Post by Kiwi Frontline on Sept 18, 2016 9:24:44 GMT 12
Dear Editor, (Sent to the Wanganui Chronicle 30/5/16)
A police man from Dargaville District Constable Corbett had a passion for early history of the region as it just happened the original journals covering policing activites for the late 1800’s were housed at the Ruawai police station. During quiet times Constable Corbett loved to dip into these journals which he called ‘day books’ and read extracts penned by earlier constables.
One historical detail that he told friends about a lands department survey in 1860’s of a Hugh cavern system on the Southern end of Poutu Peninsula where there were many thousands of skeletons. When Governor Bowen came to the northern Wairoa in the late 1860’s he met with 600 Maoris assembled from all over Northland at Te Kopuru. He put it to those assembled the question of ‘who did these skeletons belong to’ Maori replied they did not know who these peoples were and to ‘do with them what you wish, they are not our people” This is recorded in Bowen’s paper and journals of the time which can be read in the Alexander Turnbull library.
Around 60,000 of these skeletons were taken to Robertson bone mill in Onehunga to be ground up as ‘dust fertiliser’over a three year period. There are still many more in sites around, they did not get them all.
A visiting forensic Pathologist from England with over 50 years experience who examined some of the remains that still existed and a DNA was done by the Pathologist and his results were that they came from a race of people living in Wales over 3500 years ago.
I B
Wanganui
A police man from Dargaville District Constable Corbett had a passion for early history of the region as it just happened the original journals covering policing activites for the late 1800’s were housed at the Ruawai police station. During quiet times Constable Corbett loved to dip into these journals which he called ‘day books’ and read extracts penned by earlier constables.
One historical detail that he told friends about a lands department survey in 1860’s of a Hugh cavern system on the Southern end of Poutu Peninsula where there were many thousands of skeletons. When Governor Bowen came to the northern Wairoa in the late 1860’s he met with 600 Maoris assembled from all over Northland at Te Kopuru. He put it to those assembled the question of ‘who did these skeletons belong to’ Maori replied they did not know who these peoples were and to ‘do with them what you wish, they are not our people” This is recorded in Bowen’s paper and journals of the time which can be read in the Alexander Turnbull library.
Around 60,000 of these skeletons were taken to Robertson bone mill in Onehunga to be ground up as ‘dust fertiliser’over a three year period. There are still many more in sites around, they did not get them all.
A visiting forensic Pathologist from England with over 50 years experience who examined some of the remains that still existed and a DNA was done by the Pathologist and his results were that they came from a race of people living in Wales over 3500 years ago.
I B
Wanganui