Woodlands Estate, Waiau - farmed by the Mouat family (1893-2008), Shearing Shed & Sheep

Shared by Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

Woodlands Estate, Waiau - farmed by the Mouat family (1893-2008), Shearing Shed and Sheep: Photos of a flock of sheep outside the Woodlands Estate Shearing Shed and images from a book on heritage farm buildings, of the same shearing shed: 1 - Image labelled as, "Woolshed at Woodland's", pole with beam attached into woolshed operates the wool-press; same system at Sunnyside [Station], courtesy of Margaret McLean - (Mouat Family Woodlands Album), Public Domain Photo 2 - Image labelled as, "Wool-shed Woodlands", courtesy of Margaret McLean - (Mouat Family Woodlands Album), Public Domain Photo 3 - Image showing details of construction of the old Woodlands Estate Woolshed, from "The New Zealand Heritage of Farm Buildings", by Geoffrey G. Thornton - part of the Mouat Family Collection given to us to preserve. Note, no photographer information included with images shown here. 4. Image showing the Woodlands Estate Woolshed starting to buckle in c1986, from "The New Zealand Heritage of Farm Buildings", by Geoffrey G. Thornton - part of the Mouat Family Collection given to us to preserve. Note, no photographer information included with images shown here. SHEEP AT WOODLANDS: Records kept from the past show that Malcolm Mouat of Woodlands had no sheep numbers registered in 1890, but around 1,500 sheep on this property in the 1909/1910 years, which was reduced to around 1,200 by 1927/1928. These sheep were shorn by hand, and this would have been a lot of work! We have more photos from the 1980's of this shearing shed before it became dilapidated, will be put up online in our community archives soon. WOODLANDS ESTATE WOOLSHED: In "The New Zealand Heritage of Farm Buildings", by Geoffrey G. Thornton book, loaned to us by the Mouat family, which has information about this property and its early buildings, it tells us that: "The Woodlands run at Lillburn Valley east of Lake Hauroko began as a cattle station, and it its remoteness must have been extremely difficult to manage. But at some stage, probably in the late 1860's, Donald Manson took over from John Howell and in the 1871 sheep returns he had 5,450 sheep listed. The pioneering nature of this run is illustrated in the woolshed - the most basic in its construction technique of any in the colony. Outwardly the Woodlands woolshed is a simple rectangular building with gabled roof and a full-length lean-to along one side. It also squats on the ground, the floor being kept quite low. The framing is of bush timber, mostly left in the round with the bark still showing. Even the rafters are only saplings rather thinner in section than the sturdy beams fastened with manuka pegs atop the tree trunk posts. A few of the beams have been roughly adzed. Across the rafters the purlins consist of very light manuka saplings. A particularly primitive display of pioneering technology can be seen in the sheep pens where the divisions are simply thin manuka saplings spanning the depth of the pen without any vertical stiffening or bracing of any sort. The exterior is clad partly in slabs of about 550x80 millimeters and partly in plan unpainted weatherboards. The roof is of corrugated iron, appearing at first glance to have been painted in the familiar barn red but close inspection reveals a rich patina of iron oxide. This deeply weathered appearance enhanced at close quarters by the yellows and reds of lichenous timbers must surely be an artist's treasurehouse. The obvious difficulty of procuring joinery has been resolved in a do-it-yourself manner of fixing the small four-paned sashes into rugged frames with no proper sills. In its crudity of construction and finish the Woodlands woolshed survives as a superb example of the pioneer spirit of self reliance and ingenuity. Its association with the primitive stable, cowshed and store make it part of a unique complex in its rugged setting and bush backdrop." WOODLANDS ESTATE HISTORY: Woodlands Estate, was situated at Motumote, between Motu Bush and the Waiau River, Murihiku Southland. It is believed that this run was originally taken up by Captain John Howell of Aparima Riverton c1860. Following on from him was Donald Manson (1865-1878), Daniel Sinclair (1878-1883) and Robert Dodd (1883-1893). Malcolm Mouat was then to acquire the lease and the Station remained in Mouat family hands from 1893-2008. These details have been kindly given to us from descendants of Malcolm Mouat, Snr, but they have not been checked. Until 1958, the Mouat family lived in a house with no electricity or running water, on the Woodlands property. In December 1996 this house was finally demolished. The wash house, which had been situated over the back fence in the back yard, used to house the copper and bath tub. In December 2011 it was still standing. We are hoping to get more photos of