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Historic Poverty Bay and the East Coast, N.I., N.Z.

Biographical

Biographical.

Captain Joseph Bond Kennedy was born in 1841 at Kennedy's Bay, which was named after his father, John Kennedy, who settled there when H.M.S. Buffalo went ashore at Whitianga in 1840, and who was robbed and slain by the crew of the cutter The Three Bees whilst en route to the Bay of Islands to bank some money. “Joe” was only ten years old when he paid his first visit to Poverty Bay in the cutter Fly. For many years he was a sailing master for Captain Read. He died at Auckland on 19 June, 1913.

Captain Thomas Fernandez (born in London in 1832) first visited Poverty Bay on the schooner Sarah Jane in 1850. During the Waikato War he was in charge of the gunboat Pioneer. He was deprived of command of the Pretty Jane after she stranded off the Waipaoa River in 1875 whilst in charge of a pilot and during his absence on shore. For some time he was engaged in a search among the Pacific Islands for a supposed “Treasure Island.” In later years he was a pilot at Auckland. He died at Gisborne in 1914.

William Wilkinson Smith (born in Dublin in 1839) took up shepherding on H. S. Tiffen's station (Hawke's Bay) in 1862. He went off to Gabriel's Gully in 1863, but, a year later, leased a small property at Te Arai. He was wounded at the Siege of Waerenga-a-Hika when a squad under Captain Wilson was nearly cut off, and he took part in the fighting against the Te Kooti rebels. With R. Thelwall he acquired Waitaria in 1869, and, three years later, bought out his partner. He died on 9 April, 1913.

Richard Sherratt (born near Melbourne in 1851) went to England with his parents when he was a child. In 1867 he came out to New Zealand. He was taught stock work in Canterbury and the Waikato, and, in 1872, joined G. B. Morris and E. Robson in leasing a Tolaga Bay property. In the 1880's he managed the East Coast Land Settlement Co.'s properties, and, in the 1890's, looked after the Poverty Bay interests of the Assets Realisation Board. He bought Mangatoetoe in 1899, and took up his residence at Swarthmoor in 1918. For several terms he sat on Cook County Council. He died on 13 December, 1938.

Alexander McKenzie (born at Strathpeffer, near Inverness, in 1834) landed at Wellington in 1857, spent three years at shepherding, and then joined a Wellington firm engaged in shipping sheep to the South Island. He was overseer of Woodlands (Hawke's Bay) for some years prior to taking up Te Harotu at Mohaka. In 1875 he bought Seaforth (Ormond), and became a successful stud sheep breeder. He died on 10 June, 1907.

William Kenway (born near Birmingham) was one of the first settlers in the Waimata district (1883). His brothers Philip, Frank and Howard came out from England to join him. Their earliest neighbours included D. McNair, S. C. Caulton, E. Richardson (who sold out to his son, W. F. Richardson), V. S. Lardelli, J. Partridge and W. E. Akroyd. He spent some years in Western Australia before settling at Broadstairs (Kent), where he died on 23 November, 1910.

Samuel L. Clarke (lessee of the Waerenga-a-Hika mission station property in 1868) was first chairman of the Tauranga Highways Board (1872). Hanging in the Gisborne Borough Chambers is a picture, in page 325 water colours, of Early Gisborne which he executed in 1869. The donor was a son (Frederick S. Clarke, of Kenya).

William Cooper (born at Bradford in 1845) came out to Wellington with his parents in 1856. He learned stock work in the Wairarapa. Settling in Poverty Bay in 1874, he was a heavy sufferer on account of the failure of the City of Glasgow Bank. In 1896 he claimed that he had sunk £10,000 in the search for oil in Poverty Bay. He died on 6 May, 1905.

Christopher John Parker (born in County Kerry in 1840) migrated to Victoria in 1853. Four years later he settled in the Wanganui district, where he became a farmer. He was chairman of Wanganui County Council for eight years. In 1892 he bought Emerald Hills (8,500 acres) at Te Arai. He died in January, 1924.

David Kirkpatrick (born in Dumfriesshire in 1862) came out to New Zealand in 1883, and obtained a position on Opou as a shepherd. In 1885 he became manager of Pouparae. He afterwards established a very successful stud sheep farm at Patutahi. He died in July, 1943.