Mail coach and wagon on Barrytown beach, West Coast

John Joseph Ryall (25 January 1875 – 26 May 1953) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1940 until its abolition in 1950. He succeeded his father as councillor for the Cobden Riding of the Grey County Council in 1904 and remained a member until his death, always returned unopposed. He was chairman of the Grey County on eight occasions.

Biography

Ryall was born in 1875, the son of Denis Ryall of

Barrytown Barrytown (originally known as Seventeen Mile Beach and Fosbery) is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. Barrytown sits on and is north of Runanga, on the Barrytown Flats. Punakaiki is further north. The town is nea ...

. His father was a storekeeper and a member of the Grey County Council, including its

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

. Ryall took over his father's business in 1897, and also ran the local branch of the

Bank of New Zealand Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is one of New Zealand's Big Four (banking), big four banks and has been operating in the country since the first office was opened in Auckland in October 1861 followed shortly after by the first branch in Dunedin in D ...

and was postmaster. On 19 July 1902, Ryall married Alice Prendergast at St Patrick's Church in Greymouth. Denis Ryall's death in September 1904 caused a by-election in the Cobden of the Grey County Council. Joseph Taylor and John Ryall were nominated, but Taylor withdrew and Ryall was declared elected unopposed. Until his death nearly 50 years later, Ryall stood at every subsequent election for the Cobden Riding and was returned unopposed every time. He was chairman of the Grey County Council in 1911, 1916, 1927, 1931, 1936, 1939, 1945, and 1953, when he died. He was a member of the Greymouth Harbour Board for many years, including its chairman. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 15 July 1940 to 14 July 1947, and from 15 July 1947 to 31 December 1950. He was appointed by the

First Labour Government The first MacDonald ministry of the United Kingdom lasted from January to November 1924. The Labour Party, under Ramsay MacDonald, had failed to win the general election of December 1923, with 191 seats, although the combined Opposition tall ...

. Ryall operated a coach service before the Greymouth-Westport Coastal Highway was built; he was a strong proponent of the construction of the road. Once the highway had been constructed, he operated a bus service to Greymouth. The road is now part of . Ryall's hobby was horse racing, and betting on horses. Ryall died on 26 May 1953 at Lewisham Hospital in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. A 1998 portrait of John Ryall in ''The Coaster'' states that Mount Ryall () inland from Barrytown is named for him, but Reed's ''Place Names of New Zealand'' attributes the name to his father. The

Croesus Track The Croesus Track is a historic miners trail to the south of Paparoa National Park in the Grey District of South Island of New Zealand. The route crosses the Paparoa Range from Blackball in the Grey Valley to Barrytown on the Tasman Sea coast ...

that starts in Barrytown traverses the peak.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryall, John 1875 births 1953 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Labour Party MLCs Mayors of Grey