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Tales of Banks Peninsula

No. 33.—Messrs Greenwood Bros

page 249

No. 33.—Messrs Greenwood Bros.

The first owners of Purau were the three Greenwood Bros., named James, Joseph and Edward, who Game from Wellington in 1843 in the schooner Richmond owned by Messrs Sinclair and Hay. In that year the brothers took possession of Purau and Motunau; but they all lived at Purau. They were very unfortunate all through. After they had built what was then considered a very fine house and were prospering, they were robbed, about 1846, by three bushrangers called the Bluecap gang. The story of the robbery is to effect that the thieves tied up the two elder brothers, and forced the younger, Edward, under pain of death, to hand over all the valuables in the house. They had a boat ready, and took Edward to the beach with them, giving him his life on condition that he did not loose his brothers till they had a twenty minutes' start. Edward Greenwood observed his part of the agreement, and with the start they had the men got away. The Greenwoods were able to send a whaleboat to Port Levy to tell the whalers that the gang intended to rob Messrs Deans, of Riccarton. The Deans were held in such high esteem that the whalers manned a boab at once and went over to Sumner. They did not see the robbers, though they passed them when they were hiding in a cave round the Sumner coast. The Bluecap gang camped in Dean's bush ready to pounce on the homestead. As there was snow on the ground the whalers were soon able to track the robbers, and hunted them out. They then made for Dunedis, where one of them was drowned. The other two were taken to Sydney for punishment. Though the Greenwoods got back most of their valuables the robbery was a great shock to them, as they felt the insecurity of their position should another lawless gang descend on them. Another much more serious misfortune befell them shortly afterwards when the second brother Joseph was drowned in a whaleboat with Johnny Moles and a Maori, and the other two brothers became disgusted with New Zealand. Joseph was drowned while on the way to their estate at page 250Motunau. In 1847, James and Edward sold out their Purau property to Messrs W. B. and Georgo Rhodes for a very low price. The property carried a considerable number of sheep and cattle at the time. The two Greenwoods then set out for Sydney to buy stock for the Motunau property. One brother died in New South Wales, and the other left for England never to return. Motunau being let to Mr J T. Caverhill, The three brothers were men of Stirling qualities well fitted to make excellent pioneers; but the fates heaped many calamities upon their undeserving heads.