Cemetery - 1953 - Map of Timaru - Electronic reproduction of Land Information New Zealand original University of Auckland 2013
“Every gravestone tells a story... just take some time to look.”
The views from Timaru's cemetery are stunning. A vista out to the pacific ocean. We like to wander through, find interesting graves and learn about or local people and place. There are stories of pioneers, sea rescue tragedies, wars, whalers, mothers, politicans, a few naughty people, and generations of South Canterbury families.
There are a few ways to find the information, and a great place to start is with the Timaru Trails Cemetery App. If you are hunting for your ancestry, searching local legends, or just taking a peaceful stroll, this is a easy way to find your way around the grounds. https://timarutrails.stqry.app/1/list/1050
Many records have photographs of the headstones (it took a guy 9 months to take some 30,000 photos!). You can also look up row and plot numbers and location map. There are many intresting headstones out there with a history to be remembered. A wee tip as not all plots are marked with headstones, you could look up their neighbour to confirm that you are looking at the right row and plot.
South Canterbury Geneologiests have a great list of where else you can look to see birth and death records: sites.rootsweb.com/lookups
Timaru's first cemeteries were surveyed in 1859. There were two. One at the current site was to be managed by the Anglican Church, St Mary's, and another area was allocated on the corner of Wai-iti Road and Selwyn Streets, where the Aigantighe Art Gallery is now for Wesleyan, Presbyterian, and Catholic communities. Before the colony got organised, burials were overseen by churches. It wasn't until the cemeteries act was passed that the logistics were handed over to the councils. The current cemetery plot on Domain Avenue was fenced, cleared, and developed by 1863. Timaru District Council now oversees the site alongside others in Temuka, Geraldine, Pleasant Point, and Pareora West. Children's and stillborns sections are quite recent when compared with the old section. There large green section with lots of humps and hollows was used for burying stillborns up until the early 1980s and include many government burials that are unmarked.
In 1882 a chapel was built near the old gate entrance and designed by notible and local architect Mauric Duval. the final service was help around 1911 and then after decades of using it as a place to store cemetery equipment, it was demolished.
Left: View of the Timaru Cemetery. Yellow circle is Sams grave. Right: The 87-year-old chapel at the Timaru Cemetery designed by Maurice de Harven Duval. The chapel had not been used for burial services for over 50 years, with the last conducted by Archdeacon H. W. Harper who retired in 1911. In recent years it had been used to store the cemetery's small tractor and other equipment. Structural damage, borer infestation, and weak mortar made most of the building unsalvageable, aside from the iron roof. A proposal after the First World War to renovate the chapel failed due to lack of interest, and a 1935 plan to convert it into a crematorium was rejected. There are no plans to build a new chapel at the site. - Timaru Herald, 20 Apr 1968. Timaru Cemetery Chapel Demolished (20 Apr 1968). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 10/05/2025, aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/2037
The deaths of 12 people were recorded by St Mary's Church in Timaru in 1860. I'm not sure where the first nine were laid to rest, but the history books say, two deal boatmen who drowned during a sea rescue were the first recorded enterments on 16 October that year. William Morris Corie received a headstone, and Robert Bobuis rests beside him in an unmarked grave. Both were married men, Corie was the father of five. (a third of the crew Bowles was very seriously beaten on the beach but survived after the failed sea rescue attempt) .The next recorded burial was of 21 year old Thomas Augustus Prunell, born in York 1835 he was farming 80,000 acres at the Raincliff Estate with his brothers. He arrived in Timaru in 1857, and was buried in 31 Augutst 1861, Row 8, Plot 11.
Register of Deaths, Saint Mary's Church Timaru Parish records of deaths. Ann appears to be listed as number 12, November 18, 1860, 36 years. Photography by Roselyn Cloake with permission of the South Canterbury Museum 2025. William is recorded above. In 1860 Morris Corey and Robert Boubius became the first individuals to be buried in the Timaru Cemetery following a drowning incident off the coast of Timaru. They were part of a group of six experienced boatmen who had emigrated from England to Lyttelton in 1859 and were employed by Le Cren and Cain to work on their landing service at Timaru. The group included John Wilds, Morris Corey, Robert Boubius, Henry Clayson, William John Roberts and John J. Bowles. Boat handling was a perilous occupation and Henry Clayson also drowned shortly after arriving. He was replaced by Phillip Foster, another boatman from Deal.
The cemetery was initially separated into denominational sections (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian), the cemetery has since expanded.
Veterans' graves are placed near a flagpole and rose garden, with returned soldiers in brass plaques set flush into the ground.
