Country Life: Devcich Farm Shines A Light On Dalmatian Pioneers
Old pack horse saddles slung over beams, a sack of ancient kauri gum and a well-thumbed Ready Reckoner on the counter tell just one chapter of the Devcich Farm story.
The items are in the farm's old trading post where, early last century, gum diggers and loggers came to buy stores for their camps up the Kauaeranga Valley on the Coromandel Peninsula.
There's also an old blacksmith's forge, a timber mill with sawpit and a winery complete with antique wine-making tools and a pungent aroma of sherry.
The Devcich family, originally from Dalmatia, now part of Croatia, farmed here last century. Their legacy, the Devcich Farmstead, is listed as a place of special significance with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, for 'reflecting significant developments in Dalmatian settlement in early twentieth-century New Zealand'.
The sheds, now clustered under a Croatian flag, also reveal their industriousness and range of skills.
Simun Devcich arrived in New Zealand from Podgora with his two brothers, Marion Anton and Nicola just after the turn of the 20th century. They worked their way up through gum digging and trading and into farming, buying the block, much bigger then, in 1915.
Simun had married another immigrant from Dalmatia, Matija Mercep, in 1913 and eventually took on the farm from his brothers, going from dairy to sheep farming, with his three sons working alongside.
Commercial farming has stopped now but Simun's granddaughter, Lorenza Devcich, has restored the buildings and runs a menagerie of coloured sheep, llamas, Highland cattle, emus and assorted exotic birds on the land which remains, with tourists often staying in the old homestead.
'My grandfather and his two brothers, they came from Yugoslavia to escape the army.
'Even for years after, the young men would leave because as soon as they got of age … they would get thrown into the army.'
'My grandfather had about 11 pack horses that he and his boys, my uncles and father, used to pack supplies right up into all the camps at the top end of the valley.
'When they'd first come here, a lot of [the gum diggers followed by loggers] had no money, so a lot of it was on credit.
'He also bought gum and sold it. So, they'd come back here with the gum, and that's how he'd get paid.'
Dalmatian immigrants were among New Zealand's wine making pioneers and the Devcich family was producing wine on a small scale from the late 1920s, under their Golden Valley label.
Lorenza remembers helping her father Ivan in the wine shed which still houses a wooden fermenting vat and other wine-making tools.
'And there's probably the last standing bottle of sherry up there, still with some sherry in it. It hasn't been touched. And maybe it could even be one of the ones that I bottled, because my job here was the dog's body.'
Lorenza still tends to the 80-year-old grape vines today, using 'the worst talkback radio station' she can find to blare out and scare away the birds.
'The sherry and the wine were all made from grapes grown on the property. All the beautiful, big black Albany Surprise, I think it's called, … is still there producing.
While the saw mill now stands quiet and the trading post has shut its doors, the farm courtyard is now home to a strutting peacock, brightly coloured pheasants and guinea fowl.
Lorenza stores their feed in a shed once used to stable Simun's beloved racehorses, an interest he took up in later life.
'They got fed all the lovely, cooked barley and everything. You'd go into the house, and you'd smell it cooking on the old coal range … all the old farm horses, the pack horses and everything else, just lucky if they got thrown some hay.'
She has somewhat sad memories of Simun.
'He got kicked in the stomach by a racehorse and ruptured his stomach, and he survived that, but then not long after, he had a stroke.
'I used to love sitting down talking to him, but when I'd start talking to him, get him to tell me the history, he'd get upset and start crying.'
He died in 1971, once a strong active man and very much the 'boss' in his day, and one of the pioneers of the valley, Lorenza said.
