Thursday 19 November 2015

Jan, Charolais Queen




                                         Charolais Jan
                             Written by David Bell


How about that! We have a famous cowgirl in the family; a cattle expert and nationally recognized Charolais breeder. Our own Jan Marie Bell was the cover and main article in the October 2015 Bay of Plenty Coast and Country News. She has come a long way from her early beginnings in the tricky, skillful, and often expensive business of specialized cattle breeding. I remember those first days when her brother Mac and his wife Pat were Charolais breeders in Pirongia and from whom she took her first tentative steps into the trade by buying their cheaper, lower quality stock to begin her own small herd. From these she slowly developed her pedigree through years of learning and selective breeding. For those of us who know little or nothing of breeding Charolais cattle, a little background information might be useful.

A French Breed
As the name suggests, the Charolais is a French breed with its origins in the provinces of Charolles and neighboring Nievre. It's a strong-boned and heavily muscled beast, mild in temperament and generally white in color. And big. A bull can get to 1,100 kilograms or more with the heaviest on record reaching two tons! A cow can weigh in at 900 kilograms. That's a lot of beef.

Vache de race charolaise avec son veau.jpg
The French Charolais - cow and calf.
It's not known which ancient beast it got its genes from but legends tell of the presence of large white cattle in the area as early as 878 A.D. It remained localized in Charolles until 1773 when a local farmer, Claude Matthieu, moved from Charolles to Nievre with his herd. For a long time thereafter they were known as Nievemais cattle. It wasn't until centuries later they took the name Charolais.

In 1840 Count Charles de Bouille began a program of selective breeding then set up a record book in 1864 at Villars near the village of Magny-Cours. As the breed improved and established, more breeders climbed on the bandwagon and a rival breeders society emerged back in Charolles. Eventually, however, the two merged with headquarters in Nievre.

As far as cattle were concerned, the French always preferred bulk, bone and muscle to refinement. They needed cattle that could be used to pull carts and plows as well as produce meat and milk. The Charolais was ideally suited to their needs being both powerful draft animals as well as good milkers and meat producers. Charolais' also had big calves that grew fast and had more raw strength than the more refined English cattle.

Charolais' go Global
Soon after World War One a young Mexican industrialist of French ancestry (Jean Pugibet) purchased some of these French cattle and had them shipped to his ranch in Mexico. He had seen them while fighting for France during the war and was greatly impressed by their beauty, size and potential. He survived the war and took possession of two bulls and ten cows in his first shipment. Two later shipments took his total to thirty seven. Unfortunately, he died suddenly in 1936 and the Mexican experiment faltered.

However, a year before his death the King ranch in Texas purchased two bulls from him. A few other American ranchers followed suit soon after, These Mexican Charolais' spawned the establishment of the breed in the United States. However, an outbreak of the deadly foot-and-mouth disease in Europe halted any further importing of livestock from Europe, Mexico and elsewhere. The Americans then took to cross breeding their Charolais in an 'upgrading' program. As a result the bloodlines were thinned and few American Charolais' could boast pure French pedigree. Later, when the restrictions were lifted, French importing resumed. Now, American Charolais are categorized 'purebred' or 'recorded', depending on the percentage of known blood. Purebred Charolais are those with 31/32  or more Charolais blood, while those termed 'recorded' have less than 31/32 Charolais blood. It is said that no other breed has impacted so significantly on the American beef industry as the Charolais, valued for its size, rapid growth rate, ruggedness and lean meat.

From the U.S. A. it was just a short hop into Canada. Today, Charolais are found in at least sixty eight countries around the world. In France they are the second most common breed after Holsteins with the largest worldwide populations being in the Czech Republic and Mexico.

Charolais in New Zealand
The first Charolais' to New Zealand arrived not in a pen on a ship but by plane in a frozen container. In other words, as semen sent in 1965 after a Charolais conference in France attended by a handful of New Zealanders who were so impressed by the breed that they determined to introduce it into the New Zealand beef scene. Unable to ship cattle due to the current import restrictions on live animals, they managed to at least have semen samples sent to the Lincoln and Ruakura research centers for trialing. The first private breeder was J. M. Sullivan of Waimate, one of the attendees at the French conference. He managed to acquire some commercial semen in 1966. Then, from 1969 the importation of live animals (predominantly from Great Britain) was allowed and 61 bulls and 302 cows were purchased by interested buyers in New Zealand. By 1981 the breed was firmly established here.

The majority of the imported English stock had been 'graded up' by using a pure French Charolais sire over a base Angus, Fresian (Holstein) or Hereford cow. Using this method purebred status (31/32) could be achieved. By this method a specific New Zealand Charolais has been developed keeping the typical Charolais growth rate and muscle but better suited to New Zealand beef production systems.

Over forty years ago on Wednesday, 4th September 1968 in the Oamaru RSA clubrooms, the first New Zealand Charolais Cattle Society (NZCCS) was formed with J. M. Sutherland of Waimate nominated President. Today there are Charolais breeders throughout the country, one of whom is our own Jan Bell. The best way to learn more about Jan's enterprise is from the article in the Coast & Country by Elaine Fisher and transcribed here for reader convenience.

