Mr W. S. MacGibbon Was Civic Leader, Benefactor

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29820, 12 May 1962, Page 10

Mr W. S. MacGibbon Was Civic Leader, Benefactor

Mr William Smith Mac Gibbon was not born in Christchurch —he was an Edin-burgh-born Scot and proud of it—but he came to Christchurch with his parents as a child, and Christchurch can be glad of that. When Mr MacGibbon died suddenly yesterday at the age of 71 he left his own monuments in 'stone and architecture around the city he loved; but he also left a host of friends who called him Bill and an unexcelled record of public service.

There are few metropolitan local bodies on which Mr Mac Gibbon has not given service. He was an architect of many of the major schemes to improve Christchurch and Canterbury. For years he dreamed of and planned for a road linking the plains with the port and he lived to see the road tunnel almost driven. For his countless friends, the tunnel will be his monument. In a busy commercial life, Mr Mac Gibbon was able to devote a tremendous amount of his time and energy to the betterment of his city. The City Council, the Christchurch Transport Board, the Lyttelton Harbour Board, and the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority are among the bodies which will have to look for a successor to Mr Mac Gibbon, but the time he gave to them represents only a fraction of that he spent on public service. Mr Mac Gibbon was an early advocate of a metropolitan town planning scheme: he was chairman of the Transport (then Tramways) Board when the big change was planned from trams to buses and chairman of the Harbour Board when it planned its major port development scheme which will cater for the biggest overseas ships at new berths. He was known to the gen-

eral public as a local body member, and known so' well that he was always near the top of any poll, but he was known to many a charitable organisation and to individuals as a benefactor who did not seek the limelight for his gifts. He gave, regardless of creed, to organisations which did good community work, he gave generously to many worthy causes which lacked popular support and to some individuals who did not know the source of the gift. When he came to New Zealand as a boy, Mr Mac Gibbon went with his parents to Rangiora, and he was educated at> the public school there, before joining the Post and Telegraph Department in Rangiora in 1904 Three years later he joined the staff of an Ashburton public accountant, and in 1908 came to Christchurch to join the old-established legal firm of Duncan, Cotterill and Company. His ability was quickly shown, and he was accountant for the firm for nine years before deciding to begin business on his own behalf as an accountant, a decision which began a “rags to riches story,” for Mr Mac Gibbon made his own way in life. With Mr W. J. Mason, he established the firm of MacGibbon, Mason and Company, and in 1921 he became the sole proprietor. From his accountancy business he branched out into insurance, and became one of the bestknown commercial men in the city. He was a director of several companies. Mr Mac Gibbon’s commercial experience and ability commended him to the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. of which he was a life member at the time of his death. He was president from 1938 to 1941 and during that time took a leading part in the affairs of the Associated Chambers of Commerce of New Zealand, of which he was elected president in 1940 Local Bodies His long service in local bodies had its beginning in 1026, when he joined the executive of the Christchurch Citizens' Association. He was responsible for organising the association's campaign of 1936 when it gained control of the City Council, and he was himself elected to the council table. With two breaks, Mr MacGibbon served on the council from then to the time of his death, was a Mayoral candidate in 1950 and chairman of the electricity committee of the council for the last three years. Among his main interests on the council were beautification of the city—he gave the Mac Gibbon gates to Hagley Park and the fence for the Botanic Gardens now in the course of erection — and the setting aside of Cathedral square as a city centrepiece He gave the prize money for the recent Cathedral square improvement competition.

In recent years, Mr MacGibbon was deputy-chairman of the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority and lived to see a regional plan come into being, something he had worked for for years as chairman of the old Metropolitan Town Planning Committee Harbour Board He joined the Lyttelton Harbour Board as a city member in 1941. In 1946 and 1947 he was chairman when important decisions were made on the extehsion of the port.

Mr Mac Gibbon was a mem-

ber of the Transport Board at the time of his death, and deputy-chairman. He was first elected to the board in 1941 and was chairman in 1946. He also served as a City Council representative on the Christchurch Fire Board. Outside local body work, Mr Mac Gibbon served on a number of public and charitable organisations. A major interest was the Canterbury Museum Trust Board, of which he was a foundation member and chairman from 1959. He gave generously to the campaign to raise fund* for the planetarium and took a leading part in having the new wing at the museum declared the ofllc.al centennial memorial. Other organisations with which Mr Mac Gibbon was connected included the Hard of Hearing League (he was a founder), nursery play centres, the Friends of Te Wai Pounamu, of which he was president, the Savage Club and the Lions Club. As a member of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church early in his life, Mr Mac Gibbon look an interest in youth work. He was a member of the first board of St. Andrew’s College in 1916 and secretary and treasurer to the college in its early days. Patriotic Sen-ice While he did not serve in the armed forces. Mr MacGibbon took a leading part in the community when the country was placed on a war footing. He was one of a committee of four called on to organise civil defence in Christchurch. He recognised his debt to servicemen by long and distinguished service on the Canterbury Patriotic Council and the New Zealand Patriotic Fund Board, of which he was a member from 1939. He was also a former president of Heritage (Canterbury >. a vice-president of the New Zealand Navy League, and a leader of the work of the combined patriotic societies Mr Mac Gibbon had a keen sense of the value of the work of Canterbury pioneers It guided much of his public service and led to his taking a lead in the 1950 Canterbury centennial arrangements. He was chairman of the finance committee for the centennial and largely responsible for the successful appeal for funds.

From 1911 to 1919, Mr MacGibbon was a lecturer in accountancy at the Christchurch Technical College and Canterbury University College. Memories of his own early struggles for education prompted him to establish funds to help students. Among his public benefactions were a gift of land to St. Christopher's Boys’ Club and the cost of planting Jellie Park, in Waimairi. Mr Mac Gibbon was awarded the OJB.E. 10 years ago Tennis and golf were Mr Mac Gibbon's sports earlier in his life, and he was the firs: life member elected by the Fendalton Tennis Club. In recent years his main interest was gardening a: his Naseby street home and his summer house at Leithfield Beach. Mr Mac Gibbon had enjoyed good health recently and was at the opening of pensioners' cottages in Spreydon on Wednesday in a street which bears his name. He was on his way to a meeting yesterday afternoon when he collapsed in Tramway lane, and was found to be dead when he arrived at the Christchurch Hospital. He is survived by his wife, formerly Miss Alison MacLeod.