Councillor Colin Robertson , who has represented the Waikaia riding on the Southland County Council since 1896, was born in 1850, in Perthshire, Scotland, and attended school in the parish of Logierait, where he afterwards served for two years as a pupil-teacher. Mr Robertson arrived at Port Chalmers in 1867, by the ship “Vicksburgh,” and almost immediately went to the Waikaia district (then known as Switzers) to become a storeman for a local storekeeper. Ten years later he commenced farming, and still follows that calling, on 550 acres of land, nearly all freehold. Mr Robertson runs crossbred sheep on his farm. He was a member of the old Waikaia Road Board, and was a member, and also chairman of the Waikaia Licensing Committee during its existence. Mr Robertson has also been chairman of the local school committee since 1894, and he became a Justice of the Peace in 1891. He was married, in 1881, to a daughter of the late Mr James Welsh, of Cork, Ireland, and has five sons and three daughters.

Gerstenkorn, photo.
Councillor C. Robertson.

The Post And Telegraph Office , in the township of Waikaia, was conducted for some time prior to 1879 at Switzers station, about a mile from the present site of the post office, but was removed to the township in that year. The building is of wood and iron, and contains a public lobby, post and telegraph office, and a residence. Daily mails are received and despatched. There is a telephone bureau for the accommodation of the public.

The Waikaia Public School , which dates from the early days of the settlement, originally stood on the hill when the district was known as Switzers, but about 1880 it was removed to Waikaia township, where it was destroyed by fire six weeks later. The present building, which is of wood and iron, contains two class-rooms and a porch, and stands on part of a section of an acre of land fronting Leamington Street. There is accommodation for 120 pupils; there are 113 names on the roll, and the average attendance is 103. The headmaster, whose residence occupies a section of a quarter of an acre on the opposite side of the street, is assisted by a mistress and pupil-teacher. The Waikaia school is one of the most successful in Southland in passing pupils for eivil service examinations and in percentages of marks gamed.

Mr. James Brighton Hutchinson , who has been Headmaster of the Waikaia school since June, 1892, was born in Dunedin, in 1867. He gained his primary education in the city of his birth, and served a pupil-teachership at the Normal School. After holding the position of assistant at the Mataura public school for three years, he was appointed to Waikaia. Mr Hutchinson holds a C1 certificate. He was married, in 1897, to a daughter of the late Mr Moffat, of Waikaia, and has one daughter.

Matheson, J. and Co. (Duncan Matheson, Junior), General Storekeeper, Blaydon Street, Waikaia. This business dates from the early days of the Waikaia goldfields, and has been conducted under its present style since 1880. The premises consist of a double-fronted shop with a verandah; the store-room and shop stand on part of a freehold section of half an acre of land, and the private residence is situated behind the store. There are departments for groceries, drapery, iron ware, crockery, and produce; and the vehicles and pack horses of the firm deliver goods within a radius of thirty miles of the settlement.

Messers J. Matheson and Co.' Premises

Mr. Duncan Matheson , Junior, Proprietor of the business, was born in Victoria in 1869. He attended school and was brought up to mercantile life, in his native colony, and landed at the Bluff in 1883. The family settled in Waikaia, and young Matheson assisted his father in connection with the Business before taking it over in 1890. Mr Matheson is a member of the local school committee and Domain Board, and holds office as secretary and treasurer of the Caledonian Society. He has been for years one of the managers of the local Presbyterian church. Mr Matheson was married, in 1898, to a daughter of Mr Robert Stewart, of Island Block, and has two sons.

Nahkies, Rudolph George , General Storekeeper, Blaydon Street, Waikaia. This store dates from 1890, and is conducted in a wood and iron building, with a double-fronted shop.

Mr. James Sinclair Calder , who is in charge of the store in the absence of the proprietor, was born in Dunedin in 1867. He was educated in Invercargill, and brought up to mercantile life under his father, Mr Peter Calder, but was afterwards in business on his own account at Middlemarch for two years. At a later period he conducted the Lea Stream Hotel for three years, during which he was secretary and treasurer of the Lea Stream school committee. In 1903, he removed to Waikaia. Mr Calder was married, in 1891, to a daughter of Mr George North, of Dunedin, and has two sons and two daughters.