Title: 'Granny farm' realisation of a 20-year dream


Although she's far too young to retire, Jan Bell enjoys her pure bred Charolais cows, calves and bulls so much she's delighted to have given up full time paid employment to stay on the farm and look after them. "Not that they take a lot of looking after to be honest. After 20 years of owning and working on this property it's finally at the point where I call it my 'granny farm' because it's so easy to run," says Jan.

The Crawford Road property, home to the well-respected pedigree Wairoa Stud, is  'easy care' because in between full- time employment Jan worked hard to set up the farm including restructuring fencing and water reticulation.

In 2009 she was joined by Graeme Daniel who added to the mix his knowledge of pasture management and renovation, stock grazing, crops and grasses and "lots of other 'farmie' things like cutting our silage and doing tractor work that I am too scared to handle," says Jan.

At one time in her working career, and before she owned the farm, Jan was a legal executive, then for a while a stay-at-home mum bringing up three children before she began work in the kiwifruit industry. "I worked mainly in the quality and auditing field and studied for a post graduate diploma in quality systems, going on to be a tutor teaching post-harvest horticulture and quality control at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.

Vine Disease
In 2013, when due to the impacts of the kiwifruit vine disease, Psa-v, student numbers dropped. Jan happily accepted redundancy becoming for the first time a full-time farmer. Her love of Charolais' began when she helped her family show pedigree animals at A and P field days.

"I enjoyed the shows, still do. It's a lot of hard work getting the animals ready, and it's great to win. Losing is also great - once you get over the impact - because you take a long hard look at the winners and figure out what you can do better next time."

All of the Wairoa Stud's purebred animals are recorded.Calves are weighed at birth then at 200, 400 and 600 days and each assessed by her expert eye for confirmation.

The stud's breeding cows are moderately framed with good bone, good muscling and are structurally sound. " All cows must be manageable so good temperament is essential. We use French, Irish and New Zealand genetics in the breeding herd."

Jan ranks temperament highly. "Most of the time I'm working with the animals on my own so I want to know I'm safe. I have no problem picking up calves to weigh and ear tag at birth, in fact, the mothers seem to treat me a bit like an auntie and wander off to the next paddock expecting me to bring the calf along."

Terminal Sires
The mothering traits of her cows, their ability to produce plenty of milk for their offspring and their longevity is also important. Jan's bulls are used as terminal sires, crossing with other breeds, predominantly Angus, Hereford cows or dairy beef cows.

"Recently there's been a demand for polled animals from our buyers so we breed and use sires that will produce polled cattle. We will keep any dam, polled or horned, who proves herself a good breeder and a good mother. Our goal is to ensure that the bulls we sell as terminal sires will be structurally sound and create no calving problems over mixed breed cows. The calves they sire will be early maturing, well-muscled cattle. To achieve this goal we use American or Canadian genetics over our French cows. The resulting calves are often polled and are smoother in the shoulder than the dams."

Wairoa bulls go to farms all over the North Island and six or seven clients have standing orders for the animals.

Field Days Stand
The herd of fifty, including thirty breeding cows, is raised on the twenty hectares of home farm and local land which has contours from flat to rolling to steep.

Jan is on the council of the New Zealand Charolais Cattle Society (NZCCS), established in 1968 and a keen advocate of the breed which she says is known for its quiet temperament, growth rate, muscle and meat quality. Next year Jan is helping to organize a stand for the Society at the Mystery Creek Field Days. "Sadly there are no longer many animals at the field days so we plan to have Charolais' on show."

Wairoa Charolais are trained for showing at an early age and Jan enjoys attending A&P shows. "I think it's important for the public to be able to see and enjoy the animals. You also learn a lot from the judges who are happy to tell you what's right and what's wrong with your animals," says Jan, who is a judge herself. "Also, it's a good bench-marking tool and a social day out meeting other breeders.


Cheese Makers
The advent of EBV's (estimated breeding values)has been beneficial but had reduced the number of breeders showing animals now. "That's a pity because you can't judge temperament and overall confirmation from figures on paper and I think it's important especially for young people to learn how to judge by eye."

As well as rearing purebred calves, Jan uses the old five-aside herringbone dairy on the farm to milk a small herd of dairy cows to provide milk for the calves she buys in to rear. When the calves are gone, Jan and a group of friends milk a few cows and get together to make cheeses from halloumi to feta to mozzarella.

"We have a lot of fun. Cheese making and gardening are two things I really enjoy now which I didn't have time for when I was working full-time."

End of the article.

Needless to say we should all be pretty proud of Jan's accomplishments. She has carved out her own little paradise of peace and plenty up Crawford Road, near Tauranga. It's a delightful property; a self-sustaining small farm complete with chickens, ducks and other sundry poultry, cattle (beef and dairy), sheep, pigs and horses. Wildlife abounds in the form of native and exotic birds (complete with flocks of colourful Rosella parrots making the place seem almost tropical) and eels and trout in the river that runs through the farm. The river is also a favourite swimming place during the hot summer months. The rich black soil also produces lush pasture all year round and her gardens burst their bounds with vegetables, melons, and all manner of edibles. She has an orchard that every year provides more pip and stone fruits than she could ever use: apples, nectarines, peaches, plums and avocados, to mention a few.

