Mark Von Dadelszen - Reginald Gardiner his Grandfather

Reginald Gardiner  The information below has been provided by Mark.
A historian has described the influence of Reginald Gardiner on Havelock North over the last century: “The whole shape of village life in the twentieth century was profoundly affected from before the First World War by Reginald Gardiner – the deep-thinking, enthusiastic, community minded villager – and his immediate circle of friends. Their legacy far transcends their organisation, the Havelock Work, creating the community spirit that appeared later in such forms as the Keirunga Gardens Society.”Reginald Gardiner’s grandson, Mark von Dadelszen, presents some historical reflections on his grandparents’ life and the influence of the Havelock Work.
The next Landmarks History talk will be on Tuesday 12 June at 5.30pm, upstairs at the Hastings Library. Mark von Dadelszen will speak about his grandfather, Reginald Gardiner. The information below has been provided by Mark.

Stortford Lodge Hotel

Speaker: ByronBuchanan - the History of Stortford Lodge.

ByronBuchanan will be talking on the history of the Stortford Lodge Hotel

The StortfordLodge Hotel, situated in Heretaunga Road, was established in the year 1890, byMr. William Stock, and acquired by the present proprietor in 1904. It is atwo-storeyed wooden building, with a fine balcony and a verandah. The groundfloor contains several sitting rooms, a large commercial room, a billiard room,and a dining room capable of seating about fifty guests. The upper floorincludes fifteen bedrooms, a bathroom with hot and cold water laid on, and aconvenient lavatory. The house is well furnished throughout, an excellent tableis kept, and the bar is stocked with the best brands of liquors. The comfortand convenience of guests and travellers is the proprietor's firstconsideration. There are good stables in connection with the establishment,which contain fourteen loose boxes.

Frederick King proprietorof the Stortford Lodge Hotel, was born in the Wairarapa district on the 23rd ofAugust, 1872, and was educated in the Greytown North public school. He wasapprenticed to the blacksmithing trade in Masterton, and for thirteen yearssubsequently was engaged in business as a member of the firm of King Brothers.He afterwards severed his connection with the firm, in order to take over theStortford Lodge Hotel. Mr. King is a member of the Hastings Bowling Club, theAncient Order of Foresters, and was vice-president and a member of the HastingsFootball Club.

Guy Wellwood - Roberet Wellwood

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Guy Wellwood - An Enterprising & Public Spirited Pioneer

Guy spoke about his Great-Great Uncle Robert Wellwood, the first Mayor of Hastings and a highly regarded and well-known townsman. Robert Wellwood was Mayor from 1886 to 1887, being the first mayor of Hastings Borough Council. He was also a farmer, auctioneer & commission agent. He was very active in the community and a promoter of new industries in Hawke's Bay.

Robert Wellwood by Guy Wellwood

Robert Wellwood was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, probably on 21 May 1836, into a Protestant farming family. His parents were Ann Proctor and her husband, Ambrose Wellwood. Like many young Irish of his time Robert decided to try his luck in New Zealand, and took a passage on the Queen of the Avon, landing at Wellington in July 1859. He was followed later by his younger brother Arthur. To see his new country Robert went swagging. He visited Hastings, later returning there to work for J. N. Williams. Catching the prevailing gold fever he went off to Otago, but failed to make his fortune and returned to become farm manager for Williams. In 1870 he received from Williams 200 acres on the Heretaunga plain, and built a home there which he named Maxwell Lea. A plane tree planted in the garden was grafted to form a cross as a protection against evil. In the 1870s Wellwood became involved in many local body activities, including the Hastings school committee, the Diocesan Trust Board and the Heretaunga Road Board. He became prominent in the Masonic lodge for many years and held office as worshipful master. On 11 April 1872, at Puketapu, he married Annie Heslop, who was from a farming family. Two sons were born before Annie Wellwood died on 12 August 1881. On 14 March 1883, at Wellington, Robert married Jane Ann Taylor Ling, the daughter of a butcher and businessman. They were to have five daughters and two sons. Wellwood sold Maxwell Lea in 1884 and set up an auctioneering and commission business the following year. He opened his own saleyards, which are said to have had the best facilities of any in the North Island. The same year he also opened a wholesale warehouse offering a wide range of stores. He purchased another farm on the Heretaunga plain, Raureka, in 1887. Wellwood was always prepared to take calculated risks but made sure his ventures were well publicised. The opening of his saleyards was promoted by a lavish lunch for the leading farmers and other prominent citizens, and the opening of his warehouse by a fancy dress ball. 'Life', he once said, is 'made up of speculation'. He also became involved in the land, estate and general commission agency fields, and those attending his first sale on 25 March 1885 were invited to christen the Hastings Salerooms with champagne. In September 1884 Wellwood was elected a member and appointed chairman of the newly created Hastings Town Board, replacing one of the five original commissioners. Two years later Hastings was proclaimed a borough, becoming overnight the largest borough in the country. On 29 September 1886 Wellwood was elected the town's first mayor, unopposed. Although a popular mayor he resigned after a year to take a business trip, but served another seven years on the council in the 1890s. Wellwood was one of the chief promoters of new industries in Hawke's Bay. He was elected president of the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Society in 1888 and in 1890 was the first chairman of the Hastings Farmers' Association. Six years after his death his former home was purchased by the Agricultural and Pastoral Society to complete the Tomoana showgrounds area. The plane tree he planted is now a magnificent feature of the showground gardens. Wellwood's mayoral portrait shows a strong face, partly concealed by a full black beard, with a fine aquiline nose and expressive, hooded eyes. Although he gained wealth and success in his adopted country, it appears that he never forgot his more modest beginnings. When he stood for election to the Hawke's Bay County Council in 1876 he is reported to have said: 'I do not think our Council should be composed of Members who count their acres by thousands and their sheep by hundreds of thousands. I am in favour of there being a sprinkling of the yeoman class which is the bone and sinew of every country. It is this class we may expect will act as a check to the spending proclivities of the wealthy.' At a later political meeting he stated that his best sympathies at all times were with the working man.