Today, memorial park lawn sections are open-plan rather than denominational
Arial Photo by Whites Aviation - National Library PA Group 00080 WA 71959 F
If you are looking for someone particular, you can search for them in the Councils database here: https://www.timaru.govt.nz/community/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemetery-search
If you sort by row 0, you will find records of over 700 people who rest in unmarked graves. Initially I thought that maybe poor record keeping or lost records led to the lumping of names into this category, but I was sad to learn that some needed government help for those who couldn't afford it. A pauper grave, or government burial would then take place, on the provision that a monument was not allowed to be erected after. I learned that a pauper burial could come with deep shame, and I have been told that some were buried at night, often without ceremony. So the reason that so many rest in row 0, could also be that families chose to hide the burial information for privacy.
Some of the graves I like to point out to family and friends when we visit are:
Samuel “Yankie Sam” Williams
He first arrived in Timaru as a whaler in 1840, sailing on the Weller Brothers whaling ship Caroline. After a stint working for the Rhodes, he went to hunt for gold in the Ballarat Gold Rush in Australia. I'm not sure how much gold her found, but he did find a wife, and came back to Timaru with Ann, and their young daughter Rebecca to work for the Rhodes' Level Estate at the shore station on George Street. The Williams home was build in 1851 and evolved to provide accomodation, and a pub. Sam was the first licensed publican in the area, and with his wife Ann, they were parents to the first European child born here, William Williams, later to be known as "Flash Billy, a "Larrikin" living at Kumara who found a gold claim with his mates during the second to last gold rush in New Zealand. With the help of the Rhodes, Sam and Ann opened the Timaru Hotel, and tragically Ann collapsed in the doorway and died a month after the Deal Boatmen were the first to be buried at Timaru's cemetery. I have hunted and hunted, but not been able to find out where she was laid to rest. Sam died in 1883 and his friends erected a headstone for him behind what would have been the new chapel.
Robert Cole
Have you ever walked past the Old Bank Hotel and wondered who once stood behind the bar? Robert Cole was a well-known Timaru publican in the late nineteenth century, managing the Old Bank Hotel on Stafford Street. He had held licences in both Lyttelton and Timaru for seventeen years and was regarded as experienced, though not without controversy. He was once cautioned by the Licensing Court over intoxicated patrons but retained his licence after explaining that they had arrived already drunk. More intriguingly, Cole may have been present at the death of Ann Williams in 1860, as he was recorded as the informant on her official death record. At that time, he was working as a barman in Timaru, raising the possibility that he witnessed or assisted during her final moments at the Timaru Hotel. His later role as licensee of the Old Bank Hotel links him closely to the town’s early hospitality and social history. Robert died in 1892 aged fifty-two and is buried in Timaru Cemetery alongside his wife, Margaret Smith Cole, who passed away in 1921. His story adds another piece to the puzzle of early Timaru life and the community surrounding one of its first European women, Ann Williams.
Elizabeth Perry
Elizabeth Wood married Levels runholder George Rhodes in 1854 and journeyed overland from Christchurch to Timaru, where they settled at The Levels. They first lived in 1851 George St beachside cottage, then a timber slab hut, and later in the grander Plains House. After George’s death in 1864, Elizabeth moved into Linwood in Timaru, and in 1867 married local lawyer Arthur Perry. The couple later purchased the Le Cren home Beverley, a large estate with extensive gardens, glasshouses, and tennis courts. A redwood tree transplanted there from Linwood (nicknamed the champagne tree) for many years stodd as a local landmark until it was chopped down to make way for a real-estate project over the fence (dont get me started on this, it still makes me very sad and angry! But seedlings were saved and attempts are underway to establish new plantings). Elizabeth had ten children across her two marriages and is buried near four of her sons. One of her sons died in 1859. I don't know if he was buried here, or if it is just a monument to her 4 year old son that is by her side.
Henry Le Cren
Henry Le Cren arrived in Timaru in 1857 at the request of George Rhodes to establish a store, initially sending Captain Henry Cain to set up a store at the base of Strathallan Street. He soon followed and helped develop a landing service to manage cargo before the harbour was constructed. Le Cren built a home called "Beverley" near Wai-iti Road, which he later sold before returning to England to Elizabeth Perry (nee Rhodes) and her husband. Henry eventually settled back in Timaru at "Craighead," a property he bought from the Surveyor Sealy, behind today's New World supermarket. His brother Frederic also lived locally and contributed to the region's development, notably by building its first lime kilns near Pareora in 1865. The house was renamed Shand House, after the sisters who purchase the property and developed the single sex school.
Captain Henry Cain
Arrived in 1857 and later joined by his wife Jane to establish the landing services on Strathallan Street and a store. He was Mayor of Timaru from 1870 to 1873. After the government bought the first landing service, Henry ended up being involved in a private landing service venture beside the 1851 cottage where the Williams family lived. Cains family’s story took a dark turn when his step daughter Kate married local businessman Thomas Hall. Hall came from a highly ranked social class family of bankers and politicians, and at one point Hall was living in a huge estate on now named Pages Road. The road used to be named after him, but he was shunned out of the District when he was accused of attempting to poison his wife. When they dug up the grave of Captain Cain’s they realised he too had died by poison. The accused murderer, Hall avoided the death penalty on appeal, and went down in the history books as one of New Zealand’s most notorious criminals. You can also find the grave of Dr Patrick MacIntyre at the cemetery, he was the one who nutted out the poisoning case and provided the evidence. Cain's home and backyard were subdivided and some of his property is now the land associated with Timaru Girls High School.
