Robert Wellwood ( 21 May 1836 – 26 January 1927) was a New Zealand farmer, auctioneer, commission agent and mayor. He was born in County Kilkenny, Ireland in 1836. He was elected unopposed as the first mayor of

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

on 29 September 1886 and served until 21 December 1887 when he resigned and the council elected George Ellis as his successor.

Biography

Early life

Wellwood was born May 1836 in County Kilkenny to Ambrose Wellwood and Ann Proctor, in a time when

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

was still

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with

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. Wellwood

emigrated Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

to the

colony of New Zealand The Colony of New Zealand was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that encompassed the islands of New Zealand from 1841 to 1907. The power of the British government was vested in the Governor of New Zealand, as th ...

aboard the ''Queen of Avon'', arriving in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

in July 1959. Before settling in Hastings permanently, Wellwood swagged around New Zealand. He had visited the town at one point and according to him "bagged a buggy load of wild ducks". Returning briefly to work for J N Williams, he then went off to participate in the

Otago Gold Rush The Otago Gold Rush (often called the Central Otago Gold Rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area – ...

. He came back after his fortunes weren't favoured and managed land around

Frimley Frimley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately southwest of central London. The town is of Saxon origin, although it is not listed in Domesday Book of 1086. Train services to Frimley (on the line between ...

, there on purchasing his Waikoko homestead to farm the surrounding land.

Auctioneering

Wellwood sold off his lands to William Nelson and set up an auctioneering business. His saleyards were described as "unrivalled in the North Island" by

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Mary Boyd, consisting of 24 yards capable of holding thousands of animals. Wellwood hoped to one day sell the saleyards to a company, saying "Life was made up of speculation". He later opened a wholesale warehouse and put on a large

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ball to celebrate.

Early councils

Before being established as a town borough in 1884, the Hastings area was governed by the Hawke's Bay County Council and the Heretaunga Road Board. Wellwood served on the road board, whose main responsibilities were building roads and bridges to connect the district. Boyd 1984, pp. 62-63

Borough council

On 2 January 1884, Hastings was proclaimed a town district by the

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, having met the requirements of over 500 population and 50 householders with a population around 617. The new town board would have five elected commissioner, with candidates competing for votes at a public meeting, Wellwood amongst them. A debate on whether Wellwood, Russell or Tanner could claim the title of "Father of Hastings" ensued. The first councillors would be Russell, Tanner, C Doney, T Foreman, and F D Luckie - excluding Wellwood. At the next election, Wellwood would replace Russell when the latter was elected to

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

, with J N Williams and future mayor George Ellis replacing Luckie and Doney.

References

Politicians from County Kilkenny 1836 births 1927 deaths New Zealand farmers Mayors of Hastings, New Zealand Irish emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand auctioneers {{NewZealand-mayor-stub