Courtenay is a fertile agricultural district, on the southern bank of the Waimakariri river, and twenty-two miles north-west from Christchurch, by road. It originally formed part of the Racecourse Hill and Desert runs, the former of which was originally taken up by Mr Watts Russell, and the latter by Mr. Owen. It was one of the earliest settled districts in Canterbury, and among the first residents were Colonel Brett, Messrs W. J. Jenkins, James Robertson, A. McNae, G. Bedford, G. Seaton, W. Pitt, James Preston, and H. Cowan. A hotel was built and carried on by Mr White, and a store was opened at the township in the days when Cobb and Co.'s coaches ran through it on their way to the West Coast. However, the formation of the railway to Springfield, through Kirwee, and the consequent loss of the coach traffic, spoiled the business prospects of the township, and both the hotel and store were subsequently closed. The Courtenay Road Board, of which Colonel Brett was the first chairman, had jurisdiction in the district, and meetings were held at the Courtenay Hotel. Subsequently the Board's headquarters were transferred to Kirwee. The Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and a horticultural society, were also formed in the early days, and shows were held at the Desert homestead, but of recent years they have been held at Kirwee. As an agricultural area Courtenay ranks high among the neighbouring districts. Crops of oats usually average about forty bushels per acre, and wheat about thirty-five. The district is popular with sportsmen, as along the banks of the Waimakariri hares and rabbits are very plentiful, and fish abound in the river. St. Matthew's church, the centre of the parochial district of Courtenay, is situated on the Halkett boundary. The present township has within its area a public school, an Orange Hall, a public library and several farm homesteads. Courtenay has two Friendly Societies—a Court of Foresters and an Orange Lodge. There is a local post office, with a daily mail service, but the nearest telegraph office and railway station are at Kirwee, three miles distant.

The Public School at Courtenay is one of the oldest in the provincial district of Canterbury, and was erected about 1868. Mr. Cheyne, the first master, conducted the school for several years, and was followed by Mr. Foster, who was master for a still longer term. The building is of wood, and contains the school and the master's residence. It is situated in the centre of the township, facing the West Coast road, and is surrounded by a spacious playground. There are twenty-five scholars on the roll, and the average attendance is about twenty.

Mr. Arthur Vickery Sims, Headmaster of the Courtenay school, was appointed to his present position in 1900. He is a native of Akaroa, and served as a pupil-teacher in the German Bay main school. Prior to receiving his present appointment he was in charge of the public school at Aylesbury.

The Courtenay Agricultural And Pastoral Association was formed in 1872, as a Farmers' Club, which was afterwards merged into the present association, and registered under its present designation. Its promoters included the Hon. Colonel Brett, Messrs N. S. Kingdon, L. Ceutts, W. B. Tosswill, J. Turner, J. Painter, G. Henderson, T. H. Anson, A. E. Davis, A. McNae, and other old colonists. Annual shows were held at Courtenay for several years, but afterwards an area of fourteen acres and a half was bought at Kinwee, which is a more central site. Financially, the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association is a great success, and year by year its members and exhibitors increase in number. At present Mr. Alexander Sandison is president; Messrs W. W. Jenkins, junior, and W. Sheate, vice-presidents; Mr. G. T. Robertson, secretary; and Mr. H. McNae, treasurer.

Mr. George Thomas Robertson, Secretary of the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association, is a son of the late Mr. James Robertson, one of the early colonists of Canterbury. He was born at Courtenay in 1861, educated in his native place, and brought up to agriculture by his father. For several years Mr. Robertson has been farming on his own account. He carries on mixed farming, and the land gives average returns of fifty bushels of oats, and from thirty to forty bushels of wheat to the acre. Mr. Robertson is a member of the Courtenay school committee, and was for many years chairman; he is secretary, and one of the elders of the Halkett and Kimberley Presbyterian church, and superintendent of the Sunday school. As a Forester he is connected with Count Courtenay, and has passed through the chairs. Mr. Robertson is an honorary ranger for the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and a member of the Christchurch Angling Society. He is also an occasional contributor to the columns of the Christ-church papers. Mr. Robertson married a daughter of the late Mr. Archibald McNae, one of the early colonists of Courtenay, and has a family of two sons and one daughter.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. and Mrs G. T. Robertson.

