MR DUNCAN SANDYS’S LINK WITH NEW ZEALAND

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27148, 18 September 1953, Page 8

MR DUNCAN SANDYS’S LINK WITH NEW ZEALAND

SPRINGFIELD

[Speciany Written for "The Prew”! [By GRAHAM R. WEAR}

A strong family link with early New Zealand, and the Ashburton county in particular, will be completed this week-end when the British Minister of Supply <Mr Duncan Sandys) will realise his ambition to visit the home of his mother and grandfather, Mr Duncan Cameron, after whom Mr Sandys was named. . , . Mr Cameron, who developed the Springfield estate near Methven into one of the most productive runs m New Zealand, was the father of Miss Mildred Cameron, Mr Sandys’s mother. Miss i'ameron met Captain George Sandys during a visit to England, and they were married later in New Zealand. Though Mr Sandys has never been to New Zealand before, his mother, who died last year, gave him a good knowledge of the country.

History of Springfield Runs 54 and 106, each of 10,000 acres, which formed the original Springfield estate, were first taken up by .two men, who, it seems, were probably brothers —John and George Hall. Very little is known about these two, and a few, months later they abandoned the property. In August of the following year a licence for the property was issued to Mr William Bailey Bray, the first civil engineer to the Canterbury Provincial Council, who left the running of the estate to his manager, Mr Joseph Hill. , In 1859 Mr Hill bought Mr Bray out; but he did not remain in possession very long, for in 1869 the estate was taken over by the well-known Canterbury financier, Mr George Gould. As a manager he engaged Mr Duncan Cameron, who had formerly been manager for five years of the Winchmore run, owned by Mr Robert Park. Mr Cameron was born in Invernessshire; Scotland, and emigrated to New Zealand by the ship Mirage in 1864. On arrival in Canterbury Mr Cameron found that all suitable grazing land had already been taken up, so he took the position at Winchmore until better should turn up.

Intended to Sell EMate It was Mr Gould’s intention to sell Springfield as soon as possible, but Mr Cameron persuaded him to retain it, offering to go intb partnership with all of his savings—£l7oo. Between them the two men made almost the whole of the property freehold, and so rapidly did they prosper that when Mr Gould died in 1889 Mr Cameron was able to tender £65,000 (approximately £3 12s 6d an acre) to buy his share from the trustees.

The management of this vast estate required no ordinary farming skill; but Mr Cameron also found time to take part in local body affairs, being a member of the Ashburton County Council at one time, as well as of the Mount Somers and Mount Hutt Road Boards. He was a life member of the Ashburton Agricultural and Pastoral Association and was a Justice of the Peace. Mr Cameron was also chairman of a committee which built the first St Andrew’s Churcji in Methven.

Cultivation was on a grand scale. In 1894 5500 acres were under wheat —possibly a record for New Zealand. At the same time 1200 acres were in oats. A photograph at present hang-

ing in the Ashburton Agricultural Pastoral Association’s rooms showii number of draught horse teams mi loading a huge amount of grain from drays into Mr Cameron’s private bulk store at the Lyndhurst railway statioß When shipping space was scarce Ifr Cameron even chartered ships to port his wheat and wool. -

More Than 100 Workers More than 100 permanent worker were employed at the station in heydey, and it was Mr Cameron’i boast that there was always work anyone who asked. L. G. D. Adand records in his book, “Early Canterbury Runs,” that casuals were not nJJ [very high wages, but it was the.cS 'tom of many swaggers in those dan to turn up at Springfield whenenZ they wanted enough money to buy » suit of clothes or a pair of boots. * During the harvest season more than 200 men were sometimes employed » the estate, as well as 35 reapers aM binders and 25 twine-binders. ju. Cameron owned more than m draught horses, which were his pride and joy. Each of them had to be meticulously groomed. At the Hoom. stead itself there were stables for 2| horses, the remainder being stabM in camps all over the estate. The vast shearing shed, which hol& 500 sheep at one time, is still in imZ* In some seasons there were 16 hloß shearers at work in it.

Pioneer of Water-race System Mr Cameron was one of the pioneers of the Ashburton water-race system being second only to Mr Charles Rra? of Westerfield. Most persons intte 1870’s believed that water would soak into the ground unless it were carried in pipes, but Mr Cameron demonstra. ted for the first time on a large trak that water would travel without teak, ing in a channel cut in the ground, once the bottom and sides had yiltS up. In 1876 after experimen tatira with various ways to provide a satb* factory water supply he started fo earnest on his water-race scheme, sad by the end of that year there were 11 miles of channels on the property Four years later the total had im creased to almost 40 miles. Before his death in 1908 Mr Camc« ron started to sell off sections of Us huge holding, which by that time was well past the pioneering stage. At a sale in 1902, 4600 acres were sold at an average price of £lO an acre. aM in 1907 4500 acres were sold at m average price of £22 Is (£9945). No more was sold until January, iftt when 2310 acres were sold at an average price of £l5 13s lid (£36£7) After Mr Cameron’s death the whole station was offered for auction ia farms, 5148 acres being sold at an average price of about £l9 an acre and the remainder being sold privately during the year. The homestead Hou of 2000 acres was bought by Mr Thomas Dowling, the former manaaer of the Lowcliffe station. Many of dw .original paddocks were so large that they were sold as complete farms. Ont paddock, for example, was 28S acret. The 625 acres that are all that an left of the Springfield estate today are owned by a Christchurch businesmia, Mr A. w. Taylor, whose guest Mr Sandys will be during his visit Th second homestead built by Mr ron, with 28 rooms, is still In use.