When George Mackinder, 74, of Kihikihi got out of bed and left the house at 3am on November 12, 1912, he was heard by his son, Ernest. Shortly afterwards Ernest heard a peculiar noise and followed his father outside. He then heard a sound near the well and on reaching there found well cover removed and no sign of his father. He came to the alarming conclusion that George had fallen in.
Owing to the depth of the well, which was 50 feet with 10 feet of water, it was impossible to see if this was the case. It took around 90 minutes before half a dozen helpers arrived on the scene, and after another hour’s work they succeeded in retrieving George’s body. Dr Reekie and Constable Lander arrived at the moment of the recovery and the doctor pronounced life to be extinct.
George was one of the most respected settlers in the district. “It is supposed,” said the Waikato Times, “that the fatality was the result of an accident; but the mystery will probably never be satisfactorily solved.”
George was born in Lincolnshire, England, and came to New Zealand with wife Elizabeth and two daughters on the Armstrong in 1864. The voyage was uneventful and Elizabeth’s main memory of it would be the very primitive provision for doing laundry. George was first employed by Mr Buckland, auctioneer. After a short residence at Onehunga, he bought a farm at Kihikihi. There were only three other European settlers in the district at the time. The family would live there for many decades and have another 11 children.
In 1897 tragedy struck when their eldest daughter Bertha, 36, went missing. Searches around Kihikihi eventually found her drowned in the Mangahoi Creek. The incident was described as a mystery, Bertha being known for her cheerful disposition and never expressing any intention to do away with herself – although she had been suffering from headaches. Her demise caused a great shock in Kihikihi. An open verdict was returned.
For the Mackinders, life moved on. George was a successful farmer, his dairy farm being 150 acres and, in addition to this he had 500 acres at Puketarata, in the King Country. He became a councillor representing the Kihikihi riding on the Waipā County Council in 1899. He had served on the Rangiaowhia Road Board and was a member of the Kihikihi cemetery trustees.
At the inquest it was found George had been ailing tor some time and was being attended by Dr Reekie. The day before his death he had resigned from the council. His death, uncannily like his daughters’ – disappearing and drowning in the middle of the night – was found to be self-inflicted, during a period of temporary insanity.
A large number of people attended his funeral at the Kihikihi cemetery – the cemetery of which he was trustee chairman and which was observed to be in an excellent state, in great measure to George’s untiring efforts.
George Mackinder
