Burke's Creek Cemetery, Reefton, West Coast

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: State Highway 69 , Reefton, Buller District, West Coast 7895 New Zealand

Burke's Creek Cemetery

Burke's Creek Cemetery Entrance

Location
Burke's Creek Cemetery, also known as Reefton Cemetery or Reefton Suburban Cemetery, is approximately 3.2 km north of the Old Cemetery in Reefton on State Highway 69 , Reefton, Buller District, West Coast 7895 New Zealand and 100 metres from Burke's Creek. Coordinates: -42.08569, 171.84707

Reefton
The first gold-bearing quartz reefs near Reefton were discovered in 1870, and gold was extracted by 1872. There were further discoveries during the 1870s, leading to the formation of a number of mining companies. Although returns to shareholders were high at first, there was a slump in the 1880s as money to develop deeper mines was not available. In 1888, Reefton became the first town in New Zeland to build and install its own hydro-electricity Power Staion and to light the streets with electricity. With the formation of Consolidated Goldfields New Zealand in 1896, leases were amalgamated and modern technology was used to successfully mine the quartz reefs for the next 55 years.

Burke's Creek Coal Mine
Coordinates 42° 5' 48 South , 171° 53' 28 East.The Burkes Creek coal mine is about two kilometres north-east of Reefton, wedged between the Terrace coal mine to the south, and Pyramid coal mine to the north. The mine was owned by J. McLiver, Robert Cairns in (1914).

The Reefton Coal Company was established in 1919 and the name changed to Burkes' Creek Collieries. Albert Ambrose Wells was killed in a fall of coal at the mine in 1923. The mine was purchased by New Zealand government owned State Coal in 1946. It is a small open cut, and underground sub-bituminous coal mine. ^[1]

Burke's Creek Cemetery Burials
This cemetery is still open for burials. 'Find A Grave' has records for 3,760 interments there. 'Billion Graves has 2,322 Memorials.

Burke's Creek Cemetery

The earliest records are for burials in 1890:

William Fox born in 1827 in England. ' Autocrat of the Arrow'. William was a veteran miner at California, America and Victoria, Australia gold fields and a pioneer prospector at the Arrow, Otago, Arahuara, Charleston and Fox River gold fields in New Zealand. He died in 1890 (aged 62–63) in New Zealand and was buried in the Burke's Creek Cemetery 1 April 1890.

James Henry Knight was born in 1863 in New Zealand.

He was the son of Elizabeth Ann (Bawden) Knight, born in Cornwall, England in 1840 and John Knight born in 1841 Cornwall, England. A resident of Black's Point, some time before his death, James had his leg amputated after an accident. He died of blood poisoning December 1890 (aged 26–27) leaving a wife and two children. A member of the Inangahua Rifles he had a military funeral. James was a member of the Oddfellow's Lodge and members of the Lodge walked in the funeral procession with the Volunteer and Union Bands playing. ^[2]His brother, William Charles Knight, born 25 October 1871 in Moonta, District Council of Copper Coast, South Australia, Australia and died 1924 (aged 52–53) in New Zealand and his wife 'Harriet Ann (Collins) Knight born 16 February 1875 Lyttelton, Christchurch City, Canterbury, New Zealand and died 6 Jan 1939 (aged 63) are also buried in the Burke's Creek Cemetery.

Alice Aiken McGaffin born in 1880, Alice was adopted by Mr and Mrs A I Aiken. She died 8 Sep 1890 (aged 9–10) in New Zealand.

Papers Past has death and funeral notices for others who died in 1890 and were buried in the Reefton Burke's Creek Cemetery. These include William Wyndham in March, Annie Mullins, Rosehanna Moss, John McArthur and Charles Wilson all in June, Patrick Slattery and John McCarthy in July.

Buried before 1900

Reginald Charles Dowsing, known as Charles, was born in1833 in Uppingham, Rutland, England, United Kingdom. Charles married Catherine (Pogson) George 6 February 1854 in Uppingham, Rutland, England. By 1856, the couple was in the Colony of Victoria, Australia where four daughters were born. Charles and Catherine parted ways during the 1860s. Catherine took up with Henry George and Charles went to New Zealand and was in Reefton at the time of his death 27 October1899, age 70 years.

Mary Elizabeth (Noonan) Molloy was born in about 1848 in Kilworth, County Cork, Ireland. On 29 October 1868 at the Brian Boru Hotel, Greymouth, New Zealand, she married James Molloy of Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. They had four daughters. Mary Died from heart disease on the evening of 5 February 1897 age 50 years. Her husband James Molloy died in 1915.

