Francis Rowe (1833-1931)

10-3-1917.

DIAMOND WEDDING MR. AND MRS. FRANCIS ROWE

Eureka Stockade Recalled.

Here before Governor Hobson.

Kawau Copper Mines.

After sixty years of happy married life, Mr. Mrs. Francis Rowe today attained the Diamond anniversary of their marriage. The ceremony was performed in the High Street Wesleyan Church (now the Deeds Office) on March 10th, 1857, by the Rev, Joseph Fletcher. Today is also the 84th birthday of Mr. Rowe while his wife has reached 81 years. Seen today at their residence, Codrinton St, Arch Hill, Mr, & Mrs, Rowe kindly furnished interesting recollections of occurrences and conditions in the early days. Both natives of Cornwall, they are wonderfully well-preserved in the eventide of life, with excellent memories. As they chatted of olden times it would have been easy to forget that both had passed the eighty mark. Mrs. Rowe is probably one of the oldest residents in Auckland, as her parents arrived in Wellington in the ship Bolton when she was little more than a baby, and shortly afterwards they came on the Waitemata. That was so far back that Mrs. Rowe was here before Governor Hobson removed the capital from Russell to Auckland. Mrs. Rowe recalled the fact that her parents, Mr. & Mrs. William Trevarthen and family, landed at Official Bay. "We camped in a Maori whare on the present site of Government House," she said "and the ridge-pole fell down on us". They had to cut a hole through the thatch to get me out. The first Government House that was destroyed by fire was sent out from England ready to put up, and when we were camped there I heard my mother say the timber for the building it was lying around when we arrived. After that we had to live in a tent, as there were no wooden houses in Auckland at the time. My father pitched his tent in Parnell somewhere near where the railway bridge now crosses. He bought a section, is Official Bay at the Government auction of the first lots in Auckland; lots in Auckland. He was offered the corner where the South British Insurance Company’s buildings in Queen Street are situated, but refused as that was only a swamp in those days. There was a bit of a barracks around the Britomart Point, but it was some time before the Albert Barracks were built."

Mr. Rowe said that his father[sic-mother] and family came from St, Agnes, Cornwall to Adelaide, when he was a lad of 14 in 1850. For some time he worked at a smelter which was managed by his eldest brother, Mr. John Rowe. "Men were getting 16/- per week in those days, and first-class hands 20/- he said. The owner took a fancy to me and gave me 20/-, although I was little more than a lad. After that I worked at the smelting works at Burra Burra. Then the diggings broke out, and my brother went to them. Soon afterwards he sent for me, and I was at Ballarat at the time of the Eureka stockade fight. No, I was not in it, I knew that the miners had decided to burn their rights,, but my mates advised me to keep away. When we heard there had been, a riot I went to the Eureka stockade the day afterwards, and saw the charred bodies of ten miners who had been killed. I saw Peter Lawler in Auckland, not long before he died.

Auckland in 1855.

“I came to Auckland in 1855, but there was not much of a town in those days.Wynyard Pier in Mechanics” Bay was the place where passengers landed.The ships used to get their water from a sprang where Grey and Menzies’ premises are now situated. There was a cask sunk in the ground, and the water flowed out of the top. It is funny to think that in those early days I used to get water-cress where now is Queen Street. There was another good spring in Wellesley Street, where the road lets the tram line down every now and again. We used to go there to water the horses in the summer when our well ran dry.Mr Rowe also mentioned he was one of those who also worked at the Kawau copper mines in the early days of Auckland. He had also some interesting memories of his militia days, parading around Auckland at night from blockhouse to blockhouse. The mud was so bad that if the men missed the plank they went over their knees. One night in Ponsonby road the rear rank man fell in the mud, with the result that his bayonet entered the shoulder of the man in front. Mr. & Mrs. Rowe have eight children alive, forty grandchildren and eight great ­grandchildren. Six grandsons are either is camp or at the front, and news of the death at the front, of a nephew, Alfred Trevarthen, was received yesterday. A reunion is to be held next Saturday.

Two years after Francis arrived in Auckland, 3 months before the tragic death of Nanny's Husband Thomas McGrath in a mining accident. He met Mary Trevarthen shortly after his arrival in Auckland and they were married on 10 Mar 1857. They also spent time on Great Barrier Island but by 1860 they had returned to Auckland where they alter purchased a property in Codrington St, Arch Hill. Francis began a forwarding agents business located at the wharf area in down town Auckland.