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Today in History
20 November
1937 Parachuting Santa crashes in Auckland Domain
George Sellars narrowly escaped serious injury when he was able to sway his parachute just in time to avoid crashing through the glass roof of the Winter Gardens during the Farmers' Christmas parade.
The idea had been for Sellars to land on the outer Domain as Father Christmas and distribute toys to children waiting on the ground. The plane he parachuted from was flying at a low 330 metres above the Domain – low enough for the spectators below to clearly see him as he stood on the wing waiting to jump.
According to a report of the incident, Sellars was only a few seconds from smashing into the Gardens' roof when he was at last able to swing the parachute away. He fell heavily into a garden patch between two hothouses – almost hitting two gardeners who had been bedding plants in the area.
As he watched the parachuting Santa get blown towards the Gardens by a strong southerly wind, the manager of Farmers' Trading Company, Robert Laidlaw, recalled how a single thought raced through his mind: 'I'm going to be the first man to kill Santa Claus'.
In the end Sellars managed to limp to a shelter to get his beard back in shape before returning to assist with the gift distribution, which he did in spite of his nerve-racking experience.
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1841 Mass murder in the Bay of Islands
Maketu Wharetotara, the 17-year-old son of the Nga Puhi chief Ruhe, killed five people at Motuarohia in the Bay of Islands. In March 1842 he became the first person to be officially executed in this country.
Maketu worked on the farm of a widow, Elizabeth Roberton. His killing spree began when he killed another farm worker, Thomas Bull, with an axe while he slept. Maketu then proceeded to kill Elizabeth Roberton, her two children, and Isabella Brind, the granddaughter of the Nga Puhi leader Rewa, who lived with the Robertons.
Maketu killed his victims because he believed they had offended his mana. Bull had been verbally and physically abusive towards him, and Mrs Roberton had sworn at him. Maketu failed to explain why he felt it necessary to kill Mrs Roberton's two children or Isabella. In the end it was perhaps the killing of Isabella alone that sealed his fate.
Maketu sought refuge in his father's village. Local settlers feared the killings were the start of something bigger. The local police magistrate, Thomas Beckham, refused to act for fear of provoking Maketu's kin. In the end Ruhe surrendered his son so as to avoid war with Rewa over the killing of his granddaughter.
Image: Maketu Waretotara
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