Christensen family of Manawatu, NZ
Niobar Antonius ('Snider') Christensen
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Niobar's birth was registered as Niobar Antonius Christensen (1874, Folio1096), but this was just one of a number of variations, nicknames and even an alias he answered to over the years.
Not a great deal is known about Niobar's early years and there are gaps in his latter years also. He was born in 1874 and started school at Stoney Creek School on 14 June 1880. This was twelve days after the birth of his sister Lydia, so doubtless it gave his tired mother a few hours break from an energetic child of about six. After all, she still had two other pre-schoolers in the house. He continued attending the school until 8 June 1885, three months after his mother's death. He and Calvert were both removed from the school roll on 2 July 1885, by which time he was in Standard Two. He was recorded as being destined for another school.
Niobar appears to have remained living with his father after his mother's death when he was ten or eleven. His early years other than that are a mystery, however, by the early 1900s he was more visible. For example, the 1902 Wise's Directory lists him as a farmer and draper of Palmerston North - and unusual combination.
In about 1906, he appears to have abruptly moved to Australia - the rumour persisting that he had been involved with sheep-stealing in the Tararua Ranges. Skinned sheep carcasses evidently had been dumped in some gully in the Ranges. It appears that younger brother Calvert may also have assisted with this activity. Another story which his granddaughter Ivy had heard, was that he had assisted someone to escape from jail who was waiting to be hung for sheep stealing. Somewhere in among all this must be a thread or two of truth. But what truth?
At about the same time, he reappeared at Mt. Morgan, Queensland, a destination for many young men seeking work in the district's goldmines. Soon the good-looking and well-liked young man had caught the eye of teenager Florence Elizabeth Easton, whose father was the longtime manager of the mines. Niobar, aged 33, duly married the seventeen-year-old girl at Charters Towers, Queensland, on 7 March 1908 - as 'Niobar Antonio Christensen'. By this time, the Easton family had moved to the nearby town of Homestead, and the newly-weds established their home there and the couple's three children were born there. By November 1909, when the couple's first child was born, Niobar was a timber contractor at Charters Towers.
Homestead was the site of a sawmill that produced sleepers for the Railways, and that is probably where Niobar worked. However, while the children were still very young, Niobar left Florence to seek work further afield, and the marriage came apart.
The second of the three children, Alice, had died at birth, so Florence was left with Ivy, who had been born on 19 November 1909, and Colin, born 14 May 1912. Ivy was raised by her Easton grandparents at Ayr, while the frail Colin remained with his mother. Florence remained based at Homestead, about 200 miles from Ayr, but found work at various properties. She also cooked in the refreshment rooms at the Railway Station. During World War Two, she did a lot of voluntary work for the Red Cross, for which she duly received recognition.
Niobar remained based at Ayr, where he worked as a logging contractor. He became known there as 'Robert Johnston,' although the reason for using the name is now lost. He did not change his name by deed poll, and possibly some past action had caught up with him!! Jonsson, of course, was the surname of his Swedish grandfather, and perhaps that influenced his choice. He also became known as 'Bobbawobba Bob' and as 'Texas', which allows for some speculation. There is a tiny town named Bobbawobba between Homehill and Bowen, and presumably he worked there at some stage. He returned to Ayr every few weeks.
There is no tradition of his ever returning to New Zealand, however, he was apparently expected home for Christmas in 1907. His sister Hilda sent a postcard (dated 5 February 1908) to Lydia (then Dahlstrom) mentioning that Snowy (Emmanuel) had told her of the possibility. Hilda hadn't know if he had arrived, but his marriage date occurred in Queensland the following month. Probably the recent deaths of his father and brother so soon beforehand might have affected his decision one way or the other too.
Little is known of Niobar's life, due to his limited contact with his children. However, he replied to a letter from Snowy in a letter dated 13 September 1925, and that indicated that he had not been in contact with his New Zealand relatives for about nine years. He had, at time of writing, just been released from the Charters Towers Hospital, after a four-month stay. He had been recovering from what may have been a stroke. At the time he wrote this letter, he said he was working as best he could, on a cane farm called 'Kia Ora Farm,' at Ayr. He signed his name as 'Robert Johnston' and gave his father-in-law's address in Ayr as the return address.