Edward Henry Tate
There's a bit of a mystery here. Edward Henry Tate came to Timaru in 1868 as Manager of the Union Bank of Australia and later partnered with David M Ross, then with Thomas Hall... yes... the same Hall infamously connected to the poisoning of Captain Cain and his wife, Kate. In August 1882, Tate went missing, and stories began to go round. One account, recorded decades later by Helen Wilson, claimed his body was found at Saltwater Creek beside a bottle of poison, with his and Hall’s business affairs in disarray. But the official inquest said his body was found near Jack’s Point by local children, with no sign of poison, and the coroner’s jury concluded he died of apoplexy. His name resurfaced in 1964 when the Timaru Council attempted to settle unpaid rates on a long-forgotten property still registered to Tate and Ross—adding one last twist to an already curious tale.
Strongwork Morrison
He was born in the Shetland Islands in 1833, came to Timaru in 1859 as leader of a group of boatmen from Deal, England, recruited by Henry Le Cren to manage cargo from offshore ships before the harbour was built. He became Timaru’s Beachmaster the same year, helped land passengers from the Strathallan, and later served as pilot and lifeboat coxswain. In 1869, he left the waterfront to run the Ship Hotel, located where the Bob Fitzsimmons statue stands today. A founder of the local Masonic Lodge and a well-known figure in early harbour life, Morrison suffered from a debilitating illness in later years and died in 1897. He is buried with his wife Lavinia.
Captain Belfield Woollcombe
Ever walked beneath the old English trees lining the drive at Ashbury Avenue and wondered who planted them? Those trees once shaded the home of Captain Belfield Woollcombe, an early settler who arrived in Timaru in 1857 and became one of its most influential founding figures. Known as the “father of Timaru,” Woollcombe served as beach master, magistrate, registrar, coroner, and in many other official roles, helping to establish law and order in a town that then had only two buildings. He built his home, Ashbury, overlooking the Waimataitai estuary, and the trees he planted remain at the southern end of what is now Ashbury Park. His family played a lasting role in local church and community life, with daughters Chrysta and Katherine serving All Saints Church for over sixty years. His eldest daughter Laura trained under Florence Nightingale, served as a military nurse during the Boer War, and later returned to Timaru. Though the original home no longer stands, the Woollcombe legacy lives on in the trees, the church, and the stories that continue to shape the area.
Captain Alexander Mills
The heroic harbourmaster who perished during the rescue efforts of the Benvenue and City of Perth shipwrecks in 1882. As harbourmaster he witnessed a majority of shipwrecks along the coast of Timaru. Sadly after the disaster of "Black Sunday" his employers, The Harbour Board, blamed him for the tragedy and he was fired from his job, after he died. His family also rest by the large blue stone boulder and I often wonder how they managed after his death, not only financially, but through the controversary of the politics and news paper articles that followed. Mills is buried with his wife plus three of his infant children and two teenage children.
Captain Thomas & Caroline Clarkson
Thomas Clarkson went to sea as a young man, earning his master’s certificate and marrying Caroline by the age of 20. The couple arrived in Timaru in 1886, where Thomas served as Harbourmaster for 23 years until his death in 1909. His tombstone, adorned with nautical carvings, honours his reputation for safely guiding vessels through the harbour, a notable contrast to the troubled shipping years before his time. He and Caroline raised fourteen children, and their son Ben, who died at 21, is buried with them. Their grandson, Captain H C White, later followed in Thomas’s footsteps as Harbourmaster between 1933 and 1942.
Richard Turnbull
His grave and monument would be my favourite story discovery. Richard Turnbull arrived in Timaru in 1864 and soon became a respected businessman, partnering with David Clarkson to establish the general store Clarkson and Turnbull on the corner of George and Stafford Streets. When a major fire in 1868 destroyed both his business and his family home, he rebuilt his livelihood as a grain merchant and auctioneer. He served on the first Timaru Town Board and was later elected to the Canterbury Provincial Council.
Richard could see that for Timaru to truly prosper, it needed a safe and reliable harbour. He was a determined advocate for this vision and played a leading role in bringing it to life. At a public meeting in 1876, attended by over six hundred people, he helped form a committee to investigate building a breakwater. He later served on the Harbour Board during its formative years and remained active in shaping the town's infrastructure. The building where that important meeting took place was one he had constructed on Stafford Street. It later became a theatre and eventually evolved into the Theatre Royal, still the cultural heart of the district today.
