By the time Dr. A.C Barker pulled out his hand-gun, he had been pushed to breaking point. As he focused the weapon on the swaying drunk that was taking a rest against the packing crates that made up his home, the Doctor repeated his previous ignored request that the intruder should move on… and at …
You couldn’t have had two closer friends than J.C. (pictured) and Alfred. The grew up together as their fathers were friends, owned land together, married the same women, travelled together and are even buried in the same cemetery in Upper Riccarton, Christchurch. It’s the land these men owned that puts them on the map…the suburb …
As the Bealey brothers – Samuel and John – made the most of their sea voyage to Lyttelton in 1851, they shared their ship, the ‘Cornwall’ with the Moorhouse brothers – William, Benjamin and Thomas – totally unaware how together, they would make Canterbury history. Samuel (pictured) was born in Lancashire, England in 1821. He …
As James Edward Fitzgerald sat in his over-sized dogcart while it was being transported across the Heathcote River by punt – he was feeling quite exhausted with Christchurch. He was fast approaching the end of his term as Superintendant and his health and temper would improve much due to that very fact. Beside and behind …
William Barnard Rhodes (1807 – 1878) was the eldest of his 13 siblings and the first to arrive in New Zealand out of his 5 brothers! As Captain and co-owner of the ship ‘Harriet’, William saw a lot of the world. In 1836, while employed by the firm of Cooper and Levy, William sailed into …
“He grows more wonderful than ever, in dress and appearance. His hair is all brushed and shaved away from him face…he used to wear the most frightful long brown holland blouse, left very open, with a belt and turn-down collars…” And this was how Charlotte Godley (the wife of John Robert Godley – founder of …
I get the feeling that William Sefton Moorhouse drew in very deep breaths and rolled his eyes more than once when it came to dealing with his government colleagues. The man never seemed to put his roots down for long, in fact he would drop everything to chase a dream or an idea. He seemed …
I can never look at a view of our beautiful Lyttelton Harbour without looking for the ‘Charlotte Jane’ to come sailing around the corner of the heads – just like she would have done on the 16th December 1850, carrying the first of our Anglican settlers. So would have loved to have seen that historic …
A sketch of the Randolph done by James Edward Fitzgerald from the deck of the Charlotte Jane as they left England for Canterbury on the 6th September 1850. Boy, James could draw!!! During its journey, it had the company of 2 ships, one being the Sir George Seymour where Cyrus Davie was transferred over as …
The deck of the Charlotte Jane drawn by one of Canterbury’s future Superintendants, James Edward Fitzgerald. What an amazing window this man has given us of the first ship that arrived at Lyttelton at 10am on the 16th December 1850. James also was the first off the Charlotte Jane, scrambling almost over the side to …
