was so successful that students came from all over New Zealand.  The 3 sisters showed a great love towards their students and this helped with any home sickness that m,any have occurred.    

From 1878 to 1899 Maria was lady superintendent at the school.  She supervised the teaching program, the teachers and hostel staff.  Sometimes she helped in the classrooms however it was more usual for her to take part in the after school programmes which included praying and bible teaching lessons.  As well as being being able to speak Maori, she also was able to speak and read French  and was musically talented.  Kate and Marianne worked in the background and helped teach and run the school.  Marianne was very committed to the Hawkes Bay Children's Home and was on the committee for years.

Kate died in the 1931 earthquake from injuries, she had been attending a communion service at church.  When the earthquake occurred it made the church's roof which was supported by huge beams fall in  and the brick wall collapse.  Her sisters died of natural causes in later years.

Old Napier Cemetery Part 6

The first 3 photos today are of the sides of the same headstone.  It is for several members of the Dolbel family.  Philip and Richard were two brothers who emigrated to New Zealand from Jersey, France in 1855.  They ran a general store just outside of Napier.  They also had interests in a diary companylime works and brick works.  In 1865 they brought a large farm and later another one.  They farmed both in partnership.  

These days part of their land is a reserve named after them.  One of the farms homesteads have been restored and offers a luxury style bed and breakfast accommodation.  On some 37 hectares (97 acres) of the land is a vineyard that produces some of Hawkes Bay finest and most unique wines.

Fannin family headstone
George Thomas Fannin was born in Ireland.  He came with his parents to New Zealand in 1853 when he was 23.  In 1858 he was made clerk to the new Provincial Council of Hawkes Bay.  He kept that position until they ended in 1876.  During some of that time he was secretary to Sir Donald McLean.  After 1876 he was made clerk and treasurer to the Hawkes Bay County Council and secretary to the Education Board.    

Sir Donald MacLean

From 1844 to 1861 he was involved in mediations and dealings between the settler government and Maori.  He had taken upon himself to learn their language and culture, this helped immensely.  In the end he was appointed Native Secretary and Land Purchase commissioner.  He was one of the most powerful figures in Maori-European settler dealings.  He was seen as their protector.

He came to New Zealand in 1840 where he married the daughter of the registrar of the Supreme Court in Wellington.  Together they had one son.  Sadly she died after giving birth to him and Donald was so affected by this that he never remarried.  

Between 1863 and 1869 he was elected Superintendent of Hawkes Bay Province.  He was also a member of the  Hawkes Bay Provincial Council standing for Napier 1862 to 1871. He was MP for Napier from 1866 until he died in 1877.

In 1867/68 he brought in the law that there should be four Maori representatives in Parliament.  During his time in Parliament he served as Minister of Defence from 1869 to 1872.  He was Minister of Native Affairs off and on throughout his political career.  In 1874 he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.  

To read more about this important man go to this link.

Sergeant Major Walter Kelsall  was 45 when he was accidentally shot in the leg at a rifle range.  He was a drill instructor.    On the day it happened he had been responsible for signaling that the targets were ready and to check each marksmans accuracy.  Through a lack of communication he got in the wrong place at the wrong time and shot.  When it was discovered what had happened treatment both at the range and later at home by a doctor were given.  However he died of blood poisoning.

He was buried with military honours.  This included a firing party of eighteen men firing three volleys.

Emma (wife)

Captain Victor Albert Kelsall (their son) was a soldier with the Wellington Mounted Rifles.  He was a surveyor before the war.  He died of wounds from the war.  He fought and died at Chunuk Bair, northern Anzac sector. 

This is the family grave of the Vautiers. Elizabeth and  John Helier Vautier and their children Theodore (died when he was 19 days), Lena (died when she was 8 months) and John (died when he was almost 18).

John drowned while swimming at 7am in the sea close to Bluff Hill.  he and his friends friends often met before work for a swim.  The sea this day was heavy and the waves were very high.  The friends neared the shore to start with.  Then John leaped under a wave.  The force of it swept him off his feet and the current dragged him under.  He was in trouble.

The others volunteered to swim out to him.  A rope and lifebelt were found by someone.  They reached him and tried to support him above the water.  They tried to get the lifebelt on him, however because of the waves they couldnt.  Despite their attempts John drowned.  The men let go of his body hoping that it would float to shore.