He passed away in 1890 while serving as Member of Parliament for Seadown and is buried in Timaru with his wife Mary and several of their children. His legacy continued through his children, particularly David Clarkson Turnbull, named after Richard’s former business partner, who expanded the family’s grain and shipping business, D C Turnbull and Company. David also built the Oxford Building in 1925, named after Richard’s birthplace. This building was designed by Richard’s son James Turnbull, a talented and prolific local architect. Homes designed by James remain highly sought after in Timaru and are rarely seen on the market, a reflection of the quality and legacy left by the Turnbull family.
The death of Richard Turnbull triggered a by-election in the Timaru electorate, which was won by a carpenter and later a builder in Timaru William Hall-Jones who later became the countries 16th prime minister of New Zealand from June 1906 until August 1906. Thomas Hall (who allegedly murdered Captain Cain was the nephew of Sir John Hall,
James & Catherine Craigie
James Craigie arrived in New Zealand from Scotland in 1867 and established himself in Timaru as a painter and decorator before becoming a farmer and prominent poltical figure. He was Mayor of Timaru from 1902 to 1912 and later as a Member of Parliament, overseeing major improvements including street lighting, sewerage, and the beautification of Caroline Bay. A generous philanthropist, he donated the town clock chimes, planted and cared for trees along what became Craigie Avenue, contributed significant artworks while he was alive and then as a bequest to the art gallery collection, and gifted the Robbie Burns statue in the Botanic Gardens. He was buried with his parents and was later joined by his wife Catherine in 1944.
William Grant and the Grant Family
Have you noticed the beautiful Grant family monument while walking the coastal track through Timaru Cemetery? It marks the resting place of one of South Canterbury’s most influential pioneering families. William Grant, originally from Scotland, became a leading figure in the frozen meat industry and a major landowner, running several stations including The Grampians, The Wolds and Irishman’s Creek. With his brother Andrew, he began farming in the Rangitata area in the 1870s before purchasing Elloughton Grange on the outskirts of Timaru. This used to be the home of Thomas Hall, who alegidly tried to murder his wife and poisoned Captain Cain. There, he built a grand homestead in 1893 and lived out his life. William's business acumen and understanding of livestock helped make him one of the most successful meat exporters in the country, with entire shiploads of frozen meat bearing his name. The family plot includes multiple generations, with connections stretching to Mt Cook mustering stories and possibly even to Alexander Grant of Aigantighe. The monument is not only a tribute to a family legacy but also a window into the rise of Timaru as a centre of innovation, land development and industry.
Clifford Aubrey Brunsden (1909–1969)
Clifford Brunsden was a talented painter, art educator and the founding director of the Aigantighe Art Gallery. Born in Timaru into a creative family, he grew up surrounded by music and art—his father was a piano and organ tuner based in Elizabeth Street, and his brother Claude was also an artist. Clifford attended Timaru Boys’ High School where he received early art tuition from local artist Albert J. Rae. Determined to develop his talent, he pursued further study in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington, and later travelled through Britain and Europe visiting major galleries and absorbing the work of both traditional and modern painters.
Brunsden’s own art reflected this mix of classical and modernist influence. He produced many landscapes, yet also experimented with abstraction. His painting Automation shows the influence of European Cubism, especially Picasso, using bold colour and geometric fragmentation to challenge the viewer’s perception of form.
In 1956, Clifford was appointed as the first director of the Aigantighe Art Gallery, a role he held until his death. He helped shape the gallery’s direction in its formative years and played a major role in fostering the visual arts in South Canterbury. His legacy lives on through both his own artworks and his contributions to the region’s cultural life.
Row 49, Plot 150, Timaru Cemetery
Dr Edward Butler
He was apoointed as the area's doctor in 1862 but was working here before the paperwork made it official. As Timaru's first GP he worked as a surgeon at Timaru Hostpital. His dispensary went up in flames with three quarters of the CBD (38 buildings) in the Great 1868 Fire. Butler then moved to Linwood House, which used to be behind the Timaru District Council Chambers, and the old site of the Timaru Public Library. Beside his grave, rests his 3 month old son Edward.
Joseph John Griffith Rowley
He was just nine years old when he died from a head injury caused by a stone thrown by his friend, William Nelson, during a Saturday afternoon play near Parr's Windmill Theodosia Street in 1873. Despite efforts by local doctor Patrick McIntyre, Joseph passed away eight days later. At the inquest, the jury found the death was caused by manslaughter, but the Supreme Court later discharged the charge due to William's young age. Joseph’s father, Thomas Griffith Rowley, arrived in New Zealand with his parents in 1858. Thomas became a tinsmith and gunsmith with a shop in Stafford Street on the north side of the Arcade, then in another shop in Sophia Street opposite St Mary’s. From 1887 he operated as a dentist with a practice in Church Street.
