Methodism in Napier by Rev. C.H. Laws TRINITY CHURCH, NAPIER. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 1

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1 TRINITY CHURCH, NAPIER Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 1

2 The Story of THE FIRST DECADE European settlement in Hawke's Bay began comparatively late. There were whalers at the Mahia in the early Thirties, and pastoralists and runholders came up the coast from Wellington later, but great stretches of country, bounded on the west by the high ranges and southwards by vast areas of virgin forest, remained unoccupied. It was not till 1850 that Donald McLean, afterwards Sir Donald, and distinguished as Native Minister, purchased from the Maoris for 7,000 the site on which Napier now stands. The town was founded five years later. The Church had preceded the establishment of the town. Visits to the district had been paid by the Rev. William Williams and others, of the Anglican Communion, in the early Forties. Native agents had been appointed to Port Ahuriri, and in 1846 Bishop Selwyn confirmed 130 converts. The Rev. William Colenso, who was the first resident European missionary, settled at Waitangi, near Clive, in He long remained a familiar figure in Napier and became a member of the Provincial Council and, later, Inspector of Schools. The writer well remembers his inspection of the Rev. John Campbell's school in the late Seventies, and treasures an award bearing his signature. The Roman Catholic Church began its mission at Pakowhai early in 1851, removing to Mceanee in The Presbyterians also came early, the Rev. Peter Barclay arriving in St. Paul's Presbyterian Church was the first church erected in the town. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 2

3 CHAPTER I In 1857 Mr. John Harding, of Mt. Vernon, Waipukurau, acting with Mr. Robert France and on behalf of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, purchased for 25 a set of four quarter-acre sections, two having frontages to Clive Square, the others facing respectively Emerson and Dickens Streets. The purchase money, according to Dr. Morley, was provided by missionary funds. To-day the land thus acquired is worth not less than 5,000 and, with the buildings erected on the portion still held by the Church, the whole property may be valued at 10,000. In 1861 the Conference appointed the Rev. Joseph Taylor Shaw to establish the Methodist cause. He was then thirty-five years of age, in the third year of his probation, and had been a missionary at Tongatabu for two years. The venture met with strong local support and the erection of a church was decided upon. Unfortunately acute differences of opinion arose as to the site. The land in Clive Square was available and it was becoming increasingly evident that the centre of population would lie in that direction. But there were many residences on the hills and an influential party advocated the erection of the church in that locality. Ultimately a site in Harvey Road was acquired for 75 and a contract for 250 was let. The dispute, however, continued and the advocates of the Clive Square site withdrew their support. It thus became impossible to proceed and the half-erected church was sold to Dr. Grace for 45, and by him was presented to the Roman Catholic authorities. The building was removed to Meeanee and became part of the Mission property there. Mr. Shaw was withdrawn by the Conference of and no successor was appointed. He remained in the New Zealand ministry until 1874, when he became a supernumerary and removed to Melbourne, where he died in A second and more successful attempt to establish a Methodist cause was made by the United Methodist Free Church. The Rev. Harry Blake Redstone, who with the Revs. F. W. Isitt. J. J. Lewis. J. S. Smalley and W. J. Williams of the Wesleyan Church, had arrived at Auckland in the "City of Auckland" on December 11th, 1870, commenced his work in Napier early in the following year. A site in Emerson Street, in what has since become the business centre of the town, was purchased and a church erected. Among the original trustees were Messrs. John Martin, Henry Williams and John W. Neal, who later became connected with the Wesleyan Church, and Messrs. Robert Graham, Thomas Moore and John Johnston. Substantial financial assistance was given to the project by Mr. William Hicks of Liskeard, Cornwall, who had become interested in the extension of Free Methodism in New Zealand. The site of this church was that now occupied by Woolworth's. After some years the property was sold, the building becoming part of the premises of the proprietors of the Evening News. A new church, to seat 250 was erected at the foot of Shakespeare Road, with a schoolroom to accommodate 200, and, in 1888, a parsonage of seven rooms was built. The total cost of these efforts was some 2,400. Later a site in Carlyle Street, including a cottage and Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 3

4 an old store thereupon, was purchased for 600, and the church was removed thither. On the completion of union with the Wesleyan and Bible Christian Churches in 1896 the church was sold to the Congregationalists for 1,000 and the proceeds were used to extinguish the debt on the property. Among the ministers of the first decade may be mentioned the Revs. H. B. Redstone (1871-5), J. Parkin (1876-7) and C. Penney (1880-1). Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 4

