Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 057

Transcript

William Montgomery, arrived about 1862 from Australia and had with him a confidential man named Samuel Needham. He first lived at the Carlton landlorded then by George Oram. He started business at the Christchurch Quay Ferry Road, then lived by schooners and small craft, coming over the Sumner bar, with timber from the Bays, and cargo from the Home ships in Lyttelton Harbour. He afterwards had a Town Yard, and offices, on the site of between the Press and Rotherfield and did a large timber and wine and spirits business. He went into Provincial politics in the “House of Many Gables”, and was a contemporary there of Dr Turnbull, W. Williams, &c. In politics he was always looked upon as a man who was going to do something great, but somehow never did it.

Mr Bainbridge was a clerk in the Provincial Govt. buildings in the early days, I think in the Treasury or audit. He was immense. A perfect jovial swell. A man evidently intended for the Army, or something of the sort, but with the early crowd he had drifted here, and had to be provided for.