Captain Pallison and family, 1880s, Timaru, by William Ferrier. Gift of the Guard family, 1993. Te Papa (O.003740)
While going through the digital collection of Timaru photographs on Te Papa, I came across a family portrait labelled simply with the name Captain Pallison. In the 1880s, he appears in the records as a working sea captain, master of coastal schooners such as the Spray and later the Glencairn. He passed his master mariner’s examination in Dunedin and was clearly part of the everyday maritime life of the port rather than one of the better-known civic figures. And yet, beyond these fragments, he slips quietly out of view. I keep looking at that family photograph and wondering who they were. Where did Captain Pallison come from, how long did he stay in Timaru, and what became of his family? This feels like one of those stories just waiting to be found, and I would love to turn it into a shared history hunt. If you recognise the name, the ships, or the photograph, or if you have family stories tucked away in drawers or memories, I would love to hear from you and learn more together.