Rai Valley

The first mill to cut timber in the area was one erected by Hans Fanselow near where the Rai Valley Post Office now stands. The first timber from that mill was carted by Mr Orsman of Havelock on 11th January, 1898. It could be possible that I was there with my mother when this left the mill, but I would have been only about one year old then. Fanselow would have secured his logs from Forrest's property.

The second mill was built by Nees and McLean about half a mile on the Rai side of the Pelorus Bridge, their gear being deposited on the site there on 6th June, 1900. They milled the area of country between the road leading up the Pelorus River and the main road to Nelson, the area now owned by the Scenic Reserve Board.

The next mill to start operating in Rai Valley was erected by Robertson Brothers of Nelson about 1902 on the area where the Rai Valley Dairy Company secretary's house now stands. Robertsons milled the area west from here. This was Crown land at the time but was later drawn in a ballot by E. Wiffen. Bullock teams were used at that mill for a time. Robertsons milled much of the Rai, Carluke and Ronga Valleys, and the area of flat land between the Rai Dairy Factory and the turnoff to Carluke (now owned by Jim Hughes) and the area at present being farmed by M. Maule and D. Leov. (This land was open for selection in 1916 as Soldier Settlement farms and was originally drawn by Jack Laird and Joe Simpson. Fifty acres of hill country on Laird's page 37 page 38

Key to Map

1	Robertson Bros.
2	Hewetson & Sons
3	A. Leov
4	Hewetson Bros.
5	Baigents
6	Templeman & Simpson
7	Baigent
8	Robertson
9	Robertson (3rd mill)
10	Fanselow (1st mill)
11	Templeman
12	Hill
13	Bryant Bros. Snr.
14	Bryants Bros. Snr.
15	Baigent & Son
16	Leov & Young
17	Bryants Snr.
18	Couper
19	Nees & McLean (2nd mill)
20	De Boo & Sons
21	Brownlees-Carluke
22	Baigent & Sons
23	Ingram
24	Smith
25	W. Carr
26	Robertson Bros.
27	Robertson Bros.
28	Bryants Snr.
29	Robertson Bros.
30	Griffiths & Holland
31	Prentice Bros.
32	Webley Bros.
39	Webley Bros.
34	Baigent & Sons
35	De Boo & Douglas
36	Prentice Bros.
37	De Boo Bros. & So.
38	Webley Bros.
39	Webley Bros.
40	W. Carr
41	Wallace
42	Marlborough Timber Co.
43	Marlborough Timber Co.
44	Bryant Bros. Snr.
45	Sharland
46	Sharland Bros.
47	Baigent & Son
48	Robinson
49	Bryant Bros. Jnr.
50	Gardiner
51	Bryant Bros. Snr.
52	Baigents
53	Bryant Bros. Jnr.
54	Bryant Bros. Jnr.
55	Bryant Bros. Snr.
56	Baigents
57	W. Carr
58	Bryant Bros. Jnr.

page 39section which had not been milled were felled by my brother Harold Leov, and Bill Price, before they were seventeen years old, at £2 per acre). Robertsons also milled Section 48, Ronga Valley, land drawn by Norman Dolamore and now owned by Stan Holdaway.

A wooden tramline was made up the Ronga Valley, horses generally being used to draw the trucks. An old Puffing Billie tried by Robertsons was more off the rails than on them! It is possible that Robertsons cut some timber on Seymour's property as he owned the land where the mill was built.

Brownlees extended their operations into Rai Valley early in this century. They didn't build a mill at the time but extended their tramline to take their logs to their existing mill at Blackball, a short distance on the Rai Valley side of Havelock. They simply logged an area of bush on the west of the main road and river south of Bulford bridge. (This country is now owned by Wearing Brothers but could have been either Crown land or owned by R. Forrest senior at the time). Brownlees also milled the area known as Blicks Estate. (Miss Brownlees bought this from Blicks and when they had finished milling the area was sold and it made six nice farms). Brownlees really only took the easy going, leaving plenty of scope for the other small sawmills that followed. The big Rai flood of 1904 washed away all their tramline bridges.