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William Douglas Lysnar (30 April 1867 – 12 October 1942), known as Douglas Lysnar, was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party.
The accountant James Charles Dunlop had a house built in 1886 that became known as Kelvin Rise. Dunlop got into difficulties and sold the house and associated land to Lysnar in 1898, who had it extended in 1900 and a ballroom and tower added in 1919. The house was "a hub of social activity in Gisborne", with various dignitaries entertained there over the years. Lysnar died on 12 October 1942 in Gisborne, and was buried at Makaraka Cemetery. According to his will, Kelvin Rise was to become a museum. Lysnar's daughter transferred the land to the council in 1954 for it to become a park and sold the house to the city for a nominal amount. Kelvin Rise opened as a museum and art gallery in 1955. The 1919 additions were split off in 1975 and moved to the city's marina and the remaining house relocated on the land to make room for a new museum building known as Tairāwhiti Museum.
Early life
He was born inOnehunga
Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...
, Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand on 30 April 1867. He was educated by his father, who was a school teacher. The family settled in Gisborne in 1879
Political career
Local body politics
From 1908 to 1911, he wasMayor of Gisborne
The Mayor of Gisborne officiates over the Gisborne District
Gisborne District or the Gisborne Region (Māori: ''Te Tairāwhiti'' or ''Te Tai Rāwhiti'') is a local government area of northeastern New Zealand. It is governed by Gisborne Dist ...
.
Member of Parliament
He represented the Gisborne electorate from1919
Events
January
* January 1
** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia.
** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...
to 1931
Events
January
* January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics.
* January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa.
* January 22 – Sir I ...
, when he was defeated.
In the 1928 contest Lysnar stood as an Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
supporter of the Reform Party and was successful. During 1930, he stopped supporting the Reform Party and became fully independent. At the following election in 1931 he ran as an Independent, but was not returned, beaten by Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
's David Coleman
David Robert Coleman OBE (26 April 1926 – 21 December 2013) was a British sports commentator and television presenter who worked for the BBC for 46 years. He covered eleven Summer Olympic Games from 1960 to 2000 and six FIFA World Cups from ...
.
In his 1919 campaign, he employed Albert Davy
Albert Ernest Davy (17 August 1886 – 13 June 1959) was a New Zealand political organiser and campaign manager; and at the height of his career, was regarded as one of the best in the country.
He was a strong opponent of socialism, and spent m ...
as organiser. Davy went on to be an effective organiser for the Reform Party, though disagreeing over policies.
Douglas Lynsar was a brother of Frederick J. Lynsar the Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate in the Bay of Plenty , who lost to the Reform candidate.
In 1935, Lysnar was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal
The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V.
Issue
This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...
.
Life in Gisborne
The accountant James Charles Dunlop had a house built in 1886 that became known as Kelvin Rise. Dunlop got into difficulties and sold the house and associated land to Lysnar in 1898, who had it extended in 1900 and a ballroom and tower added in 1919. The house was "a hub of social activity in Gisborne", with various dignitaries entertained there over the years. Lysnar died on 12 October 1942 in Gisborne, and was buried at Makaraka Cemetery. According to his will, Kelvin Rise was to become a museum. Lysnar's daughter transferred the land to the council in 1954 for it to become a park and sold the house to the city for a nominal amount. Kelvin Rise opened as a museum and art gallery in 1955. The 1919 additions were split off in 1975 and moved to the city's marina and the remaining house relocated on the land to make room for a new museum building known as Tairāwhiti Museum.
References
Further reading
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lysnar, Douglas 1867 births 1942 deaths Mayors of Gisborne, New Zealand New Zealand farmers 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Independent MPs of New Zealand Burials at Makaraka Cemetery Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1931 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Auckland