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Country Life: Devcich Farm Shines A Light On Dalmatian Pioneers
Article – RNZ The story of a pioneering family of Dalmatian immigrants has been kept alive through a cluster of old sheds on the Devcich farm near Thames. , for Country Life Old pack horse saddles slung over beams, a sack of ancient kauri gum and a well-thumbed Ready Reckoner on the counter tell just one chapter of the Devcich Farm story. The items are in the farm's old trading post where, early last century, gum diggers and loggers came to buy stores for their camps up the Kauaeranga Valley on the Coromandel Peninsula. There's also an old blacksmith's forge, a timber mill with sawpit and a winery complete with antique wine-making tools and a pungent aroma of sherry. The Devcich family, originally from Dalmatia, now part of Croatia, farmed here last century. Their legacy, the Devcich Farmstead, is listed as a place of special significance with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, for 'reflecting significant developments in Dalmatian settlement in early twentieth-century New Zealand'. The sheds, now clustered under a Croatian flag, also reveal their industriousness and range of skills. Simun Devcich arrived in New Zealand from Podgora with his two brothers, Marion Anton and Nicola just after the turn of the 20th century. They worked their way up through gum digging and trading and into farming, buying the block, much bigger then, in 1915. Simun had married another immigrant from Dalmatia, Matija Mercep, in 1913 and eventually took on the farm from his brothers, going from dairy to sheep farming, with his three sons working alongside. Commercial farming has stopped now but Simun's granddaughter, Lorenza Devcich, has restored the buildings and runs a menagerie of coloured sheep, llamas, Highland cattle, emus and assorted exotic birds on the land which remains, with tourists often staying in the old homestead. 'My grandfather and his two brothers, they came from Yugoslavia to escape the army. 'Even for years after, the young men would leave because as soon as they got of age … they would get thrown into the army.' 'My grandfather had about 11 pack horses that he and his boys, my uncles and father, used to pack supplies right up into all the camps at the top end of the valley. 'When they'd first come here, a lot of [the gum diggers followed by loggers] had no money, so a lot of it was on credit. 'He also bought gum and sold it. So, they'd come back here with the gum, and that's how he'd get paid.' Dalmatian immigrants were among New Zealand's wine making pioneers and the Devcich family was producing wine on a small scale from the late 1920s, under their Golden Valley label. Lorenza remembers helping her father Ivan in the wine shed which still houses a wooden fermenting vat and other wine-making tools. 'And there's probably the last standing bottle of sherry up there, still with some sherry in it. It hasn't been touched. And maybe it could even be one of the ones that I bottled, because my job here was the dog's body.' Lorenza still tends to the 80-year-old grape vines today, using 'the worst talkback radio station' she can find to blare out and scare away the birds. 'The sherry and the wine were all made from grapes grown on the property. All the beautiful, big black Albany Surprise, I think it's called, … is still there producing. While the saw mill now stands quiet and the trading post has shut its doors, the farm courtyard is now home to a strutting peacock, brightly coloured pheasants and guinea fowl. Lorenza stores their feed in a shed once used to stable Simun's beloved racehorses, an interest he took up in later life. 'They got fed all the lovely, cooked barley and everything. You'd go into the house, and you'd smell it cooking on the old coal range … all the old farm horses, the pack horses and everything else, just lucky if they got thrown some hay.' She has somewhat sad memories of Simun. 'He got kicked in the stomach by a racehorse and ruptured his stomach, and he survived that, but then not long after, he had a stroke. 'I used to love sitting down talking to him, but when I'd start talking to him, get him to tell me the history, he'd get upset and start crying.' He died in 1971, once a strong active man and very much the 'boss' in his day, and one of the pioneers of the valley, Lorenza said.
Scoop
11-05-2025
- Scoop
Country Life: Devcich Farm Shines A Light On Dalmatian Pioneers
Old pack horse saddles slung over beams, a sack of ancient kauri gum and a well-thumbed Ready Reckoner on the counter tell just one chapter of the Devcich Farm story. The items are in the farm's old trading post where, early last century, gum diggers and loggers came to buy stores for their camps up the Kauaeranga Valley on the Coromandel Peninsula. There's also an old blacksmith's forge, a timber mill with sawpit and a winery complete with antique wine-making tools and a pungent aroma of sherry. The Devcich family, originally from Dalmatia, now part of Croatia, farmed here last century. Their legacy, the Devcich Farmstead, is listed as a place of special significance with Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, for 'reflecting significant developments in Dalmatian settlement in early twentieth-century New Zealand'. The sheds, now clustered under a Croatian flag, also reveal their industriousness and range of skills. Simun Devcich arrived in New Zealand from Podgora with his two brothers, Marion Anton and Nicola just after the turn of the 20th century. They worked their way up through gum digging and trading and into farming, buying the block, much bigger then, in 1915. Simun had married another immigrant from Dalmatia, Matija Mercep, in 1913 and eventually took on the farm from his brothers, going from dairy to sheep farming, with his three sons working alongside. Commercial farming has stopped now but Simun's granddaughter, Lorenza Devcich, has restored the buildings and runs a menagerie of coloured sheep, llamas, Highland cattle, emus and assorted exotic birds on the land which remains, with tourists often staying in the old homestead. 'My grandfather and his two brothers, they came from Yugoslavia to escape the army. 'Even for years after, the young men would leave because as soon as they got of age … they would get thrown into the army.' 'My grandfather had about 11 pack horses that he and his boys, my uncles and father, used to pack supplies right up into all the camps at the top end of the valley. 'When they'd first come here, a lot of [the gum diggers followed by loggers] had no money, so a lot of it was on credit. 'He also bought gum and sold it. So, they'd come back here with the gum, and that's how he'd get paid.' Dalmatian immigrants were among New Zealand's wine making pioneers and the Devcich family was producing wine on a small scale from the late 1920s, under their Golden Valley label. Lorenza remembers helping her father Ivan in the wine shed which still houses a wooden fermenting vat and other wine-making tools. 'And there's probably the last standing bottle of sherry up there, still with some sherry in it. It hasn't been touched. And maybe it could even be one of the ones that I bottled, because my job here was the dog's body.' Lorenza still tends to the 80-year-old grape vines today, using 'the worst talkback radio station' she can find to blare out and scare away the birds. 'The sherry and the wine were all made from grapes grown on the property. All the beautiful, big black Albany Surprise, I think it's called, … is still there producing. While the saw mill now stands quiet and the trading post has shut its doors, the farm courtyard is now home to a strutting peacock, brightly coloured pheasants and guinea fowl. Lorenza stores their feed in a shed once used to stable Simun's beloved racehorses, an interest he took up in later life. 'They got fed all the lovely, cooked barley and everything. You'd go into the house, and you'd smell it cooking on the old coal range … all the old farm horses, the pack horses and everything else, just lucky if they got thrown some hay.' She has somewhat sad memories of Simun. 'He got kicked in the stomach by a racehorse and ruptured his stomach, and he survived that, but then not long after, he had a stroke. 'I used to love sitting down talking to him, but when I'd start talking to him, get him to tell me the history, he'd get upset and start crying.' He died in 1971, once a strong active man and very much the 'boss' in his day, and one of the pioneers of the valley, Lorenza said.