Hers is the perfect example of the abundant life and the abundance of life where nature rewards those who roll up their sleeves, put on their gumboots and got to work with joy and respect for the good things right under their feet and all around them.

I reckon she's in a pretty happy place right now and good for her, she deserves it!

                                                    End

This is another article in the NZ Farmer May 26 2016.

Where performance matches the muscles

Anne Boswell visits a small but highly regarded charolais stud with a two-year waiting list for a bull.


Champion bull Wairoa David demonstrates the charolais' structural soundness.
THE CHAROLAIS BREED has had its fair share of ups and downs as New Zealand breeders have worked to establish it as the first choice for use as a terminal sire, but a Tauranga farmer has shown the utmost faith as she continues to improve her herd. Charolais breeder Jan Bell owns and leases the 36 hectares on which Wairoa Charolais Stud lies and has great admiration for the animals that she says are unbeatable as terminal sires. She was brought up on a dairy farm near Pirongia in the Waikato, but the farm was sold when her parents retired so she found a new path as a legal executive. 
Below: Charolais breeder Jan Bell developed her stud over several years and continues to strive for herd improvement.
Anne Boswell

Later Bell married and she and her husband moved to Australia, where she worked in conveyancing in Perth. Bell then became a stay-at-home mum after her children were born. In 1995 the call of New Zealand and the desire to have a piece of land became too great and she bought the 18 hectare block on Crawford Rd. But it was many years before Bell became a full-time farmer.
Upon her return to New Zealand she began work in the kiwifruit industry, mainly in the quality and auditing field, and studied for a post graduate diploma in quality systems. Bell went on to become a tutor, teaching post-harvest horticulture and quality control at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic.
In 2013 student numbers dropped with the advent of Psa-V and Bell happily accepted redundancy to finally become a full-time farmer.
Even while working full-time off-farm, she worked hard to set up the farm, including restructuring fencing and water reticulation, and built a house in 2000. Said Bell, "I developed the farm and built up a charolais herd little by little each year. I did what I could, when I could. It all takes time and money."
Bell was first introduced to the charolais breed by her brother and sister-in-law, Mac and Pat Bell, who successfully bred and sold charolais for many years. Bell joined forces with them and they held combined bull sales at Pirongia. She was hooked on the breed and when Mac and Pat retired she carried on breeding charolais. "I was not ready to give them up," she says.
In 2009 Bell was joined by her partner, Graeme Daniel. Daniel works on the east coast but lends a regular hand with his knowledge of pasture management and renovation, stock grazing, crops and grasses, among other things. These days, she has a small but superb herd of 25-30 registered stud breeding cows plus R1 and R2 heifers and bulls.
 "Our breeding cows are moderately framed with good bone, good muscling, and are structurally sound," she says. "All the cows must be manageable so a good temperament is essential. In the last few years we have been using French, Irish and Canadian genetics in the breeding herd. They not only look good but they perform well."
Wairoa charolais cattle are highly sought after and there is a waiting list of up to two years for bulls. One of Bell's bulls, Wairoa Golan G3, is a top-ranked animal. Bulls are used as terminal sires, crossing with other breeds - predominantly angus, hereford or dairy beef cows.
"We sell bulls as terminal sires to all sorts of farmers all over the North Island," Bell says. "Our goal is to ensure that the bulls we sell are structurally sound and create no calving problems over mixed-breed cows. The calves they sire will be early-maturing, well-muscled cattle. To achieve this goal we use American or Canadian genetics over our French cows. The resulting calves are often polled and are smoother in the shoulder than the dams."
Bell and Daniel were pleased but not surprised to see charolais weaners getting top dollar at the recent Beef Expo sales and she is constantly looking at genetics to see how she can improve her herd.
"I've been using different genetics for a long time to get it right for our clients and to also be commercially viable for myself," Bell says. "All our cattle are performance-recorded using the Colorado State University EBV analysis. It is a great tool to have as a breeder. In saying that, I believe the breeders' knowledge of the family lines and the traits within those lines is also important. A breeder needs the ability to structurally assess the females they keep and the bulls they use and to be ruthless in culling poor-performing animals. You need to keep your breeding objectives in mind and breed selectively and consistently."
This is a far cry from the charolais breeding disaster of the 1970s. The semen of the French breed was imported for trials at Lincoln and Ruakura in 1965, and by a commercial farmer the following year. New Zealand beef breeders hoped to use these large animals to improve the productivity of traditional breeds. However, they had calving difficulties and high feed requirements and as a result didn't replace angus or hereford cattle in commercial herds. Instead, they found their place as a second-to-none terminal sire. Bell says her overall aim is to breed cattle that perform well as terminal sires.
"I want to keep providing people with good bulls, increasing meat and growth without losing temperament," she says. "The feedback from clients has been positive and helpful in meeting these objectives."
Charolais have rarely been used over dairy cattle in New Zealand, but Bell has been breeding charolais bulls to use over her own dairy cows for many years. Last year, Imac, a low birth weight charolais bull, was borrowed by a dairy farmer. The resulting calves were born in the range of high 30 to mid 40 kilograms to all breeds of dairy cows with no calving problems. The farmer is extremely pleased with the results.
"A four-day-old charolais-dairy cross calf is a commodity rather than a by-product," Daniel says. "They are fetching $250 a calf for four-day-old heifers and $300 for bull calves in the paddock."
Bell will be collecting semen from Imac and if all goes well this will be available for sale later this year.
Bell is on the council of the New Zealand Charolais Cattle Society, established in 1968, and is a keen advocate of the breed. So much so that she has agreed to fly the charolais flag at this year's National Agricultural Field-days. It has been a long time since the charolais breed has been showcased at a national event.
Bell enjoys showing her animals at A&P shows around the country, where she can benchmark her cattle against others. She is also a registered judge.
"I find it a pleasure to look at my charolais herd, to own them and to know that I have bred those animals," she says.




