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Paddy Nolan, King of the Cascade. 1937.
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DescriptionNolan, Patrick
by Trish McCormack
Biography
Patrick and William Denis Nolan were born at Arawata River, Jackson Bay, south Westland, on 19 September 1875 and 18 November 1877 respectively. They were the fourth and fifth children of Andrew Nolan and his wife, Mary Spillane, Irish immigrants who had met in the gold town of Stafford, near Hokitika, where Andrew was the licensee of the Empire Hotel and Mary worked as a servant. In April 1875 the Nolans moved to the special settlement of Jackson Bay, part of Julius Vogel’s ambitious immigration and public works programme. The Jackson Bay experiment was a failure, however, and the settlers struggled to farm poor land in extreme isolation. Most left, but Andrew and Mary Nolan stayed in the area, moving north by open boat to Okuru around 1882. The family established a farm there and acquired a pastoral run in the Cascade Valley.
Paddy and Dinnie (as Patrick and Denis were known) inherited their parents’ pioneering spirit and both were to contribute in different ways to the development of south Westland. After working as a road builder near Haast, Paddy became a farm labourer at Karangarua, and married Isabella Currie McIntosh there on 23 June 1899. The following year he was awarded the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand’s silver medal for bravery, after he saved three men from drowning when their rowboat capsized at Bruce Bay. In 1903, pregnant with their third child, Isabella Nolan was thrown from a horse. Unable to reach hospital because of a flooded river, she died in childbirth at Hendes Ferry, near Harihari. Paddy then moved to Rununga, north of Greymouth, and worked on the construction of a railway line to Canterbury. In 1912 he returned to south Westland to join his brother Jim in a flaxmilling venture. Over the years he remained active in search and rescue work, often helping to carry injured settlers to hospital over rough pack-tracks. He later invented a wheeled stretcher, and in 1930 travelled over 100 miles on horseback to help rescue survivors of the shipwrecked steamer Elsie at Hunt Beach, north of Bruce Bay.
Dinnie Nolan married Mary Honora Ritchie at Bruce Bay on 16 May 1911; they were to have five sons. Several years later he entered a farming partnership at Okuru with Paddy and another brother, Andrew. On 2 September 1918 Paddy married Johanna Theresa Eggeling in Hokitika; they were to have two daughters. Four years later Dinnie bought Andrew’s share of the farm. Paddy, as head stockman, oversaw the cattle drives to markets hundreds of miles away and kept detailed stock records charting the growth of the enterprise.
Paddy Nolan’s management of the farm left Dinnie free to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. His major aim was to develop industry in south Westland so that the government would be persuaded to build a road through the isolated province. In 1922 he bought a herd of Friesian cattle and made cheese, which was exported to markets in London and classed as ‘finest grade’. However, irregular shipping services doomed this enterprise. In 1928 he opened a whitebait-canning factory at Okuru, travelling to Sydney two years later to buy can-making equipment. The plant continued operating until 1952 and its whitebait was sold throughout New Zealand and Australia. During these years Dinnie also operated a sawmill at Okuru, driven by a portable Marshall steam engine.
In 1929 Dinnie Nolan led a delegation of Okuru settlers to Wellington to petition Prime Minister Joseph Ward for the construction of a long-promised wharf at Jackson Bay, which, they claimed, was the key to the development of south Westland; work began on the wharf in 1937. In the meantime Dinnie built an airstrip at Okuru, which was completed in 1932. A persistent advocate of a road linking the region to Otago, he did not live to see the project finished, though work on the Haast Pass road began before he died. In 1935 Paddy sold his share of the farm to Dinnie and moved to Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika, where he bought a dairy farm. Dinnie formed a company, W. D. Nolan and Sons, which farmed Hereford cattle, managed the whitebait cannery and operated two aeroplanes. He had served as a justice of the peace since 1919, and also wrote a number of ballads; one of them celebrated the local identity 'Arawata Bill’ (William O’Leary).