5 CHAPTER II Though the first attempt to establish a Methodist cause had been abandoned and strongly divided feelings made impossible an early resumption of the work, it was the policy of the Wesleyan Conference to re-occupy the ground at the first opportunity. The site in Clive Square remained in possession, the town was rapidly growing in importance, and influential supporters pressed for the appointment of a minister. The opening of the Free Methodist Church, highly though its minister was respected, did not divert the intention of the Conference. Thus in 1873, at the invitation of Mr. John Harding, who paid the expenses involved, the Rev. William Morley, then stationed at Taranaki Street, Wellington, visited Napier to report on the prospects of a reestablishment of the Wesleyan cause. He arrived on October 8th of that year in the Government steamer "Luna." My father, who came to Napier by the same vessel, handed to him on board his credentials as a local preacher, and his name appeared, as resident in Napier, on the next Wellington plan. Mr. Morley found encouraging support in his mission. He conducted divine service in the Provincial Council Chambers on October 12th, preaching on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, held worship at the Port on the 1 4th, and also visited Waipawa and Waipukurau where he was the guest of Mr. Harding. As a result of his favourable report the Conference of 1874 appointed the Rev. Joseph Smoult Smalley, then Mr. Morley's colleague at Wellington, to recommence the cause at Napier. He and Mrs. Smalley arrived on April 9th in the S.S. Rangatira, accompanied by Miss Wrigley, now Mrs. Helyer, the senior member of the Taranaki Street church. Napier was then a small town of scarcely more than three thousand inhabitants. The military barracks, surrounded by its loop-holed sod wall, still stood on what is now the Hospital Hill and was used to provide temporary accommodation for newly arrived immigrants. The skirmish with the natives at Omarunui, within a few miles of the town, had taken place but six years previously. Half a dozen houses marked the site of Hastings. There were villages at Clive and Taradale. The railway was in course of erection but was not available for traffic. The country beyond what is now Takapau was heavy forest. It was the day of small things. But Mr. Smalley, who was a man of ardent temperament and tireless zeal, began his work with a will and he was loyally supported by a devoted band of men, some of whom carried considerable weight in the community. His first services were held on April 12th in the Provincial Council Chambers, situated at the foot of Shakespeare Road on the site now occupied by various Government departments. He spoke from the appropriate texts: "O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst of the years" (Hab. 3:2) and in the evening, on "This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3: ). On the next day a meeting of adherents was held in "Newton and Irvine's old Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 5

6 store" in Carlyle Street, at which the aims and prospects of the venture were discussed. A small cottage in Coote Road, adjacent to the corner of Shakespeare Road, was leased as a parsonage and served for several years. It still remains with but slight alteration. Here the first class meeting was held on April 20th, at which there were present, in addition to Mr. and Mrs. Smalley, Mrs. Martin and Messrs. E. Walker and T. Laws, to whom were added the following week Messrs. Hicks and W. Mitchell. Within a fortnight a largely attended open air service was held on the Sunday afternoon on the Clive Square site. Mr. Smalley lost no time in making personal contacts, by pastoral visitation and in other ways, with all who had any connection with Wesleyan Methodism and with many who had no church attachment. Immigrants were then pouring into the country and Hawke's Bay received its full share. On board the Halcione, which arrived in July, there were 338 persons. Mr. Smalley diligently sought out all these newcomers and while they were temporarily accommodated at the Barracks he held frequent services for their benefit in the open square around which the buildings were grouped. In this, as the records show, he was especially assisted by my father. Piles of round shot still remained in the square and one of these, vigorously struck against an iron tank by the minister himself did duty for a summoning bell. "The evening was mild, the sky clear, a three-quarter moon was shining, and there was a numerous congregation," says the contemporaneous diarist. A further evidence of Mr. Smalley's activity is seen in ths interest which he took in the Scandinavian people, of whom a number then resided in Napier, while others were passing through to the settlements being established about Norsewood and Dannevirke. He could not rest satisfied till he had gathered them for worship, and, on the afternoon of Sunday, August 30th after, it is said, only six weeks' study of the language under Mr. Svend Olsen, he preached in Danish to a congregation of a hundred in the Oddfellow's Hall on John 1: 29 "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," and afterwards conducted a Communion Service. It is small wonder that so versatile and arresting a personality soon won a secure place in the estimation of the community. On June 7th, 1874, the Council Chambers being required for the sessions of the Provincial Council, the services were transferred to the Oddfellow's Hall in Tennyson Street, situated where the Fire Brigade Station now stands. It was a central location and not far from the Clive Square site. The building, including a large sideroom suitable for Sunday School purposes, was granted free of charge. Unfortunately the hall was frequently left in an untidy state after Saturday night entertainments, but a band of youths, among whom may be mentioned Messrs. J. and H. Martin and J. Davis, regularly swept it and prepared it for worship. Here services were held until the opening of the church in January, The congregations steadily increased. The preaching, from the first Sunday, was of a high order and marked by intellectual force Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 6

