| HALL FAMILY IN NEW ZEALAND (post 1853) |
| After their arrival in New Zealand, while George and Thomas were busy managing the properties that they leased, John divided his time between helping them and carrying on his entreprenurial and political activities in Christchurch. The mainstay of his farming operation, after the disposal of most of the other properties, was the Rakaia Terrace Station - 20,000 acres - and the family homestead at Hororata. The station was operated as a partnership, but the brothers did not find it easy. The conditions were unfamiliar, and they were not used to the type of work they had to do. The population on the plains of Canterbury was sparse, so neighbourliness was evident at a very early stage, in order to survive. Runholders visited each other on their way to and from the towns when supplies needed to be replaced. The Hall brothers soon realised that they should maximise their assets, and George and Thomas concentrated on working the land, whilst John undertook the accounts, and the business decisions. George and Tom soon moved on to their own properties, and extended their interests into the Mackenzie country. Thomas also had a house on the edge of Timaru, which, on the urging of his father, he called Elloughton after the country village where his father had a cottage. John bought property in Christchurch from the profits from the land, and, by 1857 had acquired land adjoining Sumner Road, Ferry Road, Lincoln Road, and also Riseholme Paddock in Riccarton, which he ran as a farm. He also had ten acres adjoining Hagley Park. Whilst George and Thomas both were married with families - George had a daughter Agnes, and two sons, George and John; Thomas had three sons, Tom, Richard Williamson,John, and William Henry - John had never married, and despite rumours of attachments to various eligible ladies in New Zealand society, he remained single. He returned to England for a visit in 1860, travelling via Australia where he delivered despatches from the NZ Governor General to Sir William Denison and Sir Henry Barkly (Governors of NSW and Victoria) requesting reinforcements to the army in NZ who were at war with the Maori. In 1861, John Hall married Rose Anne Dryden, sister of Agnes Dryden (George's wife), who was friendly with John's sister Grace. They sailed for Auckland on the Royal Stuart in 1861, and reached Lyttleton in September. Their first child, Godfrey Dryden, was born in 1862, but only lived for 12 days. John and Rose had five other children - Mildred, Wilfred, John Dryden (called Dryden), Mary and Godfrey. As the children got older the boys helped on the station, and the girls carried out household tasks. Even though John was the youngest brother, he adapted best to the colonial life in New Zealand. In 1862 George became seriously ill, and John had to oversee the management of his runs, including the Balmoral station; the severe snowstorms in 1867 resulted in a sever depletion of the sheep stocks, and John dismissed George's manager in 1868. In 1869 he sold the high country runs, together with 20,000 sheep, on George's behalf, for Pnds 13,500. John Hall became a member of the Country District council in 1853, and became the Secretary for Public Works on the Christchurch Council in 1864. He had a fifteen year career in provincial politics and one of the successes during his period in the Public Works was the construction and successful opening of Highway 73 connecting the east and west coasts of South Island in 1866. It was also during this time that he was elected to the House of Representatives as member for the Christchurch Country District. |