Mary (Polly, Poll) Corrigall and Charles (Charlie) Henry Drake - my generation’s great grandaunt and

It is impossible to tell the story of Polly without her husband Charlie, and Charlie’s family. The Drakes are intertwined with ‘The Jockey Hotel’ and Omakau and thus the Corrigalls. So rather than starting with Polly, this section is going to begin with Charlie and his parents.

Charles (Charlie) Henry Drake was born on the 15th of October, 1889. His parents were Henry Drake and Clara Maud Drake (nee Marie). Henry had been born on the 7th of February, 1865, in St Leonards, Otago, and Clara was born in 1872, at St. Heliers, Jersey Islands, Great Britain.

Not a great deal is known of Charlie’s mother, Clara, as seems to be typical regarding women, however, there is a great deal of information about his father, Henry. Henry’s father was John Drake and his mother was Ellen Brier, who had married in Banwell, England on the 31st of October, 1848. John died in Dunedin on the 14th of September, 1912. Ellen died on the 22 September, 1923. Her last address was 5 Ohau St., Ravensbourne. They are both buried in Block 14, plot 68 at Andersons Bay Cemetery. The Drakes can be traced back to the eighteenth century in Somerset England.

Henry was one of eleven children, some of whom were born in Banwell, England, some in Australia and the younger ones between Port Chalmers and Dunedin in New Zealand. From the dates of birth, I think the family immigrated to New Zealand during 1961. Henry attended St Leonards school and in December 1873, Henry was named for his improvement in reading.

Henry became a dairy farmer at Signal Hill, Dunedin. By 1889 he was selling cows at Burnside and this continued till at least 1904. During these years, his name appeared in the newspapers of the day for a variety of reasons including: asking for land to be sold in 1890; identifying a former employee who had been found drowned in 1899; testifying against a cruel worker in 1892; writing to council re: the dangerous state of Signal Hill Road in 1894 and offering to gravel it in 1896; and, advertising for a ‘strong lad’ to help at his farm in 1898. He married Clara Maud Marie on the 24th of June, 1892 at Knox Church, Dunedin. Henry must have been quite musical as he participated in a concert during 1900 and he reputedly had a good singing voice. The Drake children also played music at a North East Valley concert in 1897. Even once the family moved away from Dunedin, Henry contributed to musical events in North East Valley in 1911 and 1913.

By February 1905 Henry and Clara must have been sick of farming and decided to sell their Signal Hill farm. Henry was 40 years old and Clara was 33. It seems from the advertisement that they had been farming with Joseph Pearson, most likely the husband of Henry’s sister, Sophia. As a side note, Henry’s sister Sophia Pearson and her daughters, Ellen (known as Sophie) and Josephine were all living in Omakau by 1925. Ellen (known as Sophie) went on to marry Jock Corrigall in April, 1927 in Dunedin.

After selling their farm in 1905, Henry and Clara then lived somewhere along Norwood Street in North East Valley, Dunedin. An advertisement placed in the newspapers during October 1907 indicates that the lease of the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ in Omakau was about to be transferred to Henry. On Wednesday the 30th October 1907 Henry and his family auctioned their North East Valley property and the entire contents for sale. The advertisement reveals a little bit about their life which included everything from cutlery to linoleum, from wire mattresses to a piano, from wash stands to books and everything in between. The bidding for the house began at £300 and soon reached £345 according to a report in November of that year.

Henry and Clara and their family were headed to Omakau and the 'Jockey Club Hotel’. Their oldest son, Charlie would have been 18 at the time. While the family owned the land and premises, the lease transfer did not go as smoothly as anticipated. Apparently the 'Jockey Club Hotel’ had suffered a fire in April 1907, and had not been refurbished. Henry had been assigned to lay new linoleum, and this is probably how he became aware that the hotel was for sale and lease, at least according to one of the owners, Mr. Samson. The current licensee Mr. Richards, however, disputed the fact that he had signed the transfer of the licence as detailed in the Otago Witness of December 1907. So began a long dispute that took till March 1908 to be resolved in Henry’s favour and thus he commenced running the 'Jockey Club Hotel’. Incidentally, the dispute between Mr. Richards and Mr. Samson resulted in a supreme court case in June 1908 and Mr. Samson paying Mr. Richards £50.

