The good old days

Written by the late Miss Olive Madsen

Grandpa Thomas Evan came to Martinborough in 1878 and established a saddlery business. He and his family had a nine room house behind the shop. This was burned down while they were at a farm at Pukio. Stables behind the house were used by farmers on race days etc.
My mother remembers as a small girl watching her mother planting a sycamore tree which still stands,. That would have been around 1896.

Living across from the Club Hotel they saw a lot of ‘goings on’ there. When there was a fight Grandma would close the windows so the swearing couldn’t be heard. If a man became to obstreperous he was dumped in the nearby horse trough.

Two old men used to leave their horse and gig on our grass edged street while they were in the hotel. The old horse knew the way home. One day the horse took the sharp corner too fast and the old boys fell out. Dad pointed them in the direction of their homes and they tottered off muttering.

Some strange characters came into town in those days. A remittance man taught my grandmother oil painting. A Mr S preached religion at the hotel and offered drunks a bed for the night. Until one was awake enough to see Mrs S going through his pockets. Mr and Mrs S were missing from town the next day.
Once Grandpa Evans heard angry Maori voices at Pain’s store opposite. He went over and found the Wahines were looking at lady’s hats which had different prices. He asked the shop assistant to check the invoices , find an average price. The Wahines then happily tried on the hats, made their choices and paid the average price.
Edith Maud Evans, popularly known as Maud was the second daughter of Thomas Evans a Maori language interpreter to the Maori Lands Court. When looking at land he took Maud with him. She gave opinions of value which he quoted in court. Because of this Maude was made a Government Land assessor. The late (lawyer) Jack Card went guarantor for her and she became the first licensed lady land agent and assessor in New Zealand.

She was agent for Guardian Assurance and an advocate for security with ownership. She always advised a recently bereaved widow not to sell up and move away for at least a year. Often a woman who hadn’t taken that advise returned in after years to express her regret
She had a friendly outgoing disposition and clients became lifelong friends. She was a champion tennis player until sunstroke put a stop to that activity. She later took up golf successfully. She became a member of the Martinborough Flying Club when it commenced. She gave me a chance of a flight and I still have photos of the is exciting event.
She drove a car from early times until she was well into her eighties, sitting upright at the wheel and looking very purposeful. She was interested in many things including photography, printing and developing her own photos. She used the scullery as her dark room and woe betide you if you came in at a critical time.

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