John Farrell

OBITUARY There died yesterday morning in Invercargill an aged man who was probably the longest resident European in New Zealand. Mr John Farrell, who passed away at the residence of his grand-daughter, Mrs Stead, was a native of Yorkshire, and a shipwright by trade, and, as carpenter of a whaler, first came to the coast of New Zealand in 1824.

As showing the wonderful changes of the half-century the old man used to tell that while cruising on the coast at this time he received a Home paper which contained an account of the opening of the first railway in Britain. Four years afterwards, or in 1828, he arrived at Hawkes Bay with another vessel, and there, in company with another of the crew, he ran away from the ship because it was dangerously leaky. He made his way across the North Island among native tribes who had never seen a white man before, and was kindly treated by them; in fact, he said that hospitality and good feeling were traits of Maori character until they were pervaded by the contending creeds of Christianity. As was customary with the pakeha of those days he married a native woman and became domiciled with her tribe. His knowledge of mechanics made him quite an acquisition to his hapu, and his services were frequently availed of to repair the firearms used by the natives in their tribal wars. One of these originated in a belief that a neighbouring tribe had abducted the daughter of a chief, and it was not until much blood had been shed and rancour created that it was discovered that the woman had been kidnapped by the master of a whaler and taken to America, whence she returned at the end of five years.

Farrell afterwards settled at Port Nicholson (Wellington), where he carried on with native assistance an extensive trade in pork-curing for the supply of the whalers frequenting the port. From there he migrated to Port Cooper (Lyttleton) and here he built the first boat in the place that won a race. About this time also he was engaged for a time on the West Coast in building a vessel for the late Captain Howells and others : this would be between 40 and 50 years ago.

Still tending southwards, Farrell settled for a time at Koputai (Port Chalmers), and went in to storekeeping and an accomodation house. This was before the tax collector in the shape of the Custom-house officer was known in the land, and the old man used to tell how they got the commodities cheaply, and what an outcry there was among the sparse population when the advancing trade of civilisation made itself apparent to them in its earliest form of a demand, for Customs duties.

Farrell's wife had died before this time, leaving him with an only daughter, and while he was at Koputai she married Mr Joseph Small, now a resident in Invercargill. This event seemed to break up the old man's home, and he returned north and was lost to sight of his relatives for several years. About 20 years ago, being a man of over three score years, he turned up again, and has resided and worked in this district ever since. He was employed on the Land Company's estates and afterwards on the railways. The old man was able to do a little up until a few weeks ago ; indeed his friends think that he fretted himself into the low state of health which preceded his decease through an idea that he was under-rated in his ability for work. He certainly did not look his eighty-six years, being active on foot and hale in appearance. In these days of fads in regard to food, physic and clothing it is interesting to know that Mr Farrell believed in doctoring himself, principally by giving Nature a rest i.e. "a good starve", and this mode of treatment would appear in his long life to have something to recommend it. Woollen underclothing he would have none of to his last day : saying that he had plenty of heat in himself. Like many pakeha Maoris, John could tell of landed possessions lightly valued and readily parted with that have since become immensely valuable. In addition to lands elsewhere a portion of the site of the town of Napier once belonged to him, and he parted with a picturesque island in the north to a native woman, who had nursed him through a sickness, in return for her kindness. The deceased leaves an offspring of nine grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren. His daughter, Mrs Small, died several years ago. From : The Southland times, 22 November 1885, p.2 The above is a transcript of a photocopy of the actual obituary, received from the Hocken Library, University of Otago, on 7.11.2000. Photocopy retained by me. S.D.A.H., 10.11.2000.

Leeds, Kent, England Death:	Nov 23 1885

Invercargill, Southland, New Zealand

cemetery Invercargill Block 5 Plot 20