Fendalton Memories

A longtime resident of Fendalton, Miss Joan Dunkley, has many interesting recollections of life in the early days of settlement in this area.

Born in 1914, Joan Dunkley lived in Palmerston North until she was seven. Her family then moved to Christchurch, living first in Weka Street and later, in 1928, moving to a house that had been one of the original homes on Fendalton Road (No 89). This house was an inheritance from Joan’s great-aunt Fanny Dearden and her maternal grandmother Amy Meares, who were sisters. Joan believes her family had bought the property in the 1870s.

The house at 89 Fendalton Road, called "Ringloes", was a simple wooden colonial home of the type built all over New Zealand in the 1850s through to the 1870s. It was a large property surrounded by bush, the river and a croquet lawn. Inside there was a very steep staircase and upstairs a sloping roof. Later a verandah was added and the house enlarged. The house was not demolished until the early 1960s.

The Dearden Family had emigrated from Rochdale, England where the family had been Lords of the Manor since the 15th century. Robert Peregrine Dearden had come to New Zealand on the ship "Mermaid" in 1868. A brother and four sisters (Edith, Fanny, Madeleine and Amy) came too. They had been orphaned and a bachelor uncle had been unable to cope so they had been despatched to the new colony.

Joan’s great-aunt Fanny Dearden had married widower Henry Worsley. Henry’s son from his first marriage was Frank Worsley who had gone on from being dux of Fendalton School in 1887 to exploring the Antarctic with Sir Ernest Shackleton. In the early days there were three big walnut trees along the driveway into No. 89. Every new child in the family would have their initials carved into the tree. Frank Worsley’s initials have been preserved on a piece of bark saved when the rotting trees were felled.

Another great-aunt was Madeleine Dearden who remained unmarried and lived over the stream at 89A Fendalton Road. She was something of a character, driving a pony-cart wearing a porkpie hat and Norfolk jacket with a long skirt. Sometimes she was asked "Are you a man or a woman?" She never had paid employment but spent her time growing vast quantities of vegetables.

The blue gum trees that grew at 67 Fendalton Road (Daresbury) can be seen in the photo (above) of Madeleine’s cottage. George Humphries, the wine and spirit merchant, looked after the 100 trees thought to have been planted by Jane Deans and encouraged the rooks that roosted in the trees. Eventually the rooks left the trees in 1945 after the snow storm of that year. The trees later got a blight and ladybirds were imported in an effort to improve the situation but to no avail and the trees which had been a Fendalton landmark died (about 1950).

Joan Dunkley’s grandfather’s uncles were the Jeffrey brothers, Robert and Charles who emigrated to Canterbury from Wales in 1853. Charles bought several hundred acres of land as a "spec" buy from the Canterbury Association in London before he sailed.

He named the farm "Bryndwr" meaning "on the brink of the water" as there was a creek a good part of the way around the land. Charles and his brother soon split up the land, giving the roads Welsh names. They returned to Wales on inheriting Glandyfi Castle. (The Welsh theme is carried further than just street names: "Garthmore", another Welsh name, at 142 Fendalton Road was built on Jeffrey's/Meares' land.

The Jeffrey’s original home - later inherited by the Meares family and called "Dol-llys" - is at 32A Glandovey Road. The first house built in 1853 was burnt down and its replacement was built in the 1870s largely out of matai timber. The second storey was built in the early 1900s. Some years ago the house was shifted to the rear of the section to allow for subdivision. The house remained in Meares family ownership until November 1981.

Joan’s mother, Kitty Meares (b.1881) was brought up in this house. Joan recalls her talking about the domestic staff employed: the washerwoman walked from Sydenham, collected firewood from the riverbank and water from the Wairarapa Stream, spent two nights with her employers, and then walked back to Sydenham. Kitty and her sister Sylvia took turns to sleep in her bed as a treat.

Joan Dunkley herself enjoyed a happy childhood at "Ringloes". Her father was an accountant at John Burns. She spent two years at Fendalton School and then attended Rangi Ruru Girls' School. She walked to Fendalton School where the Headmaster was Ray Blank. There was no uniform but most of the girls wore a navy serge skirt and white blouse. Joan later travelled to Rangi Ruru on the tram, catching it at the terminus outside 48A Fendalton Road (Lismore Lodge) and travelling to Rossall Street. Transport for the family was by pony trap until in 1928 they bought a Crossley motor car.

"Ringloes" was a busy household with people coming and going. It had a large kitchen with a coal range and walk-in larder. A girl came every morning for the heavy work. Joan Dunkley left school at 17 and like many women of her time just stayed home. Occasionally she helped a dentist uncle at his surgery; later she took a secretarial course. At this time (early 1930s) Joan recalls everyone automatically took up smoking when they left school. A visit to England with her parents followed and when war came in 1939 she joined the Air Force.

Joan later built herself a home on the site of Madeleine Dearden’s cottage and she lives there still today.

Acknowledgement:

Miss Joan Dunkley