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