Prebbleton is the centre of one of the richest agricultural districts in the county of Selwyn. It is nine miles from Christchurch on the Christchurch-Southbridge railway, and has a post and telegraph office, three churches—Anglican, Presbyterian, and Wesleyan; a public school, a library, a large Oddfellows Hall, which is used for public entertainments and other social functions; four large general stores, each doing a successful business, and one hotel. Many handsome homesteads throughout the district testify to the success of the settlers. Prebbleton dates back to 1855, when the brothers Prebble settled in the district, which was then in a wild and uninviting condition. Mr. Edward Prebble, who is still (1903) a hale and hearty man, bought fifty acres, which he divided into small sections, and then started the township by erecting a store. Prebbeteon grew with he growth of settlement in the district, and in time it became an important country town. The completion of the railway, with Christchurch so near, gave a check to the commercial progress of the place as a business centre, but it is still a pretty country town, and prosperous enough in proportion to its population.

The Lincoln Road Board has its headquarters at Prebbleton. The road district has two subdivisions; one with an area of 10,024 acres, the other, 5,846 acres; valuation of the first, £136,511, of the second, £211,635. In the first subdivision there is a rate of 1/2d in the £; in the second, also 1/2d for ordinary purposes, and one-fifth of a penny for drainage. The Board also derives a revenue of £150 a year from other sources. Members for 1903: Mr. J. W. Overton (chairman), and Messrs Henry Edward Peryman, Patrick Henley, Henry Paterson, and Thomas Leatham.

Mr. Frank East, Clerk of the Lincoln Road Board, and Registrar of Electors, was born at Oxford, England, in 1814, and, with his mother and brothers, arrived in Lyttelton by the ship “Glentanner” in 1857. Some years after his arrival he took part in the Gabriel's Gully “rush,” and after about twelve months spent in the unsuccessful pursuit of gold in that district, he went to the Greymouth goldfields, with equally unsatisfactory results. On returning to Canterbury he started a threshing machine plant, and now owns a fine traction engine, which, though not possessing the allurements of gold digging, gives more satisfactory results. In 1882 Mr. East was appointed clerk to the Lincoln Road Board, and in 1902, Registrar of Electors, for the district of Courtenay. He has always taken a great interest in Freemasonry, and is a Past Master, and member of the Lincoln Lodge. Mr. East is an enthusiastic cultivator of hyacinths and narcissii, and has one of the finest collections of these beautiful flowers in the district. Mr. East married Miss Monk, niece of Mr. Andrew Dawson, of Longbeach, and there is a family of one son and two daughters.

All Saints' Church at Prebbleton is a handsome wooden building with the only peal of bells possessed by a country church in Canterbury, and bought with subscriptions raised amongst the parishioners. The grounds, which are well laid out, are planted with ornamental trees, originally the gift of Mr. Tosswill, one of the early settlers at Prebbleton, who also gave a handsome font. The church has some beautiful stained glass windows, one of which was given by the Prebble family, the first settlers in the district. There is seating accommodation for about 178 persons, and the church possesses a fine American organ. The original church, which has been replaced by the present building, was removed to Longbeach, where services are still held in it. The parochial district comprises Prebbleton and Templeton, each possessing a fine church; and the adjoining townships of Hornby and Islington, although not formally included within the district, have of late years been attached to the cure.

The Rev. John Edwin Blackburne, Vicar of Prebbleton and Templeton, is a son of the late Rev. Samuel Blackburne, formerly Principal of St. John's College, Auckland, and was born in England. He was educated at St. John's, Auckland, studied theology at Bishopdale, Nelson, and was ordained by the Bishop of Wellington in 1881. His first appointment was to the parish of the Upper Hutt, and four years later he was appointed Vicar of Bulls. From 1889 till 1894 he was vicar at Hokitika, and was vicar at Longbeach from 1894 till 1898, when he received his present appointment at Prebbleton. page 655 Mr. Blackburne married, in 1882, the second daughter of Mr. J. D. Cruickshank, an early and prominent settler in the Upper Hutt district, of Wellington.