Running such an establishment must have been quite a learning curve for a dairy farmer turned lino layer! In order for Henry to renew his licence in June 1908, the stables at the rear of the hotel needed attention, and these were repaired and the was licence granted. That same month, Henry applied for extension of opening hours to 11pm but this was denied. Then a court case was brought against Henry in November 1909 for selling booze after hours, however, this was dismissed. Also around this time Henry began an extensive advertising campaign for the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ which ran till 1917 and included advertising the good stables. In early 1921 Henry advertised his express, three horses and harness for sale. It was the age of the car, and by June 1921 he had a motor car for hire at the hotel. Customers were expecting modern facilities and in 1922 Henry upgraded the bathrooms. Henry continued to hold the publican’s license for the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ for many years.

Once settled into Omakau, Henry became involved with the ‘Blacks Plumpton Coursing Club’. Coursing is the sport of hunting hares with greyhounds using sight rather than scent, and the term 'plumpton' is used for an enclosed racecourse for greyhounds. The first mention of Henry in association with the ‘Blacks Plumpton Coursing Club’ was in the Dunstan Times in August 1908, and in 1909 Henry was appointed the secretary. In this role Henry was involved in the coursing events at the Blacks Plumpton Grounds from April, 1909 and continued till at least 1919. He also was involved in the sport in 1912 at Forbury Park, Dunedin and was elected as an officer for Central Otago Coursing Club in 1915.

Other mentions of Henry in Omakau include when he was charged with allowing two horses to wander in Omakau in 1910. After appearing in the Ophir Court House, he was convicted and had to pay 7 shillings costs.

Later on, Henry spoke at farewell to Mrs and Mr Wilson ‘on behalf of friends far and near’ in June 1921. He presented them with a handsome leather suit case, suitably inscribed, and a Mosgiel rug. Henry said ‘he had known Mr and Mrs Wilson for eleven years, and had always found them the best of neighbours, and in patriotic affairs and sports, Mr Wilson was always to the front, and in fact was ever ready to give a helping hand with anything and everything connected with the district. His place would be difficult to fill. He hoped that Mr Wilson would long be spared to use the suit case, and that it would always remind him of the friends he was leaving behind in Omakau.’

Henry died suddenly on the 8th of May, 1925. He had apparently looked well right up to the day before his death, when he took ill. He was 60 years of age, but apparently looked much younger, owing to his ‘active habits and cheery disposition’. One obituary in the Dunstan Times said he was ‘the popular mine host of the Jockey Club Hotel and a good sport in the full sense of the term…Everything connected with the district which had for its object the common wealth, our old friend was a willing helper, and we know that the shock of his sudden and sad end will be a severe one to a very large circle of friends. Mr Drake had conducted the Jockey Club Hotel for something like a score of years in an exemplary manner, and there he and Mrs Drake brought up a large family which is a credit to them’. The Otago Witness said that Henry’s funeral procession on foot and in cars was one of the largest seen for some years.

Clara continued to run the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ after Henry’s death. Advertisements for the hotel from the 25th of May 1925 read ‘Mrs Drake proprietor’. Henry’s probate was granted in July 1925 and memorial notices were placed in May 1926 and again in 1938. Clara died on the 25th of September 1925. She was only 53 years old. They are buried in Omakau Cemetery in Block IV, plot 14.

As mentioned above Charlie was eighteen years old when his family moved to Omakau. He was the second oldest of nine children and the oldest son.

Like his father, Charlie took part in coursing, participating with his dog ‘Saturn’ in the Novice category at the Dunedin Plumpton Coursing Club at Forbury Park in June 1915 and with ‘Coast Guard’ in August 1915. In June 1917 Charlie’s dog ‘Thoughtful Hazel’ was runner up in the Maiden Stake at the Dunedin Plumpton Coursing Club and was pictured in the Evening Star.

Charlie’s dog ‘Thoughtful Hazel’; runner up in the Maiden Stake at the Dunedin Plumpton Coursing Club in June 1917

A few days after this event on the 6th of June 1917, Charlie was summoned to join the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. He was a twenty five year old self employed coal merchant at this time. When he completed his Military Attestation Form on the 3rd of July, 1917, he said he had been previously been medically examined for the NZEF, had registered for compulsory military training but had been rejected because of rheumatics. This form also discloses that Charlie was 5 foot 7 inches tall, weighed 144 pounds, had green eyes with a pale complexion and dark brown hair. However, this time Charlie was considered fit for service and by the 23rd of July he was posted to either Trentham and / or Featherston.