Friday 16 October 2015

One of Kawhia's Greatest Sons

Tom French
By David Bell




It's Friday morning, 15 September 2015. I'm sitting in a chiropractor waiting room thumbing through a magazine called, The Shed. It's about New Zealanders and amazing things they build in their sheds. I'm not at the chiropractor's for myself but for a couple of elderly friends in need of transport to receive a little bone-cracking. Wife Winnie is with me and she too is browsing a magazine. I'm in someone's shed putting together a home-built outrigger canoe when her voice jerks me out just as I'm starting to think I can do this. There's an excitement and urgency in her tone that demands attention.

"Who's the French in your family? I remember that name."

"Who are you talking about? Aubins and Lemprieres?" I'm thinking she's asking about our French ancestors from Jersey and wondering why.

"No, not those. There's an article about Tom French in this magazine. Don't you have a Tom French somewhere in your family?"

"Yes, he's my grandfather's half-brother from Kawhia." Now I'm interested. I toss The Shed aside and grab the magazine from her hands. "Holy smoke!" I exclaim. "It's old Uncle Tom!" 

I know I have to read this!





Things had quietened down recently. It seemed there was no more of the old folk to write about. I had plain run out of material. But this, I remembered, had happened before when out of nowhere an ancestor I knew little or nothing about dropped his or her story onto my lap. It was, therefore, no surprise that another one had reached through veil and bid me write. I have actually come to expect this sort of thing. I am sure those gone before desire to be remembered, to have their korero told to their living relatives. I imagine it's not nice to have labored and toiled on earth to carve out a living and raise a family, struggled to have a successful life and make your allotted time as meaningful as possible only to die and be forgotten a mere generation or two later; out of sight out of mind, so to speak. 


So I'm glad my wife picked up that magazine among the many on the table and amazed that she opened it at page 76. I'm even more amazed she remembered the name Tom French from the minuscule exposure she has had to my Kawhia whakapapa. Furthermore, if she hadn't the presence of mind to bring it to my attention I would have undoubtedly missed a glorious opportunity to learn about a great ancestor I knew so little about. 


The magazine she's holding is one I'm not very familiar with. This is the first time I had seen it in years and possibly wouldn't come across another for goodness knows how long, let alone this specific issue, and it has motivated me to search out more about Uncle Tom and write it into the Pirongia Bells blog so that we all get to know him a little better. His korero and some photos will bring him to life in our minds and hearts. 


At this point I must thank and acknowledge Simon Day, Uncle Tom's great-grandson, who wrote his story in the October 2015 issue of the North and South magazine, pages 76 to 81. Thanks to him much of Uncle Tom's story is told and published; his korero now available for all to hear. It's from this article that I will draw heavily to write about Uncle Tom for our Pirongia whanau.



TOM FRENCH was born under a tree at Waipapa marae near Kawhia. There is some confusion over the exact date because birth records were not a high priority in isolated Maori communities with the nearest government registration offices being two or more days away on horseback. His marriage certificate states his date of birth as 1890 while his military record says 16 September, 1889. Additionally, the family always celebrated his birthday every February 22nd. For this writing I choose to use the military record of 16 September 1889 on the grounds it is the most complete and most 'official'.


Before going any further it may be useful to tie him into our genealogy so we get a clear picture of our kinship to him. I will use Te Anu as the common ancestor.


Te Anu Pohe Pohe + Robert McGruther (1st husband) + Jean Paul French (2nd husband)

 ________________I ___________               ________ I______      
I                                I                       I              I                             I      
John                    Mutu                 Sam        Tom                      Bessie
I________________                                                               
I               I                I                                       
Jock      Colin          Jean                             

As can be seen from the chart, Tom and our own John (full name John Honi Ruki Pohe Pohe McGruther) were half-brothers. After Robert McGruther and Te Anu separated Te Anu married Jean (John) Paul French. John Honi Ruki went with his father, Robert McGruther, to live in Pirongia while Sam and Mutu remained with their mother in Kawhia. When she married Jean Paul Sam went with her and took the name French. Te Anu and John Paul had two offspring, Tom and Bessie. Tom had two wives in his lifetime and five children.


