Salvage Captain

An enterprising young farmhand with a knack for marine salvage can take the credit for the survival of this handsome captain's chair from the wreck of the Gairloch. While there was an official salvage of the coastal steamer and its cargo shortly after it ran aground near Weld Road, Ōākura, on 5 January 1903, many locals also went scavenging.

A few months later, the wreck was starting to break up and Fred Cowling, a 17-year-old farmhand, was given permission to take a bullock cart to the beach to see what he could find. Along with this chair, he salvaged a cast iron bollard, a porthole, a brass bulkhead lamp, a set of scales and a brass ring from the captain's cabin door. He even had some wood from the wreck made into a box, complete with a memorial plaque.

This success made a lasting impression on Fred and sparked his love of collecting. He went on to make an annual pilgrimage to the wreck site for the rest of his life and gathered a quirky collection of objects on his Roto Street property.