The Wave Issue 83 | Page 5

by Peggy Butterfield

March 2018

5

More Strange Farms in the Borough George King and Ostrich Farming , 1893 George King was born in 1850 to Irish immigrant parents at Richmond , Sydney . Around 1872 he arrived in Christchurch and started the auctioneering firm Geo . King and Co . After buying a piece of swampy waste land in Lake Terrace Road , Mr King worked it into fertile farmland and built a magnificent house which was noted for its wonderful lawns and garden . His home was called ‘ Burwood ’ after Burwood in Sydney , a suburb that he had once lived in . Eventually the name of the house became that of the district . Mr King was a large well-built man and liked to be involved in local affairs . He was an All Saints vestryman , Chairman of the Avon Road Board , on the Burwood School Committee and Burwood Drainage Board . Ostrich farming is what Mr King was most well-known for and ostrich farming didn ’ t always run smoothly . During the reproducing season when it rained , many nests became flooded and the birds drowned due to the retentive land the farm was on . Containing the birds was also a problem as most fences failed to hold them and they often ran amuck onto the roads . Mr King was a good rider who kept horses and would set off after them . When a bird made a break for freedom it took a fast horse to catch up with it . To pluck the feathers , the birds were driven into a small enclosure called a “ crush ”. A hood was held firmly over the birds ’ heads , and the feathers were removed . Each bird yielded about £ 5.18.6 worth of feathers per year . There was a steady demand for feathers .

In 1907 Mr King took the birds to the International Exhibition in Hagley Park . The ostriches were sold in 1908 .

Extract from Richard Greenaway ’ s book . Church on a Sandhill : All Saints Burwood , 1877 - 1967 . Which can be viewed at the museum .

5 th Some Like It Hot 1959 Tony Curtis , Marilyn Monroe , Jack Lemmon Comedy 2hrs 12 th A Star is Born 1954 Judy Garland , James Mason Musical Drama 2hrs 20min 19 th Appointment with Venus 1951 David Niven , Glynis Johns . Drama Comedy 1hr 30min 26 th The Quiet Man 1952 John Wayne , Maureen O ’ Hara , Barry Fitzgerald . Drama 2hrs