Tom's father, John Paul French, was born in India, having been commissioned by Queen Victoria to teach the English troops there to read. He later immigrated to New Zealand and settled in Kawhia where he eventually married Te Anu, the estranged wife of Robert McGruther and daughter of Pohepohe, a prominent Maori chief. There were four children in the family; Sam and Mutu McGruther from her first marriage and Tom and Bessie from her union with John Paul. Sadly, Te Anu died when the children were young and John Paul practically abandoned them, considering them too Maori for his liking. Sam and Bessie were raised by Te Anu's sisters Rangi and Pera while Tom went to stay with relatives on Matakana Island in the Bay of Plenty where he grew up. Little is known about his adolescent years except that he was quickly distinguishing himself as a skilled rugby player. In fact, rugby became such an integral part of his life that any conversation about Tom French inevitably turns to the sport and his place in it.


In 1910 when he was twenty one years old, he moved to Westport on the western coast of New Zealand's South Island where he joined up with his half-brother Sam who had gone there to work as a fitter in the coal mines. He joined the local rugby team where his rugby skills were swiftly recognized. In 1911 he was selected to play for the Buller province. The following is a brief sketch from the Buller Rugby Union historical records. 



T. A. FRENCH
Tom French is a well known name in New Zealand rugby, particularly in Maori rugby. French played his club rugby for the Westport club and in 1911 was selected for the New Zealand Maori rugby team. He played again for New Zealand Maori in 1913 during their tour of Australia. Tom French went on to become a distinguished administrator in Maori rugby and was accorded the honour of having a trophy named after him. This trophy is the Tom French Cup which is awarded anually to the New Zealand Maori player of the year.
French’s representative record
Buller – 8 matches
South Island Country – 3 matches
New Zealand Maori – 25 matches

Tom was a tall, broad man measuring in at 190 centimeters (just under 6 foot three) and fast on his feet. He was a wing forward ~ which is a loose forward in today's rugby jargon ~ becoming renowned for his fast, running style of rugby, so typical of Maori players back then. 


He obviously stood out because in that same year he played for Buller (1911) he made the New Zealand Maori team and two years later toured Australia playing seven games and scoring four tries. His style of play earned him the praise of the Australian spectators, newspapers there giving him the title, Idol of the Crowds. That same year the All Blacks toured California and many rugby followers believed he should also have been included, questioning why a player of such caliber could have been left out. A New Zealand Herald report on a game between Buller and Canterbury stated, "Tom French stood out on his own among the forwards and it is difficult to understand why he is not included in the California team". 


In 1914 he caught the attention of Dave Gallaher, the captain of the famous 1905 All Black 'Originals' and now manager of the Auckland provincial rugby team. Gallaher, a loose forward himself, invited him to join Auckland and the two became great friends. Gallaher was the foreman on the docks in downtown Auckland and also secured Tom a full time job as a wharfie loading frozen meat heading to Britain.


Tom played his first game for Gallaher's Auckland team on 15 August, 1914, against Canterbury. It was the first representative game to be played at the new Eden Park. He played many games at Eden Park after that, many Auckland representative matches and others for his club. Interestingly, he was the first player to be sent off Eden Park for foul play. In a game between his club City Newton and Marist, he became aware that one of the opposition players was paying too much attention to Hannah Courtney, his girlfriend watching in the stand, so he dealt him a right to the nose. The referee had no hesitation in sending him off. Tom lost his place in the team for the rest of that game but not the maiden. She later became Hannah French.


Tom's burgeoning rugby career was curtailed by World War One when he enlisted and was shipped to Egypt with the Maori contingent. While in England he learned that his brother Sam had also enlisted and was due to arrive at Devonport. He hurried to the dock to meet him only to be given the dreadful news that poor Sam had succumbed to meningitis on the trip over and had been buried at sea. It was devastating news and one can only imagine Tom's anguish and heartbreak, especially when the two were so close.


Even in Egypt there was no escape from rugby. It seems that wherever New Zealanders go they take rugby. In 1915 so many of New Zealand's finest rugby players wound up in the deserts of North Africa or the fields and forests of Europe and, of course, rugby instantly became the great distraction from the rigors and horrors of war. In Egypt Tom was appointed captain of the Maori team before his pal Gallaher arranged his transfer to the Auckland Battalion so he could play for the New Zealand Army XV (also known as the Trench Blacks) in France. Below is the article about him from the NZ Rugby Museum exhibition commemorating WWI rugby players.


                             Tom French
                                                                Corporal Tom French              

Had Tom French been playing his rugby in Auckland or Wellington, instead of remote Westport, he could well have been an All Black before the war. He was tall, fast, and fit, a tireless loose forward who had made two lengthy tours with the NZ Māori team before playing in a provincial game. His talents were eventually recognised by Auckland and New Zealand selector David Gallaher who enticed the southerner to Auckland, gave him a job, and put him in the Auckland rep team in 1914. It seemed All Black honours would come within a year or two. They didn’t, war came and hopes of an All Black jersey were gone. Three years later, on the fields at Passchendaele, French, the All Black in the making, and Gallaher, the All Black legend, were playing a different game. Both were wounded on the same day and attended to at the same casualty clearing station. French lost an arm, Gallaher lost his life.



