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George Eric Oakes Ramsden (1898–1962) was a
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
journalist, writer and art
critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...
. He was born in
Martinborough Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of The town ...
,
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...
, New Zealand on 1 August 1898 and died at Wellington on 21 May 1962.


Background and family

Ramsden was the oldest child of English born
Martinborough Martinborough ( mi, Wharekaka) is a town in the South Wairarapa District, in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres south-west of Masterton. The town has a resident population of The town ...
storekeeper and farmer Henry Oakes Ramsden and Sophia Jane Harris. He attended Martinborough primary school, but suffered from asthma and tuberculosis which made his attendance erratic. He also managed to get mentioned in the local paper when a lemonade bottle he was opening broke causing a cut to his eye. His father died on 21 July 1920. He first married Evelyn Francis Graham in Sydney on 1 June 1926 and they had one child, a son. They divorced in 1948. On 18 May 1948 he married Henrietta Merenia Meteherangi Manawatu in 1948. Manawatu was of
Ngāi Tahu Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim), Mount Mahanga and Kahurangi Poi ...
and
Rangitāne Rangitāne is a Māori people, Māori iwi (tribe). Their rohe (territory) is in the Manawatū-Whanganui, Manawatū, Horowhenua, Wairarapa and Marlborough Region, Marlborough areas of New Zealand.Irihapeti Ramsden Irihapeti Merenia Ramsden (1946 – 5 April 2003) was a New Zealand Māori people, Māori nurse, anthropologist, and writer who worked to improve health outcomes for Māori people. Biography Irihapeti Ramsden was the daughter of writer and ...
, a leader in the field of Maori health. Their eldest daughter was adopted by Te Puea Herangi until her death in 1952. They divorced in June 1953. He died at Wellington on 21 May 1962.


Career

As a teenager Ramsden worked for the
Bank of New South Wales The Bank of New South Wales (BNSW), also known commonly as The Wales, was the first bank in Australia, being established in Sydney in 1817 and situated on Broadway, New South Wales, Broadway. During the 19th century, the bank opened branches ...
at
Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...
and later as a shepherd on a farm near
Castlepoint Castlepoint is a small beachside settlement on the Wairarapa coast of the Wellington Region of New Zealand. It is home to a lighthouse which stands near the top of the northern end of a reef. The reef is about one kilometre long. At the south ...
. He became a journalist for the ''
Wairarapa Times-Age The ''Wairarapa Times-Age'' is the regional daily paper for New Zealand's Wairarapa where it is prepared, and published in Masterton. Though its roots are deep in Wairarapa's community, it joined a national combine in 2002 only to leave the com ...
'' in 1919 when he was 20 years old. He moved to
Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
to work for the ''
Auckland Star The ''Auckland Star'' was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 16 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Star'', part of its name endures in ''The Sunday Star-Times'', created in ...
'' and then to
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
where he worked for ''
The New Zealand Times ''The New Zealand Times'' was a New Zealand daily newspaper published in Wellington from 1874 to 1927. Background The newspaper was founded by Julius Vogel, who had had involvement with newspapers as an editor or owner since his goldfield days i ...
''. In June 1924 he was employed by W H Morton Cameron of the Globe Encyclopedia Company of
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
. By the mid 1920s he had moved to
Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
where he worked for the
Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...
. By 1925 he was working for the
Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...
Sun newspaper. During 1926 he was writing in the Auckland Star and his articles, particularly of early New Zealand European history, were published by the paper from time to time up to 1935. Ramsden then moved back to Sydney in 1929 becoming the illustrations editor and special writer for the Sydney Morning Herald. In 1934 Ramsden switched to the Sydney-based
Associated Newspapers Limited DMG Media (stylised in lowercase) is an intermediate holding company for Associated Newspapers, Northcliffe Media, Harmsworth Printing, Harmsworth Media and other subsidiaries of Daily Mail and General Trust. It is based at Northcliffe House in ...
. Due to ill health Ramsden moved to
Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
to work for the Press in 1942 where his journalistic focus was on history and Maori affairs. Moving back to Wellington in 1945, Ramsden joined the Evening Post becoming its diplomatic correspondent and art critic. He also wrote occasional article on topics of personal interest.