7 and evangelical fervour. On May 24th, the sermon was on the "Water of Life" from the text John 4: 13-14, and the diarist makes comment "Mr. Smalley was at his best to-day and the congregation the largest we have had." On October 4th, when the subject was "Paul on Mars' Hill," the entry is "The congregation exceeded any previous one." On October 18th it was "larger than ever and the offerings for the day were a record." There was always a prayer meeting held after the evening service at which brief addresses and testimonies were given by laymen enforcing the message and appeal of the preacher. Thus every sign was hopeful and promise stood high for the future. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 7

8 CHAPTER III The first Quarterly Meeting was held at the parsonage on July 1st, There were present, in addition to the minister, Messrs. J. Le Quesne and J. Grubb (circuit stewards), A. Lascelles, J. H. Cooper, J. Davis, W. Mitchell, J. Sims, E. Walker and T. Laws. A membership of 25 was reported and there were twelve Sunday School scholars with four teachers. T he income for the quarter was 182, including a considerable grant from the Conference and 54 in collections and subscriptions. The sum of 113 had been spent in furnishing the parsonage, towards which a special grant of 100 had been received. The stipend is shown on the balance sheet as 41/0/1d apparently the balance after other charges had been met. The minister declined to receive more. We turn now to the erection of the church and the difficulties and delays that beset the enterprise. The first trustee meeting was held on May 28th, 1874 at Weber's Mill, near the corner of Shakespeare and Battery Roads. It was preceded by divine service. The original minute book of the trust lies before the writer. There 'were present, in addition to the minister, Messrs. J. Rhodes, J. Watson, J. Le Quesne, A. Lascelles. J. Grubb, W. H. Simpson, J. H. Cooper, E. Walker, J. Davis, W. Mitchell, J. Sims and T. Laws. Mr. Lascelles was appointed secretary and Mr. Grubb treasurer. It was decided that steps should be taken at once to erect a church and that it should be built upon the Clive Square site. At a second trustee meeting, held on July 1st, the date also of the first Quarterly Meeting, it was resolved to offer a premium of 10 for the best design of a building 70 feet by 46 feet, to seat about 400 persons and to cost, with fittings, etc On August 5th three designs were considered and that of Mr. Walter Dugleby, involving an estimated cost of 1,000 was approved. On September 16th the tender of Messrs. Hood and Co. for 1,460 was accepted. Unfortunately there was a long delay in commencing the work, due, says the diarist, to difficulty "in getting the material together," and it was not till 1875 that building operations began. Soon misfortune overwhelmed the enterprise. The contractors became financially embarrassed, and at a trustee meeting held on June 4th the architect reported that, after drawing a progress payment, they had ceased work and left the town, and that, acting on behalf of the trustees, he had taken possession of the building and the material on the ground. It was resolved to call for tenders to complete the work. This was on a Friday. On the following Sunday, amid a wild southerly gale, accompanied by torrential rain, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, the building was hurled to the ground. The roof had been close boarded before the weather-boarding was completed, and the gale made sport of the vast umbrella. The Hawke's Bay Herald, in reporting the catastrophe, lamented the loss of what "promised to be one of the handsomest ecclesiastical structures in Napier." Steps were at once taken to recommence the erection. There was timber on the ground to the value of 551. It was decided to reduce the size of the church, decreasing the Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 8