The 'Trench Blacks'. Tom is seated third from the right.
Tom's rugby playing days came to a tragic end in October 1917. After heavy fighting his New Zealand division overwhelmed the Germans near the Belgian town of Graventafel. Having secured those positions the division trudged on through rain and mud to Passchendaele where they once again engaged with the enemy in what became the Battle of Broodseinde. During a lull in the heavy shelling Tom spotted a sack of bread lying invitingly out in the open. Soldiers were always hungry and on the lookout for extra food and the bag full of bread was too enticing to resist. Tom took the gamble and scurried out to retrieve it. As it turned out the Germans likely placed it there as bait. Unfortunately, Tom took the bait and paid the price. As he went for the bag he was was either shot by a sniper or the bag was booby-trapped and exploded; he never remembered which. As a result a hunk of shrapnel or a bullet hit him in the left arm and rendered it useless. The lower part of the arm was amputated in a field hospital in France but an infection set in and he was shipped to England where an operation took the rest of it off at the shoulder. If that wasn't bad enough, on the same day he was 
wounded his great friend and rugby mentor, Dave Gallaher was fatally hit in the face.
In the space of a few hours Tom had lost both his arm and best friend. It could have been worse, he could easily have been killed as well. At least 2,800 of his fellow Kiwis were wounded or lost their lives at Passchendaele. He spent the rest of 1917 recuperating in England before being invalided back to New Zealand for good. In the space of a few hours Tom had lost both his arm and best friend. It could have been worse, he could easily have been killed as well. At least 2,800 of his fellow Kiwis were wounded or lost their lives at Passchendaele. He spent the rest of 1917 recuperating in England before being invalided back to New Zealand for good. 
Whilst the injury released him from the killing fields in France and Belgium, it also put paid to a promising All Blacks career. But it in no way dimmed his love of rugby and his involvement in the game. He saw it as a great vehicle in which to strengthen Maori pride and help his people rise to their potential. For the rest of his life he worked tirelessly coaching, managing, and officiating in Maori rugby. He was an accomplished referee, an influential selector, and an inaugural member of the Maori Rugby Advisory Board from 1922 to 1962. 

He was also a champion of Maori rugby in a time when it was threatened with extinction. Throughout his tenure on the Maori Rugby Advisory Board some powerful rugby people in high places were determined to disestablish Maori rugby so as not to upset South Africa, New Zealand's traditional football foe. There was only one thing our rugby-mad country loved more than competing with the Springboks; beating them. Our national pride (and probably a lot of money for the rugby union) was at stake and because of Apartheid, Maori rugby was problematic; not only were Maoris unwelcome to play against  South Africa, they were banned from entering the country. Many rugby and government officials saw Maori rugby as a threat to cordial relations with apartheid South Africa. According to Maori rugby historian, Malcolm Mulholland, whispered threats were made at dinner functions and after- match activities that if Maori didn't keep their heads down and mouths shut about playing South Africa, the Maori would find their team disbanded.


Shortly after the war (WWI) the Springboks first tour of New Zealand in 1921 highlighted the attitudes of the time when a South African journalist on the tour wrote home that the Springboks were disgusted that they had to play a 'colored' team and were astonished that the crowd actually cheered for the Maoris. The telegraph was sent from Napier and the telegraphist, realizing he was the only person in New Zealand to know about it, quickly typed a few extra copies and distributed them to people sure to get the comments into the papers. The actual telegraph read: Most unfortunate match ever played. Bad enough having play a team officially designated New Zealand natives but spectacle thousands of Europeans frantically cheering on band of colored men to defeat members of own race was too much for Springboks, who frankly disgusted.  It's debatable who should have been the more disgusted, especially when the Springboks turned their backs on the pre-kickoff poi dance demonstration in their honour, and then refused to shake hands with their Maori opponents. In the end the Springboks only just squeaked home with a victory of nine points to eight. 


Seven years later The All Blacks made their first tour to South Africa, minus any Maori players. An agreement was struck between the two rugby unions to exclude whoever the South Africans deemed as non-whites. Tom and many others openly expressed their disgust, anger and indignation at this official kow-towing to apartheid and the New Zealand rugby union's hurtful snub of its Maori players. The great Maori full back, George Nepia wrote that all New Zealand "was indignant at this deference to apartheid". Tom also refused to be silenced and lent his criticism to the situation.


In 1949 the All Blacks again toured South Africa without any Maoris. This time the New Zealand Rugby Union sent the Maori team on a tour of Australia as compensation for their exclusion. Tom was the manager and the team won nine of their eleven games.They played three test matches against Australia which was testament to the skill of the players because they won one test, lost one and drew one. Later that year the All Blacks played the Australians and lost two test matches. 





During this tour Tom's amicable personality, management style and rugby knowledge was much admired by the Australian captain, Johnny Morris who gifted a trophy to the Maori team which became the Tom French Cup. From 1949 on, this cup was awarded by the NZRU to the country's most outstanding Maori rugby player. Maori center, John Burns Smith was its first recipient. Today, the annual winners of the Tom French Cup are selected by a panel of former players, sports writers and rugby administrators. The following is the list of those players of Maori descent who have been awarded the cup. 

