1911: Parade for the coronation of George V, King of the British Empire. Tiaki (692645)
Timaru had a Municipal Council from 1865, while Road Boards managed roads in surrounding districts. Major public works and much of their funding were still controlled by the Canterbury Provincial Government in Christchurch. In 1867, the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works was created to give South Canterbury greater control over regional works and a share of locally raised land revenue, with the Municipal Council and four Road Boards appointing representatives.
By 1874, the Board oversaw bridges, the railway and completion of its offices on what is now Stafford St, while road haulage still relied on horse and bullock teams.
The Board ended with the abolition of provincial government in 1876
and its remaining affairs were wound up. Local councils and Road Boards continued their work. The Timaru Harbour Board was established in 1877, and the Borough Council continued to develop town services, including the Pareora water supply in 1881, major sewerage works from the early 1900s and asphalt on a section of Stafford St in 1922.
FUN FACT: Francis Jollie was Timaru’s first MP in 1861, followed by Alfred Cox in 1866 and Edward Stafford in 1868. Stafford served three times as Premier, and the Great North Road was renamed Stafford Street after him in 1889.