THOMSON PARK.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20382, 31 October 1931, Page 20

THOMSON PARK.

GIFT OF A WALKER ON THE ' ' HILLS. OPENING CEREMONY TO-DAY. A lover of the hills, and a lover of walking on the hills, is Mr J. J. Thomson, the givy; of Park, on the Port Hills Summit road, which is to be formally opened to the public this afternoon. In twelve years, Mr Thomson estimates that he has walked a distance of 15,600 miles on the Port Hills; and when one expresses astonishment, Mr Thomson tries to belittle his achievement by remarking that it only meant 25 miles a week. So it did, but it is not every man between 70 and 80 years of age, who can claim such a record. It has been accomplished by following a set routine. Mr Thomson told a representative of The Press: "Once a week, every Tuesday, I used to go to Kennedy 's Bush, on every Thursday to Mount Pleasant, and once a month to Cooper's Knobs. Once a year I stayed the night at Kennedy's Bush, breakfasting the next morning at Cooper's Knobs, and then on to tho lighthouse at God ley Head." Tho walk-ing-stick that accompanied him on these excursions, a rather remarkable stick, is now in the Museum. Having become an intimate of the hills, it was natural that Mr Thomson should desire that others should share in his enjoyment of them. Thomson Park is his own gift, but with M r AV. G. Clamieson, ho shared in purchasing the Sugar Loaf which is linked up with Astoria Park Uy Thomson Park; and lie lias made other gifts. Some Biographical Details. With his father and mother, a brother, and two sisters, Mr Thomson arrived at Lyttelton by the ship Hampshire, in May, 1853, two years and a half after the arrival of the Pilgrims. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on March 6tli. 1846, the son of Mr William Thomson, accountant of that City, and Georgina.. daughter of Mr .Tames Scott, formerly a merchant of St. A r incent, West Indies. Before leaving London for New Zealand, Mr Thomson, then in his seventh year, saw the funeral of the great Duke of AVellington in November, 1852. The passage from England took five or six months, contrary winds delaying the Hampshire in the English Channel for several weeks. Other passengers by the same vessel who became prominent iu Canterbury were Sir Thomas and Lady Tanered, Mr and Mrs John Beswick, Dr. and Mrs Beswick, Mr and Mrs AV. B. Tosswill, Messrs Chapman (2), Mr Edwin Ferredy, and Mr Chenning. Lady Tancred's companion, Mrs Charles Thomson (no relative of Mr Thomson), opened the first school for girls in Christchurch. At a fancy dress ball on the ship Mr Thomson's father appeared in Highland dress which he .got when he was one of the escort for Queen Victoria on her first visit to Balmoral Castle.

