Remembering Dr John Stubbs Wait
Remembering Dr John Stubbs Wait
Dr John Stubbs Wait was a doctor in Oamaru from the 1860s. He was a prominent person in the history of Oamaru, and was also Mayor of the town for a period of time. Like many of his peers, the Doctor’s final resting place is the Oamaru Cemetery.
Wait was born in Lancashire, England in 1830. He studied at the Manchester Royal Infirmary Hospital where he obtained his medical qualifications. Wait became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons England, and also the Licentiate of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons and the Licentiate of Midwifery, both in Glasgow. One of Dr Wait’s earliest positions was surgeon to the 7th Lancashire Militia who trained in Bury, Manchester.
While Wait was based in Bury, his health began to deteriorate and it was recommended he take a trip to get away from the harsh English winters. He and his wife Sarah, whom he married in 1854, sailed to New Zealand aboard the ship Persia on which Wait held a position as ships doctor. The couple arrived in Port Chalmers in 1863 with the intention of leading a simple life in the country.
When Wait arrived in New Zealand his health had improved so much that he decided he would continue his profession as a doctor. Sources say that while he looked for the right place to settle he walked from Dunedin to Invercargill and back, and then took a boat to Lyttleton where he called in at Oamaru on the way. It was here that Wait and his wife chose to settle in 1864.
Wait was one of two permanent doctors in Oamaru during the 1860s. He worked throughout the Waitaki District, as far inland as the Lindis Pass and was very dedicated to his role. According to K C McDonald, on one occasion Wait attended a call-out near Lake Ohau, travelling on horse-back for a number of days, through snow, to tend a wounded man. On his return to Oamaru he received another call-out in Hampden which he immediately dealt with. When he got back from Hampden the doctor sat down with a group of friends to play a game of whist (a popular card game of the time) which went well into the evening.
Doctor Wait was influential in the establishment of a hospital in Oamaru where he worked as a surgeon during its first seven years, and also held the position of hospital superintendant. He was also involved in local politics and was a very public man; being Mayor of Oamaru from 1872-1874. During his term as Mayor he turned the first sod of dirt prior to the construction of the Oamaru-Moeraki railway. It is believed that he laid the foundation stone for the old Oamaru Jetty, which has since washed away.
A prominent Freemason, Wait was founder of the Waitaki Lodge and was Master of the Lodge for three years. He also held a keen interest in the management of the harbour and was Chairman of the Oamaru Harbour Board.
Wait was a keen landowner, he owned land in Papakaio, Awamoko and Kakanui; he had a seat on the Awamoa Road Board and was also Chairman of the Kakanui Road Board. His central Oamaru house, built in 1875, still stands today and holds a prominent position on the corner of Ure and Itchen Streets. It is a double story stone villa designed by architects Forrester and Lemon.
Dr Wait retired from his medical practice in 1889; he died in 1907 at the age of 77. He is buried in the Oamaru cemetery with his wife Sarah, who passed on in 1920 at the age of 83. The couple left behind a family of two sons and one daughter.
All information in this article comes from Waitaki Museum and Archive.
Sources for this article:
- McCarthy, C (2002). ‘Forrester and Lemon of Oamaru, Architects’.
- McDonald, K C (1962) ‘They Once Lived Here, People of the Past’ Oamaru Mail article, North Otago Museum Archive, n. 445350.
- Roberts, W H S (1907) ‘Dr John Stubbs Wait’ in Newspaper Cuttings, North Otago Museum Archive reference, p. 37.
- The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Vol. 4, Otago and Southland (1905). ‘Dr John Stubbs Wait’, p. 555.
Written by Shannan Carr, Curator of Archives, 2010