Niobar died at the Ayr Hospital on 14 October 1938, aged about 64, and by which time he was an alcoholic. The information left for his death certificate was somewhat disjointed. however, it gave his correct name - more or less. He was named as Antonius Neobar Christensen
Ivy Florence Christensen married Norman Blain, and the couple produced four children. She died at Ayr on 5 December 1986. Colin Christensen ultimately changed his name by deed poll to become 'Johnston', like his father. He married Joan Irene Lewis and they produced five children. He was killed in a train accident on 8 March 1967 at Beinleigh, Queensland.
Niobar's former wife, Florence, in due course married Carr Fox. She died on 4 March 1954 at Townsville, where she is buried
(Note: Paragraphs and commas have been added where appropriate, as the original contained none. Question marks indicate that the place name's spelling in unclear. )
Kia Ora Farm, Ayr.
Sunday, Sept. 13, 1925
Dear Snowie,
Your letter found me all right, when I got it I had not long been out of the Charters Towers District Hospital where I spent four (4) months, and since then I have not made up my mind where to settle down again. I am pretty right again now and today is the first time since I came out of the hospital that I have done any writing and I am making a whole day of it.
I am working on a cane farm, £3/15/- per week and tucker, it is a life job if I want to stick it. I have still got horses and teams (?) but they are all over the country. I was out collecting when I took sick 120 miles (into the??) bush from Ch. Towers. I had 10 horses on Pandoras Ck. Station 40 miles further on, I was on Wando Vale Station at the time. I had my team there and Plant contractors tools of all sorts.
When the Labour Party got in in Queensland, the copper mines in the Cloncurry District closed down and the timber work stoped (sic) and I had to take to the bush Aug. 25, 1918, that's how it was that I went bush farming and yard building on cattle stations. My partner went cane farming, now he's sitting back, sold out and made all he wants, and all I got is what I earn, but will make another start at something yet.
I was the Timber King of the Great Northern Railway, the big drought in 1915 about settled me but I pulled through again when the mines closed down and the war was on. Mt. Isa is in the Cloncurry District, but that will be no good, I was thinking about going there.
I put in five and a half years on station work, been nearly dead many times, been lost 2 days and 1 night without water, and the sun 105 up 107 (degrees) in the shade, these things would make a book. Lost 20 miles from the nearest human being and no-one would have missed me (for) two weeks. I crawled the last bit to the water, the only water for 20 miles around that was in the Basalt County when I was in the Desert Country. I had a good dog and he died for the want of water, yet I pulled through. Some other time I will write up the things.
I suppose you are wondering what was wrong with me. I had been helping the stockmen at Wando Vale to brand and dip bullocks. I was keeping the fires up and got overheated, and then I went and had a cold shower bath, and just got over a bad attack of Flue, in fact I should have been in bed about 2 hours after the bath. My left side went dead, my leg and side. Came to pretty well in a few days, good enough that I could walk about, but my arm stoped (sic) dead months. I was helpless for a long time but it is pretty right again. Now every week it (is) a little better, it will never be as good as it was.
The Doctor told me when I left the Hospital that I would never work hard again. I told him I would and so I have and I have doing flaming hard work now.
I have got two children, Colin and Ivy. Ivy will be 16 years in a couple of months, she is down here stopping with her grandfather and mother. Colin and his mother are at Homestead, 200 miles up the line. I came down here to spell but I had to get to work.
If you write, let me know how the rest are. I have made up my mind to stop here for a few months, perhaps after that come down here to live. I will close now, it (is) over nine years since I heard from you, or you from me but let('s) hope the spell is broken. Best regards. I lost the address you sent, the reason for cutting this a bit short.
- (signed) Robt. Johnston, c/- Mr Ed. Easton, Ayr, via Townsville, Queensland.
Notes: Cloncurry is east of Mt. Isa, Queensland. Carters Towers and Homestead are along the same major road, but only 100 and 150 miles inland. Ayr is near the coast below Townsville. The two station names are slightly uncertain. For example, the last three letters of 'Pandoras' are uncertain, while the first letter of 'Wando' is uncertain. The original belongs to Snowie's daughter Mona Beard. Ed Easton was Niobar's father-in-law.
