Mavelock [sic: Havelock] Suburban.
Havelock Suburban
is a small farming district occupying a portion of the Kaituna Valley, about five miles from the town of Havelock. Sawmilling was the first industry conducted, and is still carried on to a small extent in the neighbourhood, but most of the bush has now been cleared, and sheep and cattle farming and dairying have taken the place of sawmilling. There is no township, as the population is scattered; but there is a public school, a post office, and a blacksmith's shop in the district. There is a good metalled road, and the Blenheim-Have-lock mail coach passes daily, so that the district has a regular mail service.
The Havelock Suburban School
has been established for many years, and is situated in the centre of the district. It stands on a site of an acre in extent, and is a wooden building, with accommodation for forty pupils. There is also a comfortable residence of five rooms connected with the school. There are thirty-eight names on the roll, and the average attendance is thirty-four.
Miss Laura Matthews
was appointed Mistress of the Havelock Suburban school in the year 1895. She was born at Havelock, and is a daughter of the late Mr. Frank Matthews. Miss Matthews was educated at the Havelock public school, gained a provincial scholarship, and afterwards served as a pupil teacher. Later on, she was appointed assistant mistress of the Renwicktown school for about three years, during which she gained a D certificate, before her present appointment. Miss Mattlews' examination reports have always been excellent, and in three consecntive years, 1901–02–03, pupils from her school gained the Marlborough Provincial Scholarship. Miss Matthews holds a Dl certificate.
Evansdale Run
, Havelock Suburban, was first taken up in two blocks by Messrs Jones and Sons, about fourteen years ago, and a few years later was acquired by its present proprietor. It consists of 1206 acres of good grazing land, nearly half of which is still in its native state, but is being rapidly improved. Several hundred acres are laid down in good English grasses, and the property promises to make a first-class sheep farm. It is at present (1905) understocked, carrying only about 300 sheep, and twenty head of cattle. A large amount of standing bush is suitable for posts, stringers, and piles, and the expense of clearing is recouped by the sale of the timber.
Mr. Hugh Andrews
, Proprietor of Evansdale, is the second son of the late Mr. John Andrews, of Brightwater, Nelson. He was born in August, 1862, educated at the local public school, and afterwards assisted his father in the farm work until he was twenty-two years of age. Mr. Andrews then struck out on his own account, and went to the Wairau. For a few years he was employed as a waggoner, ploughman, and general farm hand; he afterwards managed a farm for Messrs Redwood Brothers, of Spring Creek, and in the year 1892 took up Evansdale run. Mr. Andrews is one of the carting contractors for the Pelorus Road Board, and has a team of four horses and a dray constantly engaged. He married the second daughter of Mr. Evan Jones, and has three sons and three daughters.
Farnell, William,
Junior, Farmer, Havelock Suburban. Mr. Farnell was born in September, 1856, in Nelson, and is the eldest son of Mr. William Farnell, senior, who is further referred to as an old colonist. He was educated at the local public school, and for thirty years worked at his father's sawmill. For several years after, he was generally employed at home, and on neighbouring farms, and
also at Mr. William Cate's sawmill. In the year 1905, Mr. Farnell took up his present farm, which consists of about 120 acres of freehold, and 700 acres of leasehold. The property is largely composed of good grazing hills, embracing also a considerable area of fertile valley land, and is devoted almost entirely to the grazing of sheep and cattle, for which it is highly suitable. Mr. Farnell has been a member of the local school committee for about seven years. He married Miss Guest, of Blenheim, in 1890, and has two sons and four daughters.
Jones, Evan,
Farmer, Havelock Suburban. Mr. Jones was born on the 27th of August, 1838, near Cardigan, in Cardiganshire, Wales. After
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receiving some schooling, and working for about two years on farms, he went to sea at twelve years of age under his uncle, who was commander of a large sailing ship trading in the Mediterranean. He followed a seafaring life for about ten years, during which he visited almost every part of the world, and was shipwrecked
three times. In the year 1858, Mr. Jones arrived in Melbourne, Australia in a man-of-war, and finally left the sea. Two years later, he came to New Zealand, and landed in Nelson. He was subsequently for several years in Picton, and in 1869 settled at Havelock Suburban. For a good many years Mr. Jones farmed leasehold land, and then bought his present property of nearly 200 acres, on which he depastures about 300 sheep and twenty dairy cows. Mr. Jones married Miss Harriet Avis, of Moutere, Nelson, who went to Picton with her parents in the very early days, and has four sons and seven daughters. He has been a member of the local school committee.
Long Valley Estate
, in the Havelock Suburban district, is a sheep and cattle run of 820 acres, and consists of excellent hillside and valley country, with two or three hundred acres of rich flats. It was first taken up on lease about seventeen years ago by Messrs Brownlee and Company, who cut out all the heavy timber and conducted it as a sheep farm. In the year 1898, it was taken over by Mr. Bartlett, its former manager. The property is now (1905) being rapidly improved, and carries 1000 sheep and fifty head of cattle.
Mr. Edwin Bartlett
, Proprietor of Long Valley estate, was born at Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, in the year 1858. He came to New Zealand in 1864, landed at Onehunga, and for a good many years was employed on large sheep and cattle stations in the southern part of the Auckland province. Subsequently, after spending a short time as a shearer in Hawke's Bay. Mr. Bartlett went to Canterbury, and thence to Otago. He afterwards worked for a while on the Midland Railway, and at Greymouth, and
in 1887 went to Marlborough, where he was first engaged as a shearer. Mr. Bartlett was then employed as a general farm hand on Mr. Kennington's run, near Okaramio, and several years later took up the management of Long Valley estate. He is the managing director of the Havelock Co-operative Cheese Factory, and is a member of the local school committee. Mr Bartlett is married, and has four children.