Paddy and Dinnie Nolan’s wives both died in 1948. Paddy, widely respected as a hard-working and modest man, died in Westland Hospital, Hokitika, on 28 May 1951; he was survived by three daughters and a son. Dinnie, one of Westland’s most colourful and well-known pioneers, died at Okuru on 28 November 1959, survived by his sons.Paddy Nolan, King of the Cascade 1937.
Alexander Turnbull Library.Date of Photo1937Map[1] ContributorMaye Dunn
by Trish McCormack
Biography
Patrick and William Denis Nolan were born at Arawata River, Jackson Bay, south Westland, on 19 September 1875 and 18 November 1877 respectively. They were the fourth and fifth children of Andrew Nolan and his wife, Mary Spillane, Irish immigrants who had met in the gold town of Stafford, near Hokitika, where Andrew was the licensee of the Empire Hotel and Mary worked as a servant. In April 1875 the Nolans moved to the special settlement of Jackson Bay, part of Julius Vogel’s ambitious immigration and public works programme. The Jackson Bay experiment was a failure, however, and the settlers struggled to farm poor land in extreme isolation. Most left, but Andrew and Mary Nolan stayed in the area, moving north by open boat to Okuru around 1882. The family established a farm there and acquired a pastoral run in the Cascade Valley.
Paddy and Dinnie (as Patrick and Denis were known) inherited their parents’ pioneering spirit and both were to contribute in different ways to the development of south Westland. After working as a road builder near Haast, Paddy became a farm labourer at Karangarua, and married Isabella Currie McIntosh there on 23 June 1899. The following year he was awarded the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand’s silver medal for bravery, after he saved three men from drowning when their rowboat capsized at Bruce Bay. In 1903, pregnant with their third child, Isabella Nolan was thrown from a horse. Unable to reach hospital because of a flooded river, she died in childbirth at Hendes Ferry, near Harihari. Paddy then moved to Rununga, north of Greymouth, and worked on the construction of a railway line to Canterbury. In 1912 he returned to south Westland to join his brother Jim in a flaxmilling venture. Over the years he remained active in search and rescue work, often helping to carry injured settlers to hospital over rough pack-tracks. He later invented a wheeled stretcher, and in 1930 travelled over 100 miles on horseback to help rescue survivors of the shipwrecked steamer Elsie at Hunt Beach, north of Bruce Bay.
Dinnie Nolan married Mary Honora Ritchie at Bruce Bay on 16 May 1911; they were to have five sons. Several years later he entered a farming partnership at Okuru with Paddy and another brother, Andrew. On 2 September 1918 Paddy married Johanna Theresa Eggeling in Hokitika; they were to have two daughters. Four years later Dinnie bought Andrew’s share of the farm. Paddy, as head stockman, oversaw the cattle drives to markets hundreds of miles away and kept detailed stock records charting the growth of the enterprise.
Paddy Nolan’s management of the farm left Dinnie free to pursue his entrepreneurial interests. His major aim was to develop industry in south Westland so that the government would be persuaded to build a road through the isolated province. In 1922 he bought a herd of Friesian cattle and made cheese, which was exported to markets in London and classed as ‘finest grade’. However, irregular shipping services doomed this enterprise. In 1928 he opened a whitebait-canning factory at Okuru, travelling to Sydney two years later to buy can-making equipment. The plant continued operating until 1952 and its whitebait was sold throughout New Zealand and Australia. During these years Dinnie also operated a sawmill at Okuru, driven by a portable Marshall steam engine.
