Charlie Parker's grave 1930's Photo Alf Bacon collection		Charlie Parker Grave 1955 Photo: Stephen Perrott

Comparing the two photos, Alf Bacons and the 1955 photo, I'm am looking for information as to when the grave site was upgraded from the wooden cross to the more substantial 1955 concrete structure.

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 Extract from Newsletter Vol2 Number 4 September 1972 which explains the apperance of boulders as the grave.

 "Poor Charley slept on peacefully for 35 years under the Norfolks down on the farm until Geoff and I in 1962, erected a two ton memorial of beach rock on his chest to which Brian added an exquisite little cross of solid brass that he had cut and filed in his workshop. One wonders what developments would have been made on the freehold if Charley Parker had not come to such an untimely end."

 

Charlie Parker 1978 - Photo Mike Bourke		Charlie Parker 1982 - Photo Mike Fraser

Charlie Parker's (Chas) grave in June 2014. Can now see how overgrown it is getting with the removal of the Norfolk Pines which inhibited grass growth. The fence probably got damaged when the pines were removed but wasn't nexessary by then as all farm animals had been removed. Photo: Steve Knowles

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So where does Charlie Parker fit into the Raoul island Story? Below is the story of the 1926 settlement from "The Kermadec Group, the Unvarnished Truth About Sunday Island, A Land of dreams" by A.M. Venables published in 1937.

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1926 SETTLEMENT

Mr. Bell sold his interest in Sunday Island for about £100 to a Mr. Cameron, who, with his wife, settled on the islandfor a year or so. Mr. Cameron then sold to a Mr. Douglas, who did not go to the island. He, in turn, sold to Mr. Charles Parker.

Messrs. Parker, A. Bacon and J. Ashworth got their outfit together, and landed at the island in November 1926, by the Hinemoa. They and their goods, including roofing iron, were landed at Denham Bay, and carrying the necessities they required, they trekked over to Bell's Beach, where they built a raupo and nikau jit. Messrs. Parker and Ashworth did not feel enraptured with the island as it did not fulfil their expectations, according to Mr. Bacon's report. the settlement was doomed to early failure, as unfortunately, Mr Parker contracted blodd poisoning, which led to tetnanus, from which he died. This incident discouraged Bacon and Ashworth, who then were anxious to return to New Zealand, and eagerly looked for smoke of a vessel, which happily did appear in March 1927, being the Hinemoa again, and so ended another failure, despite certain attractive contributed newspaper reports. There was nothing done by them on the island, temporary or permanent to justify such reports.

Mr. Parker left his proprietary interst in Sunday Island section to his brother in England, but Mr. A. Bacon - acting as organiser, got a small syndicate of Nrw Zealanders together, and bought Mr. Parker's rights at a greatly enhanced figure. Plans were then made to form a permanent group settlement, but, as shipping communication was an urgent necessity of the scheme, and arrangements for transport could not at that time be made, the syndicate became discouraged and ultimately fell to pieces. However, Mr. Bacon being desperately anxious to get back to the island, made another attempt a few years later.