Dr Duncan McLean
He was a ship’s doctor on the immigrant vessels Echunga and Lancashire Witch, the latter of which saw the deaths of seven adults and twenty-three children during a disease-ridden voyage to Timaru in 1863. He began medical practice in Timaru in 1864, served on the first Town Council, and was married the following year. McLean died in 1871, leaving behind a widow and four children, including Henry John, who became a doctor, and Mary Jane, who later became the first principal of both Timaru Girls’ High School and Wellington Girls’ College.
Edward & Sarah Elworthy
Edward Elworthy settled in New Zealand from Australia and, in 1864, acquired what became Holme Station near Pareora. A year later he became sole owner and, in 1876, married Sarah Maria Shorrock. The couple raised a large family, though sadly four of their children died in infancy and are buried alongside them. Sarah’s clothing collection is now preserved by the South Canterbury Museum. By 1892, the Elworthys had converted much of their leasehold into freehold and held 46,000 acres, making them the largest landowners in South Canterbury. Edward played a leading role in public life and was known for the hospitality at Holme Station. He envisioned a village called Taunton on his land, though it was never built. The family also had a residence on Bay Hill called Moana, where they stayed during town visits. After Edward’s death, Holme Station was divided among their sons, and members of the family continue to farm in the area today.
James & Jane Fitzsimmons
James and Jane Fitzsimmons are buried here and will for ever be known as the parents of their youngest son, Robert (Bob) Fitzsimmons. James became a boxing sensation winning world titles three weight divisions. The family emigrated from Cornwall to Timaru in 1873, settling on Grey Road. If you look at the corner garden where Environment Canterbury is, you will see a plaque that notes thie spot where Bob with his eleven siblings was raised. Bob briefly attended Main School. He wanted to run away, and hatched a plan with a ship captain, but the plan fell apart when the ship wrecked over night. So eventually James went to work as a blacksmith like his father for his brother Jarret at the family forge. The heavy lifting and beating gave James incredible upper body strength. Combined with some great training, his talent for boxing soon saw him rise through the ranks to become a global sporting legend, his fights were the first to be filmed and feature lenght film was projected all over the world. This brough him huge fame as the flighting blacksmith. He died in Chicago, and his legacy is honoured with a statue in central Timaru.
Thomas & Jean Fyfe
Thomas Webster Fyfe arrived in New Zealand aboard the Echunga in 1862 and settled in Timaru, where he worked as a painter and glazier. He married Jean Craigie in 1864 and had twelve children, including Thomas Camperdown Fyfe, who in 1894 led the first successful ascent of Aoraki/Mount Cook. The family also owned land at Gleniti, later known as Fyfe’s Quarry, which supplied stone for Timaru’s harbour works via two tramway systems. Thomas and Jean are buried side by side, along with several of their children. A celery pine tree from the Aoraki Mt Couk valley was planted in Temuka Domain.
Samuel Hewlings
Samuel Hewlings was the government-appointed surveyor for South Canterbury and played a big role in laying out the early Timaru town plans, including, Temuka (Arowhenua), Waimate and Geraldine. He surveyed Timaru’s Government Town in 1856 and served as the town’s first Mayor from 1868 to 1870. While living in Geraldine, he planted a totara tree to mark the birth of his daughter (the first child born there) which still stands today. His geometric town planning contrasted with that of the Rhodes brothers' northern area, leading to mismatched streets along North Street until the two layouts were unified in 1868.
Edward & Frances Sealy
Edward arrived in New Zealand with his brother Henry in 1859 and went on to work as a surveyor, photographer, and explorer in the Southern Alps, capturing some of the earliest known images of the region’s glaciers. In 1873 he married Frances Sanderson, and the couple settled at their Highfield home, Southerndown, raising five daughters and a son. Edward later turned to farming and was known for his pioneering spirit, natural history collections, and mountaineering achievements. His courage and resourcefulness were especially noted in his photographic expeditions through uncharted alpine terrain. It was their house that Henry Le Cren purchased and renamed Craighead. We love to visit the Museum and spy the amazing collection of moths and butterflies that he donated to the South Canterbury Museum. His alpine photos are stunning.
Alfred Beaumont Smallwood
He just wanted to spend Christmas with his friends... but Alfred Smallwood, a 23-year-old bank teller at the Union Bank of Australia in Timaru, never made it. On 18 December 1869, he joined a group rowing out to meet the steamer Maori bound for Dunedin, despite deterorating weather. After transferring to the steamer’s boat, a heavy swell overturned it near the ship, throwing everyone into the sea. While most were rescued, Alfred and fellow passenger James Balfour drowned. Though less famous than Balfour, Alfred was remembered as a well-respected young man whose life ended far too soon.