Many Activities. Mr Thomson's fcather, after an unsuccessful market-garden vontur.c at Governor's Bay, took up his residence in Christchurch at Papaiiui, at the end of 1 1855, and went into business as an auctioneer and had tho first largo saleroom in the City on the Triangle opposite the White Hart Hotel; afterwards on this site Inglis's buildings were erected. Mr Thomson, sen., became part-owner <ft the City's second newspaper, "The Canterbury Standard," was member for Avon in tho Provincial Council, was a member of the House of Representatives, discharged tho duties of Official Assignee, Provincial Auditor, and was the first secretary of the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association (from 1866 to 1870). Mr J. J. Thomson was educated at Christ's College, then situated on the corner of Oxford terrace, opposite the site upon which St. Michael's Church was built; he is No. 43 on tho College Register. On leaving Christ's College Mr Thomson had some experience of work on sheep stations, including Cheviot, then owned by Mr J. S. Caverhill, prior to-its acquisition %by the Hon. W. Robinson. A Drovipg Experience. Of this period of his career, when he Was about seventeen years old, Mr Thomson tells the following incident: — '' Some time ago a stranger in my presence referred to a heap of bones he had seen near the Awatere, for which he was unable to account. I told him that in January, 1863, in company with four others, I was bringing a mob of cattle from Flaxbourne, near Cape Campbell, to Culverden, and had camped on a V-shaped neck of land near Blaerick, a customary camping place. The night was a moonlight one, but slightly foggy, and about midnight King, the man in charge, woke me up to take my watch. In the distance some of the beasts seemed to be disappearing, but' between them and us the mob Was quietly camped. Nothing could bo done till daylight, and when it came to our horror and astonishment we found that over 50 of the animals had gone over a cliff and were dead. Our herd comprised part hill cattle and part cattle from the fiats, and while the last-named remained quiet, some of the first-named tried to escape and pushed each other over the precipice. It was a serious loss to the purchaser. As misfortunes seldom come singly, 1 had the bad luck to have my _ horse horned by one of the bullocks op the top of Barefell's Pass, and it died from its wounds when we reached Hanmer Plains. At that period the hot springs there were merely a mud hole. My journey did not end with the delivery of tho remainder of the cattle to W. 11. Mein, near Culverden, as I went with a mob of 6000 sheep from Motunau to Lake Wanalca, my duty being to go in . front of the mob to serve notices that they would be passing through the' various runs. At that time there were no roads, and all the rivers had to be forded. Part of our journey was through the McKenzie country, over the Lindis Pass, and through the Morven Hills run of some 400,000 acres, the property of the McLean family." From Wanaka Mr Thomson went with 3000 sheep to the Double Hill station, through the Rakaia Gorge, the station at that time being owned by Messrs Palmer and Peter. Mr Mark, Stoddart, who owned a station on the banks of the Rakaia, onco declared that the nor'-westers were so Btrong that the sheep l<?st their front teeth as the result of' holding on to the tussocks! Life in the City. Droving days over, Mr Thomson joined the . clerical staff of Miles and Company, then the. largest firm of merchants in the City; then there came a period with Mr Hargreaves, auctioneer, and coal and timber .merchant, whose place of business was iii Cathedral square, on the site of the present Plaza Theatre; then back to Miles and Company, and with them till they ceased business. Mr Thomson was then in the employ of Mr James Henderson, stockbroker, afterwards Messrs Henderson and Burns, whose offices were in Hereford street, next to the Bank of New Zealand. Mr Thomson later retired from business and, to quote "his own words, '' took to walking on the hills." To that walking on the hills og Mi

Thomson's foot nowadays, and the ease with which he carries his 85 years. In his younger days Mr Thomson waß a member of the Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry, and on the occasion of the visit of the' Duke of Edinburgh to Christchurch in 1869, he formed one of the escort of his Royal Highness. To-day's Ceremony. The function this afternoon at Thomson Park on the Port Hills Summit road, combines two ceremonies—the unveiling of the memorial tablet to the giver, Mr J. J. Thomson, on the wall of the shelter, and the formal opening of the Park-to the public. The function is to start at 8.30 p.m., and the Commissioner of Crown Lands Mr W. Stewart, in his capacity of chairman of the Summit Road Scenic Reserves Board, will preside. Mr George Harper, the oldest member of the Board, .will unveil the memorial tablet, the inscription on which reads as follows: THOMSON PARK, 63 acres, the gift of JOHN JAMES THOMSON to connect Victoria Park with the Sugar Loaf reserve, 272 acres, previously given by him in conjunction with WILLIAM GRAHAM JAMIESON, for the benefit »of the people of Canterbury. 1931 - Addresses will be given by the Mayor of Christchurch. (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), the chairman of the Heathcote County Council (Mr J. L. Danks), and Messrs Thomson and Jamieson. To pedestrians there is the choice of two routes to the shelter on Thomson Park where the ceremony is to take place. The first is through Victoria Park by the footpath; there is a stile over the fence, and the walker climbs over the saddle and round a spur when the shelter will be seen. The second route is to go viq, Dyer's Pass road t'o the Kiwi, then, branching off to the left, by the newly-formed part of the Summit road, the shelter being about Jialg * xaila fronj thg giwjk