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John Robert Godley (1814 – 1861)
John Robert Godley was a man who everyone seemed to have an opinion about. One man would say “he was a King amongst men’ where another called him ‘a whale in a duck pond’. Both descriptions paint an image of the man who founded Christchurch. Born in Dublin in 1814, he grew up in the …
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SPREYDON – Augustus Moore (1830 – 1901)
The area that we now know as the suburb of Spreydon was first owned by Augustus Moore who named it after his family’s land back in Ireland in 1853. Some reports stated that he farmed his land but he is remembered today as a brewer, running a drinking establishment named the ‘Spreydon Arms’ which was …
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Mary Gebbie (? – ?)
John and Mary Gebbies arrived in Port Nicholson (Wellington) in February 1840 in the company and employment of William Deans. John was a very good farmer and stock-man so he was a vital employee to William. Mary who was actually pregnant at the time, was to be a housekeeper. Mary gave birth on the beach …
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Captain Joseph Thomas (1803 – ?)
Captain Joseph Thomas is easily the most forgotten man in Christchurch’s history. Born in 1803, Joseph was educated at the Royal Military College – so naturally he spent the beginning of his working life in the Army. He served in India and the West Indies, retiring in 1830. He travelled to South America where he …
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