Commercial Livery And Bait Stables (Patrick Delargey, proprietor), Newburn Street, Waikaia. These stables have been conducted by Mr Delargey since 1898. The premises comprise a large wood and iron building, with sixteen stalls and three loose boxes, and from six to eight horses, and five buggies, are kept. Mr Delargey was born in 1880 at Invercargill, attended school at Otautau, Winton, and Waikaia, and has always been accustomed to the management of horses. He is a member of the local football, cricket, and racing clubs, and is well known throughout the district as the owner of trotting horses. Mr Delargey was married, in 1903, to a daughter of Mr Thomas Taylor, manager of the National Bank, at Gore.

Hyde Home (Duncan Gillanders, proprietor), Waikaia. This property consists of about 1,800 acres of freehold and leasehold land, and is worked as a sheep farm. A flock of crossbreds is kept on the estate.

Mr. Duncan Gillanders , Proprietor of Hyde Home, was born in Ross-shire, Scotland, in 1829. He was brought up to farm work from his early days, and came out in the ship “Nelson,” to Port Chalmers in 1862. Mr Gillanders was employed on the Waimea Plains station, under Mr David McKellar, for four years, as a shepherd, and was for seven years subsequently owner of the Sunnyside run, in the Waiau district. On removing to the Waikaia district, Mr Gillanders took up a large run of about 25,000 acres, and worked the property till March, 1904, when he sold his interest. At one time Mr Gillanders had running rights over 100,000 acres of the hill country in the district, and has on some occasions had as many as 25,000 sheep. Mr Gillanders was married, in 1866, to Miss McBean, of Inverness-shire, Scotland. Mrs Gillanders died on the 1st of January, 1883.

Turnbull, William Caverhill , Farmer, Waikaia. Mr Turnbull was born in 1841, in Northumberland, England, and was brought up to sheep-farming. He arrived at Port Chalmers, by the ship “Sevilla,” in 1862, and after farming in the Oamaru district for a short time, went to Waikouaiti, and, later, to Moa Flat. About 1880, Mr Turnbull settled at Waikaia, where his homestead stands on a section of 640 acres, held under the perpetual lease system, and he also owns a run of 10,000 acres. When taken up, the land was in its natural state, but it has since been fully fenced amd one third has been improved. The property is devoted to sheep and cattle farming and about 2,000 crossbred sheep are depastured. Mr Turnbull was married, in 1876, to a daughter of the late Mr Charles McDonald, of Caithness, Scotland, and has three sons and one daughter.

Hazledine And Goldie (John Miller Hazledine and Thomas Francis Goldie), Coal Pit Proprietors, Muddy Creek Pit, Waikaia. This mine is worked on a section of fifty-four acres of land at Muddy Creek, and the seam in hand is about fifteen feet in thickness. Considerable quantities of coal are delivered to the local dredges, and the demand is steadily increasing. In addition to lignite, the firm has discovered a material which has been tested for shale oil, of which it contains a considerable percentage.

Mr. John Miller Hazledine , Senior Partner in the firm, was born in Shropshire, England, in 1861. He attended the local grammar school, and Denston College, Staffordshire, and came out to Melbourne in 1881. After gaining some experience in Australia in commerce, Mr Hazledine engaged in station life till 1893, when he landed at the Bluff. He was for some time on a station in Southland, and then took a store at Waikaia, which he conducted for five years. Subsequently he became interested in some of the local dredges, and after some success sold out his interest and turned his attention to coal mining. The coal at Muddy Creek pit was discovered about 1899, and the mine has been steadily developed since that date. Mr Hazledine was married, in Melbourne, in 1891, to a daughter of Mr Peter Murton, at one time caretaker of the Yan-Yean Reservoir, and has three sons.

The Fairdown Dredge is owned by the Fairdown Gold Dredging Company, Limited, which has its head office in Princes Street, Dunedin, Mr Sligo being secretary. The dredge, which has four-feet buckets, and is driven by a twelve horse-power boiler, started work in June, 1904.

Mr. William Aitken Johnston , who has been dredgemaster of the Fairdown dredge from its start, was born at Kirkintilloch, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, in 1881. He came to Port Chalmers with his parents by the ship “Trevelyn,” and was educated at Dunedin, and commenced his dredging experience in 1898, on the Richards Beach dredge, near Cromwell. After eight months' experience there, he was appointed winchman on the Fourteen Mile Beach dredge, and had further experience before being appointed to his present position in June, 1904. Mr Johnston went to South Africa as a member of the Eighth Contingent, and returned, unscathed, to the colony.