James Melville Balfour was a prominent Marine and Civil Engineer in 19th-century New Zealand, serving as Engineer to the Otago Provincial Council and later for the national government. He was well known for designing lighthouses and harbour infrastructure, including the first concrete breakwater at Timaru. Balfour had been visiting the town to inspect that breakwater project when he drowned on 18 December 1869 during an ill-fated attempt to board the steamer Maori in rough seas. Tragically, he had intended to travel south for a friend’s funeral, but instead, was buried alongside him. His untimely death at age 33 cut short a promising engineering career that had significant influence on New Zealand’s early maritime safety and coastal development. He was laid to rest in the family vault in Colinton Churchyard, near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Constable James Dorgan
Have you ever noticed the blue gates and a plaque at the alleyway south of Farmers? This marks the site where Constable James Dorgan was shot and killed—New Zealand’s only unsolved police murder.
Constable Dorgan, an Irish-born officer stationed in Timaru, was on patrol during the early hours of 27 August 1921 when he interrupted a burglary in progress at T & J Thomson’s shop. While guarding the storefront as his colleague went for the keys, Dorgan was shot four times. He staggered from the scene with his final words: “He fired four shots at me… get me a drink, I’m done.” He died shortly after.
Despite fingerprint collection and extensive questioning, the killer was never found. A pane of glass holding potential evidence was later preserved and sent to Wellington for modern analysis, but no match was ever confirmed. Dorgan, who was 37 and a father of three, is remembered each year on the anniversary of his death. His grave lies in the Timaru Cemetery, General Section, Row 95, Plot 71.
Daniel West (1828–1910) and Elizabeth West (died 1891)
One of my favourite buildings in Timaru’s CBD is the Timaru Custom House. It is now owned by the Civic Trust Timaru and is a listed Category 1 building of national significance. It was designed by Daniel, who brought both craftsmanship and vision to the growing town. Daniel West was one of Timaru’s most notable and local architects. Born in the United Kingdom, he arrived in New Zealand after time in Australia and began his career in Timaru as a carpenter before becoming architect to the South Canterbury Education Board. He went on to design many of the town’s most iconic buildings, including the Old Bank Hotel, the Royal Hotel, James Shepherd’s Store, the Tourist Cycle Works, and the Arcade Chambers. His style drew from Victorian commercial and classical traditions that continue to define Timaru’s architectural charm. Daniel was well respected not only for his professional achievements but also for his cheerful nature and his involvement with the Timaru Bowling Club. Elizabeth West, his wife and the sister of Moses White, died in 1891 at the age of forty-two. She supported Daniel through his early years in business and family life. They are buried together in Timaru Cemetery, their shared legacy still visible in the fabric of the town they helped build. The couple are buried together in General Section, Row 25, Plot 143
James S Turnbull (1864–1947)
James was a key figure in shaping Timaru’s architectural identity in the early 20th century. Born in 1864 to Richard Turnbull, he trained in Christchurch and Melbourne before returning to Timaru, where he began his own practice. A founding Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Architects in 1905, James designed a remarkable range of buildings—from Edwardian homes infused with Arts and Crafts charm to civic landmarks. His notable works include the D.C. Turnbull & Co offices (1901), Coronation Buildings (1902), Chalmers Presbyterian Church (1903–04), and the Grosvenor Hotel (1915). In 1920 he partnered with Percy Watts Rule, and together they created celebrated inter‑war structures such as the Oxford Buildings (1924–25), St Mary’s Hall (1928–29), St James’ Church in Franz Josef (1928–31), and the Timaru Milling Co offices (1941–42). Turnbull retired in 1938 and was laid to rest in Timaru Cemetery, in General Section, Row G‑4, Plot 175, a fitting memorial for a man whose buildings still define the town’s streetscape.
Edward Elworthy (1836–1899)
Edward Elworthy was a pioneering South Canterbury runholder, businessman and civic leader. Born in Wellington, Somerset, to Jane and Thomas Elworthy, a woollen mill owner, he was educated at Wellington School and originally intended for the church. Instead, he pursued agriculture, sailing to Australia in the early 1860s, where he managed land in Toowoomba and sold it at a profit. Drawn by reports of fertile sheep country, he arrived in Canterbury in 1864 and bought into Pareora Station, later acquiring full ownership and renaming it Holme Station. In 1867, he married Sarah Maria Shorrock in Lancashire and returned to settle in South Canterbury, raising a large family.#
A shrewd farmer and entrepreneur, Elworthy expanded Holme Station into one of the most productive estates in the colony, running tens of thousands of sheep and pioneering both merino breeding and grain cropping. By 1892, he and his family held more freehold land than anyone else in South Canterbury. He helped establish the South Canterbury Refrigerating Company and served as chairman of the Waimate County Council and the Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He also supported the harbour board, acclimatisation efforts, and the South Canterbury Hunt Club.
Holme was known for its hospitality and innovation, with its own electricity supply and early adoption of new farming technologies. Elworthy even proposed founding a village on the estate, to be called Taunton. He died of a heart attack at Holme Station on 22 January 1899. His land was divided among his sons Arthur, Herbert and Percy. His descendants, including Baron Elworthy and Sir Peter Elworthy, continued the family legacy in agriculture, military service and national leadership.
