Coffs Harbour Cemetery
Presbyterian Section - top of the hill
Coffs Harbour and Dorrigo Advocate
Tuesday, August 2, 1932
OBITUARY
Mr. Walter Harvie
Coffs First White Settler
Mr. Walter
Harvie, the first white settler at Coffs Harbour, who came here
to get cedar 67 years ago, died on Friday last at his home in
Curacoa Street, after a short illness. He was 88 years of age.
Thus last week saw the passing of two of our oldest pioneers.
The death of Mr. William Best, aged 87 years, was referred to
in our last issue. Mr. Harvie passed away while Mr. Best's
funeral was on.
Born in Nova Scotia, Mr. Harvie
went to the United States of America as a boy. He was
naturalised as an American citizen and always remembered
Independence day, even to this year 1. At
the age of 16 he left the states for the sea and came to
Australia. He deserted his ship in Sydney and was alone in a
strange land with only 10/- in his pocket. Of this he spent
7/6 in fares to get to Wollongong, where he found work on a
farm. He was always possessed of a stout heart, strong
constitution, a willingness to work and a carefree disposition.
Deceased was only 20 years of
age when he first came to the Bellinger River, where he took
on a job of driving bullocks hauling cedar cedar for the
late Mr. George Tucker. He was so industrious that a year
later he purchased the team and came to Coffs Harbour to get
cedar from the Red Hill. He remained here for six or seven
years and then went back to the Bellinger, where he married
just 60 years ago. He took a farm at Raleigh and worked the
Raleigh ferry for a few years. For a number of years after
that he was on a farm at Bonville, which he sold 16 or 17
years ago and came to Coffs Harbour to reside. Although he
was practically in retirement, he did not give up his active
life. Even up till Easter this year he worked in his garden
and took great pride in the product of it. In the past few
months old age told on him and for some weeks he has been
gradually failing. On Wednesday last he became so weak
following an attack of dysentery that he lapsed into
semi-consciousness and remained in that condition until
he passed away very peacefully on Friday afternoon.
Deceased was a very old
Oddfellow and was the first secretary of the Grand United
Lodge when it first opened on the Bellinger.
It is doubtful if there was
anyone who could speak more interestingly of the early days
of these districts than the late Mr. Harvie. His memory
for old-time events was remarkable and he delighted to talk
about them either with old hands or the younger generation.
As late as a few years ago he wrote very interesting
accounts of tribal fights and other early day episodes.
His happy disposition and fund of wit made him always
pleasant company. He was indeed a fine old character and
a man upon whom Coffs Harbour can always look with pride.
An enlarged photograph of him is hanging in the School of
Arts as the first white settler here.
The family of this pioneer couple
comprised eight sons and four daughters. The aged widow
and six sons and three daughters survive. The sons are
Messrs. William (Lismore), Walter (Gilgandra), Harold,
Norman and Jim (Sydney), and Tom (Ballina). Mesdames
W.E.A. Gordon (Bonville), Geo Pullen (Coffs Harbour) and
E. Ryan (Lismore) are the daughters. Mrs. G. McKenzie and
Messrs. Weston and Henry Harvie are deceased.
The funeral was at the Presbyterian
portion of Coffs Harbour cemetery on Saturday afternoon.
Rev. Frank Paton conducted the service and C.H. Everingham
carried out the funeral arrangements. §
1
Transcriber Note:
Walter Harvie was not a naturalised American citizen. He left
America for Australia 5 years before attaining the minimum age
of 21 years, upon which as a person not having an American
citizen as his father he would have become eligible to apply to
the Court to become a naturalised citizen. It is just possible
he believed he had become a naturalised American as a result
of having spent time in Boston when 15 and 16 years of age.
However it is more likely such was an assumption by the
newspaper editor or was erroneously provided to him by an
informant at the time of Walter's death.
In those days naturalisation
was the responsibility of the courts. After their arrival in
the USA some intending to later apply to become naturalised
citizens did file with the Court a statement of their USA
arrival date for the purpose of later having available on
record proof of that date for when they became eligible to file
a Statement of Intention to become an American citizen. Accordingly
it is possible Walter Harvie filed his 1859 arrival date with
the Court in Boston and later erroneously believed such resulted
in him automatically becoming an American citizen in 1864 upon
attaining the age of 21 years. However there is no evidence he
did hold that belief. In published biographical notes and in
letters to the local newspaper editor he made no claim to
American citizenship - i.e. that he was a Yankee. To the
contary in a newspaper published letter he wrote - "I am a
Bluenose" (i.e. a Canadian citizen).
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