                                                    

                                            
Winners of the Tom French Cup 1949 ~ 2014

Johnny Smith                        Mike Clamp
Manahi Paewai                     Wayne Shelford x 4
Percy Erceg                          Frano Botica
Keith Davis x 3                      Steve McDowall
Pat Walsh x 2                        John Timu
Bill Gray                                Zinzan Brooke x 2
Muru Walters                         Robin Brooke                      
Bill Wordley                           Errol Brain
Mack Herewini x 2                 Mark Mayerhofler
Vic Yates                               Tony Brown
Waka Nathan x 2                   Norm Maxwe
Ron Rangi x 2                        Darryl Gibson
Sid Going x 6                         Caleb Ralph
Tane Norton x 2                     Carlos Spencer x 2
Bill Bush                                Carl Hayman x 2
Ken Lambert                          Rico Gear
Bill Osborne                           Daniel Braid
Eddie Dunn                            Piri Weepu x 2
Vance Stewart                        Zac Guilford                      
Hika Reid x 2                          Hose Gear
Frank Shelford                        Liam Messam
Steven Pokere                        Aaron Smith 


During the 1956 Springbok tour of New Zealand he hit the news again when he expressed his anger at government interference when a highly placed official told the Maori team Tom was coaching to go easy on the Springboks for the sake of future All Black ties with South Africa. It was tantamount to asking the team to throw the game.

His whole life Tom spoke out against racism in rugby. In the 1960's he took to the media to vent his views and give his support to the 'No Maoris no tour' cry. Despite the opposition that tour went ahead but as history shows, it was the last official All Blacks tour to South Africa without Maori in the team. 

It would be safe to say that Tom French was one of the key personalities in the struggle to keep Maori rugby alive. For example, during his days as a rugby selector, manager and coach in the Hawkes Bay he was renowned for turning the Bay into a 'talent nursery' for Maori rugby stars. His Hawkes Bay team successfully repelled 24 assaults for the Ranfurly shield from 1922 to 1926. He cultivated rugby greats like George Nepia, Jimmy Mill (both of whom became part of the famous All Black Invincibles), Sam Gemmell, Tori Reid and Everard Jackson. And, thanks in large part to his work, Maori rugby is alive and well and remains a great pool of talent to this day. Despite comprising about 15 percent of the population, Maori represent about 25 percent of all the professional rugby players in New Zealand's two major competitions. The 2015 Rugby World Cup has eight players of Maori descent in the All Blacks squad.



                  Even with only one arm Tom could turn big lumps of soil in his garden

Uncle tom died on July 15, 1970. In his later years he suffered from emphysema caused by a gas attack in Belgium during the war. Fittingly, his casket was borne by some of the old rugby greats that he knew so well: Waka Nathan, Keith Davis and Albie Pryor. After his death, history neglected him somewhat and his legacy to Maori rugby began to fade. Be that as it may, we should be glad to be part of his whakapapa, and it is pleasing to see that some of his descendants are now researching and writing his story. Perhaps he will yet get the recognition he so rightly deserves; if not by the world then more importantly, by us.



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Sources used:

1. Tom's Dream by Simon Day, North & South magazineOctober 2015, pages 76-83.

2. Wikipedia: Google, Tom French Cup.
3. Exhibition XVI. Google, New Zealand Rugby Museum.
4. Beneath the Maori Moon, by Malcolm Mulholland. 

  


















Monday 17 August 2015

Sir Lambert; Robert Ormsby's Knighted Nephew

Sir Lambert William Hepenstal Ormsby
                                                              Written by David Bell


I  can' believe it! I never knew we had such an illustrious Ormsby ancestor. Obviously others in our extended family, especially those on his direct family line, would be familiar with him, but I never heard him mentioned throughout my entire life. I discovered him while reading about his father, George Owen Ormsby.

Lambert William was born in Onehunga, Auckland, to George Owen Ormsby and Selina Hepenstal 19th July 1849 and baptized in St. Peters Anglican Church, 2nd September of the same year. He was only twelve years old when his father died.

His life story is a great example of someone from a humble colonial settlement making it big in the world through the determination and will to excel and succeed. He also was incredibly intelligent with a most impressive list of accomplishments as can be seen from the following death notice. 

SIR LAMBERT HEPENSTAL ORMSBY, M.D., F.R.C.S.I., Senior Surgeon, Meath Hospital, Dublin. 

WE regret to announce that Sir Lambert Ormsby died at his residence in Dublin on December 21st. He had been in failing health for some time, but, notwithstanding this, had been out of doors as recently as a week before his death. Lambert Hepenstal Ormsby was born at Onehunga Lodge, Auckland, New Zealand, in 1849, the only son of Mr. George Owen Ormsby, C.E.; his mother was a daughter of the Rev. Lambert Hepenstal, of Altadon, Delgany, County Wicklow. 

In his boyhood it was his ambition to enter the Royal Navy. Indeed, after an early education at the Commercial School, Auckland, the Lyceum, and the Grammar School, he left Auckland for London in 1864 with that end in view, but instead he went to the Royal School, Dungannon. He studied medicine, was apprenticed to Mr. George Porter, later Sir George Porter, and at the age of 19 was a surgeon and physician. He had put in three years as a student at the Royal College and the Meath Hospital, where he was resident surgical pupil. 

