The Headmaster’s House / A historical gem has been given a beautiful new lease of life
Nestled in the quiet streets of Oxford township, a long driveway and park-like grounds shroud a historical gem – the Headmaster’s House, a residence dating back to 1910 and now a home to heal.
When Rochelle Welch first set eyes on the Headmaster’s House in 2017 it was out of curiosity, not with serious intent on buying a 107-year-old home. However, it was a case of ‘love at first sight’ and before long she’d convinced her husband George to also take a look.
Owner of George Welch Builders, he arrived with pen, paper and his builder’s hat on and before long Rochelle’s dreams were dashed. They laugh about it now, but at the time George deemed the house ‘ridiculous and the upkeep too expensive’. Even now he shakes his head. At the time, the couple had been developing concept plans for a new build. However, it would seem Rochelle isn’t the only curious one in this marriage.
Working out of Christchurch on the day of the house auction, George called in to see how the bidding was going – and left with the Headmaster’s House! Teaching at Oxford Area School at the time, Rochelle got a phone call from George during ‘Fruit Break’ with the news. There followed some shrieking, a mild blasphemy and a stern scolding from one of the five-year-olds for Rochelle’s slip in professionalism.
While Rochelle may have been excited, she wasn’t foolhardy. It was the middle of winter and the Welch family opted to remain in their existing home through the coldest months, spending weekends clearing the grounds of their new house and sending in the painters for eight weeks of interior work instead.
With the weather finally warming up, Rochelle, George and their family, Sarah, Tom and Alice, moved into their new home in October 2017. At the time Rochelle was teaching full-time, but her focus was on the house. ‘All I wanted was to be in the house.’ Ironically she warns, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ Three months later she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Treatment was aggressive: chemotherapy, surgery, radiation and a cocktail of daily pills including Herceptin became Rochelle’s life for the next year. However, with just her second treatment of chemotherapy completed, the family was thrown another curveball. While water skiing on Lake Brunner, George suffered an agonising injury and was rescue helicoptered to Christchurch Hospital. And there they were – sick, sore and confined to the Headmaster’s House. One fighting for her life, the other unable to walk.
While Rochelle and George freely admit 2018 couldn’t have got any worse, Rochelle does laugh at the irony of a ‘107-year-old house, cancer and a crippled husband’. However, in their own time, they continued to develop the house to reflect their lifestyle. With rimu wooden panelling, an interior paint palette of warm white and a style ethos