01.10 Robert Mackintosh Ayson 1849 - 1939

Robert Ayson, seventh son of Peter Ayson of Corydon, was a lad of four years when his par­ents landed in Dunedin, and a few months later made the journey to Warepa.

 

He was bright and alert for his years and remembered much of the voyage and trek to Warepa in later years.   He remembered falling off the sledge into a stream at one part of the Journey.   He had been at Corydon for less than four years when the tragic accident occurred that deprived him of his sight.   The sharp prong of a steel fork pierced his left eye and as it was impossible to get proper medical attention, both eyes were affected and he became totally blind.   But due to his exceptional nature, he became proficient in carrying out manual duties in the home and on the farm, it was not long before he could milk the house cows, cut the firewood and go to the post office and the store.

 

He was a good rider and until he was in his 80s this was his favourite method of transport.   Many and varied are the stories told about his horses.   Some became cunning and hard to catch, others would go under a low hanging branch of a tree and bump him off.   Over the years he owned many horses but his favourite was a beautiful partly bred Arab named Jonathan which he used for many years in riding about the district.

 

Robert was a great lover of nature and to this day people speak of his lovely flower garden.   He loved the natural bush and knew all the trees and shrubs by their scent and the feel of the leaves, and he knew the native birds by their songs and the sound of their flight.   He could tell the time from a watch with a spe­cial dial made by a watchmaker in Balclutha.   This watch lasted a lifetime and is now a fa­mily treasure.

 

He wrote his own letters on a typewriter with raised characters and was able to read books written by the Moon system.   This was slow but it gave him much independence.   Robert loved all kinds of music, dancing and singing.   Having a fine tenor voice, he trained choirs and organised concerts at Warepa and throughout the Clutha and Owaka districts.   Many of these functions were used in raising funds for worthy causes.   He gave long and valuable service to the Warepa Church as a member and a precentor and also helped other Presbyterian Churches in the Clutha.

 

On several occasions he was asked by highly trained singers to make a tour of New Zealand with them but he always resented having his talents commercialised and his affliction exploited.   He was a good musician and played the violin, the flute and the organ, and when he settled at Toiro his brothers present­ed him with an organ.

 

When Corydon was sold, to wind up the estate after his mother's death, Robert purchased a portion of the old farm at Toiro (Warepa ) .   As the area was small he augmented his income by travelling around the district as an insurance agent and many are the stories told of his ability to find his way into all parts of his territory.

 

Here is one story that is worth relating, as it shows that Robert knew where he was at any time of the day or night.   He was riding along the road on his way home when he was overtaken by the County Engineer, Mr Paterson, who told "Uncle Bob" to tie his horse behind the buggy and get in with him for a yarn.   After going some distance Robert asked Mr Paterson to stop for a minute while he picked up a parcel.   He walked over to the fence and got his parcel from behind a post.   It appears that when setting out on his rounds on insurance work early in the day, he had purchased a bottle of oil at the store, knowing that he would be too late to do so on his return .  As he did not wish to carry such a parcel all day he hid it at a certain point and retrieved it while travelling in the buggy.