In 1859, place names such as Flagstaff, Devonport, Takapuna, Stokes Point (Northcote) and Birkenhead were for the future.
The ‘Auckland Independent’ was a short-lived (just three months) newspaper which was published between 3 October 1859 and 2 January 1860. It was bi-weekly, published by John Joseph Moore, and was one of six newspapers being published at that time in Auckland. Recently this title was added to those available for searching on the Papers Past website.
This newspaper should not be confused with the ‘Auckland Independent and Operatives Journal,’ which was published between at least 31 May 1851 and 29 November 1851. There are copies of this earlier title at Auckland Council libraries, and hopefully this is to be digitised and will be made available online as well.
I have previously written about Philip Callan (1805-1874), who was a long-time Northcote (at that time Rough Point, and then until 1880 Stokes Point) resident. In 1859 Callan became the North Shore agent for the new ‘Auckland Independent’ newspaper. At that time, he was also an ultimately unsuccessful candidate for the Northern Division of the Auckland Provincial Council, while the ‘Auckland Independent’ included his letters promoting his candidacy.
Alcide Vicoq also figures in that newspaper. Born 1822 in Bordeaux, France, he was naturalised as a British citizen in New Zealand in 1859. Vicoq had been farming in the Lake Pupuke area from the 1850s, and then decided to move to Russell. His 200-acre farm, orchard (with 400 trees), and homestead were put up for sale from December 1861 to February 1862. The farm was just to the south of that of Dr. Fischer, who lived at the corner of Northcote and Taharoto Roads. Vicoq died on 25 March 1874 at the Auckland asylum, having entered it in 1873. He was buried with the Quartier family in the general section of Symonds Street cemetery, while his widow Marie (or Mary) died on 6 November 1912 and was buried in Waikaraka cemetery.
On 8 December 1859, a Mr. Wilcox of the North Shore, was carrying passengers from the city side when his boat overturned. Interestingly, his cargo included two casks of beef and two casks of pork. Likely both were corned, which was a common method for storing meat before refrigeration.
I have also written about the Catholic Mission and St Mary’s Catholic College at Awataha, in what is now the area around the Akoranga bus station. St Mary’s dated from 1851 and had many Catholic Māori students, while the ardent Catholic Poynton family lived nearby on Lake Pupuke. The 15 December 1859 issue of the ‘Auckland Independent’ discussed access to education across the Auckland area and noted that “with the exception of the Pensioner Settlements and the North Shore, the Catholic population is too much scattered to derive any benefit from the establishment of schools in the country districts”. The Fencible Pensioner Settlements (Panmure, Onehunga, Otahuhu and Howick) had a disproportionate number of Irish Catholic settlers, formerly British soldiers who came to New Zealand between 1848 and 1852 with their families to bolster Auckland’s security on its southern boundaries.
Allotments and ‘improved farms’ were already being advertised as available on the North Shore in December 1859 and January 1860. Howeve, it was not until later in the 1860s that such newspaper advertisements became more common.
‘Papers Past’ has also made available online the iconic ‘Art in New Zealand’ magazine, which covers the period 1928 to 1951. ‘Papers Past’ has also extended the online range of the ‘New Zealand Listener’ to the 1960-1969 period. It is fascinating to see what was available back then on the AM radio stations, and the one black and white television channel.
david.verran@xtra.co.nz
