In 1861 a pioneering couple set off from Scotland for the other side of the world. Catherine MacKay 1837-1914 and Andrew Burnett 1838-1927 travelled by bullock wagon and camped at Perth Street, Timaru. They later planted an oak tree there. The Burnetts' first home at Mt Cook station was a "one-room hut of black birch logs plastered with clay and thatched with snowgrass." Thier youngest son Thomas David (TD) represented Temuka in Parliament until he died in 1941. He left in his will the Perth Street property to The South Canterbury Historical Society. It was TD's wish that any new building on the site be named Pioneer Hall, so the Historical Society gave that name to their new museum on the site. In 1966 the museum building was replaced with a new building in the iconic octagonal design by Ron Dohig. Next time you are at the museum, seek out a boulder with a plaque. You will find it under the oak tree planted by the pioneers all those years ago.
T.D. Burnett was born in 1877 at Cave and educated at Timaru Boys High School. On leaving school Mr Burnett went to work on his father’s Mount Cook Station. He was a member of the Mackenzie County Council 1911-17 representing Tekapo Riding, first chairman Tekapo Rabbit Board, a nature conservationist, was a moving figure in the establishment of the Tekapo Sale with its own new yards in 1928, built St David's Pioneer Memorial Church at Cave in 1930 at his own expense and organised, paid for and erected the memorials at Burkes Pass, Mackenzie Pass and the War Memorial on the Cave Hill, involved in alleviating distress caused by the Great Depression of the 1930s. Instigator of Downlands Water Supply Scheme, owned Mt Cook Station, he was also instrumental in getting the Land Act altered to give security of tenure to pastoral lessees, enabling progress in the high country and was Member of Parliament for Temuka from 1919 until his death in 1941. His slogan was production and more production. TD lived in 'Big Ben' the big two storey house. The single storey villa (which became the first Museum) was named 'Corrierrack'.
The Mount Cook Lease: Mount Cook Pastoral Lease was first taken up for grazing in May 1864 when Andrew Burnett and George McRae applied for the 5000 acre Run 498. By 1865 McRae had left the partnership and Burnett, his wife Catherine (nee MacKay) and their two children settled onto the property. In 1871 they took up two more runs (603 and 614) and by 1873 started to freehold parts of the property. By 1889 Mount Cook, re-named as Run 83, covered approx. 10,000 hectares. Part of this area was eventually surrendered to form part of Mt Cook NP. In 1895, the eldest son, Donald was managing the station for his father and there was no debt recorded upon it. Following Andrew's death in 1902 Donald took over Sawdon Station and the Burnett's third son Thomas David (TD) succeeded to Mount Cook. He remained the leaseholder until his death in 1941. He is buried atop the bluff at Black Point (Rock Etam.) within a special reserve taken from the lease. In TD Burnett's time over 60,000 trees were planted on the lease, in part to provide an alternative source of timber to the beech forest at Glentanner. The station went to TD Burnett's son and daughter following his death and is the only station in South Canterbury that has been held in unbroken tenure by the same family (Pinney, 1971) Many of the peaks, steams and other landmarks were named after family members, neighbours, shepherds and farm dogs. Gorilla Stream Hutt lies outside the pastoral lease boundary. map
The 2600-hectare farm was owned by the Burnett family for 151 years after its establishment in 1864. Caitriana Baker lived at Mt Cook Station with her brother, who managed the farm for 71 years until his death in 2010. She went into a nursing home shortly before his death and died herself on November 13, 2014. After the brother and sister died, the property was left to the family trust to preserve the property's heritage values for the benefit of the public.
Want to learn more?
Read this article: nzherald.co.nz/11534655
Look at South Canterbury Musuem newsletter celebrating Pioneer Hall's birthday: museum.timaru.govt.nz/2017-June-Museum-News.pdf
See the License to occupy Crown Lands for Run 83: timdc.pastperfectonline.com/643614552353
Read about the "Museum Building Celebrates Half a Centrury" in the Timaru Herald: pressreader.com/20161210/281681139507877 and here: pressreader.com/281917358733516
Look at the Burnett Family Album: timdc.pastperfectonline.com/031969213318
Read this fantastic article about T.D. Burnett (1877-1941): sites.rootsweb.com/Burnett
Visit the St David's Memorial Church designed by Herbert H. Hall in Cave that T.D Burnett funded. "An enduring tribute to the Pioneers of the Mackenzie County dominates the hillside." sites.rootsweb.com/cavechurches Over the road is Aorangi Home with the impressive walled gate
Visit the Burnett Oak and read the plaque underneith on Perth Street, Timaru. It is on a Boulder from Mt. Cook Station, 1986. It is a protected tree on the list of scheduled trees sata sheet: web.archive.org/List-of-Scheduled-Trees.pdf more info is here: sites.rootsweb.com/trees.htm
Visit the Timaru Cemetery and the cenotaph for the Burnett family: Catherine MacKay Wife of Andrew Burnett 1837-1914 Row 84 plot 209. Andrew Burnett 1838-1927. MEMORIAL ID 155744604 www.timaru.govt.nz/cemetery-searchId=4884