Cooper's Creek (Woodside) is situated on the side of the hills, about three miles from West Oxford. The residents, who numbered 168 at the census of 1901, are principally employed in the timber industry, but a good deal of dairy farming is also carried on in the district. There is a creamery, and the post office is at the local store. The public school is called Woodside public school, but the post office is designated Cooper's Creek post office. The district is situated in the Oxford riding of the county of Ashley.

Cooper's Creek Post Office dates from January, 1902. The business is conducted at the homestead of Mr. J. Vallance, and three mails are received and dispatched weekly. The office is subsidiary to the West Oxford post office.

Mr. John Vallance, Postmaster at Cooper's Creek, and farmer, was born in Melbourne in 1853, and was brought by his parents to Canterbury in the following year. The family settled at Sefton, where the subject of this notice was brought up to a country life. In 1879 Mr. Vallance commenced farming on his own account at Flaxton, and seven years later, removed to Cooper's Creek, where, in conjunction with his brother-in-law, Mr. R. Taylor, he farms 169 acres of freehold land as a dairy and sheep farm. Mr. Vallance also has teams, and a good part of his time is employed in carting. He has served for a number of years as a member of the local school committee. Mr. Vallance was married, in 1879, to a daughter of Mr. W. Taylor, of County Armagh, brother of Mr. R. Taylor, and has three sons and three daughters.

The Public School at Woodside (Cooper's Creek) was established in 1882. It stands on a section of three acres, partly planted with fine shelter trees. The building is of wood and iron, consists of one class room and a porch, and has accommodation for eighty children. There are fifty-three names on the roll, and the average attendance is forty-two. There is a school house of six rooms on the property. The staff consists of a master and assistant mistress.

Mr. David Arnott, Headmaster of the Woodside Public School, was born at Fernside in 1876. He served his pupil-teacher-ship at Waikari, and was for a year at the Normal Training College, Christchurch. Mr. Arnott was for one year and a half at the Summerhill school, near Cust, and has been stationed at Cooper's Creek since June, 1899. As a volunteer he has been a sergeant of the Cust Mounted Rifles since 1900, and was a member of the Federal Contingent which went to Sydney in January, 1901.

Cooper's Creek Creamery, Cooper's Creek. This creamery is the property of the Central Dairy Company, Limited, and was opened on the 28th of November, 1901. The building is of brick, wood and iron, and contains a four-horse power steam engine with a boiler, and an Alpha Delaval separator, which runs 5,600 revolutions per minute, and is capable of treating 400 gallons of milk per day. There were about thirty-five suppliers during the first season, and an average of 350 gallons was put through daily. During the winter months the creamery is worked only half time. The cream is sent from West Oxford station to the factory at Addington.

Milne, Charles W., Carter, Cooper's Creek. Mr. Milne was born in Oamaru in 1869, and was brought up to farming by his father. In 1882 he engaged in bushwork at Oxford, and in 1899 started carting with a dray and team of three horses. Mr Milne has a comfortable home on part of a three-acre section, which has a well grown hedge at the front and side and a clump of pretty natural bush at the back. He has been a member of the Loyal Oxford Lodge of Oddfellows since 1887, was a member of the Woodside school committee for three years, and is a member of the Cust Mounted Rifles. Mr. Milne was married, in December, 1889, to a daughter of page 508 Mr. R. Marsh, of Woodside, and has one son and three daughters.

Mr. and Mrs C. W. Milne.

Mount Oxford Sawmill (Manager, John William Rossiter), Cooper's Creek. Mr. Rossiter was born in Oxford, and since leaving school he has worked in connection with his father's sawmill, of which he was appointed manager in 1899. Mr. Rossiter was a member of the Loyal Nil Desperandum Lodge of Odd-fellows at East Oxford for three years. He was married, in 1898, to a daughter of Mr. Joseph Page, of Lyttelton—an early settler—and has one son and one daughter.

Tolputt and Clarke, photo.
Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Rossiter and Children.