Station Amusements in New Zealand

by Lady Barker

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172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1873

About the author

Born Mary Anne Stewart in Spanish Town, Jamaica, she was the eldest daughter of Walter Stewart, Island Secretary of Jamaica. She was educated in England, and in 1852 married Captain George Robert Barker of the Royal Artillery, with whom she would have two children. When Barker was knighted for his leadership at the Siege of Lucknow, Mary Anne became "Lady Barker". Eight months later Barker died. On 21 June 1865, Mary Anne Barker married Frederick Napier Broome. The couple then sailed for New Zealand, leaving her two children in England. The couple's first child was born in Christchurch in February 1866, but died in May. By this time, they had moved to the sheep station Steventon, which Broome had partnered with H. P. Hill to buy. They remained there for three years; they lost more than half their sheep in the winter of 1867, and in response Broome sold out and the couple returned to London. Both Mary Anne and her husband then became journalists. Still calling herself "Lady Barker", Mary Anne Broome became a correspondent for The Times, and also published two books of verse, Poems from New Zealand (1868) and The Stranger from Seriphos (1869). In 1870, she published her first book Station Life in New Zealand, a collection of her letters home. The book was reasonably successful, going through several editions and being translated into French and German. Over the next eight years, Lady Barker wrote ten more books, including A Christmas Cake in Four Quarters (1871), a sequel to Station Life entitled Station Amusements in New Zealand (1873), and First Lessons in the Principles of Cooking (1874). This last title led to her being appointed Lady Superintendent of the National Training School of Cooking in South Kensington. When Frederick Broome was appointed Colonial Secretary of Natal in 1875, Lady Barker accompanied him there. Broome's subsequent colonial appointments had him traveling to Mauritius, Western Australia, Barbados, and Trinidad. Drawing on these experiences, Lady Barker published A Year's Housekeeping in South Africa (1880) and Letters to Guy (1885). Frederick Broome was knighted on 3 July 1884, and thereafter Mary Anne called herself "Lady Broome". She published the last of her 22 books, Colonial Memories under this name. After Sir Frederick Broome's death in 1896, Lady Broome returned to London, dying there on 6 March 1911.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[She's So Novel! ꧁꧂]

3.5★

This sequel to Station life in New Zealand isn't written in the epistolatory style, but it is a further account of Lady Barker's life in New Zealand, where she shows the same dauntless courage & adventurous nature - for example she demands to be allowed to go along on a camping trip. This is on horseback, in Victorian dress, through very rugged country.

I very much enjoyed Lady B's cheerful, positive style, but this book lacks structure. It is really a collection of anecdotes.

https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...

[P.D.R. Lindsay]

Top marks for an 'At the time' account for research bearing in mind these people did have some money so were more comfortable in New Zealand then th eaverage 'Take your chance ' person. For anyone wanting a general 'At the time' account of colonial life this is a gem.

Lady Barker had a sense of humour and a lot of common sense. This the second of her two books and both deserve top marks for well written and full of details personal accounts. Top rate for research.

[Randall]

Lacking the letter-writing structure of the first, Amusements wanders. I think I barely prefer Life, but they should really be quickly read together. Again, it made me want to hang out with the shepherds or live Ms. Barker's life, where the biggest concern is What'll we have at the picnic?

[Avis Black]

Station Amusements in New Zealand is not as good as Station Life, which Barker is known for.

[Hann]

This was just fantastic. Really reminiscient of Bill Bryson's work, even though obviously written before hand. I had the pelasure to read this as part of a work assignment and I loved every minute.

[Bettie]

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