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 Gilbert Anderson, Nicholas Priest and John Johnson—left their native land for Brisbane, and arrived there after a passage of ninety days. The first two, Mouat and Harper, were the leaders of the party, the Chieftains of the Clan, to use appropriate but Scottish terms. Having no luck upon the Queensland goldfields, the party proceeded to Melbourne where it dissolved, five of them—Barclay Mouat, William Anderson, Gilbert Anderson, Nicholas Priest, and John Johnson—remaining there, while Magnus Mouat and Gilbert Harper sailed for Westport, arrived there in 1869, worked for eight months at Bradshaw’s Creek near the Buller, moved to the Nine-mile in January of 1870, and started beachcombing there, the first Shetlanders to arrive.

They were not the first beachcombers on the Nine-mile; two or three were already operating there, but employing most primitive methods, such as were used at Okarito, the birthplace of beachcombing in New Zealand. It is believed that the first men to work this beach were Alexander McRae (whom Mouat bought out), W. Hampton, and John Madden. Captain Henry Jacobsen who, in November, 1866, was appointed Signalman at Westport, has left on record the fact that he was working on the Nine-mile early in that year.

Mouat and Harper, practical-minded men who realised the possibilities of beach-washing by better methods, bought most if not all of the claims, at any rate the best of them. In 1870 they sent for their five countrymen whom they had left in Melbourne, and others in their homeland of Unst, many of whom responded to the call.

Barclay Mouat had by then returned to Unst but, with his wife and three children, arrived at the Nine-mile in 1876. William Anderson and John Johnson were working at Hyde in Central Otago, but upon hearing from the leaders, proceeded to Unst, collected their families, and with them arrived at the beach in 1877. Nicholas Priest did not get further than Nelson, where he died shortly after arrival.

On 12th October, 1875, the ship Caroline left Plymouth for Nelson, arriving there on 14th January, 1876. Among the passengers were James Harper, aged 42, his wife, Margaret Harper, aged 39, and their family of eight—