Obituary MISS K. WILKINSON

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30178, 9 July 1963, Page 2

Obituary MISS K. WILKINSON

"When Miss Kate Wilkinson, aged 96, died in Christchurch recently, another link with Canterbury's early history was severed. Formerly of “Higham,'’ Chertsey, where she lived for 50 years, Miss Wilkinson was born in Southbridge in 1867. Her father, Mr Thomas W. Wilkinson, came to New Zealand in the Samarang in 1852, and was for a time a member of the Canterbury Provincial Council. Her mother, who arrived in New Zealand in the Minerva as Miss Elizabeth Reeve, conducted one of the first girls’ private schools to be opened in Christchurch, with her sister Sophia. After their marriage in 1855. Miss Wilkinson’s parents lived for a time on a Lincoln road property then called “Warren Farm,” but now known as Mount Magdala. For some years Mr Wilkinson also leased a part of South Hagley Park and was the first to plough it. One of Miss Wilkinson’s early memories was of seeing timber for the Rakaia bridge being hauled past her Southbridge home on bullock waggons. It had been felled in Little River and ferried across Lake Ellesmere. Brought Up Family The family later moved to Chertsey, to land now being farmed by the fourth generation of the family. At 14. Miss Wilkinson's mother died, and she took over the bringing up of the large family. Later she supervised the farm workers as well.

Miss Wilkinson could recall the night in 1881 when she and neighbours watched by moonlight the first muddy trickle of water coming down through the newly-construct-ed irrigation water-races.

The water-races had been controversial. Many thought they would not be successful. Before then, all water in the area had had to be collected from rainfall, or hauled long distances from the Raktia river.

For the half-century she lived at ' Higham.’' Miss Wilkinson always took an active interest in the social life of the district and kept open house for many relatives and friends.

After her elder brother died Miss Wilkinson lived in Christchurch.