9 length by four feet and the width by thirteen, and also to erect a gallery for the choir and organ at the end opposite to the pulpit. Finally, on July 23rd, the tender of Messrs. Davis, Walker, Hunt and Laws, all Methodists and three of them trustees, under the title of Davis & Co., was accepted for 1,843. The work then proceeded without interruption and the new sanctuary, worthy of Methodism and an ornament to the town, received the name of Trinity Church and was opened on January 23rd, 1876, both services being conducted by the Rev. J. S. Smalley. It was one of the very few buildings which remained uninjured during the earthquake of In passing it may be noted that in the letting of seats every third seat at the sides was left free, thus providing ten free pews in the church. In 1877 the Rev. Joseph Berry, who had succeeded to the pastorate, found a new and well attended church and an expectant people. His gifted preaching won the attention of the town and there was seldom a vacant seat. Often indeed chairs were placed in the aisles. Within two months it became necessary to enlarge the building and side galleries were erected at a cost of 150, thus providing for a congregation of 400. Mr. Rechab Harding, son of Mr. John Harding who had purchased the site, was now treasurer of the trust and advanced the money till it could be raised. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 9

10 CHAPTER IV Meanwhile a more commodious parsonage than the small cottage in Coote Road became necessary and the residence of Mr. A. Lascelles, who had removed to Clive, was taken temporarily. Consideration was given to various houses as a permanent residence but ultimately it was decided to build, and early in 1878 a site of one rood was purchased in Madeira Steps (Cameron Road) for 50, and a contract was let for 640. In the end the cost of site and building, with fencing, etc., involved the trustees in an expenditure of 750. The new parsonage was occupied by the Rev. W. C. Oliver, who succeeded Mr. Berry, in The total indebtedness on church and parsonage was now considerable and the burden was pressingly felt by the trustees. Only about 100 had been raised towards the parsonage effort. Thus it was that to assist the finances the freehold of some three-fourths of the valuable property in Clive Square was parted with by the insertion of purchasing clauses in the leases of three sections. Particulars of the disposal of these will be given later. How serious must have been the obligations of the trustees at this time is seen from the fact that in June, 1880, six years after the arrival of Mr. Smalley, the treasurer reported that a loan of 2,000 had been obtained from the Union Insurance Company, and that a mortgage of 1,000 had been paid off. Something may now be said about the Sunday School. On the removal of the congregation to the Oddfellow's Hall a school was at once begun, the first assembly being on June 21st, There were twelve scholars, the superintendent was Mr. T. Laws, and the teachers were Miss Martin, who later became Mrs. W. L. Prime, Mr. E. Walker and Mr. T. Sims, who, after his removal to Wellington, became superintendent of the Thorndon Sunday School in That the numbers rapidly increased is evident from the fact that at the first Sunday School picnic, held on New Year's Day, 1875, "after singing and prayer" a hundred scholars marched in procession to Munn's Gully. On the opening of the new church the large room, extending then the whole width of the building at the rear, and which served as vestry, meeting place for weeknight services, and later for choir assembly, was used for school purposes, certain classes being held in the church itself. In July, 1880 a lengthy discussion took place in the trustee meeting as to the desirability of erecting a separate schoolroom. The teachers themselves favoured enlarging the vestry at a cost of 134 and they guaranteed to raise the amount required within two years. A contract for this work was actually let in August, but the builder threw it up, and on reconsideration it was decided that, to assure adequate provision for both present and future needs, a separate schoolroom, 50 feet by 26 feet and to accommodate 200 children, should be erected at the rear of the church. This was done at a cost of some 230. The new building was simply a hall, with a small office adjacent to the entrance, and without classrooms or other conveniences for instruction. But, with later extensions and improvements, it served Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 10

11 for nearly half a century. The foundation stone of the present commodious brick schoolroom was laid on April 21st, 1928 by the Rev. W. J. Elliott, then President of the Conference. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 11

