Edgar Seaborn Savell (1884 - 1954)

When he was about 6 years old, the family moved from Foxton to live in the Pohangina Valley from about 1890 to 1900. This period was not a happy one, as during it, his Father, Samuel was adjudicated bankrupt in 1891, his Brother, Francis died in 1893 and his Mother, Christiana died in 1894. We can definitely locate him in the 1890’s as follows: Savell, Edgar b 1884 18 Aug 1896 Awahou School Class Standard 1 27 Apr 1898 Awahou School Class Standard 2

About 1900, his father Samuel moved back to Foxton to take up carpentry. It is not known if Edgar accompanied him – he would have been 16 years of age at this time and probably of an age to start working. It is most likely that he stayed in the Pohangina Valley

We do know that aged about 20, in 1904, he was clearing bush to create farmland. Some 5 years later, the 1911 and then the 1914 Electoral Rolls have his occupation as “carpenter” and residence as Foxton, which may imply that he has ceased being a bushman in Pohangina and returned to Foxton. Could it also imply that he was also working with his Father, Samuel, who in the 1905 Electoral Rolls was also a carpenter.

26th October 1911 also saw him purchase a quarter acre section at 41 Coley St, Foxton. As best as can be determined, the soon to be family home, was then erected the year after – mortgages were recorded against the property in September and October of 1912. Does this infer that Edgar was able to initially purchase/obtain the section with cash, but then borrowed to fund the house construction? In November 1948, this section was subdivided into two equal parts, allowing his son Brian, to build his own family home thereon. In 1912 Edgar Married Emily Newth – always known as Ada. She was the second generation of the pioneering Newth Family who arrived at Nelson in 1841, as some of the earliest immigrant settlers into New Zealand.

15th August 1913 saw the birth of Edgar and Ada’s first son, Bryan Savell. Their second son, Ivan followed on 31st Jan 1917. Their only daughter, Olga was born 15th April 1919. All of the children were born in Foxton. The Military Service Act of 1916 made all men aged between 20 and 45 liable for service in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force for World War 1. Only those deemed medically unfit for overseas service, working in essential war industry jobs or officially recognised as conscientious objectors were granted exemptions. Edgar is recorded in the 1916 Second Division of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Reserve Rolls as a "C" category, [2 children] reserve, with occupation as Flax cutter, Foxton. This is the first reference we have that he has now turned to the flax industry and this is also possibly why he was a reservist – the flax industry being deemed an essential industry.

Edgar was obviously in the flax industry by 1916 – as evidenced by that years Army Reserve Rolls, but his career nowt took an entirely different turn. In 1920, his son Bryan, is recorded as being at Ororua Downs School. My Father, Ivan, Bryan’s brother, also told me that the family spent some time dairy farming at Oroua Downs. However, by 1921, Bryan is recorded as being back at Foxton District High School. The Ororua Downs dairy venture would therefore have been between 1916 and July 1921.

Around 1919 – 1921, Edgar took up a dairy farm in the Oroua Downs area – exact site not known. Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1865, 11 July 1921 details the sale of this venture. Family oral history says that Ada’s parents – Sarah and William Newth financially backed the venture. It is assumed that the farm was leased [ clearing sale does not cover land and buildings] and therefore tracking down the location is difficult. Geoff Savell recalls his Father, Bryan Savell showing him the property when he [Geoff] was about 8 years old – it abutted corner of Puke Puke Rd [Southern side] and State Highway 1 at Oroua Downs. Bryan told Geoff words to the effect that “Property extended back along SH 1 towards Oroua Downs and out towards the coast”. Conflicting this, I recall my Father, Ivan Savell showing me the property, which I thought was further inland. I lean towards Geoff’s information being more correct as Bryan was the older brother, probably had a clearer memory and the description was specific.

The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, Ltd., Palmerston North, report: —On Tuesday we held a clearing sale at Oroua Downs on account of Messrs Savell and Newth. There was a good attendance of buyers and competition was keen throughout the sale and the cows, which were rather low conditioned, sold well. Best cows" £17 10/- to £2O 10/- fair cows £11 to £l6, three-quarter late calvers 35/ to £5, good springing heifers £14 5/ to £15 10/- heifers r.w.b. £5, sow and litter £4, sows £2 to £4 10/- Manawatu Times, Volume XLII, Issue 1869, 16 July 1921

From about 1920 through to the late 1930’s Edgar was involved in the flax industry, mainly as a cutter, but finally as a swamp manager for Messrs A. Ross, Rough and Co. He first worked in Foxton and then latterly in Wairoa, Hawkes Bay, His Obituary also states that he worked at Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty, however, I can find no corroborating evidence of this.

While working in Foxton, the family would have been at the family home of 41 Coley Street. In Hawkes Bay, they were living on State Highway 2, adjacent to Kiwi Road, North Clyde, about 1 ½ km’s from the Wairoa Bridge. [My father, Ivan showed me the old home many years ago when we passed through Wairoa – it has now been demolished] They were in Wairoa in Feb 1931, when the 7.8 magnitude Napier Earthquake occurred. Centred 15 km north of Napier, it lasted for two and a half minutes and killed 2 people in Wairoa. I understand that Edgar was sent to Wairoa by Messrs A. Ross, Rough and Co to manage its flax swamp interests in the area.

Wairoa is located on the northern shore of Hawke's Bay about 4 kilometres from the mouth of the Wairoa River. It is 118 kilometres northeast of Napier, and 92 kilometres southwest of Gisborne. In the early 1900’s road transport was limited and traversed difficult and steep country. It’s river port, was therefore important, notwithstanding that using it involved a while meaning a difficult and sometimes dangerous journey over the bar at the river mouth. The Napier-Wairoa railway was completed in 1937 and came into full service in 1939. This saw the closure of the port in 1939.

It is most likely that when the Savell’s moved to Wairoa in the late 1920’s this would have involved using rail from Foxton to Napier, then a coastal shipping service to Wairoa. The reverse would have occurred when they departed in the mid 1930’s

In 1933, Edgar’s son, Ivan, qualified for a senior free place at Foxton District High School...... Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 26, 1 February 1933, Page 9. – does this indicate that the entire family are now back in Foxton, or just Ada and the children, leaving Edgar to continue working in Wairoa – this is a possibility due to the Napier earthquake of 1931 making the home in Wairoa uninhabitable

Oral family history has it that during the pre-war era, Bryan Savell was paying the mortgage/s on the family home, as Edgar could not afford it. As compensation for this, in 1948, a block was surveyed off from the original section and transferred to Bryan, who built his own family home theron

1938 Saw Edgar back in Foxton, as confirmed by that years Electoral Roll, but this time, his occupation given as a Clerk – presumably still for Messrs A. Ross, Rough and Co. Audrey Savell relates that when they came back to Foxton, Edgar was still working in the flax mill in the threshing section and also used to put the fibre over the wires to dry in the paddocks