Lake Brunner is the largest of the Westland lakes, and is remarkable for its beautiful scenery. It is situated partly in the Hohonu riding of the county of Grey, and partly in the Maori Creek riding of the same county, and is in the electorate of Grey. Lake Brunner is twenty-four miles from Greymouth, fifteen from Stillwater Junction, and twenty-seven from Otira. The railway station, which is named in the railway guide “Sawmill Company's Siding,” stands at an altitude of 303 feet above the level of the sea. The settlement on the shores of Lake Brunner is known as the Swede's Mill Settlement, and is named after a large sawmill, at which about thirty-five persons are employed. The homes of the men form quite a little village. Postal business is conducted at the residence of Mr. Emil Nyberg, and the local public school is known as the “Swedes” school. At the census of 1901, the population in the Hohonu riding was twenty-five, and in the Maori Creek riding eleven.

The Lake Brunner Siding School is known as the Swede's school, and was built by the residents of the district, who are practically employees of the Lake Brunner Sawmill ing Company. It has one classroom and a porch, and there is an average attendance of about twenty children.

Miss Terese Cecilia Tansey, Teacher of the Lake Brunner Siding school, was born at Cape Terrace, near Kumara, and was educated at Kumara, Westbrook, and Reefton. Miss Tansey has been teaching since the year 1902, and took charge of the Lake Brunner Siding school when it was opened. She is a member of the Teachers' Institute.

Lake Brunner Sawmilling Company (John Nyberg, Emil Nyberg, Anton Larssen, Lake Brunner Siding; Thomas Hindmarsh Kerr and John Brownlee, Christchurch). Lake Brunner Siding. The mill of this company is situated close to the Lake Brunner railway siding, with which it is connected by a private siding: the offices are in Christchurch, and the West Coast shipping business is attended to by Mr. E. A. Wickes, of Greymouth. The mill was started in the year 1894 by Messrs Nyberg and Larssen, who were joined later on by Messrs Kerr and Brownlee. It is probably the largest on the West Coast, and is fitted up on the most complete scale. The boiler is twenty feet by six feet, and the stationary engine is of twenty-four horse-power. The large breaking-down bench has twin saws and there are two breast benches, an American planer, a large engineer's turning lathe for repair work, and a saw sharpening machine. Logs are taken into the mill by a locomotive, which has four and a-half miles of a steel rail track. The timer cut is chiefly red pine, of which the company has an almost unlimited command. Twenty-five persons are employed, and the monthly output is about 300,000 feet.

Mr. Emil Nyberg , one of the partners in the Lake Brunner Sawmilling Company, is in charge of the work in the bush. He was born in the year 1869 in Norrland, Sweden, where he was educated. Mr. Nyberg came to New Zealand in the year 1890, and was engaged in bridge work and bush work for some time. In conjunction with his brother and Mr. Larssen, he started sawmilling at Lake Brunner Siding in 1894. Mr. Nyberg is the local postmaster, and is married.

Mr. Anton Larssen , one of the partners in the Lake Brunner Sawmilling Company, was born in Norrland, Sweden, in the year 1869, and was brought up to farming on his father's farm. About 1890, Mr. Larssen came to New Zealand with Mr. E. Nyberg, with whom he worked for some time at bridge and bush work. In conjunction with the Messrs Nyberg he started sawmilling in 1894. Mr. Larssen has recently (1905) been on a trip to Sweden.