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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

Weedons

Weedons.

The Weedons district lies to the west of Templeton, which it adjoins, and is thirteen miles south-west from Christchurch. In the early days of the province an accommodation house was built on the Main South road, at Weedons, by a Mr. Main, and was subsequently taken over by Mr. Weedons, after whom the district is named. This house was the first stopping place from Christchurch for Cobb and Co.'s line of coaches, but after the railway was opened the license was transferred to Rolleston. All the land was originally part of a large sheep run, owned by Messrs J. E. Fitzgerald and C. P. Cox; the former gentleman will be remembered as the first Superintendent of Canterbury. The first dwellinghouse at Weedons was built, in the early sixties, by Mr. J. J. McClelland, the pioneer settler of the district. The quality of the land is rather light, but there are several large holdings of good agricultural land, which yield very fair crops. Weedons possesses a large domain, a Wesleyan church, and a public school. The post office is at the railway station, and the nearest telegraph office is at Rolleston.

Bloomfields” (R. Geddis, senior, proprietor), Weedons. This property is situated within a mile of the Weedons railway station, an consists of 400 acres of fertile agricultural and pastoral land. It passed into page 722 the hands of its present owner about fourteen years ago, and had been held by Mr. Watson. In 1895 Mr. Geddis entered into business in Christchurch, and since then the farm has been conducted by his two sons, Messrs R. H. Geddis and G. C. Geddis. Sheepfarming and cropping are carried on extensively upon the property.

Mr. Robert Henry Geddis was born in Christchurch in 1871, and is the second son of Mr. Robert Geddis, of the firm of Collie Brothers and Geddis. He gained his early education first at the Normal School, and then at private and public schools. Mr. Geddis subsequently farmed at Lincoln, and lived for a short time at Fendalton. In 1889 he removed with his parents, to “Bloomfields,” Weedons, and in 1895 took over the management of the estate, in conjunction with his brother. Mr. Geddis was married, in 1901, to Miss Galletly, youngest daughter of the late Peter Galletly, of Templeton.

Standish and Preece, photo.Mr. R. H. Geddis.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. R. H. Geddis.

Gilmour, George Fillens, Strathfillan Farm, Weedons. Mr. Gilmour is a native of Scotland, and was born near Glasgow in 1845. He arrived at Lyttelton in 1865, by the ship “William Miles,” and worked on a farm at Addington for a year, after which he assisted in erecting the telegraph line to the West Coast. Mr. Gilmour afterwards worked for Mr. John Rennie, at Doyleston, and for Mr. Job Osborne, and then purchased, in the same district, a farm of 145 acres, which he still possesses. He also farmed at Longbeach on his own account, for twelve years, when he sold out and removed to Weedons, and took over Strathfillan Farm, a property of 200 acres, all of which is good agricultural land. Mr. Gilmour has studied cattle breeding with success, and is the owner of the cow “Nellie Saunders,” a blend of Shorthorn and Ayrshire, with the best strains for milking qualities on both sides. She is the dam of “Rosie,” who won the first and special prizes at the Canterbury Agricultural and pastoral Show in 1902. “Rosie” holds the world's record for milking qualities. For twenty-four hours at the show she yielded 53 3/4 lbs of milk, which yielded 4lbs 3ozs of butter. During the five months she was in milk she gave 7,647lbs of milk, which yielded 465lb of butter. The “Canterbury Times,” of the 19th of November, 1902, in referring to her, says: “Mr. Gilmour's cow (‘Rosie’) is an extraordinary animal, and there is probably no other cow that could reach the record it established. For five months it has yielded a return of £1 a week. It is a brown cow, four years of age, by a Longbeach Shorthorn. Its dam (‘Nellie Saunders’) a famous Ayrshire cow, was imported by Mr. Alfred Saunders.” Mr. Gilmour has been chairman of the Weedons school committee, and at Longbeach he was a member of the Road Board and the local school committee. He was also treasurer of the Presbyterian church, at Flemington, and on his leaving that district he was presented with an illuminated address. Mr. Gilmour married a daughter of the late Mr. David Marshall, of Leeston, and has a family of two sons and two daughters.

Standish and Preece, photo.Mr. G. F. Gilmour.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. G. F. Gilmour.

