Elsie Catherine Campbell 26 July 1900 - 13 June 1921
Born at Blue Spur Otago the eighth and youngest child of
Charles and Isabella Paterson Campbell (nee Cousins)
In 1900 her father Charles was commissioned by The Board of the Takaka
Sluicing Company in Wellington, to manage their gold sluicing operation at the
Pupu Valley in Golden Bay. At the present it is not exactly known if Elsie had
been born by then or if Isabella was pregnant with her when Charles left.
A photo of the family at Blue Spur taken in 1900 (according to the note on the back)
doesn’t include Elsie and Isabella appears either not to be, or in very early stages
of pregnancy, suggesting the date of this photo could be late 1898 rather than 1899.
School Records - Blue Spur
Elsie Catherine Campbell Reg No. 770, Parent Charles Campbell
Birth 26th Jul 1900 Admission date 31 Jul 1905
Last Day 16th Dec 1908. Destination - Collingwood, Nelson
School Records - Lower Takaka
Elsie K. Campbell Reg No. 766,
Previous School Blue Spur Parent Charles Campbell
Birth 26th Jul 1900 Admission date 4th Jan 1909
Last Day 11th Nov 1914 Destination - Home
Around 1901/2 her 2 eldest brothers Donald and Thomas had joined her Father in PuPu, whilst
Elsie her mother and 4 siblings remained in the Blue Spur home, only leaving for
Nelson in December 1908.
Elsie and Hilda last day school at Blue Spur recorded as December 1908, and were
enrolled at Takaka School in January 1909.
A new family home at PuPu had been finished in February 1907 so
a bit of a mystery why Charles didn't have his family join him in PuPu sooner.
Isabella and children no doubt sailed on a coastal vessel to Nelson and then
on a paddle steamer to the Golden Bay port of Waitapu which was an excitind
experience for them all. Elsie would have been age 8 at the time.
Elsie grew up in the beautiful manuka clad surroundings of the Pupu Valley with the
family owned largest fresh water springs in the Southern Hemisphere, situated at
the foot of the valley. (now called by its correct Maori name of Te Waikoropupu
Springs. (place of the dancing sands)
Unfortunately on the 13th June 1921 at the tender age of almost 21yrs, like her
sister Margaret Isabella some 6 years earlier, she passed away from pulmonary
tuberculosis and exhaustion. She was buried in the unmarked grave at Rototai
Cemetary which contained the remains of her brother James d 1915.
It is a mystery why Charles and Isabella chose not to mark this grave of 3 of their
children when Charles would well have had sufficient funds to do so. Perhaps
it was such a painful memory they didn’t want to be reminded of it.
RIP
DEATH ELSIE CATHERINE CAMPBELL
DATE 13th June 1921 Pupu, Takaka
AGE 20
CAUSE Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Exhaustion
PARENTS Charles and Isabella Campbell nee Cousins
FATHERS OCCUPATION Farmer
BORN Blue Spur
MARRIED Not married
CHILDREN AT DEATH none
BURIED 14th June 1921, Rototai Cemetery, Takaka
FOLIO NUMBER 1921/1488 Takaka
