Settler Kaponga 1881–1914 — A Frontier Fragment of the Western World
Appendix 3 — Office-holders in Main Community Institutions
Appendix 3
Office-holders in Main Community Institutions
Road Board and County Councils
As with most of our local bodies, those of South Taranaki have yet to enjoy the ‘luxury’ of resources for the preservation, secure storage and professional arrangement of archives. These notes on Kaponga District local body membership are therefore the best that can be put together from our newspaper and directory searches. For its first quarter century the Kaponga District's main local body concern was to get a fair deal from the Waimate Road Board, which came into existence on 18 May 1883. Kapongas first storekeeper did noble service in the early years. When he resigned-Kaponga briefly lost any representation—the board's district was not divided into ridings, and in the by-election Kaponga's E.J. Ellerm lost out to a candidate from elsewhere. However Ellerm succeeded at the next election, there being only five nominations for the five vacancies.
Membership dates | |
Henry Whitworth Davy | May 1885-July 1887 |
Edward John Ellerm | May 1888-c. 1891 |
W.A. McCutchan | c.1891–? |
Coxhead (Arthur?) | May 1894–? |
F.W. Wilkie | c.1896-April 1904 |
Robert Gibson | June 1904–April 1905 |
William Swadling | June 1904-c.1905 |
Maurice Fitzgerald | May 1905–1906 |
Membership dates | |
E.J. Ellerm | c.1890-Dec. 1892 |
F.W. Wilkie | c.1897-c.1900 |
Membership dates | |
William Swadling | 1906-June 1912 (death) |
Maurice Fitzgerald | 1906–09 |
William O'Neill | 1909–14 |
A. Voullaire | 1909–11 |
David Black | 1912–?1917 |
Kaponga School
The 1891 Star Almanac gives the Kaponga School Committee as L.J. Adams (chair), W. Ellerm, C. Bates, J. Mackie, C. Adamson, J. Frethey, W.A. McCutchan. This was probably the founding committee. The school opened on 22 June 1891. Committees were elected biannually in the April of odd-numbered years.
Committee Chair | Committee Secretaries | Head Teachers |
L.J. Adams | Charles MacLean | |
(to c.April 1891, left the district) |
(1891–1904) | |
E.J. Ellerm | H.W. Davy | |
(1891-Dec 1893, left the district) |
(?1892-?) | |
F.S. Canning | W. McCutchan | |
(1894–96) | (?1894–95) | |
J. Mackie | G.W. Calvert | |
(1896–97) | (1895-?) | |
G. Hemingway (1897–98) |
||
W. Greig | D.A. Poole | |
(1898–1900) | (?1896-?) | |
J. Robertson | T. Childs | Peter Matheson |
(1900–06) | (?1899-?) | (1904–13) |
J.H. Frethey | J. Mackie | |
(1906–08) | (?1901-?) | |
W. Swadling | J.B. Bennie | George Lyall |
(1908-June 1912, death) | (?1904–12-?) | (1914–22) |
G. Death (1913–14-?) |
Year | Chair | Secretary | Members |
1892 | E.J. Ellerm | H.W. Davy | T.R. Exley, C. Bates, J. Mackie, T Frethey, J.H. Frethey, W.A. McCutchan |
1895 | F.S. Canning | G.W. Calvert | A.J. Hastie, E.R. Hastie, M. Fitzgerald, J. McClure, B. Bulmer |
1899 | W. Greig | T. Childs | R. Law, C. Bates, L. May, J.H. Frethey, G. O'Sullivan |
1904 | J. Robertson | J.B. Bennie | Dr Noonan, Dr Maclagan, J. King, F. Gapper, D. Anderson |
1908 | W. Swadling | J.B. Bennie | Dr Maclagan, G. Death, S. Signal, A. Adlam, A. Grace |
1912 | W. Swadling | J.B. Bennie | C. Farley, E. Mills, S. Signal, A. Adlam, A.E. King |
(For other years see Elizabeth (‘Betty’) Arnold, Kaponga People 1881– c. 1920)
Kaponga Settlers' Association (Formed 27 July 1899)
The Kaponga Settlers' Association filled the need for a pressure group able to agitate on diverse needs. Its leaders were prominent in the settlement's various ad hoc groups (e.g. Domain Board, Victoria Park Trustees, Town Hall Committee, Library Committee). The association led the successful campaign for the Town Board, which replaced it and in due course absorbed the ad hoc groups.
Year | President | Executive |
1899 | F.W. Wilkie | J. Robertson (Vice-Pres.), A.J. Hastie, J.L. Harwood, G. Tindle, H. McLauchlan, F. Gapper (Sec.) |
1900 | J. Robertson | W. Swadling (Vice-Pres.), J. Mackie, C. Walker, A.J. Herbert, J. Gibson, J.L. Harwood, F. Cowern, J.H. Frethey, F. Gapper (Sec.) |
1903 | J. Robertson | W. Swadling (Vice-Pres.), P. Larritt, E. Mills, J. Gibson, F. Oliver (Sec.), |
1903 | J. Robertson | W. Swadling (Vice-Pres.), F. Oliver (Sec.), (others not reported) |
1905 | J. Robertson | C.E. Betts (Vice-Pres.), F.M. Fowler (Sec.), (others not reported) |
(The Association resolved to wind up at a meeting chaired by Dr Maclagan in September 1905. All papers were to be handed to P. Larritt, who was to destroy them after six months.)
Kaponga Town Board
Year | Chairman | Members | Clerk |
1905–06 | W. Swadling | R. Law (resigned Dec '05), R.H. Campbell, F.J. Gapper, C.E. Betts |
J. Staples |
1906–08 | W. Swadling | F.J. Gapper, C.E. Betts, A.H. Guy, L.H. Baigent |
C.S. Crawford (Mar '08-) |
1908–10 | F.J. Gapper (-May '09) A.H. Guy (May '09-) |
W. Swadling, C.E. Betts, A.H. Guy, G. Death, E. Mills (June '09-) |
C.S. Crawford N. Eccleston (Nov '09-) R.G. Cook (Dec '09-) |
1910–12 | A.H. Guy | G. Death, W. Swadling (-June '12), C.E. Betts, A. Melville, A. Adlam (-Feb '11), E. Mills (Apr '11-) |
R.G. Cook |
1912–14 | A.H. Guy | R.W. Allen, G. Death, C.E. Betts, R. Law |
R.G. Cook |
1914 | C.E. Betts | A.H. Guy, R.W. Allen, G. Death, R. Law |
R.G. Cook |
Chairmen of Kaponga Co-operative Dairy Co Ltd
Dates | |
F.W. Wilkie | 1898–99 |
Richard Dingle | 1899–1900 |
R.T.B. Mellow | 1900–07 |
Maurice Fitzgerald | 1907–09 |
William Swadling | 1909–12 |
George Hollard | 1912–14 |
W.A. O'Neill | 1914–16 |