Glenavy, formerly known as Waitaki, is situated in the Waihao riding of the Waimate county, about a mile to the northward of the fine bridge over the Waitaki river. This bridge is three-quarters of a mile in length. It is used for road traffic, and has a gate at each end, under the control of a caretaker. The township consists of a fine hotel, two stores, a blacksmith's shop, saddler's shop, a railway station and post office combined, a church and hall combined, a public school, and a police station. A monthly sale of stock is held at the sale-yards attached to the Glencoe Hotel, and is largely attended by settlers from the surrounding districts. The railway station, stands at an elevation of seventy-four feet above sea level, and is ninety-three miles from Dunedin and 138 from Christchurch. At the census of 1901 the population of the village was set down at ninety-eight. The flat land in the neighbourhood yields excellent pasturage, though it is covered somewhat thickly with large water-worn pebbles. Glenavy is a convenient resort for anglers, who visit the Waitaki river, which abounds in fine trout.

The Glenavy Sub-Police District extends from Papakaio near Oamaru to the Waihao river. The station stands on a section of nineteen acres of land, not far from the north bank of the Waitaki. The residence is of wood and iron, and contains five rooms, and there is the usual look-up, and a good paddock for horses.

Mr. Patrick Gough, Constable in charge at Glenavy, was born in 1862, in County Waterford, Ireland. In 1887 he arrived in New Zealand, and, after filing various positions, was appointed to Glenavy in 1898, Mr. Gough was married, in 1888, to a daughter of Mr. J. McCarthy, of County Cork, and has two sons and one daughter.

The Glenavy Railway Station And Post Office combined is a wood and iron building of the usual description, with separate windows for the postal and ralway departments. Three trains pass through the station, north and south, daily, and Glenavy is a regular stopping place for the express. There is a large goods-shed, and also a cattle loading bunk. The staff consists of the stationmaster and a cadet. There is telephone connection between the station and the caretakers at each end of the Waitaki bridge, of which the stationmaster at Glenavy has charge.

Mr. Augustus Hood, Station-master and Postmaster at Glenavy, was born in 1869, in Marlborough, New Zealand. He joined the railway service in his native place in 1884, and was five years in charge at Coalgate, before his appointment to Glenavy in January, 1902. Mr. Hood was married, in 1899, to a daughter of Mr. D. Douglas, of Christchurch.

The Glenavy Public School was established about the year 1887. It has a glebe of eight acres. The school building is of wood and iron, and contains a porch and a large class room, which is divided in the middle by a curtain. In the playground there is a shelter-shed for the children. The school residence has six rooms. About sixty children can be accommodated in the school. There are forty-six names on the roll, and the average attendance for the last quarter of 1902 was forty.

Mr. George Stevens, who is in charge of Glenavy school, was born in 1852, in Ayrshire, Scotland. In 1863 he came to Port Chalmers by the ship “Arima” with his parents, and was educated in Otago, where he had a two years' course at the University. Mr. Stevens served at various schools in Otago and Canterbury, and was appointed to Glenavy in March, 1902. He was married, in 1885, to a daughter of Mr. James Thomson, of Timaru, and has a surviving family of three sons and one daughter.

Glencoe Hotel (Ralph Porter, proprietor), Glenavy. This hotel was established in 1890 by the late Mr. John Henderson, and was bought from his widow by Mr. Porter in April, 1900. There are eight acres of freehold and seventy-eight acres of leasehold land attached to the hotel. The building is a wooden one and contains fifteen rooms—ten bedrooms and three sittingrooms, besides a dining room which will seat sixteen guests. There are convenient stables, with four stalls and four loose boxes, attached to the hotel, and there is plenty of paddock room for stock. Mr. Porter, who has taken a great interest in the district, has erected saleyards, second to none, at a cost of £800, and in these monthly sales are held; he has also constructed a large sheep dip for public use. The number of sheep dipped in the season of 1903 was 18,000, which shows that the dip is greatly appreciated by the settlers on the Waikakahi estate. The district around the hotel is noted for its fishing and shooting; and on the banks of the Waitaki, a few miles away, there are about two dozen huts which are regularly visited by anglers, from all parts of New Zealand, and also from England and Australia.

Mr. Ralph Porter, Proprietor of the Glencoe Hotel, was born at Longnewton, parish of Ancrum, Roxbroughshire, Scotland, in 1861. He was educated in his native county, and in Berwickshire, and was brought up to mercantile life. Mr. Porter came to Port Chalmers by the ship “Taranaki” in 1878, and settled in Dunedin. He was for eighteen, years in the employment of Messrs W. Wright and Co. in that city, and held the position of chief storeman for some time. He afterwards conducted the business on his own account. On the death of his brother-in-law, Mr. J. Henderson, he took over the management of the Glencoe Hotel, and shortly afterwards became the owner. Mr. Porter was attached to Court Foresters' Pride, of Leith, Dunedin, and as a Freemason be belongs to Lodge 931, English Constitution. In 1884 he married Miss Annie Henderson, a daughter of the late Mr. Allan Henderson, of Dunedin, and has two daughters.