Sir Walter Kennaway (1835 – 24 August 1920) was a provincial politician, farmer and run-holder in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

, New Zealand, before becoming secretary to the Agent-General in London for 35 years.

Early life

Kennaway was born in 1835 in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, and was one of five brothers to emigrate to New Zealand. Their father was William Kennaway. He received his education at Mount Radford School in Exeter. His elder brothers, Laurence James (1834–1904), and William (1832–1918), arrived on the ship ''Canterbury'' in October 1851, and Walter Kennaway followed them on the ''Tasmania'', arriving in Lyttelton on 15 March 1853. The brothers were partners in several sheep-runs in Canterbury. He married in England in 1864 Alicia Jones, daughter of J. E. Jones. They had four sons and three daughters.

Life in New Zealand

Walter Kennaway first stood for election to the

Canterbury Provincial Council The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Eng ...

in the Geraldine electorate in 1865, but was defeated by William Gosling. He represented two electorates on the Canterbury Provincial Council, Mt Cook 1867–70 & Seadown 1870–74. He was part of

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

's 23rd executive from 26 October 1870 to 7 August 1871. He formed a new executive (the 24th) on 7 August 1871, and was thus Provincial Secretary and in charge of public works until 2 January 1874, before falling out over control of the provincial railways. Kennaway was one of the drivers for the land endowment fund of for

Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to: * Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S. * Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia * Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada * Canterbury College, Kent, England * Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...

and other educational organisations. He was one of the authors of the Canterbury education ordinance. He was one of original members of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College, and served from 1873 to 1875. He was on other bodies, the Anglican Synod, the Heathcote Road Board and the Canterbury A&P Association, and had been a Commissioner of Crown Lands. The Kennaway brothers are thought to have named

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

in South

Return to England

Kennaway was appointed secretary to the Agent-General for New Zealand in London in 1874, and later for the High Commissioner. He held this position for 35 years until 1909. On returning to England, he settled in suburban south London, a newly built villa named 'Malda' adjacent to

Crystal Palace Park Crystal Palace Park is a Victorian pleasure ground located in the South London suburb of Crystal Palace which surrounds the site of the former Crystal Palace Exhibition building. The Palace had been relocated from Hyde Park, London after the 18 ...

(on Thicket Road). He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

in the 1891 New Year Honours, and knighted in May 1909 when he retired. He died on 24 August 1920 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennaway, Walter 1835 births 1920 deaths British emigrants to New Zealand Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand farmers New Zealand public servants People educated at Mount Radford School