Allan Skerman

MR ALLAN SKERMAN

ESTEEMED SETTLER PASSES. PROMINENT CHURCH WORKER. The death occurred in a private hospital at Palmerston North, yesterday, after a brief illness, of Mr Allan Skerman, in liis 81st year. His death, which is greatly regretted, removes not only one of the best-known pioneers, but finest personalities of the district. lor upwards of half a century Mr Skerman had been a pillar of the Anglican Church in this district. His association with All Saints’ is almpst as old as the church itself at this centre, and his record of service as a staunch adherent stands out among those ot similar devotion. Unfortunately, feeling the burden of his advancing years, Mr Skerman had been ailing for some time, and steadily grew more With his parents, the late Mr and Mrs James Skerman, Mr Allan Skerman landed at Wellington on January 25 1877. Leaving most of the family in Wellington, his father brought his son Allan with him to Palmerston North to look for a suitable area on which to settle, and in March of that year the family took up a holding of 350 acres at Newbury on what is today known as Skennan’s Line._ Ine Kairanga was then covered m dense forest, which extended out- towards Newbury and on to Bunnythorpe. in those days Skerman’s Line had heen surveyed as the main road through to the north, but as it had to cross swampy land, a diversion was made towards Awahuri and _ this became the main road. To provide access to the farm the bush had to be felled,_ and timber for the erection of the house was carted from Feilding. From the cream from the cows butter was made and sold to the stores in Palmerston North and Feuding. Two years later Mr Skerman’s fathererected the first cheese factory at Newbury. Named Silverleys, it was situated about two miles off Rangitikei Line. The output was sold m Palmerston North and Feilding. Naturally, for a time it was not very large. Ihe factory was the only one at that period in the district. , There was another at Featherston, however. The first Longburn butter factory was started some years later.. In the first year of operations the Silverleys factory received only 3592 gallons of milk and there was no such thing in those days as butterfat. The progress of the district, however, was being maintained. The bush was being felled and burned and homesteads were becoming more numerous. Seven years after the factory commenced 45,5/4 gallons of milk were received, but there was not much profit in those days, .and the lot of the settler was a hard and difficult one. The factoiy was sold to the New Zealand Dairy Farmers’ Union in 1908 and was turned into a co-operative company by the Newbury settlers two or three yeara later. Carts and sledges, rather primitive in design, but very useful, conveyed milk to the factory. Saddle horses were mainly used for the journey to Palmerston North. For the first two years of the Skerman family’s residence at Newbury the road facilities were poor and they only had the track they. had made through the bush to the main road. Thereafter, however, the main road was metalled and took definite shape, the work being carried out by the then Manawatu Highways Board, for this was the time before the county councils had come into existence. The family left Newbury in 1908 and in the thirty years of their residence there they had seen the bush gradually disappear and a very fine farming district take its place. . Mr Allan Skerman subsequently lived in Palmerston North until a few years ago. LIFETIME WITH CHURCH. Erom the year 1877 Mr Skerman’s name first appears in the history of All Saints’ Church, only two years after it was founded. His name, with that of the late Mr G. M. Snelson, stands out as one of the two foremost laymen of the parish. When Mr Skerman first linked up with the church, to use his own description which he related some years ago in an interview, it was a conventional “early day” colonial church, as like a barn as possible, with a small hell-turret perched on the apex of the highpitched roof. It was in the middle of a small nnfenced paddock, with a background of dense bush covering what is now Ferguson Street West, in those days a big white pine swamp. Mr Skerman was a member of. tne choir in 1887, and thought nothing of walking from Newbury to Palmerston North for the 8 a.m. service, staying for the 11 a.m. service, walking back to Newbury to take charge of the Sunday school, then * back to All Saints’ for the evening service or perhaps going to some country district as lay reader. Eor over forty years Mr Skerman was people’s warden and bore the financial worries and responsibilities of the parish until, about eight years ago, ill-health caused him to resign. These offices have since been discharged equally zealously by Mr H. G. Bagnail, Taking a great interest in All Saints’ Children’s Home, Mr Skerman ’was the secretary from its inception until his retirement a few years ago after a long period of conspicuous service. He was a churchwarden when the foundation stone of the present All Saints’ Church was laid on November 1, 1913, by Dr. T. H. . Sprott, Bishop of Wellington. During the influenza epidemic which swept the country in 1918, wthen the curates were ill, Mr Skerman assisted Rev. H. G. Blackburne, M.A., with the last.ritesTor many of those who fell victims to the scourge. As long as the parish exists his name will he held in affectionate and grateful memory for his long years of devoted services.

Just a few years ago, Mr Skerman took up his residence at Rangiotu, hut nevertheless continued to be a frequent visitor to his old parish. On his departure from this centre he was honoured at a farewell social by the parishioners, and presented with a purse of sovereigns to mark their appreciation of his untiring work. The first stainedglass window—the east one in the chapel—was placed in All Saints’ Church, ill memory of the late Mr Skerman’s parents, who had a similar ideal of church service. Mr Allan Skerman was ail early organist at the church, and was responsible at one period for both this and the choir organisation. Mr Skerman, who was a life member of the United Lodge No. 1721 E.C., Freemasons, had the distinction of being one of its oldest members, having joined the lodge in 1878- He was the organist for a'long term in earlier years. Mr Skerman, who never married, is survived by four brothers and two sisters of the original family of ten. Those left to mourn their loss are Dr S. Skerman (Wanganui), Messrs Guy Skerman (Rangiotu) R. Skerman (Wellington), L.-J. Skerman (Norsewood), Mesdames E. Turner (Palmerston North) and R. H. Homan (Rangiotu) . The funeral service will take place to-morrow afternoon.