175 th Anniversary of the Early Settlers BarracksSean explained that when the first European settlers arrived in Dunedin in 1848 after months at sea, they were shocked to find out there was no accommodation available for them onshore. The men were sent up the harbour from Port Chalmers and with the help of local Māori were able to build a primitive shelter shed on the shoreline of the new settlement (roughly Law Courts). The first immigration barracks was a whare (flax bound posts, grass walls and a thatched roof). After about six weeks the women and children were allowed to leave the ship and to live at the barracks. The accommodation was very basic, similar to the conditions on board ship. People had bunk beds, no privacy and cooking was outside. Sean described the conditions as “miserable as hell”.
In the 1850s a wooden barracks was erected roughly on Princes Street. Sadly, the wooden structure burned down.
In the mid-1850s, under the Provincial Government, funding was made available to support immigration which led to a huge influx of immigrants.
Later, early 1870s, impressive new barracks were built in Caversham. These provided separate facilities for families, single women and single men. Mixing between the groups not allowed. The new barracks provided offices where workers and employers could meet and arrange jobs.
Sean told us about the scandal from Maria Rye who complained about the unacceptable (to her) conditions. She wrote letters that were published in the Times.
He also recounted the unfavourable welcome of the Irish women (Catholic) and the arrival of criminals from London.
