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Nicola {Nicolo) Sciascia was born April 13th 1840 in the village of Trani in the
Italian province of Bari. He was the eldest Son of Carlo Sciascia and Maria Giancinta di Toma. The Sciascia couple had six children – Margherita, Nicola,
Giacinto, Bartolomeo, Rafaella and Orsolina. Not much is known about Nicola’s
early life except that it can be imagined that the family was moderately well
off and perhaps educated, because all six children survived into adulthood and
all but Orsolina married and had children - a fairly rare occurrence in those
far off times. Father Carlo was a fisherman so the sea was in Nicola's blood. At
age 16 Nicola left the family home and went to Fiume, a city to the north of
Bari. He was granted a safe conduct pass to move from one province to another by
the Duke of Traetto. The safe conduct document gives a physical description of
Nicola and the order that he be allowed to pass unmolested and without fear of
his life, through the countryside between Traetto and Fiume. Nicola is described
as having medium height, brown hair and brown eyes and of natural colouring
without any visible distinguishing marks.
He may have been journeying to Fiume to stay with other family members and in
1859 joined the merchant navy of what was then called the Kingdom of the Two
Sicily's. Ordinary seaman Nicola Sciascia went to sea and it must have been ten
years later that he arrived in New Zealand. In between times we can imagine him
crossing and recrossing the Mediterranean until he eventually found ship to New
Zealand, then being settled and colonised.
The first we hear of Nicola in New Zealand is when he obtained employment with
the Marine Department as coxswain at Foxton. In 1882 at the age of 42 he married
Riria McGregor at Foxton. They had 11 children - the first Margaret Carlotta was
born in 1883. Then followed John de Tomba, 1884, Mary Christina, 1885, Nicola
James, 1887, Lydia Louisa, 1888, Elsie Maud 1890, Charles Rangiwawahia 1891,
Ellen Ruth 1892, Emma Hannah 1895, Frank Tariuha 1896 and Pirihira 'Waikawa in
1898.
Nicola Sciascia worked always near the sea variously employed as coxswain,
signalman, assistant lighthouse keeper and harbour boatman. While employed as
assistant keeper at the Pencarrow Head Lighthouse was in the unfortunate
position of falling asleep while on duty.
A Marine Department report for 1895 -1896 says on the night of August 12, the
assistant keeper was found asleep on watch. In consequence of his previous good
record during a long period of service and of the fact that he was suffering
from influenza at the time, he was not dismissed but his salary was reduced by
10 pounds a year and he was moved to a station less favourably situated. That is
the time the Sciascia family moved to Portland Island (Waikawa) at Mahia and
that is where they stayed for three years until Nicola met his untimely end.
Nicola was gored by a bull and died of his wounds on March 29, 1898. He was 58
years old and his widow; Riria was faced with the prospect of bringing up her
children alone. Riria liked to wear a long skirt of the McGregor tartan and
smoked a pipe. She always kept the Sabbath Day especially for the Lord. (rest
and no work). After the death of Nicola Sciascia in 1898 she returned to
Koputaroa. Through the years to follow she lived with her daughter Pirihira
(Tutu} at Porangahau with returning visits to Koputaroa to stay with her
daughter Lydia (Lucy). With her death in 1938 at Porangahau, her body was
returned to Koputaroa by her son Frank and buried beneath Charles Rangiwawahia
Memorial Stone at Puaotau cemetery, Koputaroa.
The Waikawa lighthouse still exists and has been moved to Wairoa and restored to
its former state. An excerpt from a commemorative Pamphlet of the lighthouse's
restoration in 1961, "said on the morning of March 29, an assistant keeper was
coming off watch in the tower, and saw a bull on the lighthouse reserve tossing
something which he thought to be a sack, but, on getting closer was horrified to
see it was the body of the principal keeper. The bull was driven off but the
keeper was dead. His body was buried on the reserve and the grave marked by a
neat tombstone and fence. The Marine Department report (1898) said Keeper
Sciascia left a widow and ten children and it was decided to grant Mrs. Sciascia
a compassionate allowance equal to one years salary. The Inspector of
Lighthouses said Mr. Sciascia met his death by being gored by a bull, which was
partly owned by Nicola Sciascia. After the sad accident the animal was
destroyed. On a previous tour of inspection, the inspector had seen the bull and
it seemed tame and quiet.
In his journal 'Remarks at the Pilot Station Manawatu' dated November 5 1875,
Nicola wrote ‘strong NW gale and heavy clouded sky with few showers in the first
part of the day, middle and latter part blowing a hard gale from the NW with
heavy sky, heavy sea and strong freshet throughout. January 13, 1876, Light SW
breeze calm and clear sky and smooth bar throughout the day. At daylight to
ketch at anchor to the Northward of the bar and a1so the two that came to anchor
on the 12th about 8 am, they got under way. SS Napier crossed the bar outward
for Wel1ington and afterward the schooner Florence crossed the bar inward from
Dunedin. Went on board the Florence, she being aground on a flat in the river.
Ran an anchor out astern but did not get her afloat by the night tide. September
6 1877, commenced with light variable breezes and calms up to 8 a.m. bar rough
throughout the rest of the day. Jan Duglass crossed the bar outward about 11
a.m. and the schooner Josephine dropped down to the mouth and anchored.’
Nicola Sciascia was said to be a hard worker and an intelligent man. It's said
he taught some of his children astronomy or how to recognise the constellations
of the skies and he most certainty would have imparted knowledge about the
weather and tides to his family. Coupled with his wife's own natural skills and
abilities any children of the Sciascia’s would have made an impact on New
Zealand's life anyway, but the feeling remains that the early death of Nicola
shattered the family.
Nicola Sciascia’s lonely grave on Portland Island off the Mahia Peninsula stands
as a tribute to the baby born in Trani in 1840, who lived in this country for no
more than thirty years and leaves the inheritance of at least four thousand
descendants.
NOTE:
Most text has been taken from the reunion books of 1972 and 1987. However some
changes have been made due to recent research identifying some minor errors in
previously published text.
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