Charlie a.k.a Private 61239 was home on leave on the 16th of September 1917, presumably before embarking on foreign service, when he had an accident. He had been rabbit shooting near Omakau and while climbing through a fence, his gun went off accidentally and he accidentally shot himself in the foot at with his rifle. The peculiarity was that this was the day after he should have left for camp! The Dunstan Times reported the incident on the 24th of September 1917, saying that Charlie was in Dunstan Hospital. A military medical board hearing on the 24th of November, stated that while the wound had healed, Charlie had a thickening of proximal phalanx of his second toe on the right foot, pain while walking, and that he needed a walking stick. The hearing also revealed that Charlies had a slight degree of exophthalmos and had nervous tremors in his hands which was probably an indication of incipient exophthalmic goitre. The Military Medical Board considered Charlie three quarters incapacitated and therefore no longer suitable for military service.

It was probably around this time that Charlie got together with Polly Corrigall. Polly’s real name was Mary, but she was known as Polly or Poll. She was the tenth and youngest child of James and Jean Corrigall. Polly was born on the 25th of February, 1898 at Omakau (Registration number 1898/15773). She was only ten months younger than Maggie, my generation’s great grandmother. Polly began at Blacks School in 1904, where she was enrolled as Mary. In 1906 Polly and her sister Maggie both received attendance prizes. In addition, Polly, who was in Primer 3, received an infant’s prize. According to Gwen Rowley nee Huddleston, Polly’s niece, in Barrett (c.2008), p.103, Polly played hockey in her younger days and led a carefree life.

Photo of Polly (seated) with her sister Maggie, taken in July 1911, when Polly was 13 and Maggie 14

The first mention of Polly attending a social event that I have found was in 1914 when she was sixteen years old. It was at the plain and fancy dress masked ball held at Becks on the 22nd of May, where as well as music and dancing this event included a highland fling and a roller skate exhibition. Polly was dressed as a Pierrot and her siblings Maggie (17), Sam (20), Bell (22), Nell (23) and Jock (26) were also in fancy dress. According to the report dancing was kept up till the early hours and everyone enjoyed the best ball ever held in Becks. In 1915 Polly, now seventeen, dressed as a Sailor Girl at a second plain and fancy dress masked ball in aid of the Belgium Relief Fund held at Becks on the 22nd of May. Only two of her siblings attended with her this time; Sam (21) and probably Maggie (18).

Being so close in age and the youngest siblings, Polly and Maggie probably did a lot of activities together. If the photographs are anything to go by, they were definitely into the outdoors.

Maggie and Polly with a deer, presumably shot by Polly, who’s hold the gun. Date unknown

Polly and Charlie were married on the 23rd March 1921, at Polly’s parents house. It was quite usual for Presbyterian marriages to take place in private homes at this time. Polly was 23 years old and Charlie was 32 years old. Their wedding was briefly mentioned in the Wedding Dunstan Times.

I wonder if around this time Polly and Charlie had a child as according to the Central Otago District Council cemetery records there is a D. H. Drake buried with them, who was 0 years old. There is no further information as to the year this child was born or gender.

After his parents died in 1925, Charlie became the proprietor of the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’. He began advertising this fact from April 1926, and similar ads ran until June 1935. The hotel was put up for auction on the 15th of November 1926 and after brisk bidding Charlie bought it for £1860. He had to apply for his publican’s license every twelve months, and this renewal was published in the papers. In conjunction with the hotel Charlie ran a liquor booth at the 1934 Central Otago show, and most likely other years as well.

There is a fabulous photo of Charlie and many of the Paterson - Corrigall clan outside the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’. I’m not sure where Polly was; maybe taking the photo? I estimate that the photo was taken around 1932.

