GZ became unavailable about October 2016
July 2017
Consequently I have had to move the Final location 40m within the same property.
The puzzle has been changed accordingly, as had Geochecker. |
Born 18XY, the seventh of thirteen children born to John and Elizabeth in Cheshire England
Educated through home schooling as well as private boarding school was encouraged to be a 'free thinker', independent and self-reliant. Under his father's tutelage he and his brother learnt surveying from their older brother John, and the basics of other trades: cobbling, smithing, gardening and tailoring.
Emigrated with his younger brother and married sister as members of "the Mob", arriving in the new colony in 18KC
First vocation was as a boot maker making 6 dozen pairs of boots for the local cobbler.
By the end of their first year the two brothers had purchased 200 acres on the Grey block and were busy clearing it of bush.
As an under-man in a sawpit he gained the skills needed to build his own house from timber sawn from trees cleared off their land establishing his farm.
Of yeoman stock, he was expected to make his own way in the new country. As a pioneer farmer he reared bullocks, cows, pigs, turkeys, ducks and fowls, and had set up a dairy to make butter and cheese.
In 18KW he completed building his house.
Two years later he married another of the Clan, Amelia Jane, and produced four children.
In 18KA he joined the provincial council representing the Grey and Bell constituency, representing that he went 'to speak for the bush'.
At the outbreak of the first Land War he joined Governor Browne's Taranaki Volunteer Rifle Company as a Corporal. After martial law was declared throughout the province, the original Rifle Company was split in two with our man commanding the 2nd Company. Only days later upon the outbreak of hostilities, all the settlers retreated from the outlying farms and communities to the New Plymouth garrison. Most of the women and children were sent to the safety of Nelson, but Jane and the children withdrew to Wanganui.
He entered politics upon the death of a King. He was a proponent of taking over Māori-owned land, so it could be made productive by the settlers. Continued Māori ownership, he believed, prevented economic development for the colony. "The Mob" regarded the Māori as "savages", and believed in war as a reasonable option for ensuring Māori co-operation with British land-acquisition. He held the position of Defence Minister advocating a policy of self-reliance in the conduct of the war.
At the end of the First Land War, the family returned to their settlement to find all the houses had been razed, bar two (but one of those was accidently burned to the ground shortly after).
In 18KX at the outbreak of the second Taranaki War he organised a force of Bush Rangers to follow the Māori into the bush to fight them on equal terms, scouring the country, watching all the tracks, penetrating far into the wild bush, clearing the country of the hostiles surrounding New Plymouth town. This was the first corps of forest rangers to take the field in New Zealand, and the blueprint for training soldiers in bush-scouting and skirmishing in future campaigns.
He retired from politics upon the death of his wife. A year later married his cousin Annie and produced three more children.
He returned to parliament in 18KK serving to 18KD for the Town of New Plymouth electorate before retiring to travel with Annie back to England, which confirmed his love for and commitment to Taranaki.
Upon his return he again returned to politics for the Egmont electorate eventually securing a cabinet ministry, but not with portfolios related to negotiations with Māori or to finance, based on his views and his stand against borrowing extensively to finance public works.
In 18A(C+X) he secured the Premiership. He was Statesman four times until defeated in 18KY. He was then appointed Speaker of the Legislative Council, but died in Office one year later.
As he grew older he grew more open-minded with a readiness to entertain new ideas. He favoured the introduction of income taxes, even considering taxing bachelors because he felt that they were selfishly evading the responsibility to support families. In his later years he supported, among other concepts we take for granted, proportional representation, women's suffrage and temperance. He voted for Governor Grey's one man, one vote electoral reform bill of 18KZ.
In January 18KB he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.
Obituary speeches stressed his personal qualities: his war record, his honesty and simplicity. One said he was 'the most perfect type of an old settler'. The Council and the colony had sustained a great loss by the death of one of the most distinguished men in New Zealand—distinguished in every sense of the word as a soldier and statesman."
The cache can be found at S 39° 0A.BCD E 174° 0W.XYZ The letter 'K' above is just a place-holder so as not to give the game away.
You are looking for the only survivor of the Taranaki Wars
