MACKLEY, SAMUEL MEGGITT (1829-1911) was born at Leeds, the son of Dr T. Mackley. Educated at the Leeds Grammar School, he studied medicine but, his health being poor, he came to New Zealand in the Sir Allan McNab (1857) and settled first at Nelson. He made early visits to the West Coast on foot, once walking with Creighton as far as the Grey. At Okarito he found gold on the beach. On 21 May 1860 he witnessed at Greymouth the deed of sale of the West Coast to the Government, and in 1861 he took up a run on the Waipuna plains, up the Grey river, being the first European to settle there. He chartered a vessel to move his family to their new home. In 1863 he travelled overland to Canterbury by the Ahaura saddle and the Waiau river, and brought back sheep for his station. Claiming to have found gold in the Buller river as early as 1859, he wrote to the Lyttelton Times in 1862 predicting that the West Coast would prove to be a goldfield. In 1860 Mackley married Miss Trist (Devonshire). He was a justice of the peace, and represented Grey in the Nelson Provincial Council (1869-72). He died on 8 Nov 1911.

Hindmarsh; Reid; Cycl. N.Z., v (p); Who's Who N.Z., 1908; Grey Star, 1 Feb 1928; Grey River Argus, 10 Nov 1911.

Reference: Volume 2, page 18

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