Remembering John Falconer

Remembering John Falconer 

John Falconer was Mayor of Oamaru between the years of 1883 and 1886. He is recognised for his dedicated approach to the growth and development of Oamaru. Falconer is another of Oamaru’s early European citizens who is buried in the Oamaru Cemetery.

John Falconer was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the seventh of fourteen children. A keen horticulturalist, he became the head gardener at Lauriston Castle near his home town. At 24 years of age Falconer made the decision to travel to New Zealand. Travelling aboard the ship JURA, he arrived at Port Chalmers in September 1858, leading the way for seven of his family members who also made the journey to New Zealand.

Initially settling on the Taieri, south of Dunedin, Falconer worked for a year or so as a farmer. He then moved north to Nelson where he sought work as a gardener; however he eventually returned south and settled in Oamaru as early as 1860, setting himself up as a nurseryman and seedsman on Thames Street.

One of Oamaru’s earlier European settlers, Falconer gave much of his time and energy in support of the town’s prosperity. He was one of the founders of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church in Oamaru. From its inception he was involved in both the management and spiritual aspects of the church. He was superintendent of the Sunday School and was also a church elder for a number of years.

He was a member of the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, at one time its president, and on another occasion, treasurer. He was also a member of the Horticultural Society, the Schools Committee, the Oamaru Harbour Board, and the Benevolent Society. Falconer was also the Chairman of the Charitable Aid Board where he gave a lot of his time and attention to the development of a relief system for the underprivileged members of the community.

For all of his extracurricular activities, Falconer is perhaps remembered most for his involvement in Local Government. He entered Council in approximately 1871, which was a period of depression for Oamaru; by 1883 he had successfully run for Mayor. According to his obituary, it was through Falconers position as Mayor that ‘he did good work’. It is believed that Falconer always acted in the best interests of his ratepayers, and always with the best of intentions.

In September 1886, during his term as Mayor, Falconer was struck with a serious bout of bronchitis. His close companions hoped his situation would improve but his doctor held little hope. He passed away on 11 September 1886 at the age of 52. The funeral took place on Tuesday 14 September. The Council asked the citizens of Oamaru to close their businesses from 2.00 till 4.00 pm while a funeral procession travelled from Falconers house near Eveline and made its way to St Paul’s Church for the funeral. The procession then went from St Paul’s to the Oamaru Cemetery where Falconer was buried.

Falconer left his wife, Annie to mourn his loss. She passed away only a year later at the age of 49. There were no children.

All information in this article comes from the Waitaki Museum and Archive.

Sources for this article:

• North Otago Times (13 September 1886) ‘Obituary, Mr John Falconer’, p. 2
• Falconer, Ian (1990s) ‘Falconer Family Tree’, North Otago Museum Archive, reference 45535

Written by Shannan Carr, Curator of Archives, September 2009