The Rev. J. E. Blackburne, Mrs Blackburne and Family.

Hastie, J., General Storekeeper, Prebbleton. Bankers, National Bank of New Zealand. This store is one of the oldest in the district, and was purchased by the present proprietor in 1883. The building has been considerably enlarged since then, and the business has greatly increased. Mr. Hastie carries on a bakery in connection with the store; in that respect he commenced with one cart to serve his customers, and now he requires three, and does business within a radius of twelve miles. Mr. Hastie was born in Linlithgowshire, Scotland, in 1830, and was apprenticed to the baking trade in Edinburgh, where he passed four years. He emigrated to Australia in the ship “Eldorado,” and landed in Melbourne in 1852. Mr. Hastie worked on the Victorian goldfields with success, and on the discovery of gold in New Zealand, he came to this Colony, and was mining at Gabriel's Gully, on the Dunstan, and other fields for twenty years. He then worked at his trade in Dunedin for a short period, and subsequently settled at Prebbleton. Mr. Hastie has always taken an active interest in educational affairs, and has served for eighteen years in various parts of the Colony as chairman of school committees. He was married, in 1850, to Miss Young, and has two sons and four daughters.

Mr. J. Hastie.

Anderson, Henry, Farmer, “Woodlaw,” Prebbleton. Mr. Anderson was born in Stirling, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in 1859. On his arrival he invested his capital and looked around for a suitable farm on which to make a start. He bought 155 acres of unimproved land at Yaldhurst, and afterwards increased the area to 222 acres, which, after improving and transforming it into a splendid farm, he worked till 1890, when he retired in favour of his sons. Mr. Anderson bought a handsome residence at Fendalton, where he resided for four years, but he found the life unsuited to his active disposition, and bought 400 acres at Prebbleton, known as the Woodlaw Estate, one of the finest properties in the district, and formerly owned by Mr. J. W. Tosswill. Mr. Anderson has also bought 104 acres of land at Tai Tapu, which is worked by his son. Notwithstanding the fact that farming takes up much time, Mr. Anderson still devotes considerable attention to local affairs, and was for many years a member of the Yaldhurst Road Board and school committee, and he is at present one of the committee of the Lincoln Presbyterian Church. He is also a member of the Farmers' Union. Mr. Anderson is a Master Mason, and a member of Lodge Robert Burns. He revisited the Old Country, in 1870, and again in 1880. Mr. Anderson was married, before coming to New Zealand, to Miss Anne Duncanson, of Perthshire, and of a family of fourteen children, three daughters and two sons are married.

Standish and Preece, photo. Mrs H. Anderson.

McCarthy, Denis, Farmer, Prebbleton. Mr. McCarthy was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1832, and, accompanied by Mrs McCarthy, came to New Zealand in 1863, by the ship “Accrington.” He was first engaged by Messrs Dobson and Crawford, a firm of well known engineers, and was employed by those gentlemen for over ten years in surveying in various parts of Canterbury and on the railway from Christchurch to Rangiora and Oxford. Some time after his arrival, Mr. McCarthy bought about twenty acres of land at Fendalton, where he erected a fine house. He afterwards disposed of his Fendalton property, however, and purchased a place at Ladbrooks, where he resided for twelve years, but which is now occupied by his son, Mr. Jeremiah McCarthy. Mr. McCarthy bought from Mr. Prebble the property on which he now resides; it consists of 354 acres of some of the finest land in a favoured district. Mr. McCarthy is a member of the Farmers' Co-operative Association, and of the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He has a family of three sons and two daughters. His eldest son, Mr. Jeremiah McCarthy, is a leading farmer in Ladbrooks; his second son, Mr. Eugene McCarthy, superintends the Prebbleton farm; and his youngest son, Mr. John McCarthy, is a very extensive dealer in sheep.

Mr. J. McCarthy.