John was the eldest son of John Helier Vautier who was the highly thought of second Major of Napier.  He held this position from 1878 to 1882.    John H Vautier also owned a ship and was a merchant.  When the news of John's drowning was known the shops shut out of respect.  All flags at Port Ahuriri were flown at half mast.  A search was conducted for John's body, which took nearly 24 hours to be found.

400 people attended the funeral.  Shops and the Town Council were closed.  The cortege was made up of 11 double horse carriages and 12 buggies.  There were many mourners who walked too.   When they arrived at the graveside it was unexpectedly found that the coffin couldnt be lowered as the grave wasnt wide enough.  The family had to watch and wait while it was enlarged.

It is interesting to note that the day after the accident that the Hawkes Bay Herald warned their readers to never swim at the towns beach ever.  This still applies today.  The sea along Marine Parade is not an advisable place to swim.

Old Napier Cemetery Part 5

 Margaret Andrews was a young mother.  Her husband was a talented photographer who ran a business in town. On the 1st of February 1883 Maggie became very sick with lows fevers.  By the 3rd her husband was so concerned that he got a doctor to her.  However the doctor said there was no danger.  Her hubby got a second opinion, the next doctor agreed with the first one.  A local woman and Mr Andrews took turns watching Maggie.  After the second doctors visit her hubby got some sleep.  However by the early hours of the 6th of February she looked worse.  Her hubby ran to get the first doctor back again who this time declared she only had a few minutes to live.  It is believed Maggie died of inflammation of the brain (phrenitis).

Mr Andrews was worried about their baby daughter and gave her to his mother-in-law as the only thing he could give her to help her get over her daughters death.  He asked that the baby could be known as Maggie from then on to remember her mother who the baby would know as she was too young.    Mr Andrews lived in Samoa for the rest of his days.  He cared for people in the 1918 influenza epidemic with no fear for his own health.  Many people owe their lives to him.  He also went on to remarry and father another 3 daughters.

 When I saw this family plot I thought they might be related to the Nelson's which a park and school were named after I dont think they are.  Interesting plot though.

Before 1900 Napier was surrounded by a low swampy area of flat land this along with unsuitable sanitary and drainage amenities often led to the spread of illness and contagious diseases.  When epidemics broke out the lack of proper drainage, sewerage disposal and good drinking water were hot topics.  Those most likely to get were children.  This problem was worse in the Summer months.  Little could be done to help prevent the illnesses from spreading as medicines and cures were not as developed as they are these days.  Contagious diseases came in unforeseen outbreaks.

In 1873 a whooping cough epidemic broke out and affected mostly little children.  This followed 2 years after when  a pandemic of measles and mumps  broke out throughout New Zealand.   121 European children died in Napier and Havelock North.  89 of these deaths were children.  74 of which were children under the age of two.  This was followed closely by  an epidemic of typhoid fever when the Hawkes Bay Provincial Government failed to quarantine infected immigrants from two ships.  To top this all off diphtheria then broke out in 1875.

In the cemetery there are many graves where siblings lie who died within days of each other.

John Pottinger

On the night of January 30th and morning of the 31st 1897 there was a very heavy gale which wreaked havoc in Napier.  As so often it seems in those days ships got into trouble.  This time it was the Rangitiki and it was too dark at night to do anything, even though another ship had made contact. John Pottinger was captain.  He had just returned from getting 1400 bales of wool and a batch of tallow from Southern Hawkes Bay.  The storm was so bad.  Captain told his crew to hold on to whatever they could.  He himself held onto the rigging the brute strenght of a wave dislodged him and flung him the length of the ship he never regained consciousness.

 William and Bessie Burke.  What attracted me to  this grave was that I knew there is a road two actually (Burke Road and Little Burke Road) named after this man.  Turns out he was a bank manager for nearly 12 years.  He was married to Bessie who was one of the daughters of the first mayor of Napier.  He died from a cold that affected his lungs.  

Amelia, Samuel and Joseph Crowther
Samuel joined the Wellington Rangers when he was 20.  He was involved in many military campaigns.  When he was 30 he moved a canteen from one area to another along the napier - Taupo Road? and made it into a fine hotel and store.  

Nine years later Samuel and a fellow businessman brought the Napier - Taupo Coach service.  He still owed the hotel too.  the Napier - Taupo  Coach service began in 1873.  In those days it took passengers  two days to get their destination.  It was a dusty or muddy journey depending on what time of the year you took the journey.  Considerable skill was needed to drive the five horse coach along the route in those days.  It was a tough journey.  In comparison these days it takes a mere hour and a half along a good road.  

