Who is Ernest Rutherford?
Early Life
Ernest Rutherford was born the second son and fourth child of twelve. He was called Ern by his family. Erns parents James and Martha Rutherford had been early colonists to New Zealand, James arriving at 4 years old in 1843, and Martha in 1855.
Ern grew up in a hardworking but poor family. His father James was a practical problem-solver who worked in various roles including a wheelwright, flax dresser and bush engineer. He could read, but not write. Ern’s mother Martha was a school teacher who taught all of her children basic reading, writing and arithmetic before they went to school.
His childhood was typical of many in early New Zealand which included chores such as milking cows and fetching firewood, feeding the chickens and pigs. Ernest and his siblings also spent their time bird-nesting, fishing, swimming and making bows and arrows.
Bath-night was Saturday; water was drawn from the well and heated outside, Sundays saw the family gathered around with Martha at the piano and James on the violin, they would sing songs and hymns.
At school Ern was quiet and solitary – he was nicknamed ‘Dopey’. But it was at Brightwater school that Ern was introduced to science.
The Rutherford family moved to Havelock in 1883. Tragedy struck the family in their first winter in Havelock with baby Percy falling victim to whooping cough, and then three years later Erns’ brothers Charles (10) and Herbert (12) were drowned in a boating accident.
Ern attended Havelock School, this time with the nickname ‘windy’.
In Rutherford’s time only one student in fifty could afford to go on from primary to secondary education. To continue his education Ernest needed to win a scholarship to Nelson College. Ernest failed on his first attempt, but perseverance saw him win a scholarship in 1887, the only scholarship at the time available to a boy from the Marlborough province.
Ernest entered Nelson College as a boarder at fifteen. He enjoyed rugby, boxing and the Nelson College Cadets Corps. He worked hard to win some scholarships and prizes on offer each year to ensure his continued education at the College. In his second year at Nelson College Ern worked towards the Junior National Scholarship that would allow him to go to university and pay his fees. He was placed 26th in New Zealand in the exam, but it wasn’t enough to win a scholarship, he needed to be in the top ten. So Ern went back to Nelson College to make a second attempt at the scholarship.
Ernest became Head Boy and Dux of the school in 1889. In the same year he made a second successful attempt to gain the Junior National Scholarship that would pay his university fees.
