Cathcart Wason

Rakaia

Location of Rakaia in New Zealand

Lendon was a 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) run on the south bank of the Rakaia River on New Zealand's South Island, about 17 km from the town of Rakaia. The land was first taken up by John Hall, but had changed ownership several times before Wason bought it, including 1,250 acres (510 ha) of freehold land, in February 1869[3] or April 1870[6] (sources vary). Wason renamed his property Corwar after his father's lands in Scotland, and set about trying to create a model estate.[3]

His planting of pine trees and of oaks, walnuts and poplars extended over 600 acres (240 ha) and allowed shelter from the prevailing north-west winds to allow sheep farming and the growing of wheat, while water power was used for agricultural machinery. He bought and sold land, and by 1882 Corwar was consolidated as a freehold estate of just over 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) with a large mansion overlooking the river, complete with gate lodge and gate-keeper.

On the estate, Wason built a model village called Barrhill, approached from the north, east, south and west by avenues lined respectively with sycamores, birches, poplars and oaks.[7] At the centre was a market square, with post office, bakery and other facilities and fifteen cottages were built.

However, Wason had expected a railway to be built near Barrhill, but when it was built on a more southerly route, the village began to decline. Dwindling population forced the closure of the school in 1938, although the Church of St John the Evangelist is still in use. Most of the buildings were constructed from pine wood grown on the estate, and all that remains now are the three concrete buildings: church, school and schoolhouse, each surrounded by a circle of oak trees.[8]

Without the railway, Wason saw his project as doomed, and sold up in 1900. The mansion was burned down soon after and all that remains is the gate lodge, now the home of the Corwar Lodge Museum, displaying artefacts of the colonial era.

Wason was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1876 election on 11 January for the electorate (constituency) of Coleridge,[9] and was appointed as a government whip the following year. On 14 April 1879, he resigned his seat in Parliament,[9] as well as his membership on the Ashburton County Council.[10][11]

Wason stood for election in the newly formed Wakanui electorate in the 1881 general election. The 9 December election was contested by Wason, Joseph Ivess and Charles Purnell.[12] Wason won by a small margin, and Ivess petitioned against the election on numerous grounds. The election petitions court started hearing the case in February 1882.[13] Members were sworn into the 8th New Zealand Parliament on 18 May 1882 for its first session; Wason was not present.[14] On the following day, the results of the various election petitions were read out, and the 1881 Wakanui election was declared void. Wason lost his seat in Parliament without having ever taken it.[15] The resulting 16 June 1882 by-election was won by Ivess.[16] In the 1884 election, Wason was narrowly defeated by William Walker in the Ashburton electorate.[17]

Wason did not stand again until the 1893 general election, when he ran unsuccessfully in the Ashburton electorate. He was elected as MP for Selwyn in the 1896 election on 21 December.[9][18] That parliamentary term finished on 15 November 1899 and that is when Wason retired from politics in New Zealand.[9]

Politics ran in the Wason family. His father Rigby was an MP for Ipswich (1831–37) before Cathcart was born, and his brother Eugene represented two UK constituencies (South Ayrshire and Clackmannanshire and Kinross-shire) at various times between 1885 and 1918.