Priscilla Payton (Brewerton) Edgar was born 1 February 1845 in Motupiko, Tasman District, Tasman, New Zealan. She was the daughter of John Brewerton and Harriet (White) Brewerton. Priscilla married Robert Drummond Edgar in 1868. Robert was born 8 August 1843 in Maybole, South Ayrshire, Scotland. They had ten children. Priscilla died in Reefton 7 July 1897 (aged 52) and was buried in the Burkes Creek Cemetery. Her husband died10 April 1936 (aged 65) in Palmerston North, Palmerston North City, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand where he was buried.

Biddy of the Buller's Headstone.

Biddy of the Buller

Bridget (Biddy) Goodwin was born in Ireland at some time between 1802 and 1827. Biddy emigrated first to the gold fields of Bendigo and Ballarat in Australia. Next, in the mid 1860s she sailed to Nelson, New Zealand with two male companions and mined in the Collingwood area. They then made the long walk to the head of the Buller River on the West Coast. Biddy was of slight build and only about four feet tall, but she was capable of the hard physical work involved in gold prospecting. She scooped up, cradled and panned sands and gravel from river and stream beds. Often it was necessary for her to work standing in the water for hours on end while she also directed the work of the two men. Bridget was also an enthusiastic pipe-smoker and by Victorian standards, her morals may have been somewhat questionable. Her reputation, however, for hard work under conditions of enormous hardship, for hospitality, for loyalty to her companions and for cleanliness, seems to have won her the affection and respect of contemporaries.
After the death of her companions, Bridget lived in Reefton for the remainder of her life and became known as 'Old Biddy' or 'Old Biddy of the Buller'. Biddy, an Anglican, was admitted to Reefton hospital at least twice during the late 1890s. She received regular visits from fellow parishioners and she entertained them with stories of her life. Bridget Goodwin (72) died in Reefton 19 October 1899. Two local men made and erected a headstone on Biddy's Grave.

Burke's Creek Coal Mine

Robert Cairns born in 1838 in England was an early owner of the Burke's Creek Coal Mine. He died 11 July 1911 (aged 72–73) and was buried in the Burke's Creek Cemetery.

Albert Ambrose Wells was killed in a fall of coal at the mine in 1923. His wife Agnes Scott Wells had died in1922 and they left three orphaned children.^[3]

Chinese

A few of the Chinese buried in Burke's Cemetery include:

The oldest Chinese person interred was Sue Kum, nicknamed 'Smiler'. He lived to be 98 years old, spending 78 years of that time in NZ, mostly in Reefton. He was buried on 18/01/1945 and in plot 21.

Ah Len or 'Lennie' was a local fruiterer and later labourer, who sold fresh fruit and even imported fish from Greymouth to sell. He was 61 (or 63 depending on the report) when he died on the 12/06/1936. He had spent 38 years in NZ .

Ah Chee nicknamed 'Archie', was a pensioner when he died aged 83 on 21/5/1942, after over 60 years in NZ.

For Ti was a labourer who died 2/4/1929 after 54 years In NZ. He was 82 (or 78). They loved going to Hoys theatre to watch movies.

Jo Kee, nicknamed 'Jockey', was a labourer and Gardener that lived in NZ for 51 years before his death 22/10/1919, aged 69.

Wong Can was a Labourer that worked on Mitchell's Farm at Crondaun. Greatly respected, he lived to be 81, spending nearly 50 of those years in Cronadun. He died on 18/06/1934. His headstone still stands, though it seems to been moved from his plot 14 to plot 22.

The last burial in the Chinese Section of the cemetery was Kong Yew Chew. Nicknamed 'Blinky' due to a facial tic, he died at age 80 on 01/06/1945. ^[4]

Anglican Section Burke's Creek Cemetery

Links

• Buller District Council
• Billion Graves
• Find A Grave

Sources

1. ↑ [https://www.mindat.org/loc-296717.html Burke's Creek Coal Mine
2. ↑ 1890 Newspaper: "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Inangahua Times, Volume XV, Issue 20888, 3 December 1890, Page 2
   Papers Past Article (accessed 24 April 2024)
3. ↑ 1923 Newspaper: "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Grey River Argus, 9 May 1923, Page 4
   Papers Past Article (accessed 24 April 2024)
4. ↑ Chinese