Row 10, Plot 347, Timaru Cemetery
Sir Peter Elworthy (1935–2004)
Sir Peter Elworthy was a nationally respected farmer, business leader and agricultural advocate from South Canterbury. Born in Timaru in 1935, he was the great-grandson of Edward Elworthy, an early settler and founder of Holme Station who helped establish large-scale sheep farming in the region. Peter’s grandfather was Percy Elworthy, one of Edward’s sons, continuing the family’s strong agricultural legacy.
Educated at Christ’s College and Lincoln College (then Canterbury Agricultural College), Peter married Fiona McHardy in 1960. As Lady Fiona Elworthy, she has been active in the arts, heritage and conservation. Together they had four children, including economist and social scientist Charles Elworthy.
Peter began his career farming the family estate and became a national leader in farming and business. He served as founding president of the New Zealand Deer Farmers’ Association, president of Federated Farmers during a time of significant economic reform, and chairman of the Queen Elizabeth II National Trust. He also played a founding role in the political group ACT New Zealand.
He held major company directorships, including Ravensdown Fertiliser Co-operative, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand, and SkyCity. He was knighted in 1988 for services to agriculture and awarded the Bledisloe Medal and other honours for his leadership. Sir Peter died from a heart attack in 2004. He is buried close to his great-grandfather Edward in Timaru Cemetery and is remembered for his vision, integrity and deep influence on both the rural sector and public life in New Zealand.
Row 10, Plot 343, Timaru Cemetery
Charles Elworthy, Baron Elworthy (1911–1993)
Not buried in Timaru Cemetery, but commemorated with a bronze bust outside the Timaru Library.
Born in Timaru in 1911, Samuel Charles Elworthy—known as “Sam”—was a grandson of pioneering runholder Edward Elworthy and uncle to Sir Peter Elworthy. Raised on the family’s Craigmore estate, he was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity College, Cambridge, before joining the Royal Air Force in 1933. He served with distinction during the Second World War and rose to become Marshal of the Royal Air Force, the service’s highest rank. As Chief of the Defence Staff for the United Kingdom, he oversaw the British withdrawal from Aden and helped shape military responses to early conflict in Northern Ireland.
He married Audrey Hutchinson in 1936, and they had three children. In 1972, he was created Baron Elworthy, and became Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle and Lord Lieutenant of Greater London. In 1977, he was appointed a Knight of the Garter, the most senior order of knighthood in Britain. Lord Elworthy returned to New Zealand in retirement and died in Christchurch in 1993. Although not buried in Timaru, his extraordinary life is commemorated by a bronze bust outside the Timaru Library, placed alongside that of fellow military leader Admiral Gordon Tait.
Jessy Rhodes (1870–1937)
Jessy was the widow of Robert Heaton Rhodes, whose family included George Hampton Rhodes—son of George and Elizabeth of The Levels estate—making her part of the same pioneering dynasty. She initially lived at Claremont, the stone Gothic Revival homestead built in 1888 by her brother‑in‑law George Hampton Rhodes. After Robert’s death in 1918, Jessy commissioned a stylish Arts and Crafts townhouse in Highfield, served by four live-in staff, reflecting her social standing as a widowed lady of means. She died in 1937 and is commemorated with a memorial in Timaru Cemetery, General Section, Row 7, Plot 483.
Jessie Christie Wigley (1883–1968)
Jessie Wigley was an artist, designer and arts patron whose vision helped create the Aigantighe Art Gallery in Timaru. Born to Helen and Alexander Grant, she grew up in a family of pioneering farmers at Grey’s Hills Station before moving into their newly built Queen Anne-style home on Wai-iti Road in 1905. From a young age she immersed herself in the arts, learning from respected local artists and honing skills in painting, woodcarving and design. She even created the Mount Cook lily emblem for the Mount Cook Motor Company, founded by her husband Rodolph Wigley. Jessie exhibited widely and was central to Timaru’s art community, helping revive and support the South Canterbury Arts Society. In 1955, she and her brother James gifted their family home, Aigantighe, to the people of Timaru as a public art gallery. Jessie later donated several artworks from her private collection as well as seven of her own, including the much-loved Edinburgh from Calton Hill. Her legacy lives on in the gallery she helped establish, and in the creative spirit she championed throughout her life.
