By Roselyn Fauth – with information from the Fraser Park Development Trust Facebook series (Parts 1–3)
Resting here are Charlton Simon Fraser (1852–1939), founder of organised rugby in South Canterbury; his wife Mary Ann (Minnie) Fraser (née Wright); and two of their children, Eric John Freeland Fraser and Eva Beryl Fraser. The headstone also bears the names of their sons Captain Douglas Playfair Fraser and Corporal Geoffrey Erle Fraser, who died exactly one year apart — 20 September 1915 and 1916 — serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the First World War. Together, this family’s story bridges Timaru’s civic beginnings, its sporting pride, and its sacrifices for New Zealand. SCRFU meeting of 3 May 1926, motion by Father Kerley, seconded by Mr C. Clarkson, renaming the grounds to Fraser Park
Let's start paying our respects to the family beneath the headstone
Resting together in the Timaru Cemetery are Charlton Simon Fraser (1852–1939), founder of organised rugby in South Canterbury; his wife Mary Ann (Minnie) Fraser (née Wright); and two of their children, Eric John Freeland Fraser and Eva Beryl Fraser. Their headstone also bears the names of their sons Captain Douglas Playfair Fraser and Corporal Geoffrey Erle Fraser — brothers who died exactly one year apart, on 20 September 1915 and 1916, serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the First World War.
I have noticed this grave many times, it is in a prominant location, near the cemeteries original entrance, on the edge of the drive through. The Frasers story is a really interesting one, that weaves the beginnings of Timaru’s civic life, its sporting pride, and our countries sacrifices for New Zealand in war... and is remembered today in the naming of our redeveloped Fraser Park...
On 14 September 2024, South Canterbury celebrated the first anniversary of the opening of the new Fraser Park Pavilion and grounds — the completion of an $8.3 million redevelopment that stands as one of Timaru’s proudest community achievements in decades.
When the project began, the Fraser Park Community Trust — led by Brent Isbister, Grant Norton, Mark Evans, Mark Goodhew, and Tim Hyde-Smith — shared a series of Facebook posts about the park’s long history. What began as construction updates turned into an inspiring act of storytelling.
I really enjoyed reading them. Hats off to everyone who researched and wrote those posts. They reconnected us with the families who built the foundations of our sporting life — especially the Frasers, whose story stretches back 150 years.
Because before there were stadium lights or turf, before the grandstands or even the name Fraser Park, there was a family whose love of sport, service, and community helped shape what we still see today.
The Story Begins Far from Timaru in another port town... Smyrna
Before the colonial era of Timaru got under way, the Fraser story began far from New Zealand — in the bustling port city of Izmir, then known as Smyrna, in Turkey.
Charlton Simon Fraser — the man behind so many of Timaru’s early clubs and institutions — was born there on 19 April 1852. His father, Judge John Fraser, was a Scottish-born jurist who served on the Supreme Court of Hong Kong, part of Britain’s far-reaching judicial network during the 1800s. His mother, Elmira Jane Werry, was born in Smyrna, the daughter of Frederick Werry, the British Consul to the Ottoman Empire.
Elmira grew up among diplomats, traders, and sailors in one of the great crossroads of the Mediterranean world. I imagine her as a young woman watching ships come and go, hearing stories from faraway ports, learning how people built bridges between very different worlds. Perhaps those lessons shaped her son — giving Charlton the imagination and confidence he later brought to Timaru.
When he arrived in 1873 to join the staff of the Bank of New Zealand, Charlton carried with him more than education. He suspect he brought the discipline of his Scottish roots, the diplomacy of his English upbringing, and the adventurous spirit of a global family used to building connections across cultures.
Building a new home and growing a town, one club at a time
Charlton quickly became one of the most active men in South Canterbury’s early social and sporting life. He managed Miles Bros & Co. of London (the property from that firm was later aquired by the Turnbull’s in Strathallan Street) before establishing his own accountancy practice, and later became Manager of the Alliance Assurance Company in 1892.
