The Bond store

with Ruth Olsen, Silverdale & Districts Historical Society, published November 16, 2011

On March 5, 1866 the sailing ship The Liverpool arrived  in Auckland harbour having left London the previous November. The voyage was not without incident. After leaving London the ship was diverted to Plymouth to pick up 40 passengers from The Cossipore which was leaking and had been forced to return to land. Setting sail once more The Liverpool encountered a fierce storm during which the main topmast staysail was split and “a large quantity of water was shipped”. During the voyage three passengers died from typhoid and three babies were born.

Among the 192 immigrants were 20 members of the extended Bond family, including a married daughter, Sarah Giles, who gave birth to a daughter two weeks before reaching Auckland. Enoch Bond Sr. had sent ahead money to buy land. Unfortunately this money was embezzled by his solicitor Edmund J. Cox who defrauded many people aound Auckland. In a letter to the court Cox apologised to his victims and wrote that he had lost the money through bad deals and through speculating in buying land which later lost its value. With court proceedings pending he absconded to Wellington, was captured and sent back to Auckland for trial. Somehow he got himself discharged and, before any new trial could get underway, he boarded a boat heading for San Francisco. It is unclear whether he got away with any of the stolen money.

A collection was started for Cox’s victims many of whom were left destitute. Henry Lloyd (of Wainui) even held a dance in his barn – three shillings a head with the proceeds going to the Bonds.  Correspondence appeared in the Daily Southern Cross as to whether the Bonds were indeed destitute but life must have been tough for them. They had some land in the Wade (Silverdale) area under cultivation and kept a few cows, the older boys had been gum digging and the mother was working in a hotel. At one stage one of the Bonds was paying off his rates by working as a labourer on the roads.

Over the years things improved for the Bond family. By 1871 Enoch was able to buy 222 acres in the Pine Valley Road area and in 1875 Bond Brothers opened a store trading gum and selling household goods in what is now Silverdale Street. Goods for sale arrived from Auckland by the steamer Orewa and the Bonds delivered groceries by horse and cart through the muddy roads as far as Wainui.

The business flourished and in 1894 a decision was made to move to Auckland. When a son-in-law joined the firm it became Bond & Bell and eventually grew into the well known retail chain of Bond & Bond.