12 CHAPTER V No record of these years would be complete without some consideration of the handling by the trustees of the valuable sections in Clive Square. It is a long story, extending over several years and involving prolonged, discussions in trustee meetings, much friction with the lessees, and some conflict with Conference itself. The site had been purchased in 1857 and at the time of Mr. Smalley's arrival it was held in trust for the Connexion by the Rev. James Buller and others. On June 17th, 1874 it was transferred to local trustees. It consisted of four sections on one of which, facing the Square, the church was built. Its value had steadily increased with the development of the town and it provided an asset to the church the prospective value of which all could foresee. It is now situated in an important business area, and had its retention been possible, it would have been a most valuable endowment administered for the benefit of Methodism, not only in Napier, but possibly throughout Hawke's Bay. But from the first the young cause had to face heavy commitments. Its supporters had to build from the very foundations. A church had to be erected, a parsonage provided for, a schoolroom became a necessity, and at the first Quarterly Meeting there were but 25 members, of whom few were able to contribute substantially. In these circumstances it was the policy of the trustees to lease the three sections not required as a site for the church, and thus to provide the means of paying the interest on the considerable sums they were compelled to borrow. At the first trustee meeting it was resolved to lease for 21 years the sections fronting to Emerson and Dickens Streets and the section adjoining the church site in Clive Square, giving the lessees "a preemptive right of purchase if and so soon as the Conference may determine." It was this clause which occasioned serious difficulties with the tenants. The lessees seem to have been given the impression, by the agent who negotiated the transaction, that the consent of the Conference to the insertion of a purchasing clause was largely a formal matter, and on this understanding they accepted the leases and began to occupy the land. This is made clear by an entry in the Minutes of a trustee meeting held on November 8th, 1875 at which the consent of the Conference to the terms of the leases was sought "That the Conference be informed that the lessees took the land at an exceptionally high rental through a misunderstanding with the agent that the Conference would certainly sell." When therefore the lessees discovered the unwillingness of the Conference to give consent they became restive, and matters came to a head in July, 1876 when the tenants demanded the return in full of the money paid by them as lessees, together with interest thereon. The trustees placed the matter in their solicitor's hands and, at the Conference of 1877, held in Christchurch, they renewed their application for permission to give the right of purchase and stated their grounds as follows Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 12

13 (1) The leases imply a preemptive right of purchase and the lessees reasonably inferred that the trustees would be able to procure the consent of Conference: (2) The giving of a right to purchase would be a certain means of avoiding present and future legal difficulties: (3) The trustees guarantee to re-invest the proceeds in freehold property if the Conference holds this to be a sine qua non, but they recommend that a portion be applied to reduce the present debt on the church. In support of their request, Mr. Samuel Stone, who was not at that time a trustee but held other important offices, was deputed to present the trustees' case to Conference. Unfortunately the day before his arrival the Conference had dealt with the matter and declined to give consent, and although the question was re-opened and Mr. Stone heard, this decision was adhered to. The position now became acute and the trustees were gravely dissatisfied. After various unsuccessful attempts to settle their dispute with the tenants the trustees finally offered to renew their application to the Conference of 1878 and, should their request again fail, to make a reduction of twenty 11% in the rental from January 1st, 1877 and so long as the leases had to run. Unless these conditions be accepted and the arrears of rent paid before a specified date, the trustees inform the tenants that legal proceedings will be taken to recover the monies due to them. Apparently the lessees accepted this arrangement. The long controversy was brought to a close by the Conference of 1878 consenting to the insertion of a clause giving the right to purchase within ten years, the price to be fixed by valuation and not to exceed a certain sum. The differences extended over some four years and there arose at times strong feelings between the trustees and their tenants, and between both parties and the Conference. There can be no doubt that the whole dispute was prejudicial to the interests of the church and that it led to the retirement from office, and even from church membership, of some valued adherents. It is easy to understand the urgency with which the trustees pressed their case, for, as we have seen, the church was heavily burdened with debt and there were few able to give liberal financial support. On the other hand the Conference was seeking to guard the future and to preserve a most valuable endowment for developmental work in years to come. The following sales were subsequently made. In 1 888, part of the section facing Emerson Street was sold for 625. And in 1895, the section fronting to Dickens Street and the remaining section facing Clive Square were disposed of the former for 594, the latter in two parts for 400 and 475 respectively. The entire proceeds were devoted to debt reduction. There now remains in possession of the church only the site on which the church and schoolroom stand and part of the Emerson Street section. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 13

