Papatotara History - Early Pioneer Settlers - Erskine Family, Interview with Ben Erskine

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Papatotara History - Early Pioneer Settlers - Erskine Family: Interview with Ben Erskine. Photos of various items discussed in the interview, illustrate the story as relayed by Ben. Image 1 - Photograph of the Tūātapere Pipe Band marching outside the old Tūātapere Presbyterian Church. The gentleman at the right is said to be Ben Erskine. If anyone can name any of the others in this photo, we would be very much appreciative. This church opened in Jan 1917 and we have been told it was demolished in 1988 but also that the new church opened in 1987, which makes no sense at all! If you can confirm either or both of these two dates, please let us know, thank you. Photo - Erskine Family. Image 2 - Photograph of the Papatotara Church, moved from Te Tua during WW2. The Church was later demolished during 1989. If anyone has more photos or info on this church, please let us know. Photo - Erskine Family. HISTORY: Hugh Erskine is recorded as being the first to settle and farm 'West of the Waiau' as the area of Papatotara used to be known as. His legacy lives on as descendants still farm some of the same land that he took up as his run. This entry is a transcript of an interview by one of those descendants on April 16th 1990. Petrina Erskine (14) Interviews neighbour Ben Erskine, Papatotara. Ebenezer or "Ben" Erskine was a son of Hugh & Agnes Erskine. 1.When did the first school start? The first school started, April 23rd 1890, with Fanny Nickless as Head Teacher. It was one room, later on another room was added, making the school a two roomed school. The school that stands today (1990) started in the 1950’s and stands in the same place as the old school. The Papatotara School closed in 1980. 2. Can you remember anything about the bridges being built and was your father behind this? The wooden bridge, my mother Agnes cut the ribbon,the year being 1915, 17th March. The concrete bridge, my sister Lizzie cut the ribbon with those same scissors, built December 1970. Hugh was behind the bridge getting started. There were punts across the river and there a lot of sawmills in the district so by now the bridge was becoming insufficient. The Minister MP from Wellington, Mr Thomas attended a meeting which was held. Mr Thomas thought it wasn’t time to build a bridge. Mr Thomas said “the country wasn’t worth it”. Hugh Erskine was prepared to build the bridge, they decided he could do this. Mrs Williams was the first person to walk across the bridge on planks. Charlie Williams worked on the bridge and lived in a house beside the Domain. [Archivist's Note: This was Des William's of "The Hole in the Bush" book, parents] 3. Erskine Street. How did it get its name? Erskine street was named after Hugh Erskine because he was the first settler in Papatotara. Almost every street in Tuatapere is named after a family or something important to Tuatapere. 4. Naming of the Papatotara School. At the start Hugh Erskine was going to call the school “Waiau” but they decided they couldn’t. They decided to call it “Papatotara School”. Pap meaning rocks in the river, Totara for the trees in the district. 5.Can you remember anything else Hugh decided to do in his life? He was behind the setting up of the Orepuki Saleyards. He pushed to get Tuatapere Railway Station underway. The railway went from Orepuki to Tuatapere. It opened around 1909-10 about Christmas time. 6. Tuatapere Pipe Band. Hugh helped the Pipe Band. He would go collecting for money for the band. One day Hugh went to the band, asked if they would like Kilts. They thought that was a good idea and from there on Hugh helped them out. He would help take them to whatever dance, picnic etc that was being held in the districts. In the Pipe Band then as Ben can recall were Gavin Dixon, his sons, Sandy Robinson, Donald Campbell (Allan Campbell’s dad). Hugh helped take them to Riverton Races, Blackmount, Eastern Bush, Orawia, in his car. He travelled a lot around the district and would have dances in his stables as there wasn’t a hall at this time. These dances were once a month in his Stables which he managed to keep clear and he would pass the hat around for the Pipe band. [Archivist's Note: There is a photo of this pipe band attached] 7. Sawmills in the District. There were about 21 sawmills working off and on in the Papatotara district. Hamiltons had one, but when it burnt down, they placed their new sawmill up beside Allan Erskine’s farm in Settlement road. Raymonds Sawmill was behind Donald Browns farm. There was a box factory down near the beach. Young, Bennett and McIntyre all had Mills. Jim King had land where Chamberlain built a sawmill. He had an engine which cut wood into sleepers which were used for the Tuatapere-Orepuki railway. (see photo). They needed two bullocks so they came to see Hugh Erskine and at that same time Hugh needed timber, so they traded. For the price of two bullocks, Hugh got enough timber to build a stable and a shearing shed which also had a loft to store wheat and barley in the winter. 8. Post Office. Mr Thomas Bain owned the Post Office, but he had to go away so Agnes Erskine took over the job at the Post Office. Agnes looked after the Post Office for about 30 years or more. Poppin bought mail to Agnes and returned with mail that had to be sent further, every Saturday. He used to come to Agnes in Papatotara district and also to West’s Hotel, he used to take the punt across the Waiau river. When there were new punts put up, the WCC decided to charge for almost everything that went over eg: person, cow, sheep, horse etc. In the end they did away with the prices as it was becoming a hassle for Poppin and his Royal Mail. (note: the Tuatapere Punt is still operating at Tuapeka Mouth, Balcutha area) 9.Tramline. The tramline became handy to the sawmillers in the district, as most of them had yards in Tuatapere and had to get their wood into Tuatapere somehow. Hamilton would pick up Youngs wood on his way to the yard. There was a company across from the Bank, Ben can remember. 10.Telephone. In the 1908 there was a telephone set up. It went from Orepuki to Tuatapere and down Papatotara Road to Westwood to Puyseger Point Lighthouse. The men from the Lighthouse would ring up Agnes Erskine and she would read the news over to them. ‘Otago Witness’ was read in those days as there was no newspaper. Ben can remember her sitting down in a chair as she read the news to them. He remembers that the telephone went by batteries, which were in a box. 11. The Papatotara Church. The first church services were held in Hugh’s house, every 6 weeks in 1901. Mr McDonald would come over on Saturday to have a service on Sunday mornings. He was from Otautau. When the school opened, the services were held in the school. In 1911 weekly church services were held. The Minister had a home across from Doug & Carol Erskine’s farm Papatotara Road, Ben recalls. The Papatotara Church was from Te Tua. It was built in 1909 and was part of the Orepuki Parish. In the Second World War they decided that they would cut it into three parts. It was bought over to Papatotara and reconstructed. It cost 49 pounds to put together, have paths made and toilets. Services were held fortnightly in the afternoon. They were stopped in 1970 and a few years later, Sunday School monthly services were started about 1980.The church closed in 1989 and was taken down in July 1989. Florence Dennison managed the Sunday School. Stacey Walker and Bob Sherriff reconstructed the Papatotara church. [Archivist's Note: There is a photo of the Papatotara church attached] 12. School. Erskine’s employed the first teacher. There were Pap’ settlers living up the back road (Settlement road).Hugh got them coming to the school. Hugh paid Fanny Nickless to teach. He was refunded by the Board. The Education Board closed the school when there was only the family left attending. (Sawmill fires and lack of work).Later on the settlers children returned when the Mills were rebuilt. 13. Hugh’s first car. The first car in the district was a Hupmobile around the day of 1915-1916. The road went from Orepuki to Riverton and Otautau to Fairfax. The fastest a car could move was 35mph. 14. On the farm. Hugh made a roller, trough still in use, wooden pegs used as nails from totara trees as they were the main source at the time. By Petrina Erskine.