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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Makarewa Township

Makarewa Township.

Makarewa Township is six miles from Invercargill, on the main north road. The population consists mostly of small farmers, with from five to seventy acres of freehold, and the place may be considered a working man's settlement. The public school was removed in 1887 from a site at Waikiwi to Makarewa, and in 1904 there were about 100 children in attendance, including scholars from Lorne Farm. There is a Presbyterian church, in which services are held every Sunday, and the Salvation Army visits the district occasionally. The Makarewa Township is in the Awarua riding of the county of Southland, and in the electorate of Awarua. The district may be said to be served by two railway stations, one of which is at Lind's bridge, and the other at the Makarewa Junction, two miles beyond where the forked line for Nightcaps and Waihoaka leaves the Invercargill-Kingston line. The population of the township in 1901 was 370, exclusive of fifteen in the vicinity. Apart from agriculture and dairy farming the district has brick and tile works, which adjoin the railway line. The Makarewa river, which passes through the district, is a remarkably fine stream, with sylvan scenery of a charming kind. In the early days, before the opening up of the roads, the river was used for purposes of transit. There is a post office at the township, and mails are received and despatched on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, by coaches to and from Invercargill.

The Makarewa Township Post Office is conducted at the residence of Mr George Tomlinson. Mails are received, and despatched, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in each week.
J. W. Fowler, photo.Mountain Daisies, Routeburn Valley, Lake Wakatipu.

J. W. Fowler, photo.
Mountain Daisies, Routeburn Valley, Lake Wakatipu.

page 918

Mr. George Tomlinson , Postmaster at Makarewa, was born in 1843, in Leicestershire, England. He arrived in Invercargill, in 1874, and shortly afterwards settled at Makarewa Township, where he owns five acres of land, utilised as an orchard and garden. Mr Tomlinson was married, in 1867, to a daughter of the late Mr S. Jackson, of Staffordshire, England, and has eight sons and six daughters.

Hodgkinson, Thomas , Brick and Drain-pipe Manfacturer, Makarewa Township. Mr. Hodgkinson was born at Hanley, Staffordshire, England, in 1847, educated at the district school, apprenticed to the trade of a carpenter, and afterwards worked in his native country as a journeyman. He came to Port Chalmers, in 1863, by the ship “Stornaway,” and started business as a contractor in the Invercargill district, at which occupation
Mr. And Mrs T. Hodgkinson.

Mr. And Mrs T. Hodgkinson.

he continued for thirteen years. Since then, Mr. Hodgkinson has carried on the business of brick and tile manufacture at Makarewa on a considerable scale, and also owns a sheep farm of 800 acres near Wilson's Crossing, Forest Hill district. He has held office as chairman of the Makarewa school committee on several occasions, and was made a Justice of the Peace in 1894. Mr. Hodgkinson was married, in 1873, to Susannah, daughter of Mr. Thomas Jones, of Hanley, and has two sons and three daughters.

The Makarewa Brick And Tile Works (Alfred Buxton, proprietor), Makarewa Township. These works were established in 1866 by Mr Thomas Buxton, father of the present proprietor. The property comprises six acres of land, and contains excellent clay, The buildings are of wood, and consist of seven sheds, capable of storing 300,000 bricks. There are two kilns, each of which is able to burn 45,000 bricks. A stationary eight horse-power engine drives the brick-making machine. There is a hand brick-press, and also a hand tile-making machine. The output of the works is equal to 600,000 bricks per year, besides a large quantity of tiles, and eight persons are regularly employed. A siding connects the works with the railway. Mr. Thomas Buxton was very fortunate in securing 142 acres of good bush for firewood, which is a very important item in connection with brick and tile manufacture.

Mr. Alfred Buxton , Proprietor of the Makarewa Brick and Tile Works, is the seventh and youngest son of Mr Thomas Buxton, and was born in 1874, at Makarewa, where he was educated, and brought up to the brick and tile-making business. In 1896 he joined his brother as a partner in the business, which was carried on under the name of T. W. and A. Buxton; but in 1903 he acquired his brother's interest, and has since conducted the works on
Wrigglesworth and Binus, photoMr. A. Buxton.

Wrigglesworth and Binus, photo
Mr. A. Buxton.

his own account. Mr Buxton is an enthusiastic sportsman, fond of fishing, cycling, and shooting, and is a member of the Invercargill Cycle Club, although, unfortunately, he lost his left arm by an accident at the works in October, 1889.
Buxton, Thomas Ward , Farmer, “Don Keller,” Makarewa Township. Mr Buxton was born in the Makarewa district in 1869, and was brought up as a brick manufacturer. He joined his brother, in 1896, in the firm of T. W. and A. Buxton, but sold out his interest seven years later, in order to take up farming. Mr Buxton farms
Gerstenkorn, photo.Mr. And Mrs T. W. Buxton, Junr.

Gerstenkorn, photo.
Mr. And Mrs T. W. Buxton, Junr.

244 acres of land. He was married, in June, 1897, to a daughter of Mr James Aitken, of “Strathearn,” South Invercargill, and has two daughters.

Mr. Thomas Buxton has been prominently connected with Southland since his arrival at the Bluff, in 1863, by the ship “Sir George Pollock.” He was born at Hanley, in Staffordshire, England, in 1832. Mr Buxton commenced brick-making in 1863, was the founder of the first brick works at Makarewa, and carried on a steadily-developing business till 1898, when he retired in favour of his sons. Mr Buxton is well known as a writer on local subjects, and has been a prominent fighter in the no-license campaign in Southland. Besides writing on temperance, Mr Buxton has dealt with many phases of social life, and has published criticisms on the Old Age Pension laws of New Zealand.