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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Mr. Gilbert Buchanan

Mr. Gilbert Buchanan , Of Outram, West Taieri, came out to Otago by the “Philip Laing,” in 1848, with his parents. He was born in Kirkintilloch, Dumbartonshire, in 1827. When the “Philip Laing” arrived at Port Chalmers, Mr. Buchanan and some of his fellow passengers walked to Dunedin, no slight undertaking in those days. The sights by the way were all new and strange and interesting—the native bush, native pigeons and parrots, and native vegetation, together with the building of a wattle and daub hut by some settlers. Of Dunedin itself, the first glimpse was worth remembering, for the town then consisted of three houses—a public house, the residence of Mr. Charles Kettle, chief surveyor of the New Zealand Company, and another dwelling house. Night coming on, and rain beginning to fall, Captain Cargill gave the newcomers permission to reside that night in the Company's shed, which was open on all sides, with nothing but the roof, and as the night was cold, bleak and rainy, they had a time of it. However, about midnight the rain cleared off and they found their way into the bush and raised a fire, and finding a potato patch near at hand, they dug and roasted their first New Zealand potatoes. In the morning Mr. Buchanan and his friends gladly returned to the ship. In finally coming up from the port Mr. Buchanan and his companions met with another adventure. The boatmen got intoxicated, and lay in the bottom of the boat, and Mr. Buchanan and his friends had to take to the oars and pull themselves up the harbour. They arrived when the tide was out, and had to carry their goods nearly a mile through deep mud to the beach. Mr. Buchanan obtained employment at making footpaths in Dunedin, and the working hours were then signalised by the playing of the bagpipes—an ingenious device, worthy of a Scottish pioneer settlement, poorly supplied with clocks and watches. The pipes were played at 8 a.m. to begin the day's work, at 12 o'clock to knock off for dinner, at 1 o'clock to resume, and at 5 p.m. to stop work for the day. On the 20th of June, 1848, Mr. Buchanan, with a number of others, left Dunedin with a Maori guide and started for Mr. Lee's station, now known as “Woodside.” The first night they reached Duneira, about half way across the plain, where they slept fitfully in the fern, and passed a cold, frosty night around a fire. Next day the Taieri river was crossed, and Mr. Lee's station was reached after dark. The station hands then numbered fourteen, and the life led by all was full of the freshness and vicissitude incidental to a pioneer settlement. After spending three years in the service of Mr. Lee, Mr. Buchanan purchased 117 acres of land at Outram, where he has ever since followed agriculture. Mr. Buchanan has generally had excellent crops; his wheat has usually averaged about forty bushels per acre, and on two occasions his oats yielded 120 bushels per acre. He has a pretty two-storey dwelling house with nicely laid out grounds in front. His first experiences in the Colony were bitter and discouraging, but he has never regretted leaving the Old Country, for although no fortune has been amassed, he has a good home, and is comfortable and happy, with a family of four sons and four daughters.