Outside the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ from left to right: unknown, Vera Sinnamon, Jean Corrigall, Gordon Paterson, Nell Woods, Alf Woods, Alex Paterson, unknown man with a dog, Maggie Paterson with Gordon Paterson junior, Dulcie Paterson, Jean Paterson, unknown man by the veranda pillar, Peg Corrigall, Violet Drake, Bob Kenning, Charlie Drake (hotel keeper) and Bess Corrigall circa 1932

As well as being the proprietor of the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’, Charlie had other business interests. As mentioned earlier, he had been a self employed coal merchant 1917. In 1927 he tendered for and was granted the contract to gravel the road at Blacks Hill for £196. Charlie remained working as a carrier as in 1929, when Thomas Alexander Clouston had wheat stolen, Charlie gave evidence in the supreme court. That same year, Charlie carried straw for the Easter Boy Scout Camp at the Old Mill near Omakau. He was also an agent for selling Black Diamond Coal as illustrated in an 1930 advertisement.

It is well known in the family that Polly drove a rabbit truck and worked for the Rabbit Board covering the Omakau / Matakanui and Ida Valley. She loaded the rabbits onto Charlie’s bigger truck with rails on which to hang pairs of rabbits. Charlie’s truck then transported the rabbits to the factory. Prices varied from 6 pence a pair up to one shilling and three pence a pair. I am unsure when she began this job and how long she continued to do it for.

Rabbits provided food and income and during the 1930s Depression, and there were three factories near Alexandra processing thousands of rabbits a day. In 1938 district rabbit boards were set up with the object of killing rabbits all year round, and not just for the fur and meat trade. By 1946, there were over 100 rabbit boards, administering rabbit control over 7.3 million hectares.

Polly cleaning her truck, date unknown

Polly and Charlie were both good shots. Charlie belonged to the Gun Club who met regularly from as early as June 1928. Polly took part in at least one clay bird shooting event with Charlie during October 1928. Charlie was very skilled at shooting clay birds and his name appeared in numerous publications in regards to this sport. Some highlights included Charlie coming first equal in a shooting match in July 1929 with a prize of £20, winning first prize and a gold medal in August 1930 and winning the championship in 1933. In 1936, Charlie was on the committee for the Omakau Miniature Rifles.

Polly with her gun, gun dogs and a big haul, date unknown

Another sport that both Polly and Charlie participated in was bowling. Polly was accomplished in this field winning the Ladies Handicap Singles in April 1944. She was the Ladies Single Bowls Champion in May 1944 and was a selector that same year. Polly was a finalist for the annual Alexandra Ladies Club tournament in January 1947. Charlie had been involved with bowling in Omakau when the club began and was on the executive when land was purchased for a green in 1938. At the opening of the bowling club in 1939, Charlie was thanked for his service. He was involved in bowling matches during 1940, 1944 and 1946 and no doubt the years in between and either side. Charlie won a trophy in 1946 and was part of Alexandra team that played in Dunedin during 1948.

Polly and Charlie were involved in a range of other sporting and community events. Polly played golf competitively in Omakau in 1931 and no doubt other years. She attended the 1931 Golf Club Ball wearing black lace and georgette and wore floral georgette to 1936 Golf Club Ball. They enjoyed the Chatto Creek Euchre parties attended by many of the Corrigall family, and are mentioned as prize winners in the newspaper reports of 1940, 1942 and 1943. Charlie played cricket for Omakau during 1923 and likely other years with his brother Arthur and his brothers in law Bill and either Jock or Jim Corrigall. In 1932 and 1934 he was on the Omakau cricket club committee. Charlie also continued his interest in coursing. In 1927 and 1929 he was elected as an officer for Otago Open Coursing. He was in charge of the ‘beat and management’ of the Omakau Cup under the auspices of the Otago Open Coursing Club in April 1928 and actively campaigned for the Omakau club to continue in 1929. Charlie was a long standing member of the Vincent Jockey Club, from as early as 1928 to at least 1946. Charlie was also on the football management committee with his brother Stanley in 1930 and he was president of the Omakau Badminton club in 1936.

Other random pieces of information I have found about Polly and Charlie include; in December 1929 Charlie presented first prize to best spring cart horse at the Central Otago Show in Omakau; Charlie was a guest at the Bendigo Hotel in 1933; and Polly and Charlie supported the Dunstan Hospital in 1937 with a donation of 2s 6d that aimed to provide radio and fit ‘pillow phones’ to each bed.