Addington, Charles, Farmer, Courtenay. Mr. Addington is a son of Mr. George Addington, a well-known settler of Kimberley. He was born in Bedfordshire, England, in 1873, and came out with his parents in the ship “Cathcart,” which landed at Lyttelton. Mr. Addington was brought up in the Aylesbury and Courtenay districts, and learned farming upon his father's property. In 1902 he started on his own account, by leasing 330 acres of the Desent Farm, all good agricultural land, from which he threshed forty-seven bushels of oats per acre in 1903. He successfully carries on mixed farming. page 739 Mr. Addington married a daughter of Mr. William McClelland, an old settler in the Kimberely district.

Mr. and Mrs C. Addington.

Bedford, George, Farmer, “Apsley,” Courtenay. Mr. Bedford was born in 1842 in Berkhampstead, Herts, England, and was educated partly in Herts and partly in London, to which he removed in 1853. He came to New Zealand in the ship “Mystery,” in 1859, on her first voyage to the Colony, and followed station life for four years. After being six months at Gabriel's Gully, he returned to Canterbury, and subsequently entered into the business of hotel-keeping. He was proprietor of the Miners' Arms Hotel during the “rush” to the West Coast, from 1864 to 1867 In 1868, he bought the first portion of his present farm, which now comprises 800 acres. Mr. Bedford has brought his land into a state of high cultivation. He devotes it to the production of wool and of mutton for the export trade, and a large number of lambs are annually available for this purpose. The improvements consist of a good dwellinghouse, with the necessary outbuildings, garden, orchard, and plantations, and the land is well divided with good fences. Mr. Bedford is a member of the local road board and school committee. He was for fourteen years chairman of the domain board, and was secretary to the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association, of which he is now president, and he is secretary of the Kirwee Saleyards Company. Mr. Bedford has been land valuator for the Government and for the road board for more than twenty years. He was married in 1864, to Miss Smith, daughter of Mr. H. A. Smith, the first jeweller in Christchurch, and has four sons. Mr. Smith made the silver trowel for laying the foundation of the Christchurch Cathedral. The trowel is now in the Canterbury Museum, to which it was presented by the family of the late Bishop Harper.

Bedford, George Addington, Berkeley Farm, Courtenay. Mr. Bedford is the eldest son of Mr. George Bedford, an early settler in the district. He was born in Christchurch, but was brought up and educated at Courtenay, and trained to a farming life under his father. Berkeley Farm was one of the first properties taken up in the district; it is all good agricultural land, and yields very fair crops. Mr. Bedford also leases 1000 acres of river-bed land, on which he grazes a flock of half-bred and cross-bred sheep. Rape and turnips are also cultivated for winter feed. Mr. Bedford is a member of the Courtenay school committee, and is connected with St. Matthew's Anglican church. He is a member of the local Court of Foresters, and has passed through the chairs. Mr. Bedford married a daughter of the late Mr. Archibald McNae, one of the early colonists of Courtenay.

Desert Farm, Courtenay, is the home stead property of the old Desert run, formerly held by Mr. Owen, and afterwards taken over by Mr. Herbert Mathias. The farm now comprises 665 acres, facing the Waimakariri river. All the land has been under cultivation; it has returned good average crops, and mixed farming has been successfully carried on upon it. Of late years Mr. Feutz, the present proprietor, has let most of the property to adjoining tenants, but still retains eighty-five acres around the homestead. The residence is a handsome two-story building surrounded by a well laid out garden, and a long avenue of trees leads to the main road.