But it was his voluntary work that left the greater mark. In 1875, alongside George Hamersley, Charlton co-founded the South Canterbury Football Club — the region’s first rugby club. He captained many of the early matches and remained club secretary for years before his son, Hanson Home Fraser, took over.
Charlton served as President of the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union (1904–07) and Treasurer (1895–96). He captained the Timaru Cricket Club, helped lead the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club, and was once New Zealand Tennis Champion, defeating F. C. Wilding — father of world champion Anthony Wilding.
He was also secretary of the South Canterbury Jockey Club, the Caledonian Society, and the Timaru Boating Club, as well as a founding member of several cultural societies, including Timaru’s first harmonic, operatic, and debating groups.
For decades, Charlton was the quiet force behind civic life — organising, leading, and building. He even sang in the St Mary’s Church choir, served as vestryman, and collected one of New Zealand’s most impressive stamp collections.
It’s hard to imagine one person having such a wide influence — yet every one of these roles helped turn a young port into a thriving town.
Let's Remember The Woman Who Were Also Behind It All
In 1879, Charlton married Mary Ann (Minnie) Wright at St Mary’s Church, Timaru. Together they raised nine children — six sons and three daughters — at their family home, 8 Selwyn Street.
While Charlton’s name filled the club ledgers and match reports, Minnie kept the home and family steady. I imagine her lighting the lamps while he hurried home from another meeting, the table set, the fire glowing — the quiet rhythm that held everything together.
Minnie’s work never appeared in minutes or medals, but she helped raise a generation who embodied her husband’s same sense of service, courage, and community.
A Family of Sport, Service, and Sacrifice
All nine Fraser children attended Waimataitai School and Timaru High School, and each found their own way to contribute.
Charlton Leil Fraser (1879–1942) served in the South African War.
Hanson Home Fraser MBE (1881–1959) played for and later led the South Canterbury Rugby Union.
Lieutenant Eric John Freeland Fraser (1886–1931), a Timaru solicitor, was gassed on the Western Front and never fully recovered.
Captain Douglas Fairplay Fraser (1889–1916) was killed at the Somme, aged 27.
Lance Corporal Geoffrey Erle Fraser (1891–1915) died of wounds from Gallipoli exactly one year earlier, aged 24.
Corporal Gordon Lovat (Deny) Fraser (1893–1940) fought in Palestine and returned home to farm near Gisborne.
Elmira Lucy (1883–1973) married George Arthur Bridges and lived in Wellington.
Winifred Fraser (1884–1928) married Vivian Wright but died young.
Eva Beryl Fraser (1892–1932) remained in Timaru, unmarried, and is buried beside her parents.
Two sons never came home from war. One lived with the effects for the rest of his life. For Minnie, those telegrams must have been heartbreak beyond words.
Hanson Home Fraser and the Field That Bears Their Name
Hanson inherited many of his father’s official positions and carried the Fraser legacy into the 20th century.
He debuted for South Canterbury against Canterbury on 26 August 1900, earning the SC Player number 114, and represented the province until 1904. After retiring as a player, he served as Secretary of the SCRFU (1906–07, 1909–18), Treasurer (1918–20), President (1920–31), first Life Member (1931), and finally Patron (1958–59).
At a South Canterbury Rugby Football Union meeting on 3 May 1926, it was unanimously decided to rename the Athletic Grounds as Fraser Park, “in recognition of the services rendered by the Fraser family to rugby football in South Canterbury.”
The motion, moved by Father Kerley and seconded by C. Clarkson, noted that it was “not often that three generations of one family had played on the same field.” Those three were Charlton, Hanson, and Hanson’s son John (Hanson) Home Fraser — a remarkable lineage.
John later married Marjorie Shirtcliff, daughter of Arthur Shirtcliff, another president and patron of the SCRFU. Marjorie’s early death in 1942, aged just 30, adds a poignant note to this interwoven sporting legacy.