Memorial only – Row 28, Plot 169, Timaru Cemetery
Pezet, Peter 40 Years 17 Aug 1879
One of the more poignant graves in the Timaru Cemetery belongs to Peter Pezet, a skilled plasterer who tragically lost his life in 1877 during the construction of the original Timaru High School. Pezet had only recently moved from Dunedin with his teenage son to work on the project when a large section of the brick pediment collapsed, burying him beneath falling scaffolding and stone. Despite the best efforts of doctors, he died from internal injuries the next morning. The coroner’s inquest ruled it an accidental death, citing unusually heavy architectural projections and recent frost as contributing factors. His grave stands as a quiet memorial to the risks faced by 19th-century tradesmen and the stories of working-class families who helped shape the city’s built heritage. Read inquest here
Row 17, Plot 177
Sir Basil Arthur (1928–1985)
Basil Malcolm Arthur was a Labour MP for Timaru from 1962 until his death in 1985. A fifth-generation baronet, he inherited his title young but chose a working life, working as a freezing worker, truck driver, hydro worker and union organiser before entering politics. Known for his deep commitment to the working class, he served as Minister of Transport and Minister in Charge of State Insurance from 1972 to 1975, helping establish the Shipping Corporation of New Zealand. In 1984, he became Speaker of the House of Representatives, holding the position until his sudden death from Legionnaires’ disease in 1985. A strong public speaker with a commanding presence, he was a widely respected figure across party lines. In Timaru, his legacy is marked by Sir Basil Arthur Park in Washdyke. He was married to Elizabeth Rita Wells (1950–1983), with whom he had three children, and later to Colleen Kennett.
Row 175, Plot 579, Timaru Cemetery
Colin Albert Murdoch (1929–2008)
Colin Murdoch was a visionary inventor, pharmacist, and veterinarian whose innovations transformed healthcare, animal welfare, and public safety. Born in Christchurch on 6 February 1929, he trained as a pharmacist and veterinary radiographer, establishing C A Murdoch Ltd in Timaru in 1955. His groundbreaking work in drug delivery systems led to the development of the disposable plastic hypodermic syringe, widely adopted in medical fields across the globe. Murdoch also invented the tranquiliser dart gun, revolutionising wildlife and veterinary management, and held over 40 patents.
He founded Paxarms Ltd in Timaru, exporting his devices to more than 150 countries. Among his other influential creations were automatic vaccinator syringes, childproof medicine containers, and early silent fire and burglar alarms. Throughout his life, Murdoch collaborated with global pharmaceutical companies and conducted vital animal health research, notably identifying treatments for toxoplasmosis and lamb illthrift.
Recognised for his global impact, he received numerous awards, including the ONZM (Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit) in 2000 and three gold medals at the Brussels Inventors’ Fair in 1976. Murdoch’s work reflected a rare blend of scientific skill, practical ingenuity, and compassion. He died in Timaru on 4 May 2008, leaving behind a legacy of invention and service that continues to benefit people and animals worldwide.
Row 185, Plot 112, Timaru Cemetery
Catherine “Kit” Agnes McGuire (1896–1973)
Have you ever wondered about the woman whose legacy still touches Timaru’s health community? Nurse Kit McGuire lived just a stone’s throw from the hospital and dedicated her life to caring for others. After training in Christchurch, she returned to Timaru to work as a public and private nurse, supervising state nursing exams at the hospital for over two decades. As matron of the South Canterbury Health Camp for nearly 30 years, she helped transform the lives of local children and was awarded an MBE in 1960 for her service. Her legacy continues through the Kit McGuire Nursing Fund, established to support future nurses in the region, ensuring her spirit of care lives on.
Rita Minehan (1906–2006)
Rita Evadney Minehan (née Leeming) was a beloved Timaru music teacher, historian and community contributor who passed away just one month short of her 100th birthday. A gifted writer with a deep sense of heritage, she authored Cavalcade of Memories, 1869–1969, a centennial history of the Sacred Heart Parish of Timaru. Through her writing, Rita preserved the rich stories of faith, education and social life that shaped a century of Catholic life in the region. Generations of students knew her as a dedicated music teacher, and she remained an active presence in the Timaru community well into later life. Her long life and thoughtful legacy are remembered with gratitude.
Row 149, Plot 1344, Timaru Cemetery
Annie Selena Chaffey (1878–1953)
Interred 16 July 1953, Timaru Cemetery, General Section, Row 137, Plot 426
Born in Timaru in 1877, Anne Selena Best married Peter Fox at age 19. The marriage was troubled and violent, and after bearing two sons, she left her family and travelled by boat to Motueka in 1914. There she met Henry Chaffey, and the two disappeared into the mountains of north-west Nelson. For nearly 40 years, they lived in self-imposed exile at Asbestos Cottage, 2,700 feet above sea level in the Cobb Valley. They lived almost entirely off the land. Henry prospected, hunted and hauled supplies; Annie gardened, bottled preserves in cut-down whisky bottles, and kept the rough timber cottage immaculate. In 1932, a year after her first husband died, Annie and Henry married. When Henry died in 1951 during a supply run, Annie’s world collapsed. She attempted to burn the cottage down with herself inside and was taken back to Timaru. She never adjusted to life away from the mountains and died by suicide in 1953, aged 76. Asbestos Cottage still stands today, a silent tribute to Annie’s resilience, solitude and strength.
There are heaps more graves I could share with you... enjoy your history hunt at the Timaru Cemetery.