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Settler Kaponga 1881–1914 — A Frontier Fragment of the Western World

Appendix 3 — Office-holders in Main Community Institutions

page 356

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.

(1) Kaponga residents elected to the Waimate Road Board
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
page 357
(2) Kaponga residents elected to the Hawera County Council
Membership dates
E.J. Ellerm c.1890-Dec. 1892
F.W. Wilkie c.1897-c.1900
(3) Kaponga residents elected to Kaponga Riding of the Eltham County Council (Eltham County formed 1906)
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-?)
page 358
A few sample committees through the years
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)
page 359

(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