OBITUARY.
MR S. C. FARR.
There died in Christchurch yesterday, at the age of 92, Mr Samuel Charles Farr, a very old pioneer. Mr Farr was a native of Baldock, Herefordshire, England. He entered upon the profession of architecture, and in his twenty-third year he emigrated to New Zealand, sailing in the barque The Monarch, which was bound for Auckland. But The Monarch, in crossing the Tasman, struck boisterous weather. The rudder carried away, and the vessel drifted to the south of Stewart Island before a temporary rudder could be rigged. Then a start was made up the coast, but there was more rudder trouble, and on April 2, 1850 - 136 days out from London - the barque just made Akaroa. The prospect was pleasing, so 41 of the passengers, including Mr Farr and his fiancée, Miss Pavitt, decided to stay. The young people had left England with the intention of marrying as soon as they reached the new land, but there were difficulties at Akaroa. In the first place, no wedding ring could be obtained, and, second, there was no one to perform the ceremony. The first obstacle, however, was easily surmounted, for Mr Farr so successfully shaped a wedding ring from a half-sovereign that he was subsequently commissioned to make six others. Then a Registrar of Marriages was appointed, and on June 15, 1850, Mr and Mrs Farr were married, the wedding being the first to be solemnised in Canterbury. Shortly after Mr Farr's arrival he had an opportunity of proving his knowledge of the theory of cog-wheels, successfully replacing an incorrectly-geared set that had failed at an Akaroa flourmill. Later, in partnership with his brothers-in-law, the Messrs Pavitt, Mr Farr erected sawmills in Robinson's Bay, Barry's Bay, Duvauchelle and the head of the bay. He also followed his profession, designing first English Church in Akaroa, and also the Akaroa Monument. In 1862 Mr Farr moved to Christchurch, where he continued the practice of his profession. The Normal School, St. Paul's Church, and also several suburban and country churches were built on his design. He also designed and erected the first iron verandas in New Zealand, those being for Mr Chas. Kiver, on Messrs Wardell Bros. present Cashel Street site. The Sunday School movement in Canterbury was founded by Mr Farr, who began at, Akaroa on June 30, 1850, when he had five pupils. In 1869 he established the Sunday School Union in Christchurch, and was its president for the first seven years. For 22 years, Mr Farr was secretary to the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and he was partly responsible for stocking with fish almost every river and lake of the province. Also, the first side channels of Christchurch streets were constructed under his supervision. Mr Farr did good work as an officer of the Volunteer Fire Police, and Salvage Corps. At the Jubilee Exhibition of 1900 he was awarded a gold medal for a bas-relief plan of Banks Peninsula, carved in wood.
A man of strong character and firm resolve, Mr Farr was a true pioneer, and a real worker in the weal of the province. He was a member of the Christchurch Town Council prior to the creation of the Corporation, and also served a term on the City Council from 1873.
Source: The Sun, Volume V, Issue 1379, 15 July 1918
Chris Korte's New Zealand Genealogy Project
1827 - 1918 (91 years)
Has no ancestors and no descendants in this family tree.
[1, 2] 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
Sources (Log in)