Death of a mailboy A plaque on the old Clifden Bridge commemorates the death by drowning of Joseph Garthwaite. a mailboy aged 17, on May 26 1865. He was drowned while carrying the mail between Riverton and Te Anau on what was then a rough track through the scrub. Although the plaque says that he was swept into a cave, still known as Mailboy’s Cave, the newspaper report differs.
‘’ Mr Joseph Garthwaite, son of Mr William Garthwaite, was drowned in a lagoon on Mr Cuthbertson s run, on Friday last. The deceased, a promising lad, seventeen years of age, was employed in carrying the mail between the Te Anau and Riverton, and it is conjectured that in crossing on horseback the lagoon which was much flooded, he had got out of his depth. The body was recovered.