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Kōrero: Asher, Albert and Asher, Ernest Te Kēpa

Whārangi 1: Haurongo

Asher, Albert

1879–1965

Nō Ngāti Pikiao, nō Ngāti Pūkenga; he tangata purei whutupaoro uniana, purei rīki, he kaipatu ahi, he kaitiaki papatākaro

Asher, Ernest Te Kēpa

1886–1973

Nō Ngāti Pikiao, nō Ngāti Pūkenga; he tangata purei whutupaoro uniana, purei rīki; he kaiwhakahaere tākaro, he kaikuti makawe

I eh tuhia tēnei haurongo e Robin C. McConnell, ā, i tāngia tuatahitia ki Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau i te 1996.

Nō te 3 o Tīhema 1879 i whānau ai a Arapeta (Albert) Asher i Tauranga, ā, i whānau anō hoki tōna teina, a Ernest Te Kēpa Asher i reira i te 21 o Āperira 1886. Ko rāua te tuarima me te tuawhitu o ngā tamariki Asher, hui katoa tekau mā tahi rātau. Nō te taha ki tō rāua whaea, ki a Katerina Te Atirau, me tō rāua tupuna whaea, me Rāhera Te Kahuhiapō, i pā ai rāua ki a Ngāti Pikiao o Te Arawa, me Ngāti Pūkenga. He rangatira hōtēra tō rāua pāpā, a David Asher. He tama ia nā Hannah Keesing rāua ko Asher Asher, he kaihokohoko Hūrai rongonui nō Ākarana (Auckland). Ko tā rāua kauaemua, ko Katherine Te Rongokahira Asher. Nō muri mai, ko Parata tōna īngoa tuarua, ā, i muri mai i tēnā ko Robertshaw. Tokowhā ō rāua tuākana, tāina rānei, arā, ko Henry Hēnare, ko Tō Te Atirau, ko John Te Atirau, me George Ngākiore. Ahakoa te toa o rātau ki ngā mahi tākaro katoa, hau kē ana tō rātau kaha ki te tākaro whutupaoro me te tākaro rīki.

E kī ana te kōrero, i a ia e taitama tonu ana, i uru atu a Arapeta ki te tīma uniana paparua o tētehi karapu whutupaoro ā-rohe. Nō te tau 1897, ka āta tonoa ia e te Karapu Whutupaoro o Panēra (Parnell Football Club) kia haere atu ki Ākarana purei ai, noho ai hoki ki reira. He mea āta whakatau rawa he mahi anō māna ki reira. Nō te tau i muri mai, ka tīmata ia ki te purei i te tuatahi o ana whakataetae 21 mō Ākarana. Nō te tau 1902, ka noho ia hei mema mō te tīma tuatahi o Ākarana i toa rā ki te Hīra o Ranapare (Ranfurly Shield). Ko ia hoki tētehi o te tīma o Niu Tīreni i haere ki Ahitereiria i te tau 1903. Tekau mā whitu ana tarai, ā, mō ngā tau e 54 te roa, e mau tonu ana tēnei toatanga āna hei rekoata mō ia tangata, mō ia tangata o Aotearoa i Ahitereiria e purei ana. I taua haerenga o rātau i tapaina ia ki te īngoa 'The India Rubber Man'. Ko te take hoki he toa nōna, rutua ana ki raro, panga ake ana. Hoi anō rongonui kē atu tērā o ōna īngoa karanga, a 'Opai', he īngoa hōiho toa nei ki te peke taiapa. Nā tana kaha ki te hūpeke i te kairutu, i tapaina a ia ki taua īngoa rā. I te tau 1904, i tino whara nei tana waewae i a ia e kaipatu ahi ana. Nā reira, ka rua ngā tau kāore ia i āhei ki te purei i ngā kēmu toa. Ahakoa tata a ia ki te uru ki te tīma, kāore i whai wāhi ki te haerenga o te tīma tuatahi, tīma pū rā o ngā All Blacks ki Ingarangi i te tau 1905. Nō mua atu, nō te 19 o Noema 1901, i moea ai e Albert a May Caroline Briggs. Tokoono ā rāua tamariki.

