Riverton, (38km west of Invercargill) was established by Captain John Howell (1809-1874) as a whaling station about 1837, when it was called Jacob's River. He took a Maori woman of high rank as his wife and thereby acquired a lot of land. Today, a large memorial beside the Aparima River estuary commemorates Howell. His house, (Howell's Cottage) which survives, was built about that time and is the oldest surviving building in the South Island

William Venery died on Christmas Day 1907 in Riverton aged 76
his OBITUARY appeared in the Otago Witness, 8 January 1908
... A typically colonial adventurous life closed when William Veney, aged 76, died at Riverton on Christmas Day. Veney first came to New Zealand while a soldier in the 50th Regiment, and fought under General (Duncan Alexander) Cameron after Gate Pa. He did not leave with the regiment, and made for the West Coast diggings, coming south to work on the construction of the early railways; he then went to *Orepuki and Longwood. He went south again, and afterwards worked about the Orepuki district. He was part owner of a water race, and sold his share for ?1000, which he invested - and lost - in a coasting vessel. Then he unwillingly fell back on the old-age pension, and though bent double with rheumatism contrived to find for himself till almost the last

*Orepuki, is a settlement on the cliffs overlooking the ocean at Tewaewae Bay. It is connected with Invercargill, via Riverton, and Thornbury and Makarewa Junctions, and is 43 miles from the capital of Southland.
Gold was discovered at Orepuki, in 1865

William Veney's burial not found in Orepuki or Southland District
can you help?

PHOTO
taken from Officers of the 50th Regiment
(William Veney not included. Added here to show the uniform etc)