The Davys brothers came to New Zealand with their parents in 1862 and ranged in aged from 2 to 12 on arrival. They lived for a short time in Auckland before their parents moved to Thames when gold was discovered in 1867.
It is likely they assisted with bush clearing around Thames, although the younger ones probably attended school at least part of the time as well. By 1876 their parents and uncle had returned to farming, the industry they were a part of before emigrating, in the Tuhikaramea area near Hamilton. Thomas and Walter stayed in the Coromandel and continued mining, or at least prospecting for gold. Henry also took up farming in Tuhikaramea and in the late 1880s Francis was farming at Ardmore near Papakura.
In 1890 Henry with at least one of his brothers, Fred, Albert or William, or perhaps all three established a Timber Mill at Rukuhia. They regularly advertised in the newspapers that they were situated at Messrs Williamson's bush and had a large range of timber available for order. In the mid 1890s Francis had left his farm and was also working at the Rukuhia saw mill.
MESSRS DAVYS BROS.' RUKUHIA SAWMILLS
Our Tuhikaramea correspondent writes: Hearing that our enterprising fellow settlers, Messrs Davys Bros., had been going in for some extensive works at the Rukuhia mills, I paid them a visit recently, and was certainly astonished at the very complete manner in which the firm have gone to work to secure a large output of sawn and dressed timber. The new mills are fully a mile nearer the Waipa than the former works, and in reaching them from this district one has to pass through the western portion of the Rukuhia Estate, and the pity is that the whole of Messrs Williamson Bros. property is not as fertile and amenable to good cultivation as that which this road passes through. A prettier piece of rural scenery would be hard to find. The broad ridge along which the road winds is coated with a fine sward of young grass, well stocked with a herd of the white-faced Herefords. On one hand lies the extensive bush from which the mills are supplied, while on the other is a beautiful lake, the waters of which gleam in their setting of dark foliage. But as we ride onward the dull grey expanse to be seen ahead tells only too plainly that we are approaching the south-western fringe of the great swamp, the satisfactory treatment of which has, so far, proved an unsolvable problem to the owners of Rukuhia, and must with its miles of trackless bogs and waste, all bearing rates and taxes, be a heavy burden upon them, and at the same time is a serious drawback to the progress of this district. The road is in good order, and we are soon at the mill, which with men's cottages, stables, etc., forms quite a small village by the edge of the bush. A striking feature in approaching is the large stock of sawn timber (over 100,000 feet) stacked in the yards. and the careful manner in which every board is placed up on stands, or fitted in compact squares, serves as a fitting example of the manner in which the firm carry out their business. The mill buildings are all under one iron roof, and the machinery, driven by nine horse power engine, comprises breaking down, circulars, planing benches, etc., the timber-cutting operations being under the supervison of Mr F, Millet, who hails from that land of timber, the Manakau, and is probably one of the best saw-millers in the colony. Being situated on the dry land at the edge of the bush, the logs are brought out by horse tram, the latter being quite a work of magnitude, the line being nearly two miles in length, and, with the heavy traffic of big logs over it, the cost of wear and tear is no small item in the expense of the mill. No doubt, the latter could have been placed more conveniently to the bulk of the timber, but its present position, which is on the main road leading through from the Waipa to the Rukuhia railway station, with the increased facilities thus obtained for delivering timber either way, compensates for the increased length of the tramway. A walk down the line is very interesting, as showing how the logs are got out. From each side of the tramway, at intervals of a few chains, the rolling roads are cut into the bush, and along these, upon heavy skids, the big logs are jacked until the line is reached. Some of the logs are very large, the trees near the base being as much as 18 feet in girth, and from 80 feet to 90 feet long. A log from such a tree would yield about 2,000 feet of timber. Contrary to what might have been expected, the trees are full of heart wood. This is explained by the bush being an old one, and standing on clay land instead of the usual peat bottom. This difference in the soil is also aptly shown by the luxuriant growth of grass, which was surface sown a few months ago, along the tram line, and it is certain that when the heavy timber is removed, and the lighter stuff felled and burnt, the estate will have a grand block of grass land where bush now stands. The Messrs Davys Bros., who, by the way, do a large share of the labour themselves, have, during the past winter, opened up the bush, laid most of the tramway, and felled a considerable quantity of timber, and are now in a position to supply a large quantity of milled stuff in the ost expeditious manner, full particulars of which will be found in their advertisement. All that is needed are timber orders, and if the opinion of carpenters generally, and others who have used the timber from these mills can be taken as a guide, such orders will be filled to the satisfaction of purchasers, whether as regards quality of timber, price, or terms.
Waikato Times 19 November 1895, page 2 www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
In 1898 they advertised, calling for tenders to build a cottage in Taupiri where they had purchased another mill. The dates of advertisements seem to indicate that they continued to operate the Rukuhia mill as well. Mr Millet who had been with them at Rukuhia also relocated to Taupiri. Although the family remained in Taupiri, they became employees rather than employers, selling the mill in 1899. This may have been as a result of a fatal accident which took place there and perhaps soured their experience.
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