Public gathering outside the Ross Borough Council chambers (1910s)

The Ross Borough was the borough council covering the town of Ross, New Zealand and the nearby locality Donoghues, between 1878 and 1972, when Ross Borough was merged back into Westland County.

History

The area was first occupied by white settlers in 1865 after the discovery of gold in the Tōtara River and in Jones Creek.[1] Ross was initially administered by the Canterbury Provincial Council based in Christchurch, and then by the successor government agency Westland County from 1868 to 1873, which was succeeded by Westland Province from 1873 to 1876. With the abolition of the provincial government system, the area came under the control of Westland County; equal in name to the organisation from 1873 but with the functions of a county council as opposed to provincial government. In September 1877, some residents of Ross met "to take into consideration the advisability of forming Ross into a municipality"; at the time the area was part of Westland County. The first step was to form a committee that would decide on the boundaries of such a borough.[2] The meeting also passed a unanimous decision to petition the governor—George Phipps, 2nd Marquess of Normanby—to declare Ross a municipality and the required number of signatures was collected.[3] On 31 December 1877, John Benjamin Lopas (acting on behalf of the committee) received a telegram from the government that the borough had been approved and that he had been appointed returning officer and clerk.[4] Three candidates stood for election as mayor of Ross, and Camille Malfroy beat Joseph Grimmond with 79 votes to 75, with William Lockington coming a distant third.[5][6]

The borough council took over the responsibilities of the Totara Road Board.[7] The borough covered an area of four square miles (10 km2).[1]

In 1972, the borough was merged back into Westland County.[8]

List of mayors

Between 1878 and 1982, Ross had 16 mayors. The following is a complete list:

Name Portrait Term of office
1 Camille Malfroy 1878
2 Joseph Grimmond 1878–1881
3 Rudolph Hirter 1881–1883
4 John Hunt Currie 1883–1884
(1) Camille Malfroy 1884–1885
(3) Rudolph Hirter 1885–1886
(2) Joseph Grimmond 1886–1887
(4) John Hunt Currie 1887–1888
(2) Joseph Grimmond 1888–1890
5 P. Keller 1890–1892
(2) Joseph Grimmond 1892–1893
(4) John Hunt Currie 1893–1897
6 David Yorwarth 1897–1901
(2) Joseph Grimmond 1901–1905
7 Thomas Wanless Bruce 1905–1914
(2) Joseph Grimmond 1914–1919
8 S. P. Evans 1919–1929
9 Hermann Osmers 1929–1931
10 John Murdoch 1931–1933
(9) Hermann Osmers 1933–1935
11 J. J. Rea 1935
(10) John Murdoch 1935–1938
12 Kenneth Ogilvie May 1938–1947
13 Alfred Norman Gilmore 1947–1952
14 Allan Francis Laing 1952–1956
– John Holmes (acting) 1956
15 Patrick J. Minehan 1956–1962
16 Stanley Scott 1962–1972

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Ross". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  1. 1 2 Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Ross". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  2. ↑ "West Coast Times". West Coast Times. No. 2655. 3 October 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  3. ↑ "Untitled". Grey River Argus. Vol. XXI, no. 2853. 4 October 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  4. ↑ "Untitled". Grey River Argus. Vol. XXI, no. 2932. 7 January 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  5. ↑ "Untitled". Grey River Argus. Vol. XXI, no. 2956. 4 February 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  6. ↑ "West Coast Times". West Coast Times. No. 2758. 2 February 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "West Coast Times". West Coast Times. No. 2705. 30 November 1877. p. 2. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  8. ↑ "University of Canterbury Library – Archives collection". Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2021.

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