A second interview with Mr Charles Lowther Duigan of Whanganui, who was born in 1874. [see also MU33.]
He recalls memories of Whanganui, from jury service to the Volunteer Fire Brigade. He recalls the town was divided into four wards, the fire bell was rung an amount of times to relate to the ward the fire was in. The fire captains were T.B Cummins, C.V. Powell and T.H. Battle. George Spriggins was the last captain before the current brigade and then they had the fire police.
Charles recalls the Jackson and Co sale yards on St. Hill Street held their sales on a Wednesday. The sheep and cattle were driven through the town and once a large bull escaped into Mrs O’Hara’s at the Station Hotel. Barnes and Higgie also had sale yards across the river, opposite the Red Lion Hotel.
Around 1898 the first film was shown in Whanganui in a shop on Victoria Avenue next to the New Zealand Insurance Company’s office. Charles remembers they showed pictures of ships from the Royal Navy.
He recalls memories of swimming in the river near the wreck of the ‘Osprey’ and diving from her stern, also swimming at Wynn's Boatshed near the Masonic Hotel where often up to 60 boys would swim across the river. The diving bank at Aramoho was a deep spot in the river where they spent the day swimming and diving in competitions.
Charles remembers his brother and their friends secretly shooting a goose whilst on the launch 'Duiganer'. They believed they were out of view from local Māori, but were spotted and had to pay one pound for each geese ‘to avoid further unpleasantness’.
He tells a story about camping in the bush and a Māori man approaching them for some cocoa, and anecdotes about a wine merchant in Victoria Avenue and a cabby Johnny Wilson who had previously been coachman to Mr W.H Watt. who would transport Māori men back to Pūtiki.
He recalls a cabby Johnny Wilson who drove a four wheeled cab and describes it as being high off the ground and large enough to take eight passengers. Johnny had previously been coachman to Mr W.H Watt. He would transport many groups of Māori men who would return to Pūtiki before it was dark ‘for fear of the taniwha’.
Charles recalls the Kelly Gang, as his grandfather Charles Broad was resident magistrate and warden at Greymouth at the time. Charles Broad would go to Reefton and up the Grey River to hold sittings in court. His grandfather died in 1879 so he believes this recollection took place around 1878. His grandfather’s great friend was a gold buyer, Mr Albert Pitt of Nelson and they were due to travel from Brunnerton and along the river to Greymouth. The Kelly Gang waited at ‘Dobson for them to steal Mr Pitt’s gold. However due to illness Albert Pitt and Charles Broad didn’t make the journey. Mr Dobson who happened to be travelling that way was killed by the bushrangers, a monument now stands in the spot where he was murdered. The murderers were tried, one of them turned Queen’s evidence and was pardoned, but the other two were hung. Reverend Taylor was a missionary at the time, and describes in his diary that the men at the trial were ‘very depraved looking’.
In 1879 Mr Duigan’s father attended a 'haka of welcome'' [sic. pōwhiri] at Pūtiki for Sir William Ferguson and believes there were about two thousand Māori living there then.
The present Pūtiki Church is discussed briefly as a church bell rings in the background.