Scots Wha Hae :
Celebrating Scotland & Robbie Burns
in West Auckland
Auckland Libraries
invite you to celebrate the anniversary of the birthday of Scottish poet Robert
(Robbie) Burns on 25 January (known as “Burns Night”) and Scottish culture in
West Auckland.
“Burns Night” is a night of celebration to mark the anniversary of the birth of
Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns on 25 January 1759 in Alloway, Ayrshire,
Scotland.
Celebration Events at Auckland Libraries
View items of Scottish national costume as well as displays of resources on
Scotland & Robbie Burns from
Auckland Libraries in the
Waitakere Central Library and the
New Lynn War Memorial Library
The “Scotland & Robbie Burns” booklist is available in all Auckland Libraries in
west Auckland.
For more information on “Scots Wha Hae : Celebrating Scotland & Robbie in West
Auckland” contact
Auckland Libraries on 09 301 0101.
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| Portrait of Robert Burns |
Who was Robert Burns?
25 January 1759 - 21 July 1796
Should auld
acquaintance be forgot,
And never bought to
mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?
This year is the 252nd anniversary of Scottish poet Robert Burns also known as Robbie Burns, Scotland's favourite son, the Ploughman Poet, the Bard of Ayrshire
and in Scotland simply as the Bard. He is widely regarded as the national poet
of Scotland, a cultural icon and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known
of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his
writing is also in English and a 'light' Scottish dialect. He also wrote in
standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is
often at its most blunt.
His most notable works are Auld Lang Syne, To a Mouse, A Man's a Man for A'That,
Scots Wha Hae and A Red, Red Rose.
There are many organizations around the world named after Burns, as well as a
large number of statutes and memorials. The Royal Mail has twice issued Postage
Stamps commemorating Burns. Robert Burns is pictured on the five pound banknote
of the Clydesdale Bank, one of the Scottish banks with the right to issue
banknotes.
Auckland Libraries booklist on Scotland & Robbie Burns
A booklist titled Scotland & Robbie Burns: a selection of material in Auckland
Libraries will be available at all western Libraries in the Auckland Libraries
region.
History of Scottish settlers on New ZealandFor the story of Scottish
settlers and their impact on New Zealand explore this
website
Early Scottish Settlers in West AucklandHenderson
Thomas Maxwell Henderson (1810-1886) and his brother-in-law John Macfarlane
established a saw mill in Henderson in 1849 and named it the Dundee Saw Mill
(later renamed Henderson’s Mill). “Henderson’s oldest streets bear good, earnest
Christian names: George, Emma, Mary, William, Henry, Thomas and Catherine were
the names of Thomas Henderson’s children..”. (Weekly News, 16 December 1968,
p.37). The settlement which grew up around the mill developed into what is known
as Henderson today. Henderson’s Mill Cottage has a category two heritage status
and is the home of the West Auckland Historical Society.
Swanson
William Swanson, timber miller and politician, purchased 171 acres in the
Swanson Valley in 1854 but it was not until the end of the early 1880’s that
Swanson came into existence as a village. Read about the history of Swanson in
“Rugged determination : historical view on Swanson, 1854 – 2004) by Jack Adam, Vivien Burgess
and Dawn Ellis.
Cornwallis
Cornwallis was named after Lord Cornwallis, an English army general, who was
regarded as a hero of the British empire and Admiral Sir William Cornwallis who
was particularly helpful to Sir William Symonds, Surveyor General in the Royal
Navy.
On 31 December 1840, 27 passengers left the Clyde on board the Brilliant for New
Zealand. After 301 days at sea the Brilliant finally arrived at Puponga
Peninsula (Cornwallis) on the 29 October 1841. “This voyage was the longest made
by any ship at any time sailing between Great Britain and New Zealand” (Manukau
Progress, 3 December 1962).
To find out what happened to these early intrepid Scottish settlers browse
Cornwallis by John Lifton, a record of the area beginning with early Maori and European history and
ending with its reconstructed wharf in July, 1999.
St Andrews Society of New Lynn“The St Andrews Society of New Lynn was founded by Reverend William Rankin in
1932 as an organisation for Scottish immigrants. Members originally met at the
St Andrews Sunday School Hall which stands at the corner of Margan and Rankin
Avenues. The hall was built in 1929 with bricks donated by the Gardner family
and the land given by Thomas E. Clark, representing the NZ Brick and Tile
Company. Fletcher Construction donated the building’s joinery.” (Western Leader,
Friday November 22, 2002 : p. 5.)
The St. Andrews Society of New Lynn celebrated its 70th jubilee on Saturday 23
November 2002 at the New Lynn Over 50’s Club hall with Scottish dancing, culture
and song.
70th Jubilee : St Andrews Society of New Lynn , a book on the society’s history
by Trevor Pollard, a St Andrews Society member for 50 years, was launched at the
70th jubilee celebrations.
For further information about Scottish societies contact Doug Balderston on (09)
817-5163.
Scottish place names in West AucklandOf the names of 320 suburbs in the Greater Auckland area (entire urban area from
Hatfields Beach and Whangaparoa in the north to Drury in the south, and from
Waiheke Island and Maraetai in the east to the Waitakere Regional Park and Kumeu
in the west) that have been identified to date, 62 (19.4%) can be found in
Scotland or are based on Scottish family names or noble titles. Twenty five of
Auckland’s suburbs (7.8%) appear to have a unique connection with Scotland,
whether directly through Scottish settlers, or indirectly, e.g., through royal
titles.
Official suburbs and other localities with names that occur in Scotland and not
elsewhere in the British Isles, and/or definitely or most probably of Scottish
origin in west Auckland are Henderson, Henderson North, Henderson Valley,
Laingholm, Laingholm Central, Swanson, Massey, Massey East, Massey North, Massey
West and McLaren Park.
Browse
to find out the Scottish history of your area.
Websites on Scottish Genealogy
National Archives of
Scotland
This database includes records spanning 12 – 21st centuries including military,
other war records, Scottish Court records, Scottish wills and testaments,
Highland Emigration Society, Scotlands People, National Register for Archives.
National Library of Scotland
This database includes Maps, Manuscripts, Official Publications, Rare Books and
Scottish Newspapers.
Scotlands
People
Is the website of the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) which is
responsible for births, deaths and marriages, civil partnerships, divorces and
adoptions. Its runs the Censuses, uses Census and other data to publish
information about population and households. Includes information on
Registration of births, deaths or civil partnerships, statistics and the Census.
Old Parochial
Register Index for Baptism and Marriage Registers
Scotland BDM Exchange
This database is a free resource for Scottish genealogy and Scottish family
history. The exchange is a free resource for sharing information about ancestors
found in Scotland.
ScotsOrigins
This database includes a variety of information (free IGI International
Genealogy Index searches and Free Scottish Search by Place to find County and
District matches for any place name, per the 1881 Census). The Origins Network
is focussed on providing an excellent collection of Scottish genealogy materials
for family history research.
Scottish Family Picnic Day in the Domain 2011
| Saturday 22 January 2011 |
| Auckland Domain from 10.30am - 4pm |
Join the Auckland Burns Association for a day of Scottish culture, Highland
dancing, Scottish country dancing, Music, Fiddling, Burns Recitations, Piping,
the Haggis Ceremony and more.
For more information on this event please contact Dave Small (09) 576 5985 at
The Auckland Burns Association.
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