John Henry Hillary

John Henry Hillary, commonly known as “Harry” was a well known identity in early Manawatu, serving a great many years as Ferryman at Foxton and most other crossing points on the Manawatu River. Harry did not marry and like many bachelors of his era, would have become a mere shadow were it not for his very close friendship with the family of Amos and Lydia Burr.

Harry was born 5th October, 1843, the son of William Hillary, a labourer, and his wife Mary, nee Pink. His death certificate gives his place of birth as “Hillsea”, probably the little town of Hilsea in Hampshire. Hilsea is on Langstone Harbour and about four miles from Portsmouth, a major British Naval Base for centuries, and as such the young Harry had every chance to develop the skills that were to mark his profession in the Manawatu. In 1859 Harry joined the Navy, but transferred to the merchant service in 1862 where he remained for four years, trading in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas, to Africa and twice to New Zealand. On the second of these visits, in January, 1867, he decided to remain in the Colony.

He was understood to have been a remittance man, although the reason for being “banished” is unknown. He said that he had jumped ship at some stage and presumably his remaining here relates in some way to this. That this misdeed must have taken place in England is based on his second quick departure from that country when he returned to visit his family maybe about 1879. When the Police came to the front door seeking him, Harry went out the back door and headed back to Foxton. His parents are said to have funded his hasty decampment.

Harry established himself in the Manawatu where he engaged in various pursuits before being appointed ferryman on the Manawatu River by the Wellington Provincial Council. In January, 1868, the people of Foxton had petitioned the Superintendent of the Wellington Province to get the coach, which travelled along the coastline, diverted to T.U. Cook’s inland ferry at Foxton Township. Hillary’s appointment was probably a result of the success of this petition, which also increased the prosperity of the town. He had the distinction of ferrying the first Royal Mail coach to run between Wellington and Wanganui in 1869.

The ferry operated at the base of Seaview Gardens, formerly known as Ferry Hill and it is probably during this time that his friendship with the Burr family developed. Their home would have been one of the closest to the Ferry wharf. Lydia Burr took in boarders and did sewing to help provide for her family. The “tribe” of Burr children, no doubt, took a great interest in and played about the ferry.

Hillary ran the service until 1877 when the County Act came into force. During his time on the ferry he made many improvements to the service for which he was compensated by the Manawatu County Council when that body took it over. In appreciation of this services, he was presented with a silver pocket watch, inscribed “Presented to John Hillary by the inhabitants of Foxton and the travelling public for his attention and courtesy at the Foxton Ferry during the last nine years, August, 1877, Foxton, Manawatu, N.Z.”

In February 1878 he offered the highest tender £105 for the Foxton Ferry when it was for lease, the Ferryman being able to collect tolls. The Council set up a list of charges ranging from 6d. for foot passengers to 4/- for coaches. To further increase his income, Harry carried out repairs to the approach road through the sand hills for a fee from the Horowhenua County Council. He lost the annual tender in 1879 and 1880 but was engaged to refit the Lower Gorge ferry at Ashhurst after it washed away in a severe flood in March, 1880. In 1881 he successfully regained the lease of the Foxton Ferry for three years. However the 1881 Post Office Act exempted mail coaches from paying tolls. This was a severe loss of income to Hillary and other ferrymen so Hillary took the case to Court but lost. However the Postmaster-General decided to cancel the mail contracts and renew them with a clause that tolls must be paid. Hillary had been reprimanded by the Manawatu County Council the previous February for writing to them in “a disrespectful style” and “offensive to the Council”, however, on this subject, there seemed to be no long term ill feeling.

In 1883 he erected a new ferry at Whirokino and for some time operated both ferries. When the Wellington-Manawatu Railway was opened in 1886, traffic fell away and the Foxton ferry was closed in 1888 and its plant transferred to Whirokino. The former Whirokino plant, in turn, was transferred to Shannon, where Hillary selected the site for, and fitted up the Shannon ferry at Moutoa, linking Foxton with the railway at Shannon. Again he operated two ferries for a time. In 1890 he leased the Whirokino ferry for twelve months. 1891-93 the Shannon ferry. 1895 he took a three year lease on the Whirokino “Vehicular” ferry but appears to have stayed until 1899 when he again went to the Shannon one. The first Whirokino Bridge opened in July, 1900 making the ferry redundant so its punts went to Moutoa.

Over the years his friendship with young Sid Burr grew. Sid (born 1872) was a chronic asthmatic and enjoyed the chance to assist on the ferries – Harry obviously could not operate two ferries single-handed. Sid learnt many skills from Harry. Amos and Lydia Burr separated in the late 1870s and Sid spent more time with Harry. Lydia took her family to live in Palmerston in 1896 but 1899 saw Sid back with Harry. The Burr family have letters written by Sid to his future wife describing their life. Harry sitting in front of the fire reading the newspaper – “50 – odd years old, short and stout, with a pair of specs on”. Sid recorded that he could never have a better employer than Harry who was always kind and thoughtful”.Yet another description of Harry as “massive and outspoken”, no doubt a beneficial attribute in a ferryman. He also said that he was punctual and attentive and “at all times to be relied upon”. In 1903 Sid records staying with Harry at Foxton and it is presumed that he retired about this time as, from 1905, the Electoral Rolls record him as a dairyman of Foxton. Letters from Lydia Burr to her family about 1912-3 mention a visit from Harry. She said that he was looking well, but having turned 70 a life of hard work was having its effect.

For some years he was troubled by bad legs and during his last two years he was not able to get around very much. Finally during the night 24th-25th October, 1922, aged 79, Harry died in his home in Hillary Street, Foxton, a street named in his honour. His grave at the Foxton Cemetery is unmarked.

His estate, which included his house, was left jointly to Sid Burr and his sister, Hester Rogers. Sid had been promised an old sea chest but the house was broken into at the time of the funeral and the chest gone. Sid retained Harry’s silver watch and it is still a family memento, complete in its original red leather box. His personal stamp, marked, “Hillary” has been presented to the Foxton Museum, along with a money pouch he had used. A daguerreotype photograph of Harry was also given to the Museum. Regretfully other items have disappeared over the years.

Sid and Hester rented out the house for some years but it was depressions time and rents were hard to collect. Eventually the property was returned (voluntarily) to the mortgagee.

Referencing:

When referencing this article please use the following:

Pioneers of Foxton : Book Four. p.9-11. [Foxton, N.Z.] : Foxton Historical Society, 1990.