On Saturday the 19th of May 1928, Charlie and Polly put their house and section up for auction. I am unsure where this property was and I have not been able to find out the outcome of the auction. However, I can confirm that in July 1932 Polly and Charlie purchased section 106 of Block II at Tiger Hill. This was presumably their section at 55 Leask Street and consisted of 2 acres, 1 rood and 39.7 poles for the price of £15. Their wee house that Polly was photographed in front of does seem likely to have been built in the 1930s. I recall my mother pointing out the house to me probably in the 1980s or 1990s. From memory I don’t think it was lived in at the time and was in a poor state of repair. It demolished when a large shed was built there probably in the 1990s.

Polly outside her presumably newly built house at 55 Leask Street, Omakau, c.mid 1930s

In April 1935 it was first reported that Charlie had sold the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’. The publican’s licence was transferred to Michael Cahill from Fairfax in Southland in June 1935. The new owner was also granted approval to change the hotel’s name to the ‘Central Hotel’. The last advertisement for the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ with Charlie’s name as Proprietor was on the 10th of June that year. Cahill also applied to build a new hotel in June 1935 citing a new bridge would cut out the hotel. His application also confirmed that Charlie and Polly had combined running a carrier and coal business alongside operating the hotel. Apparently the ‘Jockey Club Hotel did not work out for hotel Cahill, however, and he sold it and moved back south in June 1936. The last mention of the ‘Jockey Club Hotel’ was in January 1937 when it was advertised for sale citing ‘Building for Removal’. The building is still standing and until recently was very run down. However, new owners in 2020 have renovated and upgraded the whole property, bringing it back to life and it is looking very smart again.

In May 1947 Charlie and Polly sold part section 28 of Block 8 of the town of Manuherikia to John Harley MacDonald for £1800. I am unclear where this is without further research. The same month in May 1947 they bought section 7 of Block 29 in the town of Alexandra for £1945. Perhaps they were planning to live or did live in Alexandra for some time? Perhaps you know more to help me fill in the gaps here? Apparently in April 1948, when Charlie participated in Poppy Day, they were living at Chatto Creek. I know at some stage Polly and Charlie moved to Oamaru, and I recall my mother and me taking the train from Edendale to Oamaru to stay with them there in the late 1960s. Charlie took us to the movie theatre which was a memorable experience for me as a four year old from the country. My mother thinks they moved to Oamaru as Charlie was really into racing and they could enjoy all the events there.

Polly and Charlie at their 50th wedding anniversary in March 1971

Gwen Rowley nee Huddleston, Polly’s niece wrote a little bit about Polly and Charlie in Grant Barrett’s (c.2008) unpublished book. On p.103 she said how she remembered their ‘player piano’ and the lovely music that could be peddled out of it. She also said that both Charlie and Polly drove the Omakau School busses when she went to school in the 1930s. No doubt this was in conjunction with Charlie’s carrier / transport business.

Charlie died on the 22nd of April 1971. It was only a matter of days after their fiftieth wedding anniversary. After Charlie died, Polly came and stayed with my family at Mimihau in Southland. I was 7 years old. I remember finding Polly a wee bit scary and remember she loved mandarins! I think that would have also been when Polly went back to live in Omakau. She lived at 32 Leask street in the only two storied house in the town. It was an art deco style house made of mud brick and gloriously cool in summer. We would often go and visit her. I recall her good room was on the left hand side of the hall from the front door, and as children we were not allowed in there! It housed the very cool 1930s lounge suite, which I am now privileged to own. I remember one New Years Day we had arranged to visit her. Polly had forgotten that we were coming and was off somewhere else, possibly on the golf course with her niece Jean Robertson. We found her eventually with our pot of uncooked new potatoes and ham or whatever!

Polly at the Blacks school reunion in 1967

Polly lived in Omakau till the 1980s when she went to a rest home in Alexandra. Unfortunately while she was there, Polly had her rings stolen. Her engagement ring had a ruby surrounded by diamonds and her second ring, presumably her wedding ring, was very unique as it featured a gold nugget.

Polly died on the 2nd of September 1989. My family had an awful time trying to get to her funeral. It involved two flat tyres, my sister and me hitchhiking from south of Milton to Balclutha to borrow a car, and only my mother and sister making it to her graveside in time to push one of the offending puncturing nails into the dirt above her coffin! The service had long been completed. We were all quite sure Polly had orchestrated our whole ordeal!

Polly and Charlie are buried in Lot IX, plot 17 of Omakau Cemetery with D. H. Drake, presumably their child.