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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]

Hobson, John

Hobson, John, Contractor, Cuckoo Road, Ohau. Born in Heligoland in 1846, from his early life Mr. Hobson followed a sea-faring life. At sixteen he ran away from his ship and joined another vessel, and continued at sea till twenty-nine years of age, trading between San Francisco, Glasgow and South Shields. Mr. Hobson was then smitten with the gold fever, and successfully spent some time on the Californian diggings. He afterwards shipped as mate on a brig bound for Melbourne, and was present at the first rush in the Long Plain diggings in Tasmania, and at the Bendigo, Ballarat, Kimberley, Manning and Collingwood diggings in Australia. Subsequently, with the aid of two of his fellows, he opened the famous Cornstalk claim, and was on the Blue Range diggings in 1866. He finally settled in New Zealand, and went to the Balclutha goldfields for two years. At the time of writing (1896), Mr. Hobson is employed in contracting for Mr. W. Gillett, Ohau.