At our monthly meeting at The Cardigan Branch, we firstly held our AGM and then had our member Idris Rees give a talk. This is Fiona Thomas report of that talk.
William Gilbert Rees
How often when researching family or local history do we come across someone who is unrelated to us yet somehow is so interesting and inspirational that we are compelled to search the archives and internet to uncover their story? This is what happened to Idris Rees, our speaker this evening, who brought to life the story of William Gilbert Rees, pioneer, explorer and entrepreneur. Although by chance they share the same surname there is no other connection: William Rees, although born in Wales, was of English lineage unlike Idris who is Welsh born and bred, a true native by heritage as well as birth. William was connected to the Grace family of Bristol and his cousin was William Grace, the famous cricketer, so perhaps he absorbed the best of both Welsh and English culture.
William Rees was born in Haroldston, near Amroth, in 1827 and there is some information about him in the Haroldston museum. Although he was the son of a naval officer and attended the Royal Naval School in Camberwell he doesn’t seem to have had any inclination to follow in his father’s footsteps and instead went to Australia with a friend, perhaps seeking a fresh start with new opportunities and adventure. The two young men had sheep farming in mind but lacked money so they provided the hard work while another friend provided the funds. In 1858 they found a farm to buy but were unable to take possession of it until 1859 so William returned home to Haroldston, aged 31, and married his 19 year old cousin, Frances.
Together William and Frances travelled not to Australia but to South Island, New Zealand, to a place called Dunedin. Shortly after, in 1859, William left his young wife at their farm and went off to explore the Wakatipu Lake. It was there that he saw the area which so impressed him with its beauty that he named it Queenstown - a place fit for a Queen. William applied for permission to have a sheep run (farm) there and built a house and a shed on the hill. Frances joined him, travelling in a whale boat which was very soon put to good use as gold was found in the area including on part of their farmland. They were paid compensation of £10,000 which in today’s money would equate to over one million pounds. This was certainly a very lucky break and William and Frances put the money to good use by turning the house into a hotel and pub for the miners. They used the whale boat to transport the gold and bring back supplies to feed the miners who would often try to grab what they could but were no match for William’s fists and revolver. He could have taken the opportunity to exploit the miners as they had no other source of food or shelter at that time but he seems to have been well-thought of and admired generally and earned the nickname “King Wakatip” for his fairness and authority in rationing out the much-needed supplies.
William helped to establish the town and became a freemason but in 1867 the family moved again, farming another sheep run at nearby Kawarau. He and Frances had three children during this time but sadly their first child died in early infancy. He established various other sheep runs, often under very adverse conditions as it was often necessary to clear needle-sharp grass to make room for pasture.
In 1898 William passed away at the age of 71. He was living in Marlborough and the house he lived in is now known as the Rees Hotel. The names of the Rees family members are immortalised all over the area, especially in the Rees River and Valley, as well as Frankton which was named after Frances.
Idris visited New Zealand in 2005, including the Queenstown area, and was able to show us photographs and maps from his time there. The photograph of the memorial to William Rees was quite striking: it depicts a mature man standing in a relaxed pose looking into the distance as though seeking more places to explore. By his side is a sheep, the symbol of his livelihood, his hand rests companionably on its back and the sheep seems to be looking up at him like a pet.
William was a pioneer, one of the first European settlers. He made his living on sheep farms (you can’t get any more traditionally Welsh than that!). He was also hard working, resilient, courageous and above all seems to have been a fair and well-respected person, honest and down to earth. We all enjoyed hearing his story this evening. It was lovely and uplifting to hear of a local person who made the very dangerous journeys to both Australia and New Zealand, who took opportunities when they arose but who remained a decent human being and a valued member of his community.