The owner of Ashburton’s most powerful car in 1905 was, as one might expect, an entrepreneurial and multi-talented individual.

Mr Edwin Parcell Thomas (Ted) was born in Wales in 1847.

By the time he was 13, he was working on his mother Ann’s farm following the death of his father, John.

In 1867 he came to Aotearoa New Zealand aboard the ship Blue Jacket and quickly put his farming skills to good use.

After two years of labouring in Leeston, he was able to purchase his own threshing machine and operate as a contractor in the area.

He married Jenetta Neild, who hailed from Devonshire, in Christchurch in 1873.

Hard work and run-ins

He purchased his first sawmill in the Oxford district in 1875, and 12 months later bought a farm in Wakanui at the junction of Christys and Beach roads in 1876.

The timber for the family’s new home had to be transported from Christchurch in drays as the railway line had not yet been built through to Ashburton.

Four years later, Edwin was reportedly well-known for his portly form, comfortable homestead, well-kept garden and generous hospitality (particularly over a beer).

His draught horses were much admired, although it was considered that he could be producing more wheat on his own land if he wasn’t busy in the district with his threshing machine.

He also operated as a road contractor at this time.

As well as working hard, he contributed positively to the Whakanui community, including making a generous donation of land for the Wesleyan Church, involvement with the Wakanui River Board, and supporting various local events.

However, there were a few black marks on his record; he managed to get convicted several times in the magistrate’s court for resisting arrest and assault while drinking at hotels in Ashburton.

The flour mill venture

By 1892, Ted was ready for a new challenge.

He purchased the Wakanui Four Mill, a relatively new five-storey building near the Wakanui Creek on Wakanui Road, not far from the junction with Beach Road.

Edwin invested in the mill at an opportune time.

Wheat production in the Ashburton area was booming; the Springfield and Longbeach estates alone were producing 4000 acres of wheat besides some many thousands of acres under oats and barley.

Edwin increased the productivity of this local enterprise by investing in cutting-edge technology, converting the grinding stone to roller machinery and installing a steam engine to relieve the uncertainty of water supply from the Ashburton River.

At the apex of the wheat boom, Edwin sold the venture to Mr Rollitt in 1899 and retired to Ashburton, where he enjoyed 15 more years of life, indulging in numerous enterprises.

Horse and horseless carriage

One of the several interests he continued to invest in during this period was horse racing. He is pictured in this photograph with undoubtedly his most successful pacer, Boldrewood, which he purchased in 1901.

The trotter won the New Zealand Handicap race in Christchurch in 1902, and continued to prove a winner for several years. He was the sire of several other successful trotters, and was eventually sold to an Australian investor.

Ironically, in what was to be Boldrewood’s last race, the 20-year-old came second to his offspring, Lodrewood.

The challenge was obviously too much effort for the elderly horse, because upon reaching the finish line, he wobbled a little, plunged and dropped dead.

In 1905, Ted became the owner of the most powerful car in Ashburton, the 9-horse power Etoile De Dion Tonneau, capable of travelling at a whopping 15 miles per hour.

He was involved in an accident in 1912, where he was fined 40 pounds for causing damage to another vehicle by driving on the wrong side of the road. He featured in the magistrate’s court once again in 1914, this time for speeding on East Street, and was fined 40 pounds.

Ted was a prolific gardener at his property Pembroke Villa on South Road.

In 1912, his orchard produced a bumper apple crop, producing individual fruit weighing 11lb (nearly 5kg).

It was also said by those who knew Ted well that, in his prime, he was one of the strongest men in the Ashburton County.

This hard-working, hard-living Welshman who came to New Zealand with little, developed two farms, a state-of-the-art flour mill and, along with his wife Janetta, produced six sons and two daughters. Not to mention, he owned fast horses and lived to own a fast car, things which clearly were also very important to him.

By the Ashburton Museum