A Proud History — and a Modern Revival
Fraser Park’s roots stretch back to 1871, when the South Canterbury Amateur Athletic Club purchased land on Otipua Road from George and Robert Rhodes. By 1876, the South Canterbury Football Club had made it home. Over the next decades, it hosted cricket, athletics, horse racing, and even the touring New Zealand Native XV in 1888.
Rugby soon dominated the scene, and in 1926 the grounds were renamed Fraser Park to honour the family’s contribution. A fire destroyed the wooden grandstand in 1984, and in 1995, during rugby’s professional era, the park took on the commercial name Alpine Energy Stadium.
But heritage has a way of returning. Thanks to local contractor Gary Rooney, the Fraser Park name was reinstated at the grand reopening in September 2024 — almost a century after it was first adopted.
Legacy Reborn: The 2024 Pavilion Opening
Earthworks for the redevelopment began in February 2023, realising a vision first proposed in 2018. Despite cost increases, design changes, and a pandemic, the project was completed through local determination and collaboration.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon officially opened the pavilion on 5 July 2024, commending South Canterbury’s community spirit:
“It doesn’t come together easily, but what you’re seeing here is the heartland and the community coming together to make something like this happen. It’s a legacy for our kids and our grandkids in this region.”
The new 2038 m² multi-sport pavilion includes a function centre, kitchen, bar, meeting rooms, and viewing spaces — a modern facility designed for the next century of community sport.
My Reflection:
Standing at the Timaru Cemetery, you can trace every part of this story — from the headstone of Charlton and Minnie, to the memorial inscriptions for their sons, to the park that still carries their name.
I think, from what I have learned, the Frasers helped to shape the culture of participation and pride that continues to define South Canterbury today. I dont think we see their legacy in the trophies alone, their impact is in the communities the sense of belonging. I think this 'family and friendship' is a big part of what keeps people showing up, playing, volunteering, and cheering from the sidelines. It must have felt amazing... that feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself, where teamwork, effort, and loyalty still matter.
Isn’t it great to see the new facility completed for us, our visiting players, and our families?
Thank you to the Frasers — and to every family who, across generations, has helped make sport and community life possible in Timaru.
Rugby gives people more than fitness or skill — it gives purpose, pride, team-work, and a place to belong.
Side Quest: How the Frasers Fit into the Bigger Story of New Zealand Rugby
When you step back and look at the long arc of New Zealand rugby, the Fraser family’s story sits right in the middle of how the game took root here.
Rugby officially began in 1870 when Charles Monro introduced the rules to Nelson College. Within a few short years, towns like Timaru were forming their own clubs — and in 1875, Charlton Fraser and George Hamersley founded the South Canterbury Football Club.
By 1892, South Canterbury was one of ten founding unions of the New Zealand Rugby Football Union, giving our region a voice in shaping the national game.
When we talk about how rugby became part of New Zealand’s identity — uniting towns, farms, Māori and Pākehā, men and women, generations of families — the Frasers were there at the beginning.
Families like theirs built the clubs, raised the funds, and kept the passion alive through recessions, wars, and change. The All Blacks might have taken New Zealand’s rugby to the world, but it’s places like Timaru, and families like the Frasers, that gave it heart.
I often think about how the Frasers would feel today, seeing players run out under the lights of the new pavilion. Maybe they’d smile, hearing the same echoes of laughter, grit and pride across the field. Because rugby was never just a game here — it was, and still is, a way of belonging.
A story of family, faith, sport and belonging — carried forward every time a whistle blows at Fraser Park.
Isn’t it great to see the new facility completed for us and our visiting players, supporters and families?
Thank you to the Frasers, and to all the families who have worked together over generations to make sport possible in our community.