At some unknown time Samuel married and had 3 sons.  Sadly Amelia died in 1889 at just 29 years of age.  Ten years later one of their sons fell off a horse and died - he was just 16.  Samuel remarried and fathered another son who regrettably drowned in the sea at Marine Parade aged just 5.  The following month the couple left Napier, Samuel with a recommendation scroll (rather like a modern day CV).

Samuel died in Taupo when he was 76.  It is an interesting fact that his body was taken to Napier where he was buried with his first wife and their son. His son from his second marriage is buried alone elsewhere in the cemetery.  

 Bright Cooper
I found it amusing when I went looking foer this grave that although it was right under my nose it tok me a while to find it.  Maybe Bright was playing with me?
On an early beautiful calm Summer Sunday morning in December of 1896 three young men met at the Masonic? Motel.  They were powerful swimmers being members of the Napier Swimming club.  Bright went out further than his friends.  He was about 25 yards from shore when a shark appeared and started cycling him.  The shark had him!  Cooper fought without success.

Bright's friends thought he would be able to get away.  He was a strong and powerful swimmer after all.  One of his friends despite the danger swam out to him.  The shark was distracted and let go of Bright.  His friend swam him to shore which seemed to take ages.  The shark followed but did not attack again.  It however was too late, such were horrific injuries that Bright had died.

Bright's friends paid for his headstone.  When in the 1931 earthquake it was damaged a member of the Napier Swimming Club raised the money to have it repaired.    

Andrew Dobbie was an engineer on the S.S. Fanny during his working life

Old Napier Cemetery Part 4

 John Robottom
On Sunday 11th November 1878 the community of Napier were excited.  Today was the day of the annual fete.  To get to the fete there was a grand procession which was led by the organisers of the fete - the Friendly Societies of Napier.  A huge crowd followed them to the railway station.  There they took an overcrowded train that also had seven high-sided open trucks connected to it and took 2 engines to pull it all to the park.

It was a successful fete.  It was all over by 5pm.  Tired crowds got back onto the train.  The band, of which John was a member stood on the outside facing platforms of the two carriages.   The train gained speed.  The young men, who had been drinking, played a game where they had to tap one another between the carriages.  Although this was silly behaviour they were not growled at by the conductor.  As the train arrived at the Napier station John leant on the handrest with another band member holding on to him so he wouldnt fall.  This man however was distracted and let go of John.  Next minute he saw John swinging round the stanchion of the carriage with one arm.  He tried to get hold of John by the shoulder but couldnt.  Instead John fell and was hit by the carriage behind.

The procession to his funeral was lead by the Napier Artillery Voluntary Band followed by the Napier Artillery Volunteers and Cadets and the Napier Engineers.  He was buried with military honours.

Henry Morrison's headstone has the Napier Rifle Volunteers insignia carved into it.  He was wounded in action and died a fortnight later.    

Henry was a shipwright when he enlisted in the Napier Rifle Volunteers.  He was married to Anne and they had 4 children.

On the night he was wounded he heard the call to arms.  He prepared to leave.  His wife would have spent the rest of the night alone, worried and concerned about him (she was not the only one, many women in the neighbourhood felt the same about their menfolk).

The news that finally came the next day was that Henry had been shot in the leg and he also had a badly fractured leg too.  He was transported to Napier Hospital.  Although he was treated his leg became gangrenous.  His leg was removed.  However, Henry died from his injuries and infections that set in.  His gravestone was purchased by the Napier Rifle Volunteers in honour of him.  

 Caroline Vigor Brown was the first wife of John Vigor Brown (see below) she mothered 6 children before she died of peritonitis.

 John Vigor Brown was the Mayor Napier for 18 years.  He was al;so a successful businessman and was involved in many clubs and organisations.

On Thursday I told you about the Northumberland.  The ship that sunk in a terrible storm on the 10th of May 1887.  When the Northumberland sent out its SOS six small steamers including the S.S. Boojum sailed out to assist with the rescue.  At first they thought they would tow the ship out to sea however this plan turned out to be impractical.  S.S Boojum got into trouble in the storm and ended up sinking.  Her crew went with her including Archibald Waddell.  On the day of the funeral fire bells rung.  This was out of respect especially for Waddell who had been a volunteer fireman.  His body was taken to the cemetery on the fire engine.  

Lastly today is the grave of the Mr and Mrs Powell whose grave I thought looked like a double bed and even had steps to get up into it.