14 CHAPTER VI A few notes may be added in mention of the ministers and some of the more prominent laymen of the early years. Of the Rev. J. S. Smalley (1874-7). who initiated the work, much has already been said. He came to the circuit in the vigour of his early manhood and his ministry was characterised by intensity of devotion, high spiritual purpose and a most consecrated activity. Nothing was left undone that could be done and nothing was half-done. His sermons were arresting, stimulating, convincing, the product of an alert and original mind. His administration, in which many difficulties had to be faced, was prudent and effective. He proved himself a leader and guide of men, and when he removed the young cause was well established. At his last service, when he preached on "Here we have no continuing city (Heb. 13: 14), the church was crowded to excess and the great congregation found extra accommodation in the aisles and in the large vestry at the rear of the church, which was thrown open. The Rev. Joseph Berry, who succeeded Mr. Smalley remained only one year (1877-8), owing to his indifferent health, but it was a year of conspicuous service, especially in the pulpit. He was a prince of preachers, with a popular appeal exceeded by none in our New Zealand ministry. The charm of his style, the power of his addresses over thought and feeling his simplicity and directness, his constant emphasis upon the Divine Fatherhood and the Redeeming Grace of God drew overflowing congregations, to find room for which side galleries were erected in the church. He had a remarkable gift of bringing the loftiest truths within the comprehension of every class of hearer and of illustrating them with simile and incident. He once told the writer, who laboured with him in two circuits, that he considered several shillings well spent for a volume which gave him a single good illustration. There was at times a touch of the dramatic in his preaching, as when. m the course of a sermon on the Immortality of the Soul,' challenging the unbeliever to carry his doubts to a mother bereaved of her child, he flung out his arm and extinguished the gas light in the pulpit, with a cry that startled the spell-bound congregation "Tell her, if you dare, that her child's life has gone out like that." The removal of such a master of pulpit address, after a brief year's ministry, was a serious misfortune to the church. But there followed him a man whose ministry, though it caught the public eye less strikingly, had a most beneficial and enduring effect upon the life of the church. The Rev. William C. Oliver ( ), excelled in every part of a minister's work. His gracious and sympathetic personality won all hearts, his choice and well-stored mind found expression in the informing and stimulating thought of sermons none could forget, he had a true pastor's heart and was everywhere welcome in the homes of the people, and in the town at large he won and retained unimpaired the respect of men and women of all persuasions and in widely differing walks of life. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 14

15 After the Rev. Robert S. Bunn's ministry of a single year (1881-2), the Rev. John J. Lewis (1882-5). became superintendent of the circuit, which now included Hastings and Clive, with a second minister, the Rev. Thomas F. Jones, stationed at the former place. Alike in his wise administration of affairs, in the quality of his pulpit ministrations, in his care for the youth of his congregation, he built worthily upon the foundations already laid. He was a scholarly expositor, an evangelical in teaching and appeal, a diligent pastor, a man scrupulously careful to fulfil every various part of a Methodist minister's duty. The writer's debt to him, and scarcely less to the Rev. W. C. Oliver, is never forgotten. Among the lay supporters of the church John Harding well merits first place, for he was indeed the father of Hawke's Bay Methodism. He arrived in Wellington in 1842 and was a local preacher in that circuit. In the early Fifties he settled at Waipukurau as a storekeeper and sheepfarmer, making his home at Mt. Vernon. Mrs. Harding and her six children joined him there in They landed in a surfboat at the mouth of the Tukituki, and with their household goods were rafted up the river to their destination, a week's journey. Though residing fifty miles from Napier, Mr. Harding kept in frequent touch with the Methodists in the town and encouraged their hope of establishing a cause. It was he who purchased the Clive Square site and who promoted and paid the expenses of the Rev. W. Morley's visit of inspection in In those early years he was the helpful friend of both minister and officials. His son, Mr. Rechab Harding, maintained a like interest in the work. Joseph Rhodes, whose name heads the list of original trustees, was an uncle of Sir Heaton Rhodes of Canterbury. He was born at Epworth in Lincolnshire and one of his ancestors was prominent among the rescuers of John Wesley, as a child, from the flames when the rectory was consumed. He came to Wellington in 1843 and early in the Fifties settled in Hawke's Bay on the Clive Grange Estate. In he sold this property and made his home at Milton Grange in Napier. He was a man of important standing in the community. It was he who, at a public meeting in 1857, moved the resolution which led to the separate formation of the Hawke's Bay Province. He represented Clive in the Provincial Council during the whole period of its existence ( ) and was Deputy Superintendent from 1863 to He took a keen interest in the establishment of the Methodist cause and brought his wide experience and business capacity to the service of the trust, of which he continued to be a member until 1888, though latterly he resided at a distance. Joseph Le Quesne was a Jersey Methodist of the finest type. He came early to Hawke's Bay and established a successful timber business at Port Ahuriri. A man of deeply spiritual life, his interest in the church far transcended the administration of its temporal affairs. He became, with Mr. J. Grubb, the first circuit steward, and by his death in 1879 the whole church was bereaved. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 15

