The pioneering Hornbrooks remembered

Members of a historic family have descended on South Canterbury for a reunion.

Descendants of South Canterbury’s first European child came together 161 years after his birth. William Richard Hornbrook, known as Richard, was born to William and Margaret Hornbrook on November 17, 1854.

He was the first European child born in South Canterbury and was delivered at Arowhenua Homestead.

About 100 of his descendants, ranging in age from two to 95, gathered for a Hornbrook family reunion at the weekend.

Victoria Anne Hornbrook, who researched and compiled her family history, said brothers Alfred and William had been pioneers and contributed to the settlement of Wellington in the 1840s.

‘‘In the 1850s Alfred moved to the South Island to seek his fortunes and contribute to the development of Lyttleton.

‘‘When his interests turned to sheep farming and he asked William to come to the South Canterbury area, it saw the beginning of a new Hornbrook generation.

Today descendants of William and his wife Margaret have been born and raised in the area.

Some have passed on, some moved on and many still live in the townships which make up South Canterbury.’’

On March 24,1853, William arrived in Timaru from Mt Pleasant aboard the trading vessel Kaka to manage the new Arowhenua run.

‘‘[The ship] arrived from Christchurch with 30 packages of goods for the Hornbrook family. William began building the original dwelling, a sod cottage, near the entrance to the Arowhenua Station property so his family could join him.’’

In February 1854, a year after William, Margaret and their two eldest daughters arrived in Timaru aboard the Despatch.

‘‘Margaret was one of the first white women to arrive and live in South Canterbury and the family was faced with living in the cob cottage without any facilities until the new wooden homestead was built.

‘‘On the fringe of the Arowhenua bush, in 1854, a large colonial style house and woolshed were built from timber milled from the forests on the property.’’

The woolshed was the largest in the district and was 27.5 metres long (90 feet) and 11m (36ft) wide.

‘‘The roof was constructed with kauri shingles and later covered with corrugated iron.’’

By 1871 the station was stocked with 11,000 sheep, but was subsequently declared bankrupt.

In 1919, the station was purchased by John Lyon and renamed Arowhenua Homestead.

His three sons managed the property with son Ray and his wife moving into the house.

‘‘When Lyon died in 1960 the section was divided up and some sections were sold.

‘‘Ray and his wife continued to live in the homestead and after Ray’s death, his widow stayed on.

‘‘She still lives at the homestead.’’

As part of the reunion, Hornbrook descendants visited the Pioneer Obelisk at The Domain in Temuka and planted trees.

They also visited family graves in the Temuka cemetery and the South Canterbury Museum to view family treasures.