Mr. George Pettigrew , who has been Dredge Master of the Hessey dredge, from its start, also superintended the erection of the plant. He was born and educated at Manuka Creek, between Milton and Waitahuna, and has been employed in gold mining work since he was eleven years of age. About 1894, Mr Pettigrew commenced to work on a dredge, and four years later was appointed to the charge of the Adam's Flat dredge, where he continued for seven months. He was then manager of the Waimumu Extended for two years and a-half, and afterwards was dredge master of the Victory at Nelson Creek (on the West Coast) for seven months, and of the Golden Chain, on the Upper Clutha, for four months, before being appointed to his present position. Mr Pettigrew is a member of the Wendon Lodge of Oddfellows, Waikaia. He was married, in 1890, to a daughter of the late Mr Robert Macpherson, of Dunedin, and has one son and two daughters.

The Lady Annie Dredge is owned by a private syndicate, and commenced operations at Muddy Creek in March, 1904. The dredge, which is working a freehold claim of seventy acres, has four-feet buckets, and is driven by a twelve horse-power engine, and a sixteen horse-power boiler. The machine has been a steady gold winner, and on one occasion 205 ounces were returned in a week.

Mr. John Gordon , who has been Master of the Lady Annie dredge since October, 1904, was born in 1883 at Oamaru. He attended school there and at Dunedin, commenced to work on a dredge at Muddy Creed in 1901, and was afterwards winchman on the Duke of Gordon dredge for nine months before receiving his present appointment. Mr Gordon, who is captain of the Waikaia cycle club, is a cycle track-rider, and has competed in many races. In 1903 he won the two-mile team race at Gore, and the half-mile track race at Roxburgh, and two years previously he was successful in winning the two-mile road race at Mosgiel.

Mr. Edward George Silk , who has been engineer of the Lady Annie Dredge since 1904, was born in 1880, at Lawrence, Otago, and educated at the Boys' High School, Dunedin. He served three years' apprenticeship to Mr Joseph Sparrow, engineer, of that city, and was employed for eighteen months with Messrs Stevenson and Pool, and for a like period at the Otago Foundry. After gaining a firstclass engineer's certificate, Mr Silk was appointed engineer of the Golden Glen dredge (now known as the Otago No. 2 dredge), at Island Rock. He held that position for six months, and afterwards was a year on the Waikaia United No 2 dredge, and nine months on the Garden Gully dredge at Waikaka, before being appointed to his present position at Waikaia. Mr Silk finds recreation in amateur photography.

The Masterton Dredge is the property of the Masterton Gold Dredging Company, Limited, which has its head office in Princes Street, Dunedin. Mr W. E. C. Reid is secretary. The machine has been working since October, 1904, and, before Christmas of that year, had paid a dividend of 2s per share on its capital of £5,000. The claim consists of 100 acres of Crown land on the Waikaia Flat. The machine has four and a-half cubic feet capacity buckets, and is driven by a sixteen horse-power engine, and a twenty-five horse-power boiler.

The Waikaia Dredge is the property of the Waikaia Gold Dredging Company, Limited, for which Mr J. A. Sligo, of Princes Street, Dunedin, is secretary. The dredge, which commenced operations in May, 1904, is a large machine with five-feet buckets, and the plant is driven by a sixteen horse-power Garrett engine. The claim consists of 100 acres, part of which is freehold, and part mining leasehold.

Mr. Norman Kenneth Sligo , Dredge Master of the Waikaia Dredge, was born in 1866, at Ballarat, Victoria. He came to Dunedin in 1880, attended the Normal School, and was trained as a boilermaker and iron ship builder, at Kincaid and McQueen's foundry, but he subsequently gained two years' experience at Mort's Docks, Sydney, and with other firms in South Australia. Mr Sligo worked on the West Australian goldfields, for six years, and was prospecting in the north of South Australia, before returning to New Zealand, where, with five partners, he built and worked the Tuapeka dredge. Mr Sligo was master of the Macraes dredge; he subsequently became inspector for the Otago Gold Prospecting Syndicate, and nine months later accepted a similar position for the Zealandia Syndicate. He was then dredgemaster of the Ahaura dredge, the Aldinga dredge, and the No Town No. 2 dredge, successively, before being appointed to his present position. Mr Sligo married the daughter of Mr Robert Elder, coach-builder, Mosgiel, and has two sons and one daughter.