Mr. Henry Feutz, Proprietor of the Desert Farm, was born in Switzerland, in 1851. He spent his youthful years in London, where he was educated, and trained for the legal profession. In 1876 Mr. Feutz left England for New Zealand, in the ship “Wairoa” on her maiden trip. On arriving in Christchurch, he found employment with Mr. Duncan, the well-known solicitor. Shortly afterwards, however, he went to Springston, where he learned farming under the late Mr. James Gammack. Five years later Mr. Feutz removed to Irwell, where he bought a farm, on which he remained two years. He then took a trip through the North Island and Australia, and afterwards returned, for a short time, to Mr. Gammack's. Mr. Feutz then visited England, where he was married. After returning to the colony, with his wife, in 1886, he bought Desert Farm, where he has since resided. On his eyes becoming affected he visited Christchurch, Dunedin, and Melbourne, and consulted the best oculists in those cities; but their efforts were unavailing, and in 1891 Mr. Feutz became totally blind. Despite this he maintains a cheerful disposition, and takes part in public affairs. He still retains a seat on the local school committee, and is a member of the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association. Mr. Foutz has a family of two sons and four daughters.

Mr. and Mrs H. Feutz and Family.

Turner, John, Farmer, Courtenay. Mr. Turner was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1837, and was brought up as a gardener. In 1863, he left England in the ship “Chariot of Fame,” and landed at Lyttelton in the same years. His first colonial experience was under Mr. G. A. Ross, of Stonycroft, Hornby, where he worked two years, and was afterwards for a time at West Melton, on another of that gentleman's farms. Mr. Turner then started on his own account with a farm at Halkett, and successfully carried it on until 1882, when he sold out and took up his present property at Courtenay. This comprises 300 acres of first-class agricultural land. which is devoted page 740 to crops and sheep. Mr. Turner has been a member of both the Courtenay and Kirwee Domain Boards ever since their inception. He is a member of the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and for some time served on the Courtenay school committee. For fifteen years he was a churchwarden at St. George's church, Kirwee, and was afterwards vestryman at St. Matthew's. Mr. Turner was married in England, and has a family of three sons and three daughters.

Mr. William James Jenkins, one of the early settlers in the Courtenay district, was born in Oxford, England, in 1833. He went to school at Oxford, and afterwards studied at St. Peter's College, where he was also a chorister. In 1854 Mr. Jenkins left England in the ship “Forest Queen,” for Melbourne, where he joined in the “rush” to the goldfields at Kingour, Mount Korong, and Sandy Creek. He met with only moderate success, and afterwards followed pastoral work on stations on the Murray and Avoca. In 1857 Mr. Jenkins arrived in Nelson, and joined there in the gold “rush,” which proved a failure. He then went to Wellington, but removed thence to Canterbury, where he obtained an engagement in pastoral work on Mr. Allan McLean's estate, Lagmher, near Ashburton. At that time none of the neighbouring runs were stocked. After remaining at Lagmhor for twelve months, he went to Anama, near the Hinds, and for two years was engaged in pastoral work for Mr George Gawler Russell, on his station, He then removed to Prebbleton, and started farming on his own account. About 1862 Mr. Jenkins went to Courtenay, where he was engaged in pastoral work on the Racecourse Hill estate He bought land at Waddington at the same time, and also a holding at Courtenay, where he has ever since resided. His Courtenay property contains some of the best land in the district. Of late years Mr. Jenkins has retired from active life, and the farm is now worked by his son. In 1900 he took a trip to the Old Country, and re-visited the scenes of his youthful days. Mr. Jenkins served on the Courtenay school committee, and has been a churchwarden of St. Matthew's church. He is also a member of the Courtenay. Domain Board. Mr. Jenkins was married at Riccarton, and has a family of three sons and four daughters.

Mr. W. J. Jenkins.

Mr. James Robertson, one of the pioneers of Courtenay, and for many years identified with the district, was born in Caithness, Scotland, in 1825. he was brought up to a pastoral life. In 1851 he left the Old Country in the ship “Isabella Hercus,” and landed at Lyttelton. Soon after landing Mr Robertson went to Courtenay, where he was employed for some years as a shepherd on the Desert run. He took up a farm of Government land in the later fifties, and successfully worked it up to the time of his death, in 1887. Mr. Robertson was one of the first vice-presidents of the Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was married in Scotland, and left a surviving family of two sons and one daughter.