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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Canterbury Provincial District]

Old Colonists

Old Colonists.

Mr. Alexander Finlay Anderson, sometime of St. Andrews, was a native of Ayrshire, Scotland, where he was born in 1837. He left the Old Country under engagement to the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, and arrived at Dunedin in 1864. Mr. Anderson filled the position of managing accountant to the company for New Zealand and Australia for four years, after which time he removed to Canterbury, and took up a farm at St. Andrews, where for six years, up to the date of his death in 1874, he was actively engaged in agriculture. Mr. Anderson was well known as a devoted Freemason. He left a widow, four sons and four daughters. His eldest son is the present Town Clerk of Linwood, one of the suburban boroughs of Christchurch.

Mr. George Lawrie was born on the borders of Scotland, in 1842. He studied as an engineer in Glasgow, and came out to New Zealand in 1875, under engagement to the New Zealand and Australian Land Company, in their chartered vessel, which brought out agricultural machines to Southland. Mr. Lawrie was engineer for the company for a time, and afterwards was proprietor of the Royal George Hotel in Dunedin. In 1877 he purchased 500 acres of land near Otaio, which he improved and farmed for some time, and where he erected a very fine residence. Ultimately he sold his property, and purchased thirteen acres at St. Andrews, where he resided till his death. Latterly Mr. Lawrie was the proprietor of three threshing mills, for which he found plenty of work in the district, and one of his mills is still being worked for his family. In the early days he supervised the steam ploughs which broke up the Edendale and Woodlands estates. He was very fond of sport, and was one of the first in Southland to follow coursing. Mr. Lawrie was married, in 1882, to a daughter of Mr. James Young, of St. Andrews, and had two sons.

Mr. Edward James Lee was born in London, in 1822, and before coming to Nelson in 1848, he had some experience in a London bank. In 1849 he settled in Canterbury, and took up Mount Parnassus station at Amuri, in conjunction with Mr. Edward Jollie, after whom Jollie's Pass was named. Messrs Lee and Jollie discovered Hanmer Springs, and worked a large tract of sheep country for a number of years. In 1882 Mr. Lee settled on land at Southbridge, where he resided till his death in 1883. He was one of the first members of the Selwyn County Council, and held office as chairman till a comparatively short time before his death. Mr. Lee was married, in 1851, to a daughter of the Venerable Archdeacon Paul, of Christchurch, and left five sons and three daughters.

The Springbrook Public School dates from 1895. The building is of wood and iron, contains a class room and a porch, and stands on part of a section of four acres of land. There are forty names on the roll, and the average attendance is thirty-two. A good playground surrounds the school, and there is a residence of six rooms.

Mr. William Browne, Master at Springbrook School, was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1860. He was trained as a teacher, and came to Port Chalmers by the s.s. “Victory” in 1884. Mr. Browne served at the Kingsdown school for nine years, before receiving his present appointment at Springbrook.