Involvement with Maori

Ramsden had an early interest in Maori. In 1924 he published an article on the early Maori newspaper '' Te Karere o Nui Tireni''. In August 1927 the Sun sent Ramsden to Turangawaewae marae at
Ngāruawāhia Ngāruawāhia () is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipā Rivers, adjacent to the Hakarimata Range. Ngāruawāhia is in the Hamilton Ur ...
to interview Te Puea Herangi, a
Tainui Tainui is a tribal waka confederation of New Zealand Māori iwi. The Tainui confederation comprises four principal related Māori iwi of the central North Island of New Zealand: Hauraki, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Raukawa and Waikato. There are oth ...
Princess. As a result of the meeting Ramsden became interested and involved in Maori and Maori-Pakeha relations. He published a feature article in the Sun on the Princess and her Model Village. When the
Governor-General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Sir Charles Fergusson visited Turangawaewae in April 1928 Ramsden covered the event for the newspaper. After these events Ramsden remained in contact with Herangi, visiting her and her family at Tahuna in January 1932. On this visit he met the native minister Sir
Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have served in Parliament in the mid-20th century, and is also known for his work ...
with whom he corresponded for many years. During the 1950s Ramsden's Wellington home was used as a base by numerous Maori leaders for accommodation and meetings when they were in the capital on business with the Government. His children were encouraged to keep close contact with their Maori relatives. His involvement with Maori gained him recognition as a leading commentator on Maori Affairs. From 1949 he was consulted on Maori issues by the Prime Minister,
Sidney Holland Sir Sidney George Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 25th prime minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957. He was instrumental in the creation and consolidation o ...
, and the minister of Maori Affairs,
Ernest Corbett Ernest Bowyer Corbett (7 May 1898 – 15 June 1968) was a New Zealand National Party politician. Early life and family Corbett was born in Ōkato in 1898; his father was William Corbett. His mother was descended from Thomas Hansen, who had co ...
. He was recognised by Maori on marae and at major hui.


Research and writing

After joining Associated Newspapers Ramsden took an interest in
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
. He attended lectures on the subject at the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
and founded the Pacific Islands Club (now known as the Polynesian Society). He was the club's first secretary. Later he became President of the Anthropological Society of New South Wales.Personal
Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 16, 20 January 1939, Page 3
In 1935 he travelled with
Charles Nordhoff Charles Bernard Nordhoff (February 1, 1887 – April 10, 1947) was an American novelist and traveler, born in England. Nordhoff is perhaps best known for ''The Bounty Trilogy'', three historical novels he wrote with James Norman Hall: ''Mutiny o ...
to Tahiti and French Polynesia undertaking research. In January while in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
he met up with
Te Rangi Hīroa Sir Peter Henry Buck (ca. October 1877 – 1 December 1951), also known as Te Rangi Hīroa or Te Rangihīroa, was a New Zealand doctor, military leader, health administrator, politician, anthropologist and museum director. He was a prominen ...
(Sir Peter Buck), who at that time was a Professor of
Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
and the then leading expert on Polynesian culture. After this journey Ramsden published his first book, '' Marsden and the missions'' in 1936 followed by ''
James Busby James Busby (7 February 1802 – 15 July 1871) was the British Resident in New Zealand from 1833 to 1840. He was involved in drafting the 1835 Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand and the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. As British Resident, ...
: the prophet of Australian viticultureii in 1940''. He was also a member of
PEN A pen is a common writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a nib or in a small void or cavity whic ...
during this time and continued to be after his return to New Zealand. Once back in New Zealand Ramsden wrote ''Busby of Waitangi'' in 1942, ''Strange stories from the South Seas'' in 1944, ''Sir Āpirana Ngata and Maori culture'' in 1948, and '' Rangiatea: the story of the Otaki church, its first pastor and its people'' in 1951. He did write one more book in 1954 as a memorial to Buck, ''A memoir -- Te Rangihiroa : memorial to Sir Peter Buck''. He had intended to write two further books, biographies of Te Puea and Sir Peter Buck, but these were never completed. His collected papers are stored at
Archives New Zealand Archives New Zealand (Māori: ''Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga'') is New Zealand's national archive and the official guardian of its public archives. As the government's recordkeeping authority, it administers the Public Records Act 2005 and ...
.National Library of New Zealand - Eric Ramsden collection
/ref> These, including correspondence between Buck and Ngata, are considered one of the important repositories of twentieth century Maori history.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsden, George Eric Oakes 1898 births 1962 deaths People from Martinborough 20th-century New Zealand journalists The Sydney Morning Herald people