Looms, Thomas,
“Newton,” Havelock Suburban. Mr. Looms was born on the 6th of April, 1834, at Newton, in Buckinghamshire, England. He was brought up to farming, and in the year 1862, came to New Zealand, and landed in Nelson. Almost immediately afterwards Mr. Looms made his way to the Wairau, worked for one year and six months on the Langleydale run, and then settled in the Kaituna Valley. For a time, he worked a small farm at Okaramio, and then took up his present property at Havelock Suburban. “Newton” is an excellent grazing farm of about 430 acres, nearly half of which is freehold, and is a very profitable littlesheep and cattle run. Mr. Looms has been a member of the Pelorus Road Board, and of the local school committee. He
has all his life been devoted to hunting, and was a member of a noted English hunt club before he came to New Zealand; and, afterwards, of the Blenheim Hunt Club, not now in existence. In the year 1854, Mr. Looms married Miss Sarah Elizabeth Harris, of Newton, Buckinghamshire, England, and they have had four children, none of whom now survive. Mr. and Mrs Looms celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding in September, 1904.
O'Sullivan, Timothy
, Farmer, Havelock Suburban. Mr. O'Sullivan is a son of the late Mr. John O'Sullivan, for many years Inspector of Public Works for the Marlborough province, and was born in March 1840, in London, England, where his father was at that time manager for a large railway contractor. He came to New Zealand with his mother near the end of the year 1842, and landed at Nelson, his father having arrived by one of the first ships a few months earlier. After he had received some elementary schooling, Mr. O'Sullivan assisted at general farming and contracting work and in the early sixties accompanied his father to the Wairau. For
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some years he took part with the early settlers in clearing their holdings, also spent a short time at the Wakamarina diggings, and in 1866 took up his present farm at Havelock Suburban. Like other pioneer settlers, however, he was compelled during the ensuing years to rely chiefly upon outside sources for his livelihood, and did not devote his whole attention to his farm until well on in the seventies. The property comprises nearly five hundred acres, partly freehold, and partly leasehold of good agricultural and grazing land, a large portion of
it being almost level. It is considerably improved, and carries nearly 800 sheep. There is a new and up-to-date residence close to the main road, which intersects the farm. Mr. O'Sullivan takes an active interest in matters affecting his district, and is chairman of the directors of the Havelock Co-operative Cheese Factory, and a member of the local school committee. He was for several years a member of the local branch of the Farmers' Union, and for one term a member of the Pelorus Road Board, which he afterwards served as inspector. Mr. O'Sullivan is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, in the affairs of which he takes a lively interest. He is married, and has two sons and ten daughters.
Rocky Creek Run
, at Havelock Suburban, consists of 1200 acres 200 acres of which is freehold, and the remainder Crown lease. It was first taken up many years ago, and a portion of it was bought by the present proprietor from Messrs Adams and Kingdon. The run consists chiefly of broken hilly country, of which a portion is still in its virgin state, but there are a hundred acres or more of low rolling hills suitable for agriculture. Rocky Creek carries 1200 sheep, besides cattle.
Mr. Henry Cozens
, Proprietor of Rocky Creek run, was born in Somersetshire, England, in the year 1851, and is a son of the late Mr. John Cozens, a flourmiller. He came to New Zealand in the seveties, worked for two years in the neighbourhood of Nelson, and then went to the Collingwood diggings. Later on, Mr. Cozens went to Auckland, and was subsequently engaged for three or four years in rough bush work. He then returned to Nelson, but afterwards went to Marlborough, and was employed for many years at sawmilling in the Sounds and at Kaituna. Finally, he took up the first section of his present run, and has since devoted his attention to farming. Mr. Cozens also owns 236 acres in the valley. He was for some years a member of the Farmers' Union, and of the local school committee. Mr. Cozens is married, and has three sons and one daughter.
Mr. William Farnell
, Senior, was born on the 30th of April, 1827, in Shropshire, England, and is the eldest son of a militia-man, who served with the light artillery at the battle of Waterloo. As a youth, he worked for four or five years in his father's coalpit at Corban's Hall, and was then apprenticed to the engineering trade in a small town near Birmingham. For twelve years Mr. Farnell applied himself closely to his calling, and in 1852 he emigrated to Victoria, Australia, where he spent a couple of years at goldmining and the erection of timber mills. In the year 1854 Mr. Farnell came to New Zealand and landed at Nelson on the 24th of December. After working several years as a carpenter in Nelson, he removed in the early part of 1858 to the Havelock district, where he has since resided. Mr. Farnell first worked for a time at bridge building in the Pelorus, was then employed during a few months at roadmaking, and subsequently kept a boarding-house for about a year. Near the close of the sixties, he erected a sawmill in Havelock Suburban, and was joined in partnership, in 1873, by Mr. Norman Campbell, afterwards Sir Norman Campbell; but subsequently this gentleman withdrew from the firm, leaving his brother, Mr. John Campbell, to guard his interests until 1876, when Mr. Farnell bought Mr. Campbell's interest in the mill, and thereby became the owner of it. The mill ran for about thirty years, and during this period Mr. Farnell gradually bought a fine farm, which
he worked in conjunction with the mill. The property now embraces over 500 acres of excellent grazing land, and since February, 1904, has been held on lease by Mr. J. W. Moore, a grandson of Mr. Farnell, who now lives in retirement. Mr. Farnell was for several years a member of the Pelorus Road Board, and has also been a member of the local school committee. He was married in the year 1850, and has two sons and three daughters.
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