Guards Of The Sea, Tauranga in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty for sale
The Guard family's associations with NZ began when Jacky Guard arrived in 1830 from Australia. He was an ex-convict and with him was his 16 year-old wife, Betty. Initially they settled at a sealers'camp on Tory Channel in the Marlborough Sounds, (she was the first white woman in the South Island). Their first child arrived in 1831 (the first white baby in the SI) and thus began the Guard NZ dynesty. In its early years in NZs the family was to experience, hardship, privation, danger from and capure by Maori tribes. In 1834 the Guards were aboard the barque Harriett bound from Sydney to Marlborough Sounds when the ship was wrecked off Cape Egmont. A dozen of the crew were killed by the local Maori and Guard, Betty and their two chjildren were captured, along with members of the sealing gang Guard was taking to the Sounds. Grady relates in full this amazing and controversial episode which was eventually resolved by the rescue of Betty Guard and the two children by a military party, arranged when Jacky Guard, who escaped to Sydney, reported the loss of the Harriett and the subsequent drama. This mission resulted in much further bloodshed. Betty Guard and her children had spent many weeks as captives of the Maori and the family returned (via Sydney) to set up a whaling station at Port Underwood in the Sounds. At the time of publication, five gererations of Guards had lived there, mainly engaged in sealing, whaling, trading and latterly fishing. The early family story is a fascinating, tragic and tempestuous one. Jacky was no"white knight,"with the author agreeing he was of"ill-repute"and"a law unto himself', while his relationships and treatment of Maori was described by one Sydney official as being"in some instances, marked with cruelty.".However, Jacky Guard was resourceful, determined and builder of a thriving whaling statiion based on Kakapo Bay in Port Underwood. It was there that the author conducted much of his research, with the co-operation of later generations of the Guard family. His story graphically describes the challenges of attempting to create permanent setttlements in isolated locations in those far-off days. It was a story the deserved to be told, honestly and objectively, and Don Grady certainly achieved that. First edition from Whitcoulls of 1978, 192 pages including appendix, bibliography, acknowledgements and index, illustrated throughout with photographs (b/w and colour), compemporary art (b/w and colour), document reproductions, few sketches and several family tree tables, e/paper maps. Gray hard covers with silver spine titles are VG+ with unobtrusive light crease top rear board, internally excellent, no inscriptions. Colour art DJ is also VG+ with light crease top front corner, one short tear lower rear edge near spine, not price clipped. Size: 24cm by 15.5cm
Author
Don Grady
Title
Guards Of The Sea
Publisher name
Whitcoulls, Christchurch
Shipping time
2 - 4 days
Publication year
1978
Edition
First edition
Binding type
Hard cover
Listing condition
Used
Item condition
Very good
Vendor name
BOPBooks
Vendor rating
Key words
New Zealand, History, Early Settlers, Sealing, Whaling, Guard Family, Marborough Sounds, Taranaki
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