Whare Ra warrior legend – Andrew Hamilton Russell

By Nick Farrell
One of the most interesting Whare Ra members was Andrew Hamilton Russell (23 February 1868 – 29 November 1960) who is one of New Zealand’s great military heroes.

Having served with the British army in India in August 1892, he got bored and returned to farming in Hawkes Bay. He helped form the Farmer’s Union and became involved conservative politics in NZ.

In 1899 he raised a militia for the Boer War (the Wellington (East Coast) Mounted Rifles Regiment), although he did not go with them to South Africa.

He was a lot more hands on in 1913 when he was the leader of a Massey’s Cossacks which was a cavalry unit formed from famers who aggressively put down striking workers. His troops were farmers who wanted to show these commo city types who was boss.

Russell was one of the founder members of Whare Ra in 1914 and was named as Dr Felkin’s successor as Grandmaster of the Order of the Table Round when Felkin died. He was installed in the role but had to resign when WWII broke out he resigned.  Reginald Gardiner was installed as the third Grandmaster in his place. The official record is a little confused as to how long Russell was the Grandmaster of OTR, claiming that he had to resign at the outbreak of WW1, however Felkin was still alive at that point and still the Grandmaster.

History might have looked unfavourably upon the strike breaking Russell had he not brilliantly led the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade upon the outbreak of World War One, and rose swiftly to high command during the Gallipoli Campaign.

He commanded the ANZAC evacuation from Gallipoli, and went on to achieve further distinction as the commander of the New Zealand Division on the Western Front in 1917 and 1918. He effectively turned the NZ forces into the best in the line despite disastrous campaign decisions by other British commanders. What made him different from his British counterparts was he could put his hand up and admit he made a mistake as he did after the First Battle of Passchendaele which killed more NZ soldiers in a single day than any other event.  With artillery hampered by rain and mud, an attack on Bellevue Spur faltered, leaving more than 800 New Zealanders killed and almost 2000 wounded or missing. This represents the highest recorded loss of New Zealand lives in a single day,  He nearly was killed by a German sniper who managed to pierce his helmet when he was visiting a forward trench.

Russell was a strict disciplinarian, and dealt with deserters by having them shot. The five he ordered executed were later posthumously pardoned in 1980.

Never the less he returned home loaded with titles and was hailed in Maori, as ‘Ariki Toa’, The Fight Chief Sent Forward To Lead.”  Golden Dawn historian Tony Fuller said that Russell handed Whare Ra his bayonet which was used as the sword of the Heirus which seems rather appropriate.

After the war he spent two years in bed recovering. During WW2 Russell became the Inspector General of New Zealand Military Forces, before retiring again in July 1941, aged 73.

Russell’s military achievements were recognised with a CB in 1916 and, in 1917, a KCB. He was awarded the French Légion d’honneur (croix d’officier) and Croix de guerre (avec palme), the Belgian Ordre de Léopold (commander) and Croix de guerre, the Serbian Order of the White Eagle (first class) and the Montenegrin Order of Danil

Russell died at Tunanui on 29 November 1960, aged 92, and received a funeral service with full military honours. He was survived by his wife, three daughters and a son. The Obituaries on his death note  that he was widely read, fluent in French (he read Proust in the original), an enthusiastic cellist, an opera lover, and a brilliant conversationalist. Despite these gifts, Russell, a man of strong Anglican religious convictions, was self-effacing and modest. Of course it fails to mention that he was senior adept in the Golden Dawn tradition.

Jeff Whittaker Pharmacy 50 Years in Havelock North

St Columbas Church and Tree

St Columba's Presbyterian Church and manse was the first church built in Havelock North. It was built in 1871 at the site where the National bank is today. The first minister was Rev. Alexander Shepherd and he lived in a house in what is now Exmoor Street. A new church, designed by Robert Lamb was erected in 1894 on donated land adjacent to the domain (formerly occupied by the Havelock North Hotel). The gum tree, a significant landmark is reported to have been planted in the mid 1860's. The current church was finished in 1971 (ref Havelock Village information online).

Dispite the 1860's date above, no known history of the tree is recorded but the book by S.W. Grant ‘Havelock North, from village to borough, 1860-1952' makes reference to the tree on page 25.
'The second St Columbas built in 1893, dignified by it’s graceful, shingle covered spire which could be seen from many parts of Havelock North, was also blessed by having in the corner of it’s grounds a huge blue gum tree, a giant still happily surviving. Surmise about the identity of the planter has already been discussed; whoever it was, assuredly he or she erected a monument”

“Some must have watched the growth of the giant blue gum tree, which now dominates it’s surroundings. It is not known who planted the tree. Perhaps it was John Chambers, the head of a family who were notable tree planters, or perhaps it was Boswell Danvers who in the 1860’s advertised blue gum saplings for sale.”

The tree was formerly identified in error as a Eucalyptus regans and included in a 1970 national survey of Historic and Notable trees of New Zealand by SW Burstall. E. globulus subsp. globulus was confirmed at SCION on 24 June 2010. National Forestry Herbarium voucher number reference: NZFRI 28197.