16 Mr. A. Lascelles, the first secretary of the trust, was a solicitor of standing whose legal advice was invaluable in the many difficulties that early arose. Mr. J. Grubb, who was the first treasurer of the trust and, with Mr. Le Quesne, the first circuit steward, was chief postmaster at Napier. Mr. J. W. Neal early became a member of the trust and served it with fidelity until his death in He was a leading merchant in the town and brought wide experience and a shrewd judgement to the discussion of affairs. The whole church held him in high regard. Of the original trustees none gave more faithful service to the cause than James Davis, Edward Walker and Thomas Laws. They were all men of sound practical experience and it was they who completed the erection of the church. Each also brought something of value to its spiritual life and work and their voices were seldom silent in the prayer meeting. Edward Walker for many years led with success the senior boys' class in the Sunday School. My father was an acceptable local preacher and long held the position of leader of the Young Men's Bible Class. I think I may say that, alike for his works' sake and for the spirit in which his many years of service were rendered, he held a place of peculiar esteem, and even of affection, among his fellow Methodists. Mr. John White, interpreter to the Native Land Office, editor of the Maori newspaper "Te Wananga," and noted as the author of "The Ancient History of the Maori," resided in Napier in He was circuit steward for a time with Mr. S. Stone, later well known in Auckland. They were both trustees and the latter was an active local preacher. There remains another name, which must not be omitted, that of John Stentiford Welsman, who came to Napier from Auckland late in Mr. Smalley's term and established the chief chemist's business in the town. During Mr. Berry's time he became a trustee and also Superintendent of the Sunday School, a position which he held for nearly a quarter of a century. It was in connection with the youth work of the church that he rendered his most conspicuous service. He was a forceful personality, a kind but firm disciplinarian, was trusted by every member of his staff, and under his direction the school prospered in every department. Of the elect ladies of the church in those early years it is not invidious to mention Mrs. John Martin. She was a member of the first class meeting and with the passing years became a beloved mother in Israel. She was foremost in every good work among the women of the church. It was she who received Mr. and Mrs. Smalley at the parsonage on their arrival and the first choir practices were held in her home in Craven Street. Scores of young women passed through her Bible Class and learned to regard her as a friend. Her family, too, followed her example, and among them Mrs. W. L. Prime and her husband were for over twenty years organist and choirmaster respectively. Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 16

17 CHAPTER VII The writer is concerned only with the early story of Napier Methodism, but a few words may be added about the extension of the Church throughout Hawke's Bay. The Free Methodists established about 1871 a Waipawa-WoodviIle charge, with the Rev. Robert Taylor as minister, which in its early years received much assistance from Napier local preachers. Services at Hastings were begun in The writer has in his possession two quarterly plans in Joseph Berry's handwriting showing Sunday afternoon and evening services and also weeknight services conducted in that year by Mr. Berry himself and Messrs. S. Stone, I. H. Creamer and T. Laws. These were held in a small day schoolroom and later in the old Town Hall. Mr. Creamer is still living and is resident in Auckland. In 1880 a Home Missionary, Mr. J. J. Mather, was appointed to Hastings and conducted services also at East Clive, Papakura, etc. On his acceptance as a candidate for the ministry in 1881 there followed a two years' vacancy during which all services were supplied from Napier. In 1884 the Rev. T. F. Jones became minister and the first church was built. The Scandinavian Mission, with its centres at Norsewood and Dannevirke, was established in 1877 and, though in a remote part of the Province, received sympathy and support from Napier Methodism. Its chief pastor, the Rev. Edward Nielsen, was no stranger in the Napier pulpit. The writer desires to acknowledge valuable information on special points received from the Rev. M. A. Rugby Pratt, F. R. Hist. S. He has also had at his service his father's contemporaneous diary and has consulted where necessary the Rev. Dr. Morley's "History of New Zealand Methodism." Reference has also been made to the Centennial "History of Hawke's Bay" by J. G. Wilson and to Alan Mulgan's "The City of the Strait Wellington and its Province.'' Wesley Historical Society (NZ) Publication#2(3) Page 17