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The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series

Birdling's Brook — (Runs 80 and 427)

Birdling's Brook
(Runs 80 and 427)

Run 80, originally of seven thousand five hundred acres, was taken up by William Birdling in May, 1853. It lay between Lake Ellesmere and Washbourn's run which it joined at Boggy Creek, which runs through Doyleston. On the south-west it joined Price's and Oakleigh. In February, 1862, Birdling took up another five thousand acres of lake flats, Run 427. He sold the station to Richard Taylor about 1863 and in 1866 Taylor also bought Price's station. Taylor made a fair amount of the run freehold and sometime in the 'seventies he cut up his land and sold it. In 1865 Run 80 became Run 142, Class II.

McLaughlin bought the homestead and his son J. McLaughlin has it still.

I shall give an account of Birdling when I come to his other station at Birdling's Flat. I cannot find out much about Taylor. He lived in Christchurch and had a brewery where the Normal School is now. In Tales of Banks Peninsula it is said that the notorious Caton had a share in this station with him.

Taylor's manager was 'Old Tom' Millet. His real designation was E. W. Millet, but he was always called page 94'Old Tom' because of his favourite beverage. He was a fine looking man who had seen better days, and after leaving Birdling's Brook he kept the livery stable in the old market place, afterwards called the Rink Stables.