He began to read for the Army Medical Service in 1869, but at this stage an accident determined his career. In a casual conversation with the late Dr. John Morgan, professor of anatomy in the Royal College of Surgeons, he was offered the position of Anatomical Demonstrator at that institution, and, accepting it, in two years became a skilled practical teacher. In 1872 he became surgeon to the Meath Hospital. He entered Trinity College, Dublin, and graduated in arts in 1875; in the same year he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, and in 1879 took the degree of M.D. 

Especially interested from an early period of his career in orthopedic surgery and in the diseases of children requiring surgical treatment, he published two important volumes, the result of much study and practical experience: The Deformities of the Human Body and Diseases Peculiar to Children. In 1876 he founded the National Orthopedic and Children's Hospital (now the National Children's Hospital), a humane and much needed enterprise with the energetic promotion of which his memory will always be associated. This was by no means the only philanthropic movement which Surgeon Ormsby instituted and in which he took a lifelong interest. He acted as chairman of the Association for the Housing of the Very Poor in Dublin, and the occasions were many upon which his broad-minded sympathies found practical expression. 

From the year 1880 until his death, Sir Lambert Ormsby devoted himself exclusively to surgical practice. He founded in 1885 the Dublin Red Cross Nursing Sisters' Home and Training School for Nurses, and watched over its development with assiduous care. He acted as senior surgeon to the National Children's Hospital, consulting surgeon to the Drummond Military School, Chapelizod, and Honorary Consulting Surgeon to the Dublin branch of the Institute of Journalists. He was, besides, a member of the Board of Superintendence of Dublin Hospitals and Governor of the Lock Government Hospital. He was a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Medicine, Ireland, and a Fellow of the Royal Medico-Liturgical Society of London. From 1902 to 1904 he was President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland, and it was during that term in 1903 that the honour of knighthood was conferred upon him. 

Another announcement gives a few additional bits of information on his many accomplishments:


Following is a list of Sir Lambert's various posts and achievements as mentioned in the above two articles: 

  • Educated at the Auckland Commercial School, the Lyceum, Auckland Grammar, Royal School Dungannon (Ireland), Royal College, Meath Hospital and trinity Hospital.
  • Anatomical Demonstrator, Royal College of Surgeons.
  • Qualified physician and surgeon at 19 years old.
  • Surgeon at Meath Hospital.
  • Appointed as a Fellow on at least three medical institutions.
  • M.D. degree 1879.
  • Published three acclaimed medical books: Deformities of the Human Body, Lectures on the Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Varicose Veins, and Diseases Peculiar to Children.
  • Founded a children's hospital in Dublin.
  • Chairman of a housing organisation for Dublin's poor.
  • Founded the Dublin Red Cross Nursing Home.
  • Founded a training school for nurses.
  • Senior Surgeon at the National Children's Hospital.
  • Surgeon to the  Royal Longford Rifles. 
  • Served on several hospital boards.
  • President of the Royal College of Surgeons.
  • Knighthood, 1903.
  • 1915 Colonel and honorary surgeon to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
  • Honorary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.
  • Invented the Ormsby Ether Inhaler, a pile clamp, aseptic glass, an improved drainage tube and a new type of chest bandage.
As can be seen from the above list, Sir Lambert was dedicated to his work and to his fellow humans; especially the poor, the children and the soldiers. I see in him a tireless worker for all who suffer and well deserving of the knighthood bestowed upon him. I for one feel quite proud that such a caring person is part of my family history.

I am not alone in such sentiments. The Evening Post, 22 June 1918, wrote: Returned officers and men who have come in contact with Sir Lambert Ormsby in the Old Country and in Ireland, speak in the highest terms of his hospitality and consideration of each and every case which comes under his notice. 


Sir Lambert Ormsby was twice married, and had four children (two sons and two daughters) by his first wife. His second wife was Geraldine Matthews, R.R.C. (Royal Red Cross), O.B.E. (Order of the British Empire), whom he married in 1921.

His first wife was named Anastia Tatto who died 20 January 1911 when Sir Lambert was sixty two and is buried in plot 1601 at the Mount Jerome cemetery in Ireland. At seventy two years old he married Geraldine Matthews in 1921, just two years before he passed away on 21 December 1923 aged seventy four. Geraldine was also a woman of great interest, having both R.R.C. and O.B.E. honours to her name. She died 28 October, 1932, nine years after Sir Lambert.


The wedding announcement in the British Journal of  Nursing, February 1921


Sources used:
1. Papers Past: Evening Post Personal Matters vol. xcv, issue 148, 22 June 1918, p.8.
2. Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin (Part XI family plots 1599-1601)
3. Papers Past: The Dominion, vol 8, issue 2458, 11 May 1915, p.7.
4. NZ-Auckland-L Archives.
5. Sydney Morning Herald, Tuesday 25 December 1923, p.7.
6. British Journal of Nursing, February 12, 1921, volume 66, page 94.



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