Number 41 April 2016

President: Margaret Hannan 325 2588Secretary: Margaret Morrish 325 2790Editors for this edition: Dr. Rupert Tipples 329 5634 Adriana de Groot 325 3320

President Margaret Hannan was delighted to welcome over 50 people to our Springston Field Trip on Sunday 20th March.

Historian and Springston local, Dr. Rupert Tipples gave an overview of settlement, changing land use and the impact of the recent earthquakes. Local residents added anecdotes about early settlers and brought early school books, photographs and maps, which were displayed alongside artefacts from the Springston store excavation, and copies of the Springston School roll from earliest days.

Local residents confirmed that ‘the springs’ of the district, which inspired the names of both the township and Fitzgerald’s Springs Station, are still bubbling to the surface. Thank you Rupert for your presentation and detailed tour, and to everyone who joined us on what was one of the hottest afternoons of the year! For further information about Springston see:Ellesmere Jewel in the Crown, by George Singleton, (2007) Centennial book of the Springston School, (1968)LHS Historical notes and photographs about Springston on Kete Selwyn.

The Underground Overground archaelogical excavation report (2012) about the Springston store at: https://quakestudies.canterbury.ac.nz/store/download/part/70624

Springston Field Trip 2016

Springston Store, Donor Mrs A Wood. LHS698

Dr. Rupert Tipples introducing the walking tour of historic Springston sites. Photo K. Brown

The site of the Springston store, following demolition after the 2011 earthquake. Photo R. Tipples 2016.

Lincoln and Districts Historical Society

The Story Springs County Council was the operative local government body from 1911-1953 for the area south of Christchurch, now covered by today’s Selwyn District Council. It received the initial request to erect a county war memorial to those from the County who had fallen in the Great War (1914-1918) on 24 January 1919. Springston Patriotic Committee had written to the Springs County Council requesting the calling of a public meeting to consider the erecting of such a country war memorial, but there was some government opposition when funds were still needed to assist repatriating troops. Nevertheless, by Sunday 30 July 1922, such a memorial had been conceived, designed and constructed. It was unveiled that day by Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes, M.P for Ellesmere and Minister of Defence.

The resulting war memorial was located centrally in the county, as requested by Councillors, in Springston, at the intersection of Ellesmere Junction and Leeston Roads. As Sir Robert noted at the unveiling:

“… no better site could have been selected for it. Where it stood at the intersection of two roads it could be seen by all passing near it.”

That would have been facilitated by many local farmers delivering dray loads of soil to create a mound for the memorial according to local accounts. Unfortunately the precise history of how that happened has been lost as a result of a fire which destroyed many of the original records. No separate Certificate of title was issued for the memorial site until 1926. With the establishment of Anzac Day in 1922, with the Poppy Appeal, the County’s remembrance ceremonies then centred on Springston, with the Anzac Service in the Community Hall followed by a march to the War Memorial.

Springs Branch of the Returned Servicemen’s Association now operates over those parts of the former Springs County enclosed by State Highway 1 to the west, the Selwyn River to the south, the Halswell River to the east, and then Tai Tapu Road and East Belt, Lincoln, before being linked by Boundary Road back to SH1. When Springs County War Memorial was unveiled in 1922 the Springs County Sub-Branch of the Returned Soldiers Association had not yet been formed. Although the first returned soldiers association had been founded in Christchurch in late 1915 and the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association on 28 April 1916, these bodies were not evident in initiating the war memorial. The Springs sub-branch RSA was constituted on 7 July 1930. Initially the Sub-Branch incorporated members from an area within 20 miles of Springston. Lincoln, although it was a much larger community than Springston, had no separate RSA branch or Anzac ceremonies.

A Memorial Hall had been constructed by the Old Students Association at Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln, and dedicated in 1924, which became the focus of some remembrance activities. However, a more formal memorial for Lincoln was not proposed until Professor Eric Hudson suggested a multipurpose Lincoln Community Centre, which could also be a Lincoln War

Springs Memorial Cycleway 1915-2015

Memorial, in December 1945. That was opened in a scaled down form in 1965, but eventually demolished after the 2010 earthquake. Then a new Lincoln War Memorial was dedicated on Anzac Day 2011 adjacent to the new Lincoln Event Centre. Since then separate Anzac Services have been held in Springston and Lincoln.

