OBITUARY
THE LATE MR JOHN KERR.
A life which lasted only a brief span short of 100 years, 72 of which were spent within a comparatively short distance of Dunedin, was brought to a close yesterday by the death of Mr John Kerr, who passed away at the residence of his son-in-law (Mr James Weir) at Wickliffe Bay after an illness which confined him to his bed for some months. He was an extremely active man until the last few years, and was a great favourite with all who knew him.
Mr Kerr, who was a son of the late Dr Kerr, was born in Rutland square, Dublin, on December 4, 1833, and was educated at the Santry Boarding School, which was situated four or five miles out of Dublin. After leaving school he went to Scotland, where he was employed by Messrs Dickson and Sons, who were engaged in business as nurserymen in Edinburgh. He remained in that position for about six months, and then followed the occupation of a gardener, in which capacity he was engaged on some big estates in Scotland for some years. Like many others, Mr Kerr heard about the possibilities of a successful career in New Zealand, and with the venturesome spirit which was characteristic of our early settlers he and his young bride set out for this country about a month after their marriage in Scotland. They embarked on the ship Jura, which arrived at Port Chalmers on September 23, 1858.
When Mr Kerr arrived in this country the Dunedin Town Board — borough councils and city councils had not then come into existence — was paying 5s per day to men who were working on the roads, but he quickly discovered that he could earn 7s per day, plus the provision of a tent, on the formation of the road from Port Chalmers to the Upper Junction, and he had no hesitation in accepting employment on that work. The work was hard, especially to men who were not used to it, and in the early stages blistered hands and sore backs were the common experience. It may be said that “many were tried, but few were proven,” for a great many who started on the job gave it up after a few days. Mr Kerr and a man named John Wilson, who was a fellow passenger on the Jura, were the only two who saw the work through from start to finish. One phase of human nature which impressed Mr Kerr for the rest of his life occurred during the progress of the work. One day a man who was riding along the road found his progress blocked by a fallen tree, and Mr Kerr immediately volunteered to clear a track for him. This undertaking was quickly accomplished, and as a token of gratitude the horseman proferred half-a-crown. Mr Kerr refused to accept it at first, but the rider insisted, saying, “You will get nothing for nothing in this country,” and finally the offer had to be accepted. The spirit of helpfulness on the one hand and the recognition of helpfulness on the other were typical of the older generation.
When the formation of the road from Port Chalmers to the Upper Junction was completed Mr Kerr turned his attention to the Otago Peninsula, where he made a home for himself and his family near Wickliffe Bay, about 1860. There were no roads — not even tracks — and the journey from Dunedin had to be made by rowing boat from the city. Such a trip would be looked upon as foolhardy to-day, but in those days it was taken as a matter of course. The site of his homestead was nearly three miles from Portobello, and to reach it one had to traverse dense bush down to the water’s edge without the vestige of a road as guidance. On the side of the hill overlooking Wickliffe Bay Mr Kerr set to work to build his house with his own hands. At that time there was no house between Portobello and his own. There was an abundance of wood at hand in the shape of bush, but the supply of sawn timber was very limited, and little of that kind of wood found a place in the erection of the dwelling. There Mr Kerr lived and had his being for practically the rest of his life, bringing up a large family, and apparently enjoying all the hardships associated with the early settlement, realising that difficulties were only created to be overcome.
For many years Mr Kerr had to overcome great difficulties in order to dispose of the produce from his farm. In the absence of road facilities there was only one outlet, and the produce, which consisted mainly of butter, potatoes, and other vegetables, had to be taken to the market in Port Chalmers. In the first place this involved a weary trudge with a burden which few men would care to carry to-day over about three-quarters of a mile of a bush track, generally somewhere about knee-deep in mud, to the waterfront and then a trip across the harbour in a small rowing boat. Those who know the average condition on the harbour will realise the risk that had to be taken in a trip across it. “It must have been a darned good boat,” said Mr Kerr not very long ago. “If it had not been good we should all have been drowned.” As a matter of fact, several men were drowned while attempting to cross the harbour.
For a very long period Mr Kerr took a keen interest in affairs affecting the welfare of the Peninsula, He served on the Portobello School Committee, the Otago Peninsula Agricultural and Pastoral Society, and the Portobello Road Board. He had the honour of being the first life member appointed by the Otago Peninsula A. and P. Society, of which he was one of the founders. He was also a justice of the peace for many years.
Mr Kerr was an enthusiastic volunteer in his younger days, and was a member of the Portobello Corps for 19 years, eventually retiring with the rank of chief lieutenant. In this connection he achieved more than a local reputation as a marksman. At the 300 yards range he recorded seven consecutive bull’s-eyes — a feat which had never previously been accomplished with a rifle of the kind that was in use at that time. As a prize he got a beautiful marble clock enclosed in a glass case.
