seel450
Waitara was a bustling seaport with overseas shhips calling for frozen meat and produce.From its early beginnings ,there was a great rivalry between Waitara and new plymouth,to snare the trade.In the early colonial times Maori were processing flax and growing maize for export to the Sydney wharves.As well as potatoes,kumera,and pork.The Goldfields of Australia meant food was needed in abundance,as miners from all over the world rushed their with gold fever.Waitara kept quietly trading,and its busiest time perhaps was from 1885-1910.Of course with the trade brought many remorable characters,with names like Alec the Greek,Dirty Dick,Scorcher Jones,Dickie noodles, to name a few.I have written biogaphies on some of these characters,and what colourful characters they were.One called captain Montague scott or Monty as hes fondly remebered had a fettish for maori women,and was not ashamed to admit it.On a charge of "Running a house of ill repute on the Waitara River",Monty was arrested,but managed to get a smile out of the judge when pleading his case."Your honor,the women i had aboard my vessell ,were for my own personal use,not for the use of the general public!".Monty returned to waitara on the bus and was greeted with a hearty roar from his drinking companions in the Waitara Hotel when they heard the verdict was "Not Guilty",and he never payed for a drink all night.Hard times for some,but adventurous times and fun to be had by many.The town was run by the patrons of the hotels.If there was some sorting out to be done ,by a newcomer to the town ,who was a little boysterous,or cocky,he was duly taken "Out the Back"and dealt to.Regards Graeme Duckett.
