Selwyn is a farming district, twenty-three miles south-west of Christchurch. Its settlement began in the fifties, when Messrs Washbourne, Aldridge, and Westenra took up areas of rough tussock-covered country, and began farming. In those days Cobb and Co.'s coach was the only means of communication between Christchurch and the southern districts. The establishment of railway communication about 1867 gave a great impetus to the growth of Selwyn and the development of its resources, and a village, consisting of a hotel, an accommodation house, and several stores, immediately sprang up around the railway station, which was for some years the terminus of the southern line. Most of the land is now taken up, and sheep-farming, dairying, and cropping are carried on extensively. Wheat, oats, and barley flourish in the district, and the yields often amount to fifty bushels per acre. The village of Selwyn has, however, almost entirely disappeared, the extension of the railway line south-ward in the early seventies having deprived it of much of the trade which had accumulated about it as a terminus. A single shop—a wheelwrighting business—standing close to the railway line, serves to preserve the memory of the old village. There are two creameries in the district, and the cream from upwards of 11,000lbs of milk is sent daily by rail to Christchurch. A sub-post office, at the railway station, conducts a daily service with Christchurch and the southern districts.

Selwyn Railway Station. This station is twenty-three miles from Christ-church, on the main south line. It was established about 1869, and was for some years the terminus of the railway service south from Christchurch. It is a well appointed country station with a general business office, a ladies' waiting room, a porch and an asphalt platform. A large goods-shed stands immediately opposite the station, and the station-master's residence is but a few yards distant. The station embraces, also, a sub-post office, which receives a daily mail from Christchurch at 9.18 a.m., and despatches an outward mail for the capital at 4.45 p.m.

Mr. Edwin John Hardy Harris, Stationmaster at Selwyn, was born at Kaiapoi, in April, 1870, and is the fourth son of the late Mr. William Harris, an early Canterbury pioneer. He was educated at the Ashburton and West Christchurch public schools. In 1884 he joined the railway department, as a cadet at the Christchurch central station, and afterwards served as a cadet, and latterly as a clerk at Lyttelton, Kaiapoi, and Christchurch. He was married, in August, page 780 1893, to Miss Matthews, of Christchurch, and has two daughters.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Mr. and Mrs E. J. H. Harris and Children.

The Selwyn Creamery is a branch of the Central Dairy Company, whose head-quarters are at Addington, Christchurch. It was established in April, 1901, and is situated within about three miles of the Selwyn railway station. The building, which is of wood, contains an engine room and a separating department, with suitable appointments. It is supported by an average of twenty-one suppliers, and receives about 5,500lbs of milk daily. After separation, the cream is sent to the local railway station, whence it is conveyed to Addington to be converted into butter.

Mr. David Mason, Manager of the Southbridge Creamery, is temporarily in charge of the Selwyn Creamery, pending the appointment of a permanent manager. Mr. Mason was born in 1876 at Lakeside, near Leeston, and was educated at the Lakeside public school. He was afterwards employed for four years on Longbeach estate, and, in 1901, was appointed to the management of the Southbridge Creamery.

“The Bungalow,” Selwyn, is one of the oldest estates in the Ellesmere district. It was founded in the fifties by Mr. H. Washbourne, who recently gave up the management to his sons, and now lives in retirement on the property. The change from a flax and tussock covered tract, haunted by wild pigs, to a well cultivated farm, has been gradual but complete. The homestead is prettily situated in the forks of the river Irwell.

Mr. Thomas Washbourne, with his brother, Mr. William Washbourne, has managed the farm since 1899. He was born in 1868, and after leaving school assisted on the farm, thus gaining an intimate knowledge of all farming matters. He is a shareholder in the local creamery, and a member of the Canterbury and Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Associations.

Mr. T. Washbourne.

Washbourne, Henry John, Farmer, “The Bungalow,” Gelwyn. Mr. Washbourne was born in Gloucestershire, England, in 1838. He was brought up to farming, and belonged to a family whose members had been farmers for generations in their native county. Mr. Washbourne arrived in New Zealand in 1850 by the ship “Sir George Seymour,” and was brought out by his father, the late Mr. Henry John Washbourne, who became a prominent colonist, and died at his residence, “Brockworth,” Riccarton, in 1898, at the advanced age of eighty-two. Mr. Washbourne first worked on his father's farm at Riccarton, but when nineteen years of age he went to Selwyn to manage a large run for his father; and later on, he and his brother, Mr. Edward Washbourne, carried on extensive cattle farming operations on their own account. On the dissolution of their partnership Mr. H. J. Washbourne devoted himself to general farming, at the “Bungalow.” He has been very successful as a breeder of cattle and sheep, particularly of fat sheep, and has taken many prizes at the various agricultural and pastoral shows. He is a member of the Canterbury and Ellesmere Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Washbourne is married and has eleven children.

Wrigglesworth and Binns, photo.
Mr. H. J. Washbourne.