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First Prime Minister Died – 14th May 1879
On 14th May 1879, New Zealand’s first Premier (Prime Minister) Henry Sewell died in Cambridge, England. Sewell could do amazing things with money and numbers – which made him more than a little unpopular! A lawyer by trade, he became the Deputy Director of the Canterbury Association, arriving at Lyttelton in 1853. He walked into …
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‘Sure to Rise’ Edmonds Arrived in Christchurch – 1879
In 1879, Thomas and Jane Edmonds – founders of the ‘Sure to Rise’ baking powder brand – arrived in Canterbury. As a young man he worked for a several different confectioneries in England where he learnt the mixing of different kinds of cooking powders. It was here that Thomas began to get ideas about making …
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Cathedral Square’s Victorian Drinking Fountain – 1878
In 1878, on the south west corner of Colombo and Hereford Streets (outside the B.N.Z Bank in Cathedral Square) an ornate Victorian cast iron drinking fountain was placed as a gift to the city. Believed to have been made by Christchurch’s 1st blacksmith and 2nd Mayor, John Anderson, the fountain and accompanying water bowl was …
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Fearless Mayor First To Serve Two Terms – September 1877
Fred Hobbs was just 13 years old when his family arrived in Christchurch, from England, in 1855. His father, a tailor by trade, had decided to make the move to Canterbury as a manual labourer given this profession was high in demand. They were also encouraged to immigrate by family friend, George Gould, who had …
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