The shortage of water and electric power in the autumn of 1930 brought back to Mr Kerr’s mind a recollection of a water famine in Dunedin many years ago. It was in the month of June, but Mr Kerr could not remember the year, nor could he remember if the water was laid on at the time! He remembered, however, that supplies were obtained from Thomson’s cordial factory, and from springs at Waverley and in the north end of the town.
Right up till the end of his life Mr Kerr remembered the wreck of the ship Victory, which came to grief in Wickliffe Bay on July 3, 1861. His house overlooked the scene of the disaster, and he watched a lighter go out to take the cargo off the stranded vessel. When he got down to the scene of the wreck he found that the lighter had broken in two, one half being in the inlet and the other half in the ocean. The captain of the lighter, who was an Englishman, and a boy were drowned. The remains of the lighter were never recovered. Portion of the Victory’s timber came into Mr Kerr’s possession later on, and it is still doing useful duty in the byre and stable of Mr James Weir, a son-in-law, who bought Mr Kerr’s property in 1900.
As a young man Mr Kerr had a thrilling experience, which remained firmly embedded in his memory for the rest of his life. It happened in 1850, when he was living in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. A long, continuous roar of thunder was followed by torrents of rain. Another such day he never experienced before or since. Subsequently he looked round to see what damage had been done, and he came across an oak which had been gouged out two and a-half inches wide and two and a-half inches deep for a distance of twenty-one feet up the trunk. In a splendid grass paddock, in the middle of which a circle of hawthorn bushes grew, a butcher had placed seven fat bullocks a day or two previously. After the storm all the bullocks were dead, but, strangely enough, not a hair on one of them was singed.
Any reference to Mr Kerr would be incomplete without the inclusion of his horse, “Jupiter,’’ which, many people declare, was endowed with almost human instinct. Just as Mr Kerr’s boat was his safeguard on water so was “Jupiter” on land. He carried his master on many a long and weary ride, and if any mishap occurred he never strayed from his owner, but grazed contentedly about until assistance arrived. A mistake in the identity of horses once led to a thrilling experience in Mr Kerr’s life. In the dark he took a strange horse out of the stable, thinking it was “Jupiter,” and did not discover his mistake until the horse took him into the waters of Wickliffe Bay. Mr Kerr’s spirit was not damped by the rising waters, however, and he simply loosened the reins, knowing that as long as the horse could swim he was safe. After a venturesome journey he reached the other side of the bay, safe and sound. He is probably the only man who has negotiated Wickliffe Bay on horseback at high tide.
Mr Kerr, whose wife died in 1900, at the age of 72 years, had a family of 10, seven of whom are still alive — Mrs D, Young (Stafford street, Dunedin), Mrs William Dickson (Nelson street, South Dunedin), Miss Eliza Kerr (Tomahawk), Mrs J. M. Dickson (Highgate, Roslyn), Mrs J. Crow (Bowen street, Musselburgh), Mrs J. Weir (Portobello), Mr Alexander Kerr (Auckland). His grandchildren number 47, and his great-grand-children no fewer than 77. -ODT, 24/10/1930.
| ODT, 24/10/1930. |
Mr John Kerr, who died on Thursday at the residence of one of his sons-in-law, Mr James Weir, of Wickliffe Bay, was the patriarch of the Otago Peninsula and one of the best type of settlers. He was born at Dublin in 1833. After leaving school he went to Scotland, where he was employed by Messrs Dickson and Sons, nurserymen, in Edinburgh. He remained in the position for about six months, and then followed the occupation of a gardener, being engaged on some big estates in Scotland for some years. Shortly after, his marriage he and his wife came to Otago by the ship Jura, in 1858. He worked at road formation for a while, then in 1860 he made his home at Wickliffe Bay. where he lived practically all the rest of his life. In his younger days Mr Kerr was a member of the Portobello Rifles and a good marksman. After nineteen years service he retired with the rank of lieutenant. He served on the Portobello School Committee, the Otago Peninsula. Agricultural and Pastoral Society, the Portobello Road Board, and was also a justice of the peace for many years. Mrs Kerr died in 1906 at the age of 72 years. There was a family of ten, seven of whom are still alive — Mrs Young (Stafford street, Dunedin), Mrs William Dickson (Nelson street, South Dunedin), Miss Eliza Kerr (Tomahawk). Mrs J. M. Dickson (Highgate, Roslyn), Mrs J. Crow (Bowen street, Musselburgh), Mrs J. Weir (Portobello) and Mr Alexander Kerr (Auckland). His grandchildren number 41, and his great-grandchildren 77. -Evening Star, 25/10/1930.
Portobello Cemetery. DCC photo.
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