County has seen many changes

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32874, 24 March 1972, Page 7

County has seen many changes

The Malvern County, which was formed in 1911, covers a large area of land extending from the foothills to the plains, most of which is devoted to agri* cultural and pastoral pursuits.

The name Malvern originally belonged solely to the upper or hills part of the county, the lover or plains portion being known as the Courtenay district. There is some doubt about its origin. The most widely accepted opinion is that Malvern came to be used through its phonetic similarity to Morven, which was the name given to the western end of the hills by the Deans brothers in honour of a friend from that part of Argyll. A possibilty that cannot be ignored is that the name Malvern was chosen by agents of the Canterbury Association who were instructed to originate placenames commemorating the activities of the Association, and many of the details of the Association’s plan of settlement were worked out by Edward Gibbon Wakefield and J. R. Godley at Malvern in England. Because of its wide area the county has a diversity of soil types, including the better class of tussock covered hills, ploughable downs, heavy clay soil, rich loamy silt, and the lighter land of the lower plains. The holdings vary in size from small units up to more than 1000 acres, the average being 347 acres. All classes of farming are carried out. There is no natural water supply on the plains between the Waimakariri and the Hawkins rivers. This, however, is provided for by an extensive stock waterrace system. The climate of the county is controlled by the wester- J ly lows. It was the dryness of the December to Febru-

ary quarter which impressed the early settlers. A break usually comes in March with north-westerly and south-westerly storms. Between 1850 and 1880 three days of nor*-westerly weather were usually followed by three days of southerly, but since 1880 this cycle has not been so consistent. In the spring the northeasterlies make their appearance and continue intermittently during the anti-cyclones of the latter part of the year. The nor*-westers and the easterlies are both life-giving. The former keep the land in a free state and the latter supply the necessary moisture. The rainfall varies from 37 inches a year in the western areas, where the occasional nori-west showers are more frequent, to 30 inches further down the plains. Another curious circumstance is the change in visibility. Up to about 1880 there were effects of light refraction which enabled houses and other buildings to be clearly seen from distances of 10 and 15 miles. It was common occurrence, most notably at daybreak, to see from Malvern the topmost part of Banks Peninsula rising like an island above the white mist which covered the city and its surroundings. Plantations have hindered such long visibility in modem times, but this is not the full explanation. Sounds carried further in the early days. Residents living up to five miles away from the Waimakariri were able to hear the rumble of stone going down the flooded river. Acknowledgment la made of extracts from “Malvern County,” by G. L. Popple, 1953.