One of Otago's oldest pioneers, Mr Antonio Joseph, died yesterday afternoon at his home at Taieri Mouth, where he has resided for close on half a century.
The late Mr Joseph arrived in Otago in the American whaler Favourite (Captain Young) in the year 1847. The Favourite sailed from New Bedford in the year previous, bound for the Southern Ocean, where whales abounded, and the late Mr Joseph joined the vessel in Flores, one of a group of islands off Western Europe.
The Favourite engaged in whaling all round the New Zealand coast, as well as in the vicinity of the Chathams and Macquaries. The vessel was damaged in a collision with a whale off Chalky Inlet, and it was due to this accident that the ship called at Otago Heads (where there was a blacksmith's forge) to effect repairs to a badly damaged rudder.
Mr Joseph had a remarkably good memory, and his impression of the lower harbour as it appeared well over 60 years ago was most interesting. A great number of Maoris were living near the Heads, a few white people, and at what is now Port Chalmers there was only one house in existence, a wattle and dab structure occupied by Mr and Mrs Wyllie, and Mr and Mrs McKay. A little schooner, the Scotia, lay out in the bay, having recently arrived from Sydney, bringing with her the first draught horses for Otago to the order of Mr John Jones, who was then farming at Cherry Farm, Waikouaiti.
The Favourite, after a three weeks' stay, sailed away again and returned the first week in March 1848, at which time Mr Joseph left the vessel. Later on in 1854 the deceased pioneer took charge of a boat which was named the Scotia after a smaller craft, also owned by Mr John Jones, whose name is inseparable from the early history of Otago.
Mr Joseph, in this boat, commenced the early coastal trading in New Zealand waters. Mr Joseph continued the coastal trading for over eight years. During a portion of this period he worked on his own account in a boat called the Annie. Among the other boats sailed by Mr Joseph were the Endeavour (a locally-built craft), the Hope, and the Challenge. He also spent a year lightering the harbour.
Later on Mr Joseph devoted his attention to farming at Taieri Mouth, where he remained up to the time of his death yesterday, which brought to a close a useful career, and one full of interesting and varied experience. Mr Joseph leaves a family of six sons and two daughters and numerous grandchildren. The late Mr F. A. Joseph, one of his sons, was formerly a member of the literary staff of the Otago Daily Times.
• The University students' procession, which has come to be a regular feature of the capping celebrations, proved as strong an attraction yesterday as in previous years. From 11 o'clock the streets began to bear an appearance of unwonted animation, and by noon, shortly before the appearance of the procession, the route was thickly lined with an expectant crowd in which women and girls predominated.
The procession was less noisy than usual, but quite as lengthy, and the elaborate care manifested in the ''make-ups'' and the extraordinary activity of the revellers quite compensated for the lack of anything startlingly original in the humour. Instead of the ''sounding brass'' to lead the way there was only a small detachment armed with tin-whistles, who emitted at intervals a plaintive series of ''tootles''.
There were the usual burlesques and parodies on matters of topical interest. The procession passed twice up and down the street, and made the customary visit to the Town Hall steps. - ODT 11.7.1913.
