Settler Kaponga 1881–1914 — A Frontier Fragment of the Western World
Sources
Sources
The most valuable source for this study has been the files of the Hawera
Star. Founded in April 1880, the Star gave exemplary coverage of south
Taranaki life throughout our period. Since it sought to maintain a circulation
throughout the rural districts, it shared the settlers' deep interest in roads
and transport services. It closely followed the settlers' farming fortunes,
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kept a careful eye on the activities of all the local bodies, and maintained
competent local correspondents who gave an in-depth coverage of the
unfolding life of all the main districts. Nevertheless, the first decade of
settlement was for Kaponga one of half-hidden years, partly because for the
earlier years its fortunes were reported rather vaguely as part of the wider
world of the ‘Kaupokonui’, but also because no files of the Star seem to have
survived for the period from the end of June 1888 to the beginning of
October 1891 — the crucial years of the township's meteoric rise and the
consequent recentring of the district's life. From October 1891 onwards the
Star gave a rich coverage of Kaponga affairs and of their regional context.
The Star material has been extensively checked against other sources, such
as local and national archives, official papers and other newspapers. These
have largely confirmed the quality and accuracy of the Star material, while
their scattered and incomplete nature has made it clear that without the Star
an in-depth study such as this would have been impossible. Handling the
Star files has also been of great value in achieving our aim of seeing the
Kaponga story against its global setting. For this wider setting a combing
of the Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives has proved
particularly rewarding.
Joel and Charlotte Prestidge and family, about 1902. Back row (with bith birth years): Lilian '89, Arthur '80, Fanny '78, Thomas '86, Front row: Kenneth '96, Leewis '88, CHARLOTTE '55, Enid '93, JOEL '50, James '99, Edward '82, Albert '92. These are the founding stock of an extensive South Taranaki farming clan