Dr Cockayne and Harry Ell
Dr Cockayne and Harry Ell
[1904]
Harry Ell (1862-1934) was born in Christchurch, a well-known Prohibitionist and parliamentarian from 1899-1919. He was also a conservationist and in particular an advocate of the establishment of a string of reserves along the Port Hills. The first of these, at Kennedy's Bush, he secured in 1906. He wanted a Summit Road to link the reserves and also rest-houses for walkers. Three of these, the Sign of the Bellbird, the Sign of the Kiwi, and the Sign of the Packhorse, were completed in Ell's lifetime. In the Depression he became a major employer of unemployed men who worked on the Summit Road and also the Sign of the Takahe, which was not completed until 1949. Leonard Cockayne (1855-1934) was born in England, coming to Australia and then New Zealand as a teacher. Although he had but a sketchy education, he became one of the founders of science, especially botany, in this country. After 1892 he had the Tarata experimental garden near New Brighton. He wrote reports for the Government and many articles and books, namely New Zealand plants and their story, and, The vegetation of New Zealand
File Reference CCL-KPCD06-0058
General Copyright and other restrictions
This material has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. Please contact Christchurch City Libraries if you have any questions relating to the use of this material. It is the responsibility of the user to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.
