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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts]

The Rev. William Officer Robb

The Rev. William Officer Robb, Minister-in-charge of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Blenheim, was born in Belfast, Ireland, and for some years followed mercantile pursuits in his native town. He subsequently decided to enter the church, studied at Belfast, and afterwards spent three years as a student missionary in Queensland. In 1881, Mr. Robb came to New Zealand. For a time he was stationed at Waipawa, in Hawke's Bay, where he was ordained; and in 1882 he received his present appointment.

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Blenheim was opened on the 14th of September, 1878, by the Rev. Father A. Seauzeau, S.M. The old church, which had been in use since 1864, became too small, and plans for a new building were prepared by Mr. Thomas Turnbull, architect, Wellington, whereupon the present handsome church in Maxwell Road was erected at a cost of 62,500. It is now (1905) being placed on a concrete foundation at a cost of £100; the sanctuary has been renovated, all the ordinary windows have given place to stained glass windows at a cost of £220, and a new porch with double doors, facing Maxwell Road, has been built at a cost of £120. The church has accommodation for a congregation of 600, and the mid-day services are regularly attended by fully 400 people. There are 1,800 adherents in the district, which extends from Forsyth Island to Clarence Bridge, and from Blenheim to Top House. Churches have been erected at Blenheim. Picton, Tua Marina, and Havelock, and in the year 1904 a church was built at Seddon, at a cost of £340. The church property in Blenheim comprises six acres on the eastern side of Maxwell Road, on which the church, presbytery, new convent, and boys' school are built; and of one acre and a-half on the western side, where the old convent and girls' school are situated. The presbytery is a handsome two-storied residence, is comfortably furnished, and stands in the midst of tastefully laid-out grounds. At the rear of the church there is a large paddock, with stables for the three horses used by the clergy.