In 1929 Dinnie Nolan led a delegation of Okuru settlers to Wellington to petition Prime Minister Joseph Ward for the construction of a long-promised wharf at Jackson Bay, which, they claimed, was the key to the development of south Westland; work began on the wharf in 1937. In the meantime Dinnie built an airstrip at Okuru, which was completed in 1932. A persistent advocate of a road linking the region to Otago, he did not live to see the project finished, though work on the Haast Pass road began before he died. In 1935 Paddy sold his share of the farm to Dinnie and moved to Kowhitirangi, near Hokitika, where he bought a dairy farm. Dinnie formed a company, W. D. Nolan and Sons, which farmed Hereford cattle, managed the whitebait cannery and operated two aeroplanes. He had served as a justice of the peace since 1919, and also wrote a number of ballads; one of them celebrated the local identity 'Arawata Bill’ (William O’Leary).
Paddy and Dinnie Nolan’s wives both died in 1948. Paddy, widely respected as a hard-working and modest man, died in Westland Hospital, Hokitika, on 28 May 1951; he was survived by three daughters and a son. Dinnie, one of Westland’s most colourful and well-known pioneers, died at Okuru on 28 November 1959, survived by his sons.Paddy Nolan, King of the Cascade 1937.
Alexander Turnbull Library.Date of Photo1937Map[1] ContributorMaye Dunn
Shown in this image
Location (city or town)Cascade ValleyPersonPaddy NolanEventPaddy Nolan, King of the Cascade.
From Facebook
Date Created11th July 2017CommentsDorothy Wills
Loved the article interesting history
Russell Douglas
This is my great great grandfather
John Radley
Amazing history and people.
Kate Fairhall
Aggie Fearn, intersting story.
Rata Charlton
Wonderful history, thanks for sharing
Daphne Andrews
Harsh climate raw & beautiful. Even the dog looks cold.
Linda Skelton
Daphne Andrews I suppose it had to swim the river
Rikihana Jarden
Good read Suzie Breeze
Wynsome Adams
Wonderful NZ history
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Dean Lawrence this looks similar to the photo of my Uncle. Love it .. be good to include a scene like this in your one u are currently working on .. Man and his Horses .seems to be a thing in that era....
Dean Lawrence
Karlene Jane Batchelor tis a good pic..have got a few horse powered things in and working on the map in colour with the b&w/sepia around it now..
David Perry
Important history of Westland & the Nolands
Lyn Tyson
Very interesting. Amazing pioneers. What a great contribution they made to the country
Kev Rasmussen
What a great story.real men.
Janet Mapley
I love reading stories about our pioneers.
Farida Austin
My grandparents lived on west coast at okuru also
Sherrie Szentpeteri
Nicky Bosch is this our great grandfather?
Nicky Bosch
Sherrie Szentpeteri all brother
Nicky Bosch
Sherrie Szentpeteri nicola nolan
Katie Miller
Sherrie Szentpeteri yes, Paddy was Dad’s grandad.
Sherrie Szentpeteri
Katie Miller so cool!
Phil Leach
Family history love reading about my ancestors and their accomplishments and their experiences
Brigid Calder
Mary Forester, thought you would enjoy reading this.
Malcolm Gollan
A great piece of history about incredibly tough early pioneers. Thank you.
Sophie Ryder
Patrick Nolan, dad you have some photos around still?
Dennis Gibbs
Hard working family.
Robin Gibbens
Great piece of history there
Phil Bargh
Wow great family tuff as. Thanks
David Verrall
Robin Michele Manera you've probably got this already?
Cheryl Johnston
Great read, the dog looks like its covered in biddibids..
Willy Simpson
Cheryl Johnston I noticed that as well.
Kerry Nolan
my uncles
Kerry Nolan pioneers
Luke Radich
Teparaone Vosper
Marty Nolan these your whanau kill
Mary Fenemor
Joy Cox
Mary Fenemor Me too.. Eventually.. Haven't been able to come home for three years
Sandra Arnott
Shame about race track!
Maree Nolan
What has become of it Sandra ?