Side Quest: The Frasers’ Scottish Roots
Though Charlton Simon Fraser was born in Izmir, Turkey, his family’s story began much further north... in the Scottish Highlands. The Fraser name is one of Scotland’s oldest, tied to Clan Fraser of Lovat and Clan Fraser of Philorth, families known for their resilience, education, and loyalty. Charlton’s father, Judge John Fraser, was part of that Scottish tradition of public service that carried people across the British Empire in the 1800s. He served as a Supreme Court Judge in Hong Kong, while his wife, Elmira Jane Werry, was the daughter of Frederick Werry, the British Consul at Smyrna (now Izmir). It was during that posting that Charlton was born in 1852. I think perhaps this mix of Scottish steadfastness and global experience explains a lot about the Frasers who came to Timaru. They probably brought with them the discipline, education, and sense of fairness often linked with Scottish heritage — I have seen the same qualities in many other Scottish people who moved and were born in Timaru who also helped to build Timaru’s clubs, schools, and sporting spirit.
Side Quest 1: Mary Ann “Minnie” Fraser — Effort at the Club Rooms
Standing by her grave in Row 13, Plot 304, I imagine Minnie Fraser lighting lamps on Selwyn Street while Charlton hurried home from another committee meeting. She must have balanced nine children, endless visitors, and the constant rhythm of community life — sport, church, concerts, and local causes all revolving around her kitchen table.
Minnie never stood at the front of the meetings or saw her name printed in the minutes, but her care made it all possible. I think perhaps she’s the real spirit behind the early South Canterbury Football Club — steady, generous, and unshakably proud of her family’s work for Timaru.
Side Quest 2: Eva Beryl Fraser — The Daughter Who Stayed
Just next door to her parents in Plot 303 rests their youngest daughter, Eva Beryl. She never married, never left Timaru, and perhaps never wanted to. While others travelled, fought wars, and took up posts abroad, Eva stayed close to home — the keeper of the family’s stories and memory. Her life wasn’t recorded in headlines or club notes, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it powerful. Every family has someone like Eva — the one who keeps things steady when others are lost or far away. In her quiet way, she made sure the Frasers’ connection to Timaru never faded.
Side Quest 3: Elmira Jane Werry Fraser — The Faraway Beginning
Long before Timaru, before rugby or even New Zealand, there was Elmira — born in Smyrna, now Izmir, Turkey. The daughter of a British Consul and wife of a Scottish judge, she raised her son Charlton between the ports of the Mediterranean and the courts of Hong Kong. I think perhaps it was Elmira who gave Charlton that sense of global perspective — the mix of curiosity, order, and optimism that made him build a life wherever he landed. Though she never came to New Zealand, her story reminds me how local history often begins in unexpected places. Somewhere far away, a Scottish woman in a foreign port was unknowingly shaping the future of South Canterbury.
Side Quest 4: Elmira Lucy, Winifred, and the Sisters in Between
Elmira Lucy, Winifred, and their sister Eva lived in a time when daughters were expected to support, not lead. Elmira married and moved to Wellington, Winifred married Vivian Wright but lost both husband and son early, and Eva remained in Timaru. Their lives followed the pattern of many colonial daughters — service, loss, and quiet endurance. I think perhaps their legacy isn’t in headlines but in the way they lived through change: from the era of long skirts and candlelight to the dawn of modern New Zealand womanhood. Their strength is hidden in the ordinary.
Side Quest 5: Marjorie Lewis Fraser — Two Sporting Families, One Legacy
A generation later, Marjorie Lewis Fraser — born a Shirtcliff — joined the Fraser family through marriage to John (Hanson) Home Fraser. It must have been quite the match: two families steeped in rugby tradition, both dedicated to the game and to community life. Marjorie died young, only 30, her name appearing in the same cemetery records as the earlier Frasers. I think perhaps her story shows how legacy isn’t only about long life, but about the threads that connect families — the passing on of values, teamwork, and pride in place.
Side Quest 6: The Modern Women of Fraser Park
A century later, Phillipa Guerin, project redevelopment manager for the new Fraser Park pavilion, helped bring the story full circle. Like Minnie, she managed countless details, brought people together, and quietly turned vision into reality. When I see her name on the project plaque beside contractor Gary Rooney’s, I can’t help but smile — another capable, committed woman making sure the community has a place to gather and play. It feels like history repeating in the best possible way.
