“STAR” THANKED FOR ANNIVERSARY DAY NUMBER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17829, 24 April 1926, Page 1

“STAR” THANKED FOR ANNIVERSARY DAY NUMBER.

ENGLISH READER HAS WORD OF APPRECIATION. Mr John Bishop Rutland, of 14, Arthur’s Road, Slough, Bucks., Enggland, writes to the Editor of the “ Star” under date March 9:— Dear Sir, —I have recently received a copy of your anniversary number of December 16, 1925, and as one of the early arrivals in Lyttelton, though not quite a “ Pilgrim ” —having arrived an infant in arms with my parents, John t and Mary Rutland, by the Isabella Hercus on March 1, 1851—I send you a few lines to express my appreciation of the number, and more particularly of the article, “ Whately Road in the Sixties,” by Mr R. E. Green. For about five years we remained in ; Lyttelton, having built a house just off the Bridle Path. During this time my father, in conjunction with Mr Thomas Mollet, built the residence at Purau for Mr R. H. Rhodes. We moved to Christchurch early in 1556 to a house with half an acre of ground on Papanui Road, bought from the Rev John Al-

dred. The adjoining property between it and Chester Street was owned and occupied by Mr Alfred Worsley, a sheep and cattle station holder, who was also an artist. He had adorned the front door of his house with a more than life size painting of Samson brandishing the jawbone of an ass. In those days the state of the road earned it the sobriquet of the Papanui boot-jack,” as it was not unusual for foot passengers to lose their boots in its sticky mud. The account of the fire of February b, 18(55, that destroyed so much of my father's property, is most graphic. At the time I was a day scholar at Christ’s College—head master, the Rev H. Jacobs, M.A.; second master, Rev G. Cotterill, 8.A., and Mr W. De Tray, mathematical master, with several visiting masters, all of whom, with most of their scholars, have ere now- joined the great majority. On the day of the fire we boys were out for our dinner-hour. Some of us were having a dip in the Avon that skirts the College grounds, when Bob Rutherford, seeing the cloud of smoke, called to me, " Rutland, your house on fire.” We scrambled into our clothes as we ran over Cranmer Square, through Taylor’s into our garden, and found everything in confusion as you relate. My father did not re-build, but bought a house and land at Merivale, where we lived many years.

Leaving College, I went into the office of Mr C. W. Turner, in 1868. From there in 1886 I went to Timaru, where I was in business till 1907, when I left New Zealand for Sydney. In 1912 my wife and I came to the Old Country for, as we thought, a two years’ holiday, but were trapped by the war. During war time, I was with the Army Bankers, Messrs Cox and Co., Charing Cross, London, and since the armistice year have been here, where I have employment, still cherishing the hope that I may return to the land I love, that was- my home for so many year*.