Nina Townsend
Maree Nolan its just been left to grow grow so not the victoria park we once knew. Its really abit of an eyesore at times. The jockey club needed to move on due to raising costs so now its not maintained regularly
Nina Townsend
All the grandstands etc have gone now just big wasyed land
Nina Townsend
Zoom in can c the stands under the wharf. But wow doesnt victoria park look nice a wee reminder of what was. Wagged school if the bait were running. The people always left their nets on their spots & as kids we would use then when the adults werent. We were always respectful of the gear tho not like now buggers steal ur nets
Lorraine Clement
Wow, great reading, I drove to cascade ages ago, it’s beautiful! Was that plane ever find?
Kathryn Ward
So wonderful to read this story. Those pioneers were certainly tough. Amazing oeople
Loved the article interesting history
Russell Douglas
This is my great great grandfather
John Radley
Amazing history and people.
Kate Fairhall
Aggie Fearn, intersting story.
Rata Charlton
Wonderful history, thanks for sharing
Daphne Andrews
Harsh climate raw & beautiful. Even the dog looks cold.
Linda Skelton
Daphne Andrews I suppose it had to swim the river
Rikihana Jarden
Good read Suzie Breeze
Wynsome Adams
Wonderful NZ history
Karlene Jane Batchelor
Dean Lawrence this looks similar to the photo of my Uncle. Love it .. be good to include a scene like this in your one u are currently working on .. Man and his Horses .seems to be a thing in that era....
Dean Lawrence
Karlene Jane Batchelor tis a good pic..have got a few horse powered things in and working on the map in colour with the b&w/sepia around it now..
David Perry
Important history of Westland & the Nolands
Lyn Tyson
Very interesting. Amazing pioneers. What a great contribution they made to the country
Kev Rasmussen
What a great story.real men.
Janet Mapley
I love reading stories about our pioneers.
Farida Austin
My grandparents lived on west coast at okuru also
Sherrie Szentpeteri
Nicky Bosch is this our great grandfather?
Nicky Bosch
Sherrie Szentpeteri all brother
Nicky Bosch
Sherrie Szentpeteri nicola nolan
Katie Miller
Sherrie Szentpeteri yes, Paddy was Dad’s grandad.
Sherrie Szentpeteri
Katie Miller so cool!
Phil Leach
Family history love reading about my ancestors and their accomplishments and their experiences
Brigid Calder
Mary Forester, thought you would enjoy reading this.
Malcolm Gollan
A great piece of history about incredibly tough early pioneers. Thank you.
Sophie Ryder
Patrick Nolan, dad you have some photos around still?
Dennis Gibbs
Hard working family.
Robin Gibbens
Great piece of history there
Phil Bargh
Wow great family tuff as. Thanks
David Verrall
Robin Michele Manera you've probably got this already?
Cheryl Johnston
Great read, the dog looks like its covered in biddibids..
Willy Simpson
Cheryl Johnston I noticed that as well.
Kerry Nolan
my uncles
Kerry Nolan pioneers
Luke Radich
Teparaone Vosper
Marty Nolan these your whanau kill
Mary Fenemor
Joy Cox
Mary Fenemor Me too.. Eventually.. Haven't been able to come home for three years
Sandra Arnott
Shame about race track!
Maree Nolan
What has become of it Sandra ?
Nina Townsend
Maree Nolan its just been left to grow grow so not the victoria park we once knew. Its really abit of an eyesore at times. The jockey club needed to move on due to raising costs so now its not maintained regularly
Nina Townsend
All the grandstands etc have gone now just big wasyed land
Nina Townsend
Zoom in can c the stands under the wharf. But wow doesnt victoria park look nice a wee reminder of what was. Wagged school if the bait were running. The people always left their nets on their spots & as kids we would use then when the adults werent. We were always respectful of the gear tho not like now buggers steal ur nets
Lorraine Clement
Wow, great reading, I drove to cascade ages ago, it’s beautiful! Was that plane ever find?
Kathryn Ward
So wonderful to read this story. Those pioneers were certainly tough. Amazing oeople
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West Coast New Zealand History (22nd Feb 2022). Paddy Nolan, King of the Cascade. 1937.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 10th Apr 2026 10:06, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/20824