Scoop
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Home Of Compassion Chapel And Resting Place Listed As Historic Place
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga has recognised The Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion and the Resting Place of Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert as a Category 1 Historic Place. The decision was made by the Heritage New Zealand Board following careful consideration and recognises that the place holds sufficient significance to be entered onto the New Zealand Heritage List. The listing will take effect on 12 May 2025. In its decision, Heritage New Zealand considered a range of criteria, evaluating the architectural, social, spiritual, aesthetic, and historical significance of the site. 'The Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion and the Resting Place of Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert have outstanding historical and spiritual significance for their direct association with the Catholic nun, nurse, and social worker Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert, who founded the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion (Sisters of Compassion).' Heritage New Zealand also recognised the further historical significance of the Chapel through its association with Ross Brown, award-winning architect of the Structon Group, and John Drawbridge, an artist of national standing. Opened in 1990, the design of the Chapel is the result of collaboration between these two highly respected figures in their fields. 'The building has a unique form, and its interior is visually arresting. The result is a unique and extraordinary space, which, with the addition of the Resting Place, has significant rarity value.' The Resting Place was designed by Hugh Tennent of Tennent Brown Architects. Together with his business partner Ewan Brown, Hugh Tennent recently won the 2024 Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects gold medal for their contribution to architecture. Opened in 2017, the award-winning Resting Place is a tranquil but simple space accompanied by thoughtful design. The focus is Suzanne's tomb, the natural world through a large adjacent window, and John Drawbridge's 'Resurrection' stained glass window. The Chapel and Resting Place are an important part of Our Lady's Home of Compassion, serving as a place of prayer, worship, retreat, and reflection; a spiritual centre for significant religious and social events in the community; and a place of pilgrimage. Sister Margaret Anne Mills, Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Compassion, welcomed the decision. 'It recognises the importance of this place in the life Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert and her wider contribution to New Zealand society.' 'We want to acknowledge Historic Places Wellington, who made the initial nomination, and to thank Heritage New Zealand for this recognition.' Suzanne's work and contribution to this country is already acknowledged on the New Zealand Heritage List with the inclusion of the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Pakipaki, St Joseph's Church and Convent at Hiruhārama/Jerusalem – a place Suzanne called 'the cradle of our Congregation' – and the former Crèche at Wellington. The Soup Kitchen she established in the city in 1901 continues to operate to this day. The Chapel and Resting Place are located at Our Lady's Home of Compassion in Island Bay, Wellington, which is one of five pilgrimage sites designated by the Archdiocese of Wellington for this Year of Jubilee with its theme of 'Pilgrims of Hope'. Suzanne served 'all creeds and none', and in keeping with this, the Chapel and Resting Place are open to everyone from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm every day. 'We look forward to welcoming you', said Sister Margaret Anne. ___________________________________________________________________________ Venerable Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert, also known as Mother Mary Joseph Aubert, was a pioneering Catholic nun, missionary, and social reformer who left France in 1860 to serve in Aotearoa New Zealand. She dedicated her life to ministering to Māori and Pākehā communities, both Catholic and non-Catholic, without compromising her own beliefs. After early missionary work in Auckland and Hawke's Bay, she moved to Hiruhārama/Jerusalem on the Whanganui River in 1883, where she founded the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion in 1892, the first Catholic congregation established in Aotearoa New Zealand to receive Papal recognition. The Sisters cared for the poor, the sick, the disabled, and abandoned children, regardless of race or religion. In 1899, Suzanne moved to Wellington, setting up a soup kitchen, a crèche, and later, Our Lady's Home of Compassion in Island Bay. At 78, she travelled to Rome and secured Pope Benedict XV's recognition of the Decree of Praise for her order in 1917. She died in 1926, and was widely mourned. Today, her cause for sainthood is underway, and her legacy continues through the Sisters of Compassion's ongoing work.
