World famous in New Zealand, as iconic as the Bumblebee, L&P, the All Blacks or Footrot Flats… Barry Crump was to several generations of Kiwi’s an Author, Actor and all round “Good Bugger!”
Writing such books as A Good Keen Man, Puha Road and Wild Pork and Watercress, which inspired Taika Waititi’s movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople, and of course appearing in that quintessential Kiwi advert for the Toyota Hilux in 1982… But it is Barry’s connection to the ship Bombay and it’s 1864 voyage to New Zealand that is of interest.
Two passengers on that harrowing voyage was David Burnie Allison and his sweetheart Mary Helen Peterson, leaving the Munro’s and Heather of Scotland they travelled down to the largest city in the world… London, stopping enroute at York to have a simple marriage at Saint Margaret’s Church, on the 22nd of September,1864.
They arrived just in time to the hustling, bustling Docks. Boarding the ship Bombay on a chill, damp morning on November the 22nd,1864. The many masts of the hundreds of ships loomed like a ghostly forest above the fog and dense smoke of the thousands of dirty brick chimneys of the East End.
David and Helen were amongst 400 passengers to make the voyage, but not all were strangers, they were joined by Mary’s sister Jessie Caie, her husband William and there 3 month old babe Helen Annie.
The two families were lucky and survived the voyage, and on the 18th of March,1864 the demasted and damaged Bombay was towed into Auckland Harbour by their saviors… The formidable HMS Curacao. What happened to the Paterson’s and the Bombay is of course another story, but a tale worth knowing and can be found in other section of this site.
The families moved to disused Army barracks in Onehunga, then on to Barges to cross the mighty Manukau to finally reach their new home south of Auckland… Williamson Clearing. The families will work the land and clear the bush, for many years living in tents and Whares before they could build homes and rename there new settlement, Bombay, in honour of that sturdy ship that bore them so
far.
David and Mary will prosper, be well respected in the new community and go on to have several children, on the 8th of December,1877 Mary will give birth to a beautiful bouncing girl Annie Paterson Allison. Annie grew fast and met a tough, rugged individual of fair looks and suntanned complexion named
William Robert Crump. They wed on the 2nd of October,1880.
William had been born in Salt Water Creek in Australia on the 2nd
of October,1880. Like many Antipodeans William had heard the battle cry of the “Old Country” and (like many more after him in decades to come) enlisted with the 5th Imperial Queensland Bushman to fight the Boer in South Africa.
William survived and emigrated to the gentler climes of New Zealand, settling down with Annie, they would start there own family, with there second child being Walter William Crump.
Walter was born on the 28th of September,1908 in Pukekohe, and
inheriting his father’s rugged good looks turned the head of a beautiful maiden… Lily Hendery, they courted and Wed on the 13th of October,1932 in Papakura Methodist Church.
Their second child, born on the 15th of May,1935 is none other
then New Zealand’s own… Mr John Barrie Crump… MBE and all round good bugger.
THE SHIP BOMBAY! 
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