The name stays on

Press, 28 November 1979, Page 9

The name stays on

A century ago, Carl Hansen probably never thought his name would become firmly entrenched in Kaiapoi’s history, but it will this Friday. Born in Denmark in 1844, he arrived at Lyttelton on the Glenmark in 1865. A saddler by trade, he established a business at Kaiapoi and became a son-in-law of George Wearing, boat builder and then proprietor of the Kaiapoi Hotel. Some of Wearing’s money eventually passed to Hansen and was partly invested in a new shopping block that became known as Hansen’s building. This was early in the 1880 s as the building appears in 1884 photographs. That Charles and Cookson Streets corner was a focal point at the time. The Bank of New Zealand had erected its new brick building across the road in 1883, the post office had been shifted to its first departmental

building two doors along in 1879 and a new iron traffic bridge beside the Hansen block was opened about 1885. At the time, Hansen was on the borough council’s finance committee and in 1888 was elected to the mayoralty which he held for three years. It was reported in 1928 he ‘‘showed great enterprise in erecting the building, having a ground lease only and knowing the building would become the W a i m a k r i r i Harbour Board’s property at the end of the lease, which it has done long since.” Hansen's name will continue to be used for the site and for the new shopping block. On Friday. Mr W. Bell will unveil a commemorative plaque on a nearby planter box at 4 p.m. Mr Bell was chairman of the council’s harbour committee when the block’s replacement was first considered in 1968, and when the centenary of the harbour board, through his committee, was celebrated in 1976.