Mrs+Lehrke+-+William+Tell

Tales From Switzerland in New Zealand

 Three of my four grandparents came to New Zealand from Switzerland in the early 1900's. My great grandmother, Josephina Sättler also came out to New Zealand but she did not like it so caught a boat back in 1914. Unfortunately when the boat docked in Sydney, World War One broke out and the boat returned to New Zealand. She never made it back to Switzerland and was buried in Taranaki in 1929. In Taranaki the Swiss still meet regularly for picnics, wrestling, singing, dancing, cards and fondu nights. On the first of August each year there is a cabaret to celebrate the Swiss National Day.

When I was a child my father would call us all together after dinner and read to us or tell us a story. My favourite story was the story about a hero from Switzerland. It was a story that his father told him when he was a child. It was a story about standing up for your rights, protecting your family and ordinary people changing the world for the better.

Here is the story much as my father told it to me.

In the old days Switzerland was once ruled by the Austrians. One of the Governors, in one of the cantons, taxed the people and made their lives miserable. One day he placed a pole in the center square. He put his hat decorated with peacock feathers at the top of the pole as a symbol of his power. The Governor commanded all who passed to bow before it and show proper respect for the government. William Tell and his young son Walter, peasants from the nearby countryside came into town. William refused to bow to the hat of an Austrian governor in his own land and walked past without bowing. When the Governor saw this, he became enraged, and ordered his soldiers to arrest William Tell. He ordered William to shoot an apple off the top of his young son, Walter's head. Now, William Tell begged the tyrant not to have him do this. "What if my son should move? What if my hand should tremble? What if the arrow should not carry true? Will you make me kill my boy?" he asked. "Say no more," said the Governor. "You must hit the apple with your one arrow. If you fail, my soldiers shall kill the boy before your eyes." Without another word, William Tell aimed and let the arrow loose. Walter, hands tied, stood firm and still. He wasn't afraid. The arrow struck the apple in the center, carrying it away from him.The governor was impressed and infuriated, but as Tell was turning away, a second arrow that he had hidden in his coat fell to the ground. The Governor shouted, "What mean you with this second arrow?" William proudly replied, "Tyrant, this arrow was meant for your heart if I had hurt my son." The Governor ordered the soldiers to arrest William, sentencing him to life imprisonment in the dungeons of a castle at Küssnacht. During the long boat journey to transport William Tell to prison, a violent storm suddenly arose on the lake, and the oarsmen begged with the Governor to release William so that he could help steer them to safety.William knew the lake well and cunningly maneuvered the boat close to the shore, saving the Governor from the storm, but then he leapt to freedom, landing on a flat rock and escaping into the surrounding forest. Determined to take revenge on the tyrant, William hurried through the backcountry to a pass in the mountains. As the Governor and his party travelled along the pass on their way to the castle, William Tell leapt out and shot the tyrant straight through the heart with his cross bow. William Tell melted back into the woods to return to Uri and led the uprising against the Austrians, inspiring his people with his act of bravery that has since been regarded as the beginning of the Swiss struggle for liberty.
 * The Story of William Tell. **

Each year on August 1 we celebrate Swiss National Day in Taranaki. It was on August, 1st 1291 that the Old Swiss Confederation was born.

Follow this link to listen to some of the William Tell Overture by Rossini.