Opunake

Mr. Brennan was born at Manaia in 1891, educated at St Patrick's College, and as a young man he was associated with the firm of Joseph Nathan & Co. of Wellington for a number of years.
He was married at Invercargill in 1915 and came to Opunake where he took over the Opunake Times printing and publishing business, from his father, Mr. M. J. Brennan.
When Mr. Brennan Senior retired in 1920, Arthur took his place as secretary of several dairy companies, and until the time of his death he was Secretary of Pihama, Oaonui, Cape Egmont, Kahui Road, Opua Road and Ihaia Road Companies. He was also Secretary and played a major part in the formation of the Oaonui-Opunake Bobby Calf Pool, and the more recently formed veterinary group.
Mr. Brennan was elected to the Opunake Town Board in 1924 and became Chairman in 1929. He remained in office until 1937 when Opunake became a Borough and he was elected the first Mayor.
He was a member of the Opunake Electric Power Board from 1930, a member of the Institute of Secretaries, and took a prominent part in the affairs of the Catholic Church. He was also recognized as an authority on the early history of the coastal area, and contributed a great deal of valuable information on the development of the district. Mr. Brennan was also the first Chairman of the local Patriotic Committee during World War I.
When Mr. Brennan died he left a widow, six sons-Michael, Patrick, Lawrence, Arthur, Brian and Terence, and two daughters Margaret and Mary.   

J. W. Brame was born in Birmingham, and came to New Zealand with his parents in the mid 1860s.
In 1890 he became Opunake's Postmaster, and on 5 April 1897 together with Messrs. J. J. Peacock and F. Guy he discovered an 18-metre waterfall, known since as "Brame's Falls".
Brame loved the bush and made frequent visits to collect unusual ferns of which he had a large collection.
After the discovery of the falls he advised parties of climbers who wished to make the trip, to take long ropes for negotiating the precipitous cliffs they would encounter on the way.
He reported that the area was teeming with native birds, wild pigs and cattle, and there was the odd wild dog and a few cats. Ferns were abundant.
In 1900 Brame was transferred to Kumara, and later to Balclutha. He died in 1940 at the age of 83.   

Mr. Brennan commenced business at Tauranga and was later Acting Editor of the Wanganui Chronicle.
From Wanganui he went to Manaia to establish the Waimate Witness, and then he came to Opunake where he founded the Opunake Times in 1894. For some years he conducted the business personally and in partnership with Mr. G. P. Armstrong who later went to Australia.
Mr. Brennan was also Secretary of the Oaonui, Pihama, Cape Egmont, Opua and Opunake Dairy Companies.
In 1913 Mr. Arthur Brennan took over the Opunake Times from his father, conducting the business until 1919 when it was taken over by Mr. T. S. Hickey.
Mr. M. J. Brennan died in September 1920.  

Albert Brunette came to New Zealand as a young boy with his parents in 1870, landing at Lyttelton aboard the S.S. Monarch.
The family moved to Hawera in 1881 and set up a jewellery business, remaining there for 40 years.
As a young man Albert Brunette took up contracting work, clearing bush from the area where Eketahuna is now. In that venture three young men who lived with him in a small 6 x 8 tent, their only entertainment being supplied by Mr. Brunette and his banjo, assisted him.
Later Mr. Brunette was licensee of the Forrester’s' Arms Hotel in Wellington, and at the Governor Hotel, Blenheim, before he came to Opunake where he was proprietor of the Club Hotel.
At one time he purchased the horse-drawn vehicle, which had served as Opunake's ambulance, and converted it into a hearse. It was used as such for some years.
At the time of his death he was survived by his widow, a daughter and three sons, one of whom, Dr Percy Brunette, was the well-known and highly esteemed Superintendent of Nelson Hospital.
Mavis Harrigan (nee Brunette) was largely responsible for the success of the annual Tennis Club concerts, which were always eagerly awaited by theatre-goers. She trained ballets and chorus lines which were always beautifully and colorfully costumed. 

"Joe" Caddy was a member of the Opunake Town Board from 1926 to 1928. He was born in Cornwall in 1854, and came to Auckland with his parents in 1858 aboard the ship Joseph Fletcher, a trip that lasted three months.
After coming to New Plymouth the Caddy's went to a farm at Mangorei, but soon after that the Maori Wars broke out and all settlers were sent to New Plymouth which was protected by a wall and a parapet, and no one was allowed out after sunset.
When he was 18 Mr. Caddy came to Opunake and worked in Te Namu flax mill, which was run by a New Plymouth Company. It was very hard work-a good man earned five shillings a day, and a boy two shillings and sixpence per day.
After a time Mr. Caddy went to Hawera in 1872 and worked on the road between Hawera and Patea for £1 a week and keep. Then he joined a party-felling bush for the mountain road between Normanby and Lepperton, but it was tough going as the country was covered in dense bush. This work was supposed to be done by Maoris under what was called the "flour and sugar policy". All the Maoris taking part were followers of Titokowaru, and they refused to acknowledge British law. The men in charge of the operation were Maoris, and Joe Caddy and his mates had a lot of fun with them. They used two watches-a slow one to start work and a fast one to finish.
The party, which started at Normanby, met Mr. Hursthouse's party at Waipuku after two years' work. Then Mr. Caddy joined a party felling the bush where Stratford now stands.

