Ellesmere, one of the best known farming districts in Canterbury, is twenty-one miles from Christchurch on the Christchurch-Southbridge railway. It is bounded by the Springston and Burnham districts, and the river Selwyn. The land towards the south-east is rich, heavy, reclaimed swamp land, but becomes lighter towards Burnham. On the deeper soils very large returns are obtained from wheat, oats, and root crops. The holdings are comparatively large, and the prosperity of the district is parent to the traveller or visitor. Ellesmere is much frequented by anglers and sportsmen. The settled population exceeds one hundred persons. There is a telegraph office in the district, which stands at a level of seventy feet above that of the sea.

The Ellesmere Road Board was formed in 1864. It was first called the South Rakaia Board, but subsequently the name was changed to the one it now bears. The road district is bounded by the great South Road, the north and south banks respectively of the Rakaia and Selwyn rivers, and the Pacific Ocean. It has an area of about 170,000 acres, of which originally more than 10,000 acres were covered with water, and with the exception of a few tracks, the district was, when formed, absolutely roadless. In 1864 its capital value was £70,000, but in 1902, it was estimated at £1,323,910. Well kept farms with handsome villa residences, and about 320 miles of the finest roads in New Zealand have replaced the sod whares and the wild tractless swamp of the early days. The members of the first board were: Mr. Edward J. Lee, chairman; Mr R. J. S. Harman, treasurer; and Messrs Thomas Overton, C. F. Kynvett, and C. J. Bridge. The first meetings were held in Mr Kynvett's woolshed. Every road in the district is fit for wheeled traffic, and every creek has its permanent bridge or culvert. The present members of the Board are: Mr. William McMillan, J.P. (chairman), and Messrs Robert Lochhead, William Nixon, John Golbert, and James Storry; with Mr. W. G. Lunn as clerk and surveyor.

Mr. William Green Lunn, Clerk and Surveyor of the Ellesmere Road Board, was born in 1840, in England, and was educated at the Middlemore House Academy, Grantham, Lincolnshire. He came to New Zealand, in 1855, by the ship “New Era,” joined the survey staff of the New Zealand Government at Wellington, and remained in that department two years. Mr. Lunn came to Canterbury in 1864, and was appointed to his present position in 1868, under a public competition. He has laid out the roads, drains, and bridges of the district, and has been a moving spirit in all matters leading to its advancement. Mr. Lunn has been a member of the Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association since its foundation in 1871, and has held office as president. He was also first clerk page 683 of the Court of Petty Sessions held in the Ellesmere district, and presided over by Justice of the Peace, and occupied the position for eleven years. Owing to its increasing population, the district was added to Christchurch in 1869, and monthly visits were made by Mr. C. C. Bowen, who was at the time Resident Magistrate at Christchurch. Mr. Lunn has been a churchwarden of St. John's church, Leeston, since its erection. As a Freemason he is a member of Lodge Ionic, 1719. Mr. Lunn married Miss Reynolds, and has one daughter and three sons.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Mr. W. G. Lunn.

Ellesmere Mounted Rifles. This corps was formed in 1897, with Mr. J. Boag as its first captain, and Mr R. P. Hill as lieutenant. It now has seventy members. Mr. J. Boag is captain, Mr. R. P. Hill 1st lieutenant, Mr. H. E. Fincham 2nd lieutenant, and Mr. H. H. Cock 3rd lieutenant. The corp's uniform is khaki, with green facings.

Captain J. Boag, of the Ellesmere Mounted Rifles, is second son of Mr. John Boag, of Brookside. He was born in 1869, and was educated at Christchurch. On the formation of the Ellesmere Mounted Rifles he joined the corps as its first captain. In his school days Mr. Boag was well known as a cricketer and athlete. Since 1895 he has been largely engaged in the grain and produce business, and in partnership with Mr. H. H. Cook. Mr. Boag is a member of the Canterbury and Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Associations; he is well known as an exhibitor, and as a prize-taker with horses. sheep and cattle. He is married, and has a family of three children. Mr. Boag is further referred to in the Military Section of this volume.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Captain J. Boag.

Lieutenant Herbert Henry Cook, of the Ellesmere Mounted Rifles, is a son of Mr. William Anderson Cook, of Christchurch, and was born in 1875. Mr. Cook was one of the active originators of the Ellesmere Mounted Rifles, and was appointed the corp's first quarter-master sergeant; two years later he was promoted sergeant-major, and was appointed lieutenant in 1902. He is also a well known athlete and footballer, and won the 100 yards race at the Ellesmere sports in 1901 and 1902. Mr. Cook was a member of the old Irwell football team, which so long held a record in Canterbury. He is a member of the firm of Messrs Boag and Cook, grain and produce merchants and threshing machine owners, at Doyleston.

Lieutenant H. H. Cook.