Overton, John W., “Merlewood,” Prebbleton. Mr. Overton was born in Lincolnshire, England, in 1844, and accompanied his parents to Adelaide, where they remained some time before removing to New Zealand. The family settled at Otahuhu, near Auckland, but four years afterwards the Maori troubles began, and they returned to Australia for about nine months, when they decided to make Canterbury their future home. The late Mr. Thomas Overton accordingly took up the now well known Meadowbank estate in the Irwell district, where he farmed most successfully until his death, when the estate was realist by the executors. In 1867 Mr. John W. Overton took up his present estate of about 500 acres. It was then almost all covered with tussock, but is now thoroughly under cultivation, and produces splendid grain crops, besides carrying large numbers of sheep of the best quality. “Merlewood” is well known for its breed of horses, many of which have been successfully exhibited in the show ring. Mr. Overton has always taken a prominent part in the general affairs of the district. He has been a member of the Lincoln Road Board for twenty-eight years, and chairman for several years. He has also been a member of the Prebbleton school committee, churchwarden for eighteen years of the Prebbleton church, and is at page 656 present (1903) vestryman. He has also filled several other important public positions, and for sixteen years was a member of the Christchurch synod, and four years one of the Church Property Trustees. Mr. Overton is a Justice of the Peace of many years' standing. He has for a long period been a member of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association, in which he takes a great interest. He has been married twice, and there is a family of three sons and one daughter.

Paterson, Henry, Farmer, Prebbleton. Mr. Patterson is the youngest and only surviving son of the late Mr. William Paterson, and was born in 1868. He was brought up to farming, and, on the death of his eldest brother in 1888, he succeeded to the estate. He has always taken an active part in the affairs of his district, and was a member of the Lincoln Road Board for over six years. Mr. Paterson is a member of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, and secretary for the Prebbleton branch, and one of the shareholders of the New Zealand Farmers' Cooperative Association. He has been a member of the Order of Oddfellows for over sixteen years, and has gone through the chairs. Mr. Paterson married a daughter of Mr. Henry Anderson, of Prebbleton, one of Canterbury's early and successful settlers.

Standish and Preece, photo
Mr. H. Paterson.

Prebble, James Walter, Farmer, Prebbleton. Mr. Prebble, second son of Mr. William Prebble, and grandson of the late Mr. James Prebble, was born at Prebbleton in 1857, and educated at Prebbleton and at the old Boys' High School, Lincoln Road. He learned farming under his father, and started on his own account in 1880, on about 150 acres of land, on which he still resides, and carries on general farming. Mr. Prebble has always taken a great interest in the local and general affairs of his district. He has been a member of the Lincoln Road Board for several years, and also chairman of that body. He is also chairman of the Prebbleton school committee, and was for some years chairman of the library committee, and has been treasurer and elder of the Presbyterian church for several years. He is a member of the Farmers' Union, and its local secretary. Mr. Prebble has been requisitioned on three occasions to stand for Parliament. He has been a strong advocate of temperance for twenty years. Mr. Prebble married Miss Whyte, eldest daughter of Mr. David Whyte, of Taranaki, who arrived in Canterbury in 1864, and has a family of one son and four daughters. Mrs Prebble was engaged in teaching for three years at the West Christchurch school, three years at the Normal School, nine years at Prebbleton, and three years at Ladbrooks.

Standish and Preece, photo.
Mr. and Mrs J. W. Prebble and Family.

Thompson, George, Farmer, Prebbleton. Mr. Thompson was born in 1839, and accompanied his parents to New Zealand in the ship “Duke of Portlaand” in 1851. His father, the late Mr. Thomas Thompson, was employed in gardening by the late Mr. William Wilson, and settled at Prebbleton in 1861, when his only neighbours were the Messrs Prebble brothers, the pioneers of the district. About 1880 he retired from farming, and died in 1901, leaving a family of two sons and two daughters, of whom one is married to Mr. Edward Prebble, and the other to Mr. Adams, of Addington. Mr. George Thompson, who is the eldest son, started farming at Prebbleton, with his father on the farm on which he now resides, and helped to convert it from its native condition to its present highly cultivated state. Mr. Thompson owns a fine traction engine and threshing plant, which has proved a great convenience to the surrounding farmers. He has for a number of years been a member of the Prebbleton school committee, which is the only body in which he takes any part. Mr. Thompson married Miss Streeter, daughter of the late Mr. James Streeter, of Tai Tapu. She died in 1900, leaving four sons and six daughters.

