| Brief Description |
This cast iron frying pan, with a long crack down the centre, was purchased by W Hallam-Eames in the late 1950s from well-known swagman Russian Jack for ten shillings, when he visited a camp site at the mouth of the Kaiwhatawhata River, between Flat Point and Riversdale on the east coast of Wairarapa.
Russian Jack was a well-known swagman, one of the last in New Zealand. He shunned the traditional working lifestyle for life on the road. Born in Latvia in 1878, his name was thought to be Barret or Bernet Krumin, but in New Zealand his lack of English and strong accent soon earned him the name "Russian Jack". He was also known as Barney the Russian or Barney the Swagman.
When his ship "The Star of Canada" was wrecked off the Gisborne coast in 1912 Russian Jack set off on foot for Wellington. Somewhere in Wairarapa he decided to make the road his home. For 53 years Russian Jack walked the roads of the North Island as one of the last "gentlemen of the road". He established a regular beat between Wairarapa, Manawatu and Rangitikei, although he claimed to have been everywhere in the North Island except New Plymouth. Russian Jack also had regular resting places, calling in for food and shelter in return for work.
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