DEANS FAMILY INTEREST IN SHOW

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28433, 13 November 1957, Page 14

DEANS FAMILY INTEREST IN SHOW

Mr John Deans, of Riccarton. a grandson of John Deans, one *'f; Canterbury’s earliest settlers, who will be member in attendance in | the Shorthorn section at this year’s show as he has been for many years, has had a long association with the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was president in 1917 when the offices of the association were burnt down. His grandmother, the widow of the pioneer John Deans, was a regular competitor at early shows including the first held under the auspices of the Canter-

bury Agricultural and Pastoral Association at Sydenham in 1863. She was an. acknowledged expert on stock including Shorthorn cattle, Southdown sheep and Clydesdale horses. Mr Deans’s father, also Mr John Deans, was president of the association in 1887 and .888 and his brother James was president in 1925. Still another brother, Mr Douglas Deans, is now president elect.

The other day Mr John Deans turned up his original life membership ticket. He became a .life member of the association in 1899 when Mr G. E. Rhodes, a brother of the late Sir R. Heaton Rhodes, was president, and he had been going to shows for several years before that. Mr Deans has himself shown Shorthorns, fat sheep and Southdowns at the show. Mr Deans remembers the days when the show was a much smaller affair but he believes that at a time when there were no

motor-cars and people did not ] have the opportunities of running 1 into the country on a show holiday a higher percentage of the j population went to the show. < Highlights of shows early this | century recalled by Mr Deans include the Lloyd Lindsay com- 1 petition in which sections of four ! mounted men from the Canter- < bury Yeomanry Cavalry and the 1 Mounted Rifle Squadrons jumped < hurdles, dismounted and fired and I mounted again. This competition i was a featuPe of the ring events < in those days. At another show a team of horsemen under Major i

Percy Johnson, of Mount Torlesse, did a musical ride, which earned much favourable comment At his home Mr Deans has a painting of a Shorthorn bull, Duke of Gunterstone. which was imported by his father about 1880* The bull which was painted bv a Russian artist about 1885, was a successful competitor at shows and his off-spring also maintained his reputation. Mr Deanss father also imported about 1900. a lion, Balgarvie, which was the first of the light active type o f Clydesdale. He was not ‘shown very often but he also left some fine stock.