Pattullo Pioneers

Robert Pattullo spoke on the history and background of the Pattullo family in Scotland
and the subsequent emigration of some members of the family to New Zealand in
the 1800s.
The early Pattullo pioneers first established themselves at Otago and then ventured
to the East Coast of the North Island, purchasing land in Gisborne and Hawke's
Bay, including "Newstead" in 1911.
They called for the abolition of sheep tax and got a stock tax which was less
taxing.
Robert covered progress and change over the last 100 years at Newstead. He also
detailed an extensive involvement and contribution to Agricultural and Pastoral
Societies in both Otago and Hawke's Bay over four generations of the Pattullo
family.

Robert Pattullo - Pattullo Pioneers

Robert Pattullo - Pattullo Pioneers Robert Pattullo will speak on the history and background of the Pattullo family in Scotland and the subsequent emigration of some members of the family to New Zealand in the 1800s. The early Pattullo pioneers first established themselves at Otago and then ventured to the East Coast of the North Island, purchasing land in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, including "Newstead" in 1911.Robert will cover progress and change over the last 100 years at Newstead. He will also detail an extensive involvement and contribution to Agricultural and Pastoral Societies in both Otago and Hawke's Bay over four generations of the Pattullo family

J H Coleman: lust for land

LUST FOR LAND is written by Adrian Coleman. It is a record of J H Colemans life from arrival in New Zealand in1859 until his death in 1928 aged 94; acquisition of pastoral land in Hawkes Bay; very early sittings of the Maori Land Court in Hawke's Bay; Royal Commission into land dealings, particularly concerning the Heretaunga block (James escaped); the making of his fortune; his commercial and philanthropic activities; the lives of his four privileged step-children; division of his wealth; the lives of his own children and grandchildren.
Retired solicitor Adrian Coleman always hoped to pen a book. So when his muse came by way of a descendant's deeds box 20 years ago, the Hastings property lawyer decided its contents merited a mention.While he initially intended to write a biographical piece on the box's former owner - great-grandfather James Henry Coleman - his research led to a much broader project.The deeper he delved into his descendant's land dealing in what was then described as New Zealand's "wild west", the more the book's brief veered from a purely biographical account of his family, to a deeper understanding of some of the area's earliest land transactions.The broader scope "created quite a conundrum" for the 70-year-old, who admits he originally set out to write "primarily for my family". Yet the result, Lust for Land, James Henry Coleman - His Life, His Fortune, His Descendants, is, he believes, a "delicate fusion" and a scholarly and colourful history of his family and the province."Because I'm a lawyer I'm interested in land issues and how lawyers of the day dealt with these issues."So what has changed in a property lawyer's role between the mid 19th century and now? "Hardly anything actually. The law doesn't move very fast."And even outside legal transactions, there were other similarities between now and then. "I remember one Maori woman, a client of mine, weeping as she signed away a small flat in Flaxmere. That occurred only about six years ago. When the great Hawke's Bay chief Karaitiana had his land eased from under him he went into a long and deep depression. The Maori attachment to land was, and still is, palpable."The book, launched last month in Havelock North, was also a family affair. "I had my son, James Hayes Coleman, great-great-grandson of the old man, and his son Jacob Howard Coleman, great-great-great-grandson, beside me, which made it a special occasion."As for family affairs, don't miss the story of a future son-in-law's fighting off the cannibals of Rwanda, of a daughter being courted by a succession of impecunious impostors, all claiming to be titled Europeans, love and heartbreak in two world wars, and the impressive social functions which wealth made possible.