Side Quest: Key People Summary
Charlton Simon Fraser (1852–1939) Founder of organised rugby in South Canterbury. Born in Izmir, Turkey, Charlton arrived in Timaru in 1873 and helped shape the town’s sporting and civic life — co-founding the South Canterbury Football Club, captaining early rugby and cricket teams, and serving as president of the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union. His leadership and energy built the foundation for the community spirit we still see today.
Mary Ann (Minnie) Fraser (1853–1900) The heart of the Fraser family. Married at St Mary’s in 1879, Minnie raised nine children while her husband helped build Timaru’s sporting institutions. She kept the home at 8 Selwyn Street running, cared for her family through loss and war, and represents the many women whose strength underpinned their husbands’ public service.
Charlton and Minnie’s Grave, with Daughter Eva Beryl Fraser (1892–1932) This family plot holds three generations of care and commitment. Eva, their youngest daughter, never married and stayed close to home. She is buried here with her parents — a reminder that heritage is often held together by those who stay behind.
Captain Douglas Playfair Fraser (1889–1916) Killed in action at the Somme, aged 27. Douglas was part of the “Main Body” of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force and one of two Fraser brothers who never returned from war. His sacrifice — marked here in his hometown — reminds us how deeply Timaru families felt the cost of distant battles.
Lance-Corporal Geoffrey Erle Fraser (1891–1915) Died of wounds from Gallipoli, aged 24. Geoffrey and his brother Douglas died exactly one year apart — both on 20 September. This tragic symmetry is one of the most moving details in the Fraser story, and one that left a permanent shadow over the family’s life in Timaru.
Lieutenant Eric John Freeland Fraser (1886–1931) A solicitor and soldier whose war never truly ended. Gassed on the Western Front, Eric survived but lived with its effects until his death in Timaru in 1931. His grave carries the quiet dignity of a generation changed by war.
Charlton Leil Fraser (1879–1942) Eldest son and South African War veteran. Like his father, Charlton was deeply involved in the community. He represents the continuity of service and the strong sense of duty that ran through the Fraser generations.
Marjorie Lewis Fraser (1912–1942) Granddaughter-in-law — connecting two sporting families. Marjorie was the wife of John (Hanson) Home Fraser, the third generation to play rugby at Fraser Park. Her early death adds a tender note to a family defined by loyalty and legacy.
The Fraser Family Plot — Timaru Cemetery Standing here, it’s easy to see why the South Canterbury Rugby Union named its home ground Fraser Park in 1926. The Frasers gave their time, their talent, and, in some cases, their lives to the spirit of sport and community. Their story is not just written in records and trophies — it’s here, beneath the trees, in the ground that still holds their name.
Sources and Acknowledgements
Research and factual information for this article were drawn from publicly available and verified historical sources, including:
Fraser Park Community Trust Facebook posts (2024) – the original three-part “Fraser Story” series outlining the family’s sporting, civic, and military contributions to Timaru.
The Timaru Herald (archival issues 1875–1959) – reports on early rugby, the South Canterbury Football Club, and the 1926 renaming of the Athletic Grounds to Fraser Park.
Papers Past – National Library of New Zealand, including Timaru Herald and Wanganui Herald archives for rugby history references.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) and NZ Defence Force records – for service details of Captain Douglas Playfair Fraser, Lance-Corporal Geoffrey Erle Fraser, and Lieutenant Eric John Freeland Fraser.
Timaru Cemetery and Council burial records – confirming resting places for members of the Fraser family, including Charlton Simon Fraser, Mary Ann (Minnie) Fraser, Eva Beryl Fraser, and others named in this story.
Fraser Park Redevelopment Project documentation (2018–2024) – Fraser Park Community Trust, Timaru District Council, and Rooney Group public updates.
Historical biographical references – including Cyclopedia of New Zealand entries and genealogical summaries for Judge John Fraser and Frederick Werry, British Consul at Smyrna.