The Springs Memorial Cycle Way 1915-2015 commemorates those of Springs County, Springston and Lincoln townships, University and futher afield who died in the service of their country. As Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes said at the original Springs War Memorial unveiling:“… it was not set up to commemorate war, but the great sacrifice made by the sons of the district, and it would serve to show the children that the men who went before them gave their lives that their relatives might be free.”It effectively inter-connects the community by providing a safe way for cyclists and pedestrians to move between those centres with memorials, both old and new, safe from the increasingly heavy traffic flows on Ellesmere Junction Road. It is a fitting memorial, after one hundred years, to recall again that sacrifice.

Rupert Tipples, 2015

Dr Alistair Campbell, 2013Photo courtesy of Lincoln UniversityLiving Heritage: Tikaka Toku Ihotaken by David Hollander

New signage for the Memorial Cycle Way. The Poppy emblem was awarded by The Poppy Places Trust. Photo S. Welch

Dr. Rupert Tipples and the L&DHS Springston History Tour 2016 at the War Memorial, Springston.

Photo A. de Groot

In Memoriam

Lincoln & Districts HistoricalSociety Celebrating 25 Years

Twenty five years ago, on 30 May 1991, at St. Stephen’s Hall, Lincoln Neville Moar welcomed 36 local residents to a Public Meeting to form Lincoln Historical Society. This was a joint initiative of the Pioneer and Early Settlers Association Committee, and the Liffey Cottage Action Committee (1967 -), who had been following similar paths for some years.

The Pioneer and Early Settlers Association were responsible for Pioneer Hall (Lincoln’s first Library), and had an interest in local history and records.

The Liffey Cottage Action Committee had organized the relocation and transformation of Liffey Cottage, from dilapidation in Market Square to restoration in James Street.

We are saddened to record the recent deaths of past members, Molly Gard’ner, June Switalla, and Robin McPherson.

June SwitallaJune Switalla, the second president of our society died on March 22, 2016. Always interested in the background of the area in which she lived June became a foundation member of our society soon after arriving in Lincoln and in 1993 was elected secretary, a position she held until 1998 when she became our President. June was our President until 2002 when she retired and Malcolm Gordon became the incumbent.

During her time as committee member and President June oversaw many significant developments for local history in Lincoln and in the wider district. These included the strengthening of ties with the local council, with other historical groups, and always encouraging interest in Lincoln’s past by presenting the historical perspective whenever possible. In 1999, during her first year as president our name changed from that of Lincoln Historical Society to that of Lincoln and Districts Historical Society to more accurately reflect our interest in local history and it was during her term that formalization of the status of the land upon which Liffey Cottage stands was completed, the end of a 20 year saga.

June was involved in other interests too. With her late husband Bruce she was active in the Southern Selwyn Arts Council, now defunct, and in order to broaden her horizons still further she completed a degree at Lincoln University, graduating in 1996 with a Master of Applied Science in Parks and Recreation. Her dissertation for this degree was entitled “The Management of Scenic Amenities on the Port Hills.”

After the death of her husband June soon afterwards left Lincoln to live in Christchurch. We remember June as a person actively involved in Lincoln affairs and extend our sympathy to her family.

Neville Moar

Welcome New Members

We are really pleased to welcome new members Kirsty Brown and Maurice McCarthy. Kirsty’s BROWN and ALLAN, TUCKER and CHAPMAN families have deep roots in Lincoln and this has sparked her research interest in our local history.

Maurice McCARTHY, whose family were early settlers in Ladbrooks is researching and writing a history about the people and places of that district.

CongratulationsMargaret Baylis Our warmest congratulations to Margaret Baylis who celebrated her 90th birthday recently. Margaret has always been a staunch supporter of L&DHS, and her collection of photographs has given us a wonderful record of Lincoln, its people, streets and buildings. Ian CollinsLocal, journalist and heritage writer, Ian was recently awarded a Lincoln University Medal for long and committed service to the University. Ian has told the stories of Lincoln University, and its people since 1987, and in 2011 he was appointed LU’s Honorary Writer in Residence. Congratulations Ian!

After presentations by Neville Moar (Pioneer Hall), Malcolm Gordon (Liffey Cottage), Pam Wilson (Historic Places Trust) and Linda Wallace (Canterbury Museum), the first committee of 12 members was elected. During supper there must have been much discussion of projects ahead, because by the first Committee meeting on 13 June 1991 there were 22 agenda items to work through.

