Mary Ann Turnbull, who was the first Pākehā child born in Morrinsville, is interviewed about the history of her family and her memories of early years in the district.
Her family came to Waikato in 1872, before Morrinsville existed. Her father was the first Pākehā settler and came to manage some land for William Innes-Taylor. There were no roads or bridges. Another settler Mr Chipnall also settled nearby. Her father built a house and then brought her mother down from Auckland, travelling by train to Mercer and then by dray. They had five children with them.
Local Māori were very interested when Mary Ann was born, as she was the first white child many had seen. Her mother was the only Pākehā woman for 18 months until the Cochrane and Walker families arrived at Kuranui.
She describes in detail the house her father built out of kauri slabs, plastered with clay inside. Her parents used to put up travellers for the night as there was no hotel. She describes how her father used to get the stores and groceries they needed, going by boat to Thames with Mr Chipnall to buy goods and hiring Māori to bring them back. She describes once losing their supplies due to flooding.
She describes how her mother used to sew all their clothes until they could afford to pay a dressmaker. She recalls the fashions of her youth including crinolines.
The nearest doctor was in Hamilton but they never saw a doctor until 1921, when her mother broke her ribs. A nurse from Te Awamutu used to assist with pregnancies. She describes how her mother would ride side-saddle.
They would supply butter and eggs to Mr Quinn who had the hotel at Te Aroha, which meant they had to cross the river in the punt, which they were afraid of. Her mother would make candles out of mutton fat and beeswax, but when roads were put through they could get kerosene.
She says they kept good health but they did catch whooping cough and measles from a family that was passing through. She talks about Mr Chipnall , who was an educated man who did some legal work and was chairman of the Piako County Council. He also had a chest of homeopathic remedies for when people got sick. He married a Miss Hunt of Cambridge.
For amusement, they would have friends to stay or her mother would organise dances. Her father used to organise race meetings on a course in their paddock: one for Māori and one for Pakeha. Soldiers also used to have camps on Turnbull land, coming down by special trains from Auckland.
She recalls Måori used to camp by the river and when the land was ‘cropped out’ they would move to another location. She talks about her father’s good relationship with Māori. Her parents were in Cambridge when the Tarawera eruption happened and heard ‘bombs’ going off.
She talks about when Lord and Lady Ranfurly visited Morrinsville and recalls Bernard Freyberg when he lived in Morrinsville as a dentist, noting that the town was very proud when he won the Victoria Cross (at Gallipoli.)