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

Mrs G. Thompson.

Winter, Frederick James, Farmer. Prebbleton. Mr. Winter is the only son of the late Mr. James Winter. He was born in Christchurch, educated at Prebbleton, and learned practical farming with his father, at whose death he succeeded to the farm. Mr. Winter has been a member of the Loyal Jubilee Lodge of Oddfellows, Manchester Unity, for over fifteen years. He is a Past page 657 Grand officer, and one of the trustees of his Lodge.

Standish and Preece, photo
Mr. F. J. Winter.

Mr. William Paterson, sometime of Prebbleton, was born in Edinburgh, in 1828, and came to New Zealand in 1860 by the ship “Royal George.” For some years after his arrival he was employed by the late Mr. Milne, of Lincoln. In 1870 he removed to Prebbleton and purchased a fine property of about 300 acres, which was then only partially improved, but is now in a high state of cultivation. Mr. Paterson died in 1879, leaving a widow and family of four sons and two daughters; but Mr Henry Paterson, the youngest son, is the only surviving member of the family.

Mr. Edward Prebble, one of the Prebble brothers, after whom the township of Prebbleton is named, was born in Kent, England, in 1829, and, with his parents, arrived at Wellington in 1840 by the ship “Aurora.” The family first settled in the district now known as Karori, but in 1845 Mr. Prebble, senior, removed with his sons to Canterbury, where they were employed by the late Mr. Greenwood to build a house at the Motunau station. Some time afterwards Mr. Edward Prebble entered the employment of the late Mr. George Rhodes, with whom he remained six years. He then started on his own account, and for two years carried on a farm at Gebbie's Valley. In 1854 he bought fifty acres from the Canterbury Association, where Prebbleton now stands, and out it up and sold it in small sections. he himself began the township by building a store, which he afterwards enlarged, and which has since been carried on as a hotel. Owing to business relations with the tenant of the hotel, Mr. Prebble took possession of the business, which he carried on successfully in conjunction with his farm for over twenty years, when he disposed of his interest in the hotel, and spent some years in retirement at New Brighton. He, however, returned to Prebbleton, where he now lives in retirement. Mr. Prebble has always taken an active part in the progress of his district, and was for over twenty years a member of the Lincoln Road Board and Prebbleton school committee, and for a similar period a churchwarden in All Saints church, Prebbleton. He retired from his public duties in 1895. Mr. Prebble married Miss Thompson, who came out to New Zealand with her parents in 1851, by the ship “Duke of Porland,” and there is a family of six sons and two daughters.

Mr. E. Prebble.

Mr. James Winter, sometime of Prebbleton, was born at Milburne Port, Somersetshire, England, in 1823, and came to Lyttleton by the ship “William Hyde,” in 1852. He as in the employment of the late Mr. Guise Brittan for about ten years, and in 1863 settled at Prebbleton, where he has bought a farm. the land was then in its natural state, covered with tussocks, flax, rushes, raupo, and swordgrass, and a large portion of it was very swampy. Mr. Winter was a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters, Christchurch, he having joined that Order in November, 1855, and was a member up till the time of his death in September, 1901. He left a widow and one son. Mrs Winter arrived in New Zealand in 1852 by the “Duke of Portland,” and was married in 1856. She was a teacher in All Saints' Sunday school, Prebbleton, for over twenty years, and on severing her connection with it, was presented, by the members of the church and her old sholars, with a handsome silver tea and coffee service.