Manion, Patrick, Clarenda Farm, Weedens. Mr. Manion is a native of County Galway, Ireland, where he was brought up to farming. In 1862 he arrived in Brisbane, Queensland, by the ship “Theresa,” and four years later came to New Zealand. For eight years Mr. Manion worked on Mr. Grigg's celebrated estate at Longbeach, after which he removed to Weedons, and entered on his present property, which was originally taken up by Mr. J. J. McClelland. Clarenda Farm comprises 310 acres, in addition to which Mr. Manion has also twenty acres at Rolleston, and 232 acres at West Melton. He works all his properties in conjunction. Mr. Manion is a member of the Weedons Domain Board, and served on the local school committee for some years. He was married in Christchurch, and has a family of two sons and three daughters.

Sandrey, George, Carberry Farm, Weedons. Mr. Sandrey is a well-known colonist of over forty years' standing, and was born at Bude, Cornwall, England, in 1843. He was trained to agriculture on his father's farm in Devonshire, but left England for New Zealand, by the ship “Sebastopol,” and arrived at Lyttelton in 1861. His first experience of colonial life was in carting supplies from the wharf at Woolston to Christchurch; eighteen months later he became a partner in the firm of Barrett, Comer and Co., carriers, and worked as such for three years. In 1865 Mr. Sandrey commenced farming on the Lincoln Road, and five years afterwards took up land at Leeston. He also carried on road contracting for a number of years in conjunction with his farming, and made many of the principal roads in the Lincoln, Springston, and Ellesmere districts. Mr. Sandrey also conducted a carrying business between Southbridge and Christchurch, before the Southbridge branch of the railway was opened up, and had a five-horse waggon travelling twice weekly between the two places. During the twenty-six years he resided at Leeston he took a most active interest in every matter pertaining to the welfare of the district. He was chairman of the Leeston school committee for eighteen years, was School Commissioner for a time, and displayed an active interest in the building and extension of the Anglican church, of which he was churchwarden and vestryman for many years. He has taken a great interest in breeding draught entires, and introduced the first draught entires in the Ellesmere district. He also took an active part in promoting the Ellesmere agricultural and pastoral show, of which he was a staunch supporter. On his family's account Mr. Sandrey
Standish and Preece, photo.Mr. G. Sandrey.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. G. Sandrey.

page 723 removed to Weedons in 1896, taking with him several presentation mementoes from the people of Leeston. Carberry Farm, consisting of 100 acres of freehold, and 300 acres of leasehold, is all good agricultural land, which yields an average return of about twenty-seven bushels of wheat, and from thirty-five to forty bushels of oats to the acre. Mr. Sandrey also owns 600 acres of freehold land, of similar quality, at West Melton, and works that property in conjunction with “Carberry.” He has for five years occupied a seat on the Courtenay Road Board. As a Freemason Mr. Sandrey was initiated in Lodge Ionic at Leeston. He married the only daughter of Mr. James Blackler, a well-known contractor and farmer, of Christchurch and Leeston, who arrived in New Zealand by the ship “Canterbury,” in 1851. Mr. Sandrey has a family of six sons and two daughters.
Mr. G. Sandrey's Residence.

Mr. G. Sandrey's Residence.

Old Colonist.

Mr. John Johnston McClelland, the pioneer settler of Weedons, is an Irishman by birth and ancestry. He was born in 1830, near the city of Armagh, where he inherited considerable property. As a young man Mr. McClelland joined the Irish militia, and he afterwards entered the service of the Imperial army, and was stationed at Malta for about two years. On returning to Ireland, he took up his residence in Dublin, where he remained until 1862, when he came to New Zealand, in the ship “Kinnaird,” and landed at Auckland. Mr. McClelland remained in Auckland a few months, and then visited, in turn, Wellington, Nelson, Picton and Canterbury. Being satisfied with the prospects of Canterbury, he took up between 500 and 600 acres of Government land at Weedons, and a sheep run of 1000 acres. Mr. McClelland built the two first dwellinghouses in the district. He resided on his property for three years, and then let it for ten years, and went to Kaiapoi, where he remained three years and then lived in Christchurch until the expiration of his tenant's lease. He then returned to Weedons, and worked his property for three or four years, but again let it, and since then he has lived in retirement in Christchurch. Mr. McClelland was a member of the first Courtenay Road Board, and, at Weedons, he served on the committee of the Presbyterian church. He presented the Education Board with the land on which the Weedons public school is built.

First Dwelling-house in the Weedons District. Built in 1863 by Mr. J. J. McClelland.

First Dwelling-house in the Weedons District. Built in 1863 by Mr. J. J. McClelland.