George Valentine Printz was a cooper's mate 1831 ON.
3 1844 at Jacob's River RR
see obituary Southland Times 12 sep 1898.
whaling at Riverton 1838
mother died before he was 10. John JONES allowed him to work at Preservation Inlet whaling station and he was trained by Owen McSHANE. NCB
Papers Past Otago Witness, Issue 2324, 15 September 1898 and Evening Star 9 Sep 1898
DEATH OF AN OLD SFTTLER.
INVERCARGILL, September 8. Information came to town to-night that Mr George Printz, one of the oldest European residents in these parts, died to-day after a long illness. He came to New Zealand in a whaler about 1831. By marriages with natives he acquired a large area of land about Orepuki, and is reputed to have been very wealthy.
Papers past Western Star, Issue 2238, 9 September 1898
OBITUARY.
Death has been very busy this year amongst tbe pioneer settlers of Southland, the last to pass away being Mr George Valentine Printz, who died at bis residence, Hsvehck street, shortly after five o' tlook last evening, at the age of 71 years. He was a strong 10-king man, alw-iys very fresh in appearance, lot during tbe last nine months be be±.in to full, a'tbough there was apDßiertly nohing seriously the nmter. He 10.-k p?'t in the early se'tiers' procession at the celebration f Otag-.'s Jubilee in March last., where he met he late John his first etnnloyer, whom he had not B .en for 50 ye.is, tbe meeting beinir a very affecting one, and about three months ago wit? hctiri-ly enrage: superin'er.di te hix farm at P.ha. At i hat time he complained of a chest, r.ff nnon, aod gradually becoming worst-, he ook to his bed, but it was confi dent'y r.op,ri, ?>einf? .f a strong constitution, that he nouui pull through. The last few weeks, however, it became evident that his oomi'lant wa- serious than was at first sunnosed, and bis mediealyadviaere ?aw that rcovery was impossible/By bis dea'h tjMfi passes from our midst one of th> last tbe whaling davu, and a u.an who wafl one of the first of Southland's pastoralist*, having owned a oattle run at the N?W River in the early fifties. Over half a century ago be came to Riverton, and to an ol? friend who bad been with him in the farly days he r- marked just before bis death,"lt is 58 years sinoe yon ->mi I used to run on he bpaoh at Codfish Island.' A loor retr. sneetin- glance, and what tremendous strides have been made since then ! The late George Valentin? Printz was bom in Sydney oo the 14th February, 1827, the car-Hal of New South Wales being then anything but a pretentious city. His father was a German, and died when he was still verv yeung. After his mother's second marriage, he left home at 10 years of agej Sydney was then the oentre for the boutlf sea emmerce. aod tbe port whence the numerous wba'ing expeditions sailed. The late J<-bn Jones hail numerous vessels engaged in this industry, wbtf-h periodically left for the oil depots at Preservation, Jacob's River, and Waikouaiti. George Printz. engaged with him to go to the Preservation depot, where be lan'.d in 1837, and was. mp'oyed at coopering, Mr Thomas Biowd, of Bivert n, coming over from Sydney with him. The whales we.e tbonplemi ul in Preservation Inlet, four boats beiog constantly engaged catching He only remained there one season, and in 1838 landed in Rive ton, commonly called Jacob's River, the whaling settlement being at Tali's Point, a f tW natives residing .in t>.e Jiaik cn the opposite shore Th.ro was, of course, no t wn then', and net a single ,ertierin the Western Distric/now one of the finest agricultural tracte m New Z alnod Heie he ntaged with the late Lapt Howell, who was working the whaling station Sot John Jones, and after serving throe veareThe went to the Bluff to work for the late John Stirling In 1852 he returned to Sydney, tbence proceeded to the Victorian diggings, where he had many experiences but no luck. Eelmquishing digging he came baok to New Zealand in a schooner under Capi Towns, and joined with the late Cap! Stevens in a whaling enterprise of their own, atth? same HnJe stocki.g a piece of land near the Ferrv at the New River, where the first rabbits we're let loose a few years subse ouently, with what .flVct the bleak sandhills now bear s lent but eloquent testimony&At this timʿ, while waiting in the bay with a full cargo of oil a storm came on an i the vessel waswreked. The cargo was h>s , and the crrw, afr-r many hours battling wi h the waves, reached shore, Mr Printz being for several hours dashed about in the serf lashed to a spar. Dissnlv ng partnership with Captain Steven*, be purchased a vessel for himself, the £arah^Ei&b ut he decided to P lve U P lhe aeaforlheiandTand Bold out to advantage. He then took up the Burwood Station, near, the Five Rivers, where he went in largely for -?ook, and when the Wakatipu diggings broke out b± made money ra.idly, often getting L4O for l.ullocks which now sell at L 9. He was v ry sucressfol with this statioo, and sold out for L33,000t0 M-ssrs Low C and Greenslado Ue then returned to the Now where be built a large horaestoad, his brother, who predeceased him by about twelve months, managing the farm for him. Mr Printz nhort'y afterwards acquired a large farm at Pahi?, where he raised a good strain of shorthorns, his bull Oxford Wild Eyes being a well-known at the various shows. He was a successful speculator, and always very lucky in his -.eatings. In early life be did not have anr educational advantages, but he made up for this by a natural aptitude for business, in which he stowed great shrewdne±s and foresight. He was always of a thrifty disposition, and learned to save in days when the temptation to spend was very great owing to there being no lack of money From euoh a small beginning he died a wealthy miirj, a'l his turning out profitable. He leav s a widowfi daughter of the late Capj eight chi-J daughters, oll up.
George and POKURUKURU fostered a Maori boy George PRINTZ born abt 1845, baptised 14 feb 1855 New River, parents TANEAHA and TAHEA both deceased. REGBAPRuapuke. He immigrated to to Otago about 1831.
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