Later still, after felling bush on the railway track from Hawera up, Mr. Caddy took a subcontract to form the station yard.
In about 1880 he went to Pungarehu to assist in the rebuilding of the Cape Egmont Lighthouse, the material for which came from the dismantled lighthouse at Mana Island. It was brought to New Plymouth by ship and from there it was taken down the coast by bullock dray. Whilst the men were building the lighthouse at Cape Egmont, a guard of 200 Armed Constabulary men protected them.
Mr. Caddy was present at Parihaka when Te Whiti and Toliti were arrested.
For a time he took up farming at Warea, he also carried out road contracts.
He was keenly interested in racing, and entered his horses "Egmont", "Kaitoa" and "Woodman" in all coastal meetings-and there were many of them in those days.
In later years Mr. Caddy became overseer in the Public Works Department. One of his tasks was the connecting track 5,000 ft up the slopes of Mt Egmont, joining the three mountain houses.
Finally "Joe" Caddy left the Public Works Department and worked on his own again. A very successful operation was the earthwork and formation of the tunnel for the Opunake Electric Power Scheme. 
 

Mr. Campbell was born at Kilrea, County Derby, Ireland, and came to New Zealand at the age of 20, just after he was married.
He went first to the West Coast and in about 1882 came to South Taranaki and worked for some years for Captain Good. He took on contracting work for some time before taking up 800 acres on the Puketapu and Main South Roads-part of this property later became the Pihama Racecourse. When Mr. Campbell took up the land it was in its virgin state, covered with flax, scrub and fern.
Mr. Campbell was one of the promoters of the Egmont County Council, and was Chairman for two terms. He was a foundation member and a director of the Pihama Co-op. Dairy Company, member of the Pihama School Committee, and an original member of the Opunake Racing Club.
For some years he conducted the butchery business in Opunake, taking over from Mr. W. C. Dudley   
.

The highlight of 1954 was the visit to New Zealand of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Their places of call did not include Opunake, but at least one of our residents, Lieut Commander Cardell Ryan, made his presence felt at the Stratford reception for the royal visitors.
The Mayor of Stratford Mr. Moss described the Lieut Commander as a "gate crasher" who had the right to attend the official reception only as a citizen-not to appear in the space reserved for the official party. Mr. Moss raised Lieut Commander Ryan’s appearance in the Royal Progress down Broadway after the Stratford Borough Council had received a letter from the Opunake Borough Council apologizing for any embarrassment, which reports of the naval gentleman's connection with Opunake may have caused.
The Taranaki Herald of 23 February 1954 published a letter signed, "Tim Cardell-Ryan.7-a. letter spiced with typical humor and not a little arrogance.
It said: "As a leading Solicitor of Stratford, it would pay Mr. Moss to acquaint himself more freely with the English language. The Oxford Dictionary defines 'gate crasher' as 'intruder at official reception' and Mr. Moss has stated I placed myself in the centre of the Official Party. As everyone who attended the Stratford function will remember, the official party took place on the dais where worthy sanitary inspectors, grocers etc. were presented.
"I did not have any speech with the Duke until after the official party was over and until the Duke had left the dais.
Quite contrary to placing myself between the Queen and the Duke the facts are that as Mr. Moss rushed down Broadway, sometimes a pace or two ahead of Her Majesty, the Duke paused to speak to a veteran. At this point I was. right behind him and had to motion back the hangers-on from the party on the dais who tended to crowd in ahead of the Duke in their jockeying for position" As Mr. Moss was intent on keeping as close to the Queen as possible, he must be equipped with eyes in his posterior if he was able to see what the Duke and I were doing fifty yards behind him. It is perhaps not surprising that Mr. Moss was piqued that Prince Philip recognised me as an officer who was his senior during the war, and stopped to speak with me". . . etc.
Tim Cardell-Ryan was indeed a very colorful character. A tall, bearded and imposing figure-particularly in uniform-he claimed that he could trace his ancestry to- the Kings of Ireland.
I "Tim!' enjoyed relating his wartime experiences, and one entertaining story described how he and others, wearing loin cloths and brandishing scimitars, had sailed an Arab dhow and climbed over the side of, and captured, a German gunboat. He successfully defended himself in Court against a charge of driving along the footpath. He was so well-known that the traffic officer had not bothered to record the registration number of Tim's car. and Tim contended that it could have been anyone in a car like his, and with a red beard. My eldest very tall son who worked in the Bank of New Zealand always welcomed Tim Ryan into the Bank, saying that Tim Ryan was the only man in Opunake who could look him in the eye, over the top of the grille. But-that didn't mean that Tim could leave his grand piano at the B.N.Z. for safekeeping, and he was not amused when his request met with refusal.  

