No Black-Birder

Ledtter to the Editor

Mcleod Of The

N. Hebrides

No Black-Birder

T was good to see Mr. H. E. L.

Ipriday’s article in your Sep tember issue denouncing Neil obinson’s unfounded remarks on maid McLeod. My brother, raham, wrote protesting to Hodder id Stoughton Ltd., the publishers Robinson’s book, Lion of Scot ad, and also to Wilson and irton Ltd., of Auckland, New aland (by whom, I understand, ibinson is employed).

Ihere were polite replies, but they ild only refer us to Robinson, d a letter to him, written on June last year, brought no reply. [he facts are much as stated by Friday. The McLeod family, luding my mother—then Flora Leod, aged 18—and Donald Mc )d, about 14, arrived in Auckland the Bredalbane, in 1858. Donald Leod was of seafaring stock, and •ut 1870 he went to the Islands, L became the main pioneer of the r Hebrides.

In a dangerous age, and faced with all sorts of difficulties, he estab hshed a great name for himself with both Europeans and natives Robinson, however, comes out with a fantastic story of black-birdine carried out by McLeod for Queens land. My brother and I know Donald McLeod had no part in black-birding; certainly he recruited labour for his own plantations but m a proper, legitimate way * n McLeod’s day in the New Hebrides, there was no settlfed —only supervision bv British and French warships which visited the Islands regularly There was no encouragement whatever for British settlement, and the Presbv tenan missionaries were against anything but Mission work- they aid everything possible to retard British settlement.

The French, on the other hand,

encouraged P'rench settlement, and New Caledonia was close by In these circumstances, Donald McLeod was practically forced to sell out to French interests. A French Com ply was formed in Noumea by John Higgmson, and included the Morgan family (Sir William Morgan, and his two sons—Sir William had been Premier of South Australia).

Now this may have been where a di’ift in his remarks.

What the French Company did in the way of black-birding, if any I do not know, but they could easily use the great name of Donald McLeod with natives, as I know they did in buying up great areas of land in the New Hebrides.

Donald McLeod for a time acted as their business manager at Hayannah Harbour, but he was not satisfied with the conduct of the

Company, and he started on his own again, this time at Vila, which was at that time of no importance, Havannah Harbour being the main business centre on Efate.

Business followed him to such an extent that Vila became the main centre, and eventually the capital of New Hebrides.

He died at Noumea in his 49th year. He left his estate to his brothers and sisters. The estate was distributed to all the brothers and sisters of Donald McLeod, and notwithstanding the stupid assertion of Robinson in his book that some of the family refused to participate, they all took their share.

Who ever heard of a Scot refus ing good money? Robinson should know better as he says in his book that he married a Campbell.

I know the facts as I was in New Zealand at that time, not hav ing gone to New Hebrides until 1900. I know that my uncles and aunts in New Zealand were able to spend the remaining years of their lives in comfort.

My eldest brother, who died many years ago, was with Donald McLeod at Havannah Harbour about 1886 for two years before he re turned to New Zealand suffering from very severe malaria. He did not see or hear of any of those terrible deeds which Robinson accuses McLeod of performing.

My brother Graham went to Vila about 1896 to carry on the trading

there, in the store left by McLeod; he was shortly after joined by the elder brother, James Walter; and I joined them in 1900. The business was carried on in the name of McLeod for a number of years, and as the name was so popular with both Europeans and natives alike, it was of great advantage to us be fore starting the company of Kerr

Brothers Ltd., later. .

Robinson, before writing his □ could have found out the character of Donald McLeod! reading Julian Thomas’s Carnu and Convicts; also by contao, responsible persons who knew Tom Johnston, who for rn years was British Consul at Noui told me that he had been in 1

less partnership with McLeod, and poke highly of his integrity. William pmston, a son of Tom Johnston, as been British Consul there ever nee his father’s death a number of ears ago, and he no doubt would ave been able to give some valu ble information.

All the French, British and Itives I met during my stay in le Islands of over 30 years had Bthing but good to say about Cap in McLeod; these people all nn personally, and many had inefited by his good deeds.

There was Lizzie Facio, whose irents both died when she was a lung child at Havannah Harbour, cLeod sent this girl, the child of nbrym parents, to Noumea to re ive a good education. When she ew up she married George Facio, id with McLeod’s help they estab hed a good trading business and antation at Ringdove £ay, Epi. e were associated in th this same Lizzie Facio after r husband’s death, and later she pried Zeitler, the uncle of Tibby igeh, when the firm of Zeitler and igen took over the business. [here was also the case o£» Annie d Gus Petersen. The father, a ede, left McLeod as guardian, i when Petersen died McLeod'sent t two young children to Sydney, i had them placed in good homes 9 receive education. Later, after Leod’s death, these children were >ught to New Zealand, and •ught up with our family. They it to school there, and after leav school Gus was apprenticed to a penter and learnt the trade so 1 that he became foreman on ie big building jobs at Auckland, gave his life in World War I, Png a wife and daughter in New Jand. nnie is still living with my sister Pennant Hills, she was very loyed at hearing of the slander ' remarks of Robinson about whom she remembers well pace would not permit me to 1 details of the many good deeds e by McLeod, which have been . t° nie by those who knew him the Islands. The great native etion for McLeod is happily *n throughout the New Heb an chapters of Julian Thomas’s am writing this letter on be ‘ °f the McLeod family, and Icularly for the family of Flora who married my father, es Walter Kerr, well-known in mgarei, NZ, where he was for y years Chairman of the County S H e arrived in Melbourne and managed to get a age from there to New Zealand

he Bredalhane.

' joined in the Maori war, then . up teaching, farming and keeping. When they died, my ler on a visit to Scotland in 1 a nd my father in New Zea

land in 1912, they passed on to their ten children—of whom only five re main, one in Auckland, three in Sydney and one in Noumea, re spect for Donald McLeod as a man and a pioneer.

It is a shameful thing that a New Zealander of a newer generation a man who on the face of it has never come nearer a smell of the New Hebrides than the city of Auckland should be allowed to traduce such a i (grand man as we of a former generation know McLeod to have been. The least Robinson can do is to correct his unjustified remarks and apologise for his meanness.

I am, etc.,

Donald Hugh Kerr.

Hornsby, NSW.

October 17, 1955.

t His Lordship Bishop Francis Xavier Gsell, MSC, DD, QBE, well known as a Catholic missionary in Papua in the early years of this century, celebrated his diamond jubilee in Sydney in October in retirement since 1949, he is now aged 83. fl While Mr. P. G. Roberts, District Officer at lonely Christmas Island, Line Islands, is on leave in New Zealand for three months, Mr.

H. R. R. L. Cooper, recently on furffiugh in England, has gone to Christmas Island in a relieving capacity. He was picked up at Canton by RCS Nareau in October Mr. Roberts was to return to Canton by the same vessel then fly to New Zealand.