Newspaper Article – New Zealand History

New Zealand History

MR. F.W. WILLIAMS PREPARING A RECORD OF EARLY DAYS.

By the Hawke’s Bay Correspondent of the “New Zealand Free Lance.”

“I HAVE seen a good deal since I came to Napier as a boy of ten,” said Mr. F. W. Williams, a grandson of that pioneer missionary who, with his brother Henry Williams, came to the far north of New Zealand much more than 100 years ago.

Mr. Williams who lives in a beautiful home on the Napier hills, has been Mayor of Napier, chairman of the Napier Harbour Board (following the Hon. J. D. Ormond), member of the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, chairman for 28 years of the Hawke’s Bay Building and Investment Society and a member of it for 50 years. He was one of the founders of the firm of Williams and Kettle and was chairman of directors for many years. He was practically a founder of Richardson and Company; he was associated with the first Mr. Richardson about ’85. His brother is the present Bishop of Waiapu; his father, Leonard Williams, was the third Bishop. Henry Williams was the first Bishop of Waiapu.

Mr. F. W. Williams came with his parents to Napier in 1865. “We had to leave Poverty Bay because of the HauHaus,” he said. “There were ten of us.  I remember early Napier and the many floods and earthquakes. I remember swimming in a lagoon not far from the Spit. Some old men breaking stones would say that a shark would get us, and then one day a shark was washed in by the sea and there the big creature was unable to escape.”

Mr. Williams is writing a book from his grandfathers’ diaries, kept by them from the ages of 10 years. He told of the pioneers’ amazing energy. As an instance, William Williams walked from Poverty Bay to Wairoa to Napier, went through the Manawatu Gorge in a canoe, and then walked on to Foxton and thence to Otaki. This book will be a valuable record as it has interesting old photographs and much hitherto-unpublished information about these first hardy colonists.

Photo caption – Mr. F.W. Williams, of Napier, who is writing a book about pioneering days in New Zealand.
– Deighton Studio.