George Cavaney was one of Opunake’s widely known and best-loved identities.
In about 1938 he took over the pharmacy previously owned by Mr. Sam Feaver. He remained there until only a year or so before his death.
He was a man of many talents and interests. As a young man he rode many times in the round-the-mountain cycle race, and he cycled from New Plymouth to Opunake every week. He held a "B" class electricians license, and was a foundation member of the Buffalo Lodge, the Lions Club, and a member of the Ikaroa Masonic lodge No.155. He belonged to the Opunake Bowling Club and the Golf Club. He was patron of the Soccer Club for many years. His hobbies included cutting and polishing gemstones, making wine, and fishing - he was a fisheries ranger and a life member of the Acclimatisation Society. He was a keen follower of horse-racing and a member of the Racing club.
A good natured and generous man, "George" as he was known to nearly everyone, would cheerfully open his pharmacy at odd hours of the night and day to prepare prescriptions - in the days when medicines were mixed by the chemist, not counted out in pill or capsule form as they are today.
When departing holiday-makers went to purchase films it was not unusual for George to toss in one or two extra - maybe a new brand, saying "try these - let me know how they turn out".
He took an interest in Home & School Associations in Opunake and was a willing worker when the area was being prepared for the High School’s Swimming Baths. 

Walter Lawrence Frederick Chambers came to New Zealand as a young man and spent some time as a schoolteacher in Auckland. He later established the Mangatoki School, and then went to Warea.
At the beginning of the century he was contractor to the Opunake Jetty Company supervising the landing and dispatching of cargo, and its distribution around the district. He was also the agent for the Northern Shipping Company.
He was one of the founders of the Ikaroa (Masonic) Lodge. He served a term on. the Opunake Town Board, he was a member of the School Committee, and was a member of the Opunake Electric Power Board from its inception, and Secretary of the Farmers' Union.
Mr. Chambers was a staunch Anglican, and served as choirmaster, and as a member of the church vestry. His magnificent bass singing voice meant that he was much in demand for local concerts etc.
Mr. Chambers died on 22 June 1932 at his Te Namu farm, in his 65th year.
He left a widow and a family of four, Mrs. McEldowney, Belle (later Mrs." Sawyer), Laurie (Opunake) and Richard (Blenheim). 

Mr. Clough was born at Lincolnshire, England, and came to New Zealand in 1875 on the Coffingwood, landing at New Plymouth. He came directly to Opunake where Mr. Breach employed him on his Ihaia Road property. He was particularly struck by the lack of Europeans in Opunake.
Captain Wilson was in charge of the Police district, and 16 Armed Constabulary men were camped at Te Namu. on the present factory site, to guard the township. No Maoris were allowed to pass in after sunset.
When the Armed Constabulary were stationed at Parihaka, Pennington and Crowther were the meat contractors, and Mr. Clough helped with the killing, acting for Mr. Breach from whom most of the beasts were purchased. Some cattle came from Winks of Hawera; others were obtained from Courtney's of Smart Road, New Plymouth, and drive on down the coast. This was a difficult task and drovers had to spend nights in the open in the midst of hostile Maoris.
Mr. and Mrs. Clough were married before they left England; their income for the first year was 52 pounds , for the second year 62 pounds, and for the third 75 pounds. The working hours were from daylight to dark.
At first Mr. Breach ran cattle and sheep on his 750-acre property, but later went in for dairying, and Mr. Clough was responsible for training many young farmers. 
After leaving Mr. Breach, Mr. Clough bought a farm at Tataraimaka and later still took up native leases at Te Namu.
He remembered the trips he and Mrs. Clough had made from Stony River to Opunake by bullock wagon the journey began at. 3 am and ended at 7 p.m. Back to top

"J.D." as he was known, took, an active part in many organisations in Opunake and the district of his birth, Pihama.
He was born at Pihama in 1892, and eventually bought a farm at Patiki Road. He served on many committees, being a member of the Pihama Cemetery Trustees, Pihama School Committee, Pihama Hall Society, and Opunake Catholic Church Committee. He was Chairman of the Pihama Dairy Company, President of the Opunake Bowling Club, and he took a particular interest in the affairs of the Opunake Seaside Society. He was also President and a Life Member of the Pihama, Bowling Club, and a member of the Egmont County Council.
After he retired Mr. Conaglen produced an interesting booklet on the early days of Pihama. The proceeds were donated to the Opunake Plunket Society of which he was patron for 23 years.
In his memoirs he recalled a weekend in 1912 when he spent some time with the Chew Chong family, and he would never forget the good-natured banter and general harmony that prevailed in their home.
Mr. Conaglen was predeceased by his wife, but survived by a family of 13.

A remarkable lady who practiced midwifery in and around Opunake for many years, was Mrs. Annie Cross.
She was a live in nurse who looked after the entire household whilst she awaited the arrival of a new baby.
I was fortunate enough to be the recipient of her T.L.C. (Tender Loving Care) at each end of the scale. Firstly when she attended my own birth, and 27 years later when my first-born son became a citizen of this world.
By this time "Annie" had taken her training, gaining top marks, and had become Matron of the Opunake Cottage Hospital. It was there that I was aware of, and appreciative of, her professional skill, and for want of a better expression, her simple faith in the course of nature.
There must be many grandmothers who are grateful to Annie Cross for her kindly attention to them and their children.