On the top of the hill that is the Matakana Cemetery you will find a beautiful granite Gravestone of a mother and her only son.

Elizabeth Quirie born on the 7th of May 1813, in Crimond a small village in the Northeast of Scotland some 30 miles north of Aberdeen. A place where the summer temperatures peak at 16 Celsius. Elizabeth’s parents James and Sophia are crofters, eking out a living as tenant farmers and tartan weavers.

In 1835 at the age of 22, she married a young carpenter, Alexander Stuart from Fort George, Inverness, Scotland.

On the 2nd of June 1841 with 3 daughters, they leave Scotland for Australia. At the port of Dundee, they boarded the 365 ton; 106 foot; barque rigged; “Mathesis” for her maiden voyage. This journey would take them into the Atlantic at Cape Verde Islands across to Rio De Janeiro; around Cape of Good Hope; into the Australian Bite and up the east coast to Sydney. With 83 passengers on board, the ship was expected to arrive in Sydney at Christmas 1841.

However, 60 days into the voyage and halfway across the Atlantic they are in trouble. Water and food supplies are so low they are rationed, and the next supply stop is Rio de Janeiro 15 days away. But the worst comes on the 9th of August, a fire breaks out in the storeroom and according to documents, this was caused by a spark from an oil lantern, which fell on straw packing materials in the hull.

A fire at sea is one of the scariest events and the crew saw complete disaster and took to the longboats, leaving the ship, captain, and passengers to perish. Fortunately, the captain showed common sense, courage, and leadership. The passengers, realizing their lives were in danger, took instruction, banded together, and extinguish the blaze.

This took 36 hours and was achieved due to the captain’s experience – it involved filling the hull with water and sealing off the deck with wet sail cloth with the hope that water and lack of oxygen would prevail. There is a comprehensive account of how they managed this feat, available online.

After the fire was out the crew realized that rowing to Rio was impossible so asked to re-join the ship and sensibly the captain agreed. You can just imagine the tension between the passengers and crew!

Elizabeth tending 3 young children, would have been amongst these brave passengers fighting for their lives.

After 2 days of work on the ship, the pumping out of water, drying of sails, and making repairs, the "Mathesis" sailed on. 10 days later on the 25th of August the port of Rio de Janeiro came into view. Most of the cargo was damaged and the fire had burnt through many of the Mathesis’s structural timbers. It was here that major repairs were undertaken and after 92 days in port the "Mathesis" left for Sydney on the 2^nd  November 1841 with fresh supplies and a new passenger the British Consul General of Belgium Mr. Henry Van Nyvel.

However, even after replenishment of supplies at the Cape of Good Hope rationing was again necessary during the last leg to Sydney. In my humble opinion and of course, great hindsight the "Mathesis" was inadequately prepared for this journey for several reasons – firstly the captain and his brother were part owners of the vessel and would have been very budget-conscious on supplies for the ship. Secondly, this was the ship's maiden voyage – which in most seagoing vessels is a journey of discovery. Discovery of how the boat handles at sea and weathers the storms of elements and humankind.

The 8-month nightmare journey ended on Monday 31st January 1842 in the Port of Sydney. Immediately upon arrival in Sydney, 3 major legal problems arose for the captain of the Mathesis.

Firstly, the Australian Immigration Board Report was critical of the captain and ships surgeon, charging them with not supplying enough provisions and reprehensible conduct. They concluded that the captain was incapable of performing the contracted task of safely transporting emigrants to Australia and taking ‘short cuts’ to minimise expenditure and maximise profit. They also mentioned that according to witnesses the captain (in order) to keep the crew happy gave them access to the 10 single immigrant women passengers. This was a clear violation of contracted captains bringing immigrants to Australia. Crew and passengers must never mix.

Secondly, 6 women were refused entry, reasons being – 2 married members of the crew, 3 were under “no proper protection” (in that they travelled alone) and one was just of “immoral character”. They were all refused entry into Australia.

Thirdly the Marine Police were informed of a violent and humiliating act performed by the Captain upon the passenger that boarded the Mathesis in Rio De Janeiro. According to court documents Captain Gordon had agreed to taking on a passenger in Rio for Sydney in the only first-class cabin for which he demanded 15 pounds Stirling in payment. In comparison the other passengers paid only several pounds for the voyage. During the voyage and because of rationing of food and water Mr. Van Nyvel suggested to the other passengers that they should complain to the captain. After several other suggestions and comments by Mr. Van Nyvel, Captain Gordon broke into his cabin, dragged him out and suggested that he was to bunk down with the steerage passengers below decks.

Captain Gordon assaulted Mr. Van Nyvel again upon arrival at the dock in Sydney harbour. Two court cases ensued and in April the Judge dismissed the case and Captain Gordon continued on his way.

Alexander and Elizabeth settled in Sydney however within a year they are aboard the schooner “Georgiana” on their way to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland 15th April 1843. Alexander found work as a Wheelwright on the corner of Vulcan Lane and O’Connell Street. Two more daughters are born, Sophia and Mary.

In November 1853 under the Private Sale of Brown Lands Act, Alexander purchases 189 acres of land in Matakana for 90 pounds. Within weeks the Stuart family arrive aboard the cutter “Tay” and settled on their farm off Anderson’s Road, Matakana. Alexander set about building a house for the family which still stands today – “Rosemount Cottage”. The name may have been taken from Rosemount parish in Aberdeen.

This is where two more children are born, both boys, Alexander, and David.

We read that in 1857 Alexander is growing Oats on his farm and his efforts are widely reported throughout New Zealand as a very successful venture.

Sadly, on the 24^th March 1858 at the age of 52 years of age Alexander passes away. We have no record of why he died, however he died at the house of George Fraser the engineer for the Whytlaw Flax Mill at Glen Eden. This may suggest that he was working at the Whytlaw Flax Mill at the time. The story about the Whytlaw Flax Mill of Matakana is another great story for later.

Alexander is buried in the Symonds Street Cemetery along with his son David and several other of his children.

Elizabeth is 44 when her husband dies, and she has 3 children under 10 years. Her daughters Elizabeth and Margery would have been of great comfort as they are 19 and 16. She would also have had help from the local Scottish immigrants living in the area such as the, Frasers, Youngs and Matthew Whytlaw. In the New Zealander Paper of March 1867, we see that they are helping her plough the fields.

Within a few short years Elizabeth and Margery marry and settle outside the district. Then in 1872 young Sophia marries a local man called David James Cruickshank, son of Dr Alexander Cruickshank of Greenlaw Matakana - Scottish immigrants, who arrived in NZ in 1859.

A few years later tragedy strikes again and the only surviving son of Alexander and Elizabeth, Alex junior suddenly dies at the age of 22, his death certificate states cause as “heart disease”. Elizabeth lives on with help from her daughters and passed away at the age of 82 in 1895.

The Stuart genes survive and live on in the Potts, Burningham, Croker and Cruickshank families. Young Sophia Cruickshank (nee Stuart) was able to acquire the farm and Rosemount Cottage which is passed down to the Cruickshank family for several generations.

Together, Alexander James Stuart Jnr and his Mother Elizabeth Stuart (nee Quirie) lie in our Cemetery, a magnificent gravestone atop the hill.