Johnston Street is located on the western side of Waitara and once formed the boundary of the old Waitara Borough. It was named in honour of William Johnston, a one-eyed Plymouth Company settler.
William, known as Bill, was born in Ireland on 24 April 1839 and immigrated to New Zealand as a toddler with his parents John and Mary and an older sister, also called Mary. The family sailed on the ship Amelia Thompson which arrived in New Plymouth in September 1841. A brother named John was born on the voyage, one of seven babies, dubbed “ocean children”, delivered during the sailing – his arrival coincided with a change in wind that allowed the ship to finish its journey to Taranaki at pace, so he was nicknamed Fairweather Jack by all on board. The family’s surname was usually spelled Johnson but that could and did vary hence the ‘t’ on the street sign.
John Johnston supported his family by working as a publican then a policeman in the new colony. He loved horses, training them for extra money, and Bill would help him as a boy.
Tensions between settlers and Māori over land sales escalated during the 1850s with British troops sent to safeguard settlers. John Johnston and his two oldest sons joined the Mounted Volunteers when this local militia was formed. Bill served as a scout and despatch rider, eventually earning promotion to Lieutenant. He took part in various skirmishes including the Battle of Waireka and the attack on Te Kohia, the so-called “L” pā, in March 1860 during which he was wounded and his beloved horse Annie Laurie killed. Volunteers had to provide their own horses but there is no evidence that Bill received compensation for the loss of Annie.
Bill lost his left eye in a childhood accident and wore an eyepatch for the rest of his life. He married illegitimate teenaged milliner Jane Williams Marshall (1847-1933) in 1864 and the couple had 11 children, two of whom died in infancy. The family lived at Waitara, then Tarata, where Bill was given a Crown Grant of some 200 acres for his military service. He worked as a labourer and lumberjack before he and Jane retired to Inglewood in 1910.
William Johnston died in Inglewood on 29 January 1914 at the age of 74. He is named on his wife’s headstone at Te Hēnui Cemetery but is actually buried in Inglewood Cemetery.
This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.
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