Now twenty five years later, as Lincoln & Districts Historical Society, we can celebrate well over 300 Open Days at Liffey Cottage and Pioneer Hall, regular field trips, a wonderful collection of photos and documents, historical walk brochure, newsletter, annual prize for the best local history project by a senior Lincoln High School student, great support from SDC, a week of events to mark 150 years of European settlement in Lincoln (1863-2013), and hundreds of researchers assisted with their local and family history inquiries.Congratulations everyone!

Celebrate with us at The Famous Grouse on Sunday 29 May, meeting from 12.30pm for lunch at 1.00pm. Members, friends and partners are welcome. The cost is $16/person. RSVP by Friday 14th May to Adriana on 325 3320, or email a.degroot@xtra.co.nz

This tour looked at an area to which one would normally not go as it is not on the way to anywhere. It is a rough triangle: part of the Rakaia River forms one side and the sea another, with the base of the triangle a line running from Southbridge out to the north of Cooper’s Lagoon. It is an area of fertile soils, with a number of waterways once draining it, a process now largely done by culverts.

Farming began in the 1860’s. Edward Lee and Edward Jolie bought land together, but soon divided it into two blocks, naming one Brooklands (Lee) and the other Beachcroft (Jollie). Both these properties, which have waxed and waned in size over the years, are still being farmed, along with a number of others in the area. Many familiar Ellesmere names have been, and are still, associated with the area: Inwood, McMillan, McEvedy, McIlraith, Heslop, Lochhead, to name a few.

I was pleased to learn that Paula McIlraith, who with her husband, Alistair, farms ‘Brooklands’, will be the first woman president of the Ellesmere A&P Association in 2016.

Report on Ellesmere Historical Society tour of Sedgemere and

Little Rakaia, Sunday 29 November 2015

Christmas Pageant and Parade 1982

Following the article in the last newsletter, Brian Everest wrote to confirm that the first Christmas Pageant and Parade was definitely held in December 1982.

He has the thank you letter to his father, Dick Everest, from The Lincoln Community Committee, for participating in the ‘first Christmas Parade.’

Brian remembers the route taken as, “the assembly point was in North Belt by the Primary School. Then down North Belt, West Belt, to South Belt. The Parade turned in what was Pyne’s yard, and continued back up West Belt to Gerald Street and along to just past the hotel. He, his father Dick Everest, and his Uncle Ron took a McLaren traction engine, a McCormick Deering WD6 Tractor and a McCormick Deering Binder in the parade. The binder was ‘unpacked’ and Fred Ford sat on it. Brian also remembers a group of Morris Dancers taking part in the Parade

Thank you Brian for the information.

The large group of Ellesmere people and I (the only person from Lincoln) much enjoyed visits to four farms and meeting the descendants of earlier landowners. An aspect which made this tour such fun, was that many of the participants had strong links with the district, so there were anecdotes being swapped, none of which is in the history books. Our visits to the farms were much enhanced by Roger Gilbert’s meticulous historical research.

The tour ended at the Sedgemere Hall (opposite the tiny St. Mark’s Church), and this participant happily indulged herself with a fat slice of cream sponge and a big piece of fly cemetery, both examples of baking which have undoubtedly been made in the district since the early days of european settlement.

Alison Barwick, 2015

Notices

Winter 2016 Open Days

‘Broadfield Shearing Shed Company,’ research by Robert Wynn Williams is in New Zealand Legacy, v. 28(1) 2016

Lincoln Primary School 150th Celebration 23rd and 24th September 2016Email 150th@lincolnprimary.ac.nz TOD Family Reunion 4-6 November 2016 for the descendants of William and Mary TOD (Scotland, Wellington, Canterbury). Email gj.tod@xtra.co.nz

Come on down and visit!Liffey Cottage and Pioneer Hall will be open from 2-4pm on Sunday 1st May, Sunday 5th June, Sunday 3rd July and Sunday 7th August.

Thank you to Selwyn District Council staff who have organized and funded the repair work and painting of both Liffey Cottage and Pioneer Hall over recent months.

We look forward to your visit!www.facebook.com/LincolnandDistrictsHistoricalSociety

Thanks to Lincoln Digital Print for their publishing & printing expertise