Tales of Banks Peninsula
No. 35.—Malcolm McKinnon
No. 35.—Malcolm McKinnon.
Malcolm McKinnon enjoys the distinction of being the first man to do any ploughing in Canterbury. He grew the first crop of grain, which he stacked at Riccarton; but be lost it all, the native rats devouring the lot. This was in 1840, or early in 1841 Mr McKinnon came from Sydney in the ship Elizabeth, landing at Oashore at the outlet of Lake Forsyth, on April 7th, 1840 He travelled to Taumutu, then on to Southbridge, finally reaching his destination-Riccarton. Mr McKinnon was representing a Sydney company, Messrs Abercrombie and Co., who had bought Riccarton from the Maoris, and he had with him a wife and one child, also a bullock team and a dray with farming implements. It will be remembered that previously the Sydney firm, Messrs Cooper and Holt (mentioned in the foregoing article) bad bought Riccarton from the Maoris, but had the misfortune to lose the ship bringing out people, stores, etc., to work the land, and also the Maori titles to the property. Strangely enough Messrs Abercrombie and Co. had the like experience, for the second boat they sent out, laden with people and stores to work Riccarton, was lost with all hands, and the loss caused the company to fail. The Maoris, therefore, sold Riccarton three times, Messrs Deans Bros. being the final purchasers. After the disaster alluded to, all the whites who were then at Riccarton left except Mr. McKinnon. It is not clear who these people were, but, in any case, Mr. McKinnon tried to stay by himself and work the place. However, the Maoris, seeing his plight, determined to drive him away, and burnt all the grass round his house. He decided to go to Akaroa to seek the protection of the French, but before leaving hid all his farming implements in a hole in the river above where the Christchurch Hospital now stands. The journey he made to Akaroa in March, 1841, was one not to be undertaken lightly. He drove his four bullocks loose, carrying a table on his head. Mrs. McKinnon carried their only child (Mrs T. H. Parkinson) on her back, They reached Lake Forsyth the page 256first day, camping in a cave. Their route lay through Gebbie's Valley, past Price's and Birdling's, a distance of over thirty miles with no road, and the country in its primitive state of bush Their only food that day was one potato apiece. From the lake they were conveyed to Akaroa in a whaleboat, the bullocks being driven over land to Akaroa, where they were fattened and sold. Mr. and Mrs McKinnon stayed in Akaroa some years, and then bought a small run in Island Bay, where Mr. McKinnon raised some good stock Mrs. Macphail, a younger daughter of Mr. McKinnon, now owns the run originally held by Mr. McKinnon.