Today the tree is a landmark which can be seen from several kms away from each of the 4 main roads (N S E & W) leading into Havelock North. The tree is visible towering over the church roof and the village CBD. The tree is recorded in many early photos of the area. JMK 2010

George Pritchard Thompson 1878 - 1962

George Thompson Pritchard
1878-1962

Born in Havelock North Hawkes Bay New Zealand. 11th April 1878

Died in Reseda California America 26th February 1962.

Havelock North was extremely lucky to be gifted a sizeable number of George Thompson Pritchard paintings by the artist himself. Duart was chosen to display and look after the valuable paintings and has slowly been restoring these beautiful oil paintings as funding permits. As we are a non profit organization we rely heavily on the generosity of donations and welcome any assistance toward the costly restoration procedure.

Son of Alfred & Emily (Huggins) Pritchard. His father was English, one of the pioneer cattle farmers in New Zealand. George Thompson Pritchard received his early education in local schools and later studied art and sculpture in Wellington and Auckland 

He continued his studies at the Academy of fine Arts in Melbourne, Australia. In 1901 at the Julian Academy in Paris, France and the Vandertheldt Academy in Amsterdam, Holland from 1911 to 1914. Just before the outbreak of the First World War he went to England, where he completed his studies under Sir Alfred East, a member of the Royal Academy. As a schoolboy he designed and built boats for Maori in this way earning pocket money. Gifted both as musician and artist, Pritchard in his early years wanted to be a violinist, but the loss of his left forearm while still a young man ended any thought of a career in music, and he turned his full attention to art, especially painting.

While studying in Australia he worked for newspapers in Melbourne and later was political editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1906 he immigrated to the United States. He arrived in San Francisco, while that city was still smoking ruins from the disastrous earthquake and fire. He remained there however, for nearly three years and produced many works of art before moving to Milwaukee. In this city he established an art school, which he maintained until going abroad for further study in 1911.

During the first World War he stayed in England and, temporally abandoning his art career. Worked as production manager of a munitions factory. Following the war, he lived for a time in Canada and then spent a period in New York City. From 1925 to 1931 he was a resident of the Richmond area in Virginia, delivering lectures and exhibiting at universities and colleges in the South, many purchasing his paintings at the time. He later returned to California in 1935 until his death.

After maintaining a studio in Glendale he opened a studio in Santa Monica where he continued to paint and to teach until 1946. George Thompson Pritchard was primarily a painter of landscapes, seascapes and other aspects of nature. Apart from the works produced under his own name he used various pseudonyms including: • L.Huntley for flower paintings painted in England. • Hewitt for North African watercolour scenes. • Van der Hoek for his paintings of Dutch scenes. His paintings were purchased for permanent exhibitions in various universities and public and private collections in the United States, England, Australia and New Zealand. He was the recipient of a number of awards both in America and other Countries.

Following his retirement in 1946 he devoted all of his time to painting and writing for his own pleasure, never again offering any of his work for sale. One of his paintings in this later period “ Signing of the Bill of Rights” was donated to the New Zealand House of Parliament Shortly before his death he completed a book on world economics entitled “Whom the Gods Destroy”.

George Thompson Pritchard was a member of the Masonic Order, the Glendale and Santa Monica art associations and of numerous art and literary organisations in New Zealand, Australia, Holland and the United States. In religion he was Episcopalian. He was married in London September 25th 1915 to Valerie Lucy, daughter of Francis Woods of Brentwood, Essex, England, a horticulturist and had four children: • Paul Thompson Pritchard • Valerie Thompson Pritchard married Werner Hans Geroen • Gabrielle Thompson Pritchard marries Brendan Lennon • Vashti Thompson Pritchard married Count Michael Gaszyn The above information is from National Cyclopaedia of America Information from correspondence held at Hastings District Council Archives.

Paintings offered to Havelock North Town Board in 1950 - letter from George Thompson Pritchard, he wanted a Gallery set up around his paintings and others he was prepared to give to the people of Havelock North. It was stated in a letter that the paintings where for the people of Havelock. Committee set up to look at fundraising for a Gallery in Havelock North. • William J Rush • Mrs Gwen W. Malden (Miss Nelson) • Miss D. Turner • Mrs D Carne • Mrs F Miller • Mr K W H Elliott • Mr H W Malden • Mr Bernard Chambers • Mr W A G Penlington The Town Board offered a possible site for Gallery, through lack of funds a Gallery was never built. George Thompson Pritchard donated paintings to: • Havelock Town Board - these paintings as there was no where suitable to hang them, where lent to well known people in the area. Some of these paintings has gone missing There are 19 paintings in Havelock North at present. • New Zealand Parliament (Beehive) has 1 Signing of the Bill of Rights • National Gallery Wellington > 3 In Harbour > Men must work & Women must Weep > Unnamed • Bishop Suter Gallery - Nelson > 1 October Snow • Hawkes Bay Museum > 1 Street in Peking • 20 paintings held iat Duart House. Clearly there was something about Havelock North that never left George Thomson Pritchard. A letter written to Mr N T Smith the Havelock North Town Board Clerk in 1949, intimated that he had a desire to be buried in his birthplace, but it was a wish he hadn’t broached with his wife.

GEORGE THOMPSON PRITCHARD

Ships Docked

GEORGE THOMPSON PRITCHARD

The winding brook

GEORGE THOMPSON PRITCHARD