the Woodlands Estate digitised soon. MOUAT FAMILY HISTORY: The first Mouat to live and work in the Waiau, was Malcolm Snr. He was alive 1851-1932. He was also one of the earliest people in that district, according to much of the history we have seen written. In his early days, Malcolm Mouat Snr. was reportedly an intrepid explorer of the Western Murihiku and Fiordland areas, and even has a lake named after him, Mouat Lake, which is west of Lake Poteriteri, nesting between the Princess and Cameron Mountain Ranges. See under 'Place Notes' below for a map link to this. Recorded by FWG Miller in his “West to the Fiords” book (which he used notes by WJ Mouat – Malcolm’s son, to write up some history on the family at Woodlands, Clifden and Eastern Bush), Malcolm Mouat Snr. was a Shetland Islander, who arrived at Murihiku Bluff in 1869 and then proceeded by bullock wagon to Clifden, on the bullock track which was the only ‘road’. As Malcolm was an expert seaman, there he was tasked with the job of boating people, stock and supplies across the Waiau River. In Miller’s book, he states that Malcolm ferried sheep on the boat with their legs tied (presumably so they did not try to escape!), but cattle and horses swam behind the boat. Being made head shepherd about a year after arriving there, it is said Malcolm remained in this position for another nineteen years. Peter Begg’s recollections of the area as quoted in Miller’s book, cover the following points: “My first recollection of ‘Woodlands’ was that it was occupied by a Mr Manson, father of the well-known athlete and shearer, D Manson. Malcolm Mouat, a hardy Shetland Islander and for many years head shepherd on Clifden, married Miss Scobie and took over Woodlands, and a son owns the property.” Another record of a journey through Western Southland from 1889 by HW Potter, also mentions Malcolm Mouat Snr., and this below is his own personal observations. Stating that after calling for the boat, “In due course it reaches us and we are soon afloat and the way in which the boatman, Malcolm Mouat, handles the craft in the dark deserves commendation. We go some considerable distance down the stream; a vigorous pull across into an eddy brings us back almost opposite from where we embarked. Here we are cordially received by the manager, Mr Robert Tapper, Jnr.” When the land there was taken up by the Government for closer settlement, Malcolm Snr. also entered the ballot for land there, but missed out, as apparently that land was drawn out by another local settler, Scott. So as the story goes, according to other local history accounts, Malcolm then purchased J Woods property ‘Woodlands’ off him instead, the year is said in some reports to have been 1891. But in the family information given at the start of this entry, that says it was in 1893. Further research is needed to determine the exact correct date. Upon marrying Anna Bella Scobie, the daughter of the Eastern Bush Accommodation House/Hotel, Store and Post Office owner William Scobie (and wife) the following year, Malcolm Snr. purchased this above property himself in 1905, (a fact which I have verified against legal land records) and the following year in 1906, Malcolm was to transfer this property into the name of his wife. In the intervening years, as the ‘Woodlands’ property was on the other side of the Waiau, the family had to get across the river to get to and from their home, which made travel to and from the homestead a rather arduous affair. A family descendant informs us that, because there was no road through the Motu Bush until 1954, until then boats, punts and finally a swing bridge from the Otahu Flat were used. So the Clifden bridge (opened 1899) was really of no help until the road through the bush was built. When Malcolm died in 1932, his wife continued on at the Eastern Bush property with her sons, until Anna Bella herself, died in 1950. She left the property in the hands of her three sons, William J (whose diary FWG Miller has listed as a reference for the family’s story), Malcolm Jnr., both of Eastern Bush, and Magnus Mouat at the ‘Woodlands’ property. We have been told by family descendants that Magnus Mouat, son of Malcolm Mouat snr., didn’t inherit Woodlands. Dick Pearce from Otahu, put in a good word for him with the bank manager at Tūātapere and also went guarantor, enabling him to raise the finance for the property. Other information we received from a Mouat family descendant, says the Woodlands property left the hands of the Mouat family in 2008, which is not yet that long ago. If you or anyone you know has any more photos, records, information or accounts of Woodlands Estate or the Mouat families during the years, on any aspects of their business, farming or community life in the local area, please let us know in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Please let us know if you have more records to add, they will add the heritage of the property.