Riro ana ko tana taina, ko Ernest, hei kaitākaro whutupaoro uniana mō te rohe o Tauranga. I te tau 1908, ka whakatūria e rāua ko Arapeta tētehi tīma Māori, hei manene haere ki Ahitereiria. I haere anō hoki ētehi rangatira Māori i tō rātau taha. E ai ki te kōrero, tae rawa rātau ki te wāpu o Poihākena (Sydney), ka tūtakina rātau e ngā kaiwhakahaere o te Rīki Whutupaoro o Niu Taute Wēra (New South Wales Rugby Football League), whakawherea ana kia huri mai ki te tākaro rīki, ā, tere tonu te mahue i a rātau o te tākaro whutupaoro. Nō te tau 1909 i tāpoi ai rāua ki Ahitereiria i roto i tētehi tīma Māori purei rīki. I te whānautanga mai o te Rīki Whutupaoro o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Rugby Football League) i te tau 1910, ā, i te taenga ake o te tīma rīki tuatahi o Ingarangi ki te purei i konei, ka rua rāua he kaihāpai mō Niu Tīreni. He mema anō rāua nō te tīma Māori i whakataetae rā ki te tīma o Ingarangi. I taua tau tonu, i 1910, ko rāua tonu ētehi o ngā kaiwhakatū i te Karapu Rīki City Rovers o Ākarana. Nō te tau i muri mai, i uru atu ai a Ernest ki te tīma o te motu i haere rā ki Ahitereiria. Ko te tūnga tākaro i a ia ko tērā o te toru-koata, te whūrupēke rānei. Ka toa kē nei ia i taua haere. I te tau 1913, ka whakatūria anō a Arapeta ki te tīma rīki o te motu.

I te 20 o Hānuere 1914, i moe tahi a Ernest Asher rāua ko May Hill ki Ākarana. Kotahi noa tā rāua tamaiti. Nō muri kē mai o te mutunga o tana purei rīki papatahi i te tau 1916, i tū a ia hei mēnetia, hei kaikōwhiri, hei kaiwhakahaere, ā, ka nui kē tana pai ki ēnei tū momo mahi. I tētehi tau, ko ia te kaikōwhiri mō ētehi tino tīma nui e whā. Nāwai rā whakanōhia ana a ia hei mema tūturu mō ētehi karapu me ētehi rōpū pēnei i te Rīki Whutupaoro o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Rugby Football League). Ko ia anō te kaiwhakahaere o te Tīma Māori o te Rōpū Whutupaoro o Niu Tīreni i haere rā ki Ahitereiria i te tau 1956. Tata ana ki te 60 ngā tau e hēkeretari ana ia mā te Poari Māori Rīki o Niu Tīreni (New Zealand Māori Rugby League Board) ā, ko ia anō hoki te waha kōrero ki te Kaunihera o te Rīki Whutupaoro o Niu Tīreni (Council of the New Zealand Rugby Football League).

He tangata pukumahi anō a Ernest Asher ki ngā mahi hikihiki, ā, noho ana ia hei mema mō te komiti whakahaere o te Rōpū Hikihiki o Ākarana (Auckland Weightlifting Association). Tāria te wā, e mau ake ana ia i te taha whakakaha i te ora o tana tinana. Rima tekau ngā tau a Ernest e kutikuti makawe ana. Nōna ka mutumutu haere te mahi, ko ia tonu i tāna ake toa e tapahi makawe ana i tētehi tiriti (High Street) o Ākarana. He tangata rongonui a ia ki ngā mahi o roto i te Uniana o ngā Kaiāwhina i ngā Kaikuti Makawe o Ākarana (Auckland Hairdressers' Assistants Union).

Mai i te tau 1902, he kaipatu ahi te mahi a Arapeta, ā, i ētehi wā anō, he kaipāmu, he kaitou kāhi, he kaimahi rerewē, he ihu oneone, he karaka, he kaihanga kōhua nei āna mahi. E rua tekau tau ia e kaitiaki ana i te papatākaro i te Pāka o Carlaw. Nā reira ia i ngangahau tonu ai ki te hunga tākaro Rīki. Ka taka atu ōna tau ki te 80, e whāia tonutia ana ia e te tangata mō tana tohu īngoa. Nō te 8 o Hānuere 1965 i mate ai a Arapeta. Mahue ora tonu ana āna tamāhine tokotoru me āna tama tāne tokorua. Kua mate kē atu tana hoa rangatira. Nō te 10 o Āperira 1973 i mate mai a Ernest Asher i Ākarana. I mate tōna hoa a May i te tau 1962, ā, i mate pakanga kē mai tana tama a George i Monte Cassino, i Itari i te tau 1944, i te wā i a ia i te Ope Taua Māori 28 o Aotearoa (28th New Zealand (Māori) Battalion); he rūtene tōna tūnga.

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārangi:

Robin C. McConnell. 'Asher, Albert and Asher, Ernest Te Kēpa', Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, first published in 1996. Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/biographies/3a22/asher-albert (accessed 29 March 2024)