Title: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]

Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited

Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1897, Wellington

Part of: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

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Mr. William McDowall is certainly deserving of distinction as one of the founders of this city, and without his life-sketch the biographical history of Wellington would be incomplete, as he has been one of her most worthy and respected citizens since the days when tents, shanties and whares dotted the country where is now the handsome city of Wellington. Mr. McDowall is a native of Kirkudbrightshire, Scotland, where he was born on the 7th of August, 1835. Educated at the local school, he was bound at an early age as an apprentice to the building trade with Mr. James Gordon at Castle Douglas. It may be mentioned that James Gordon was the principal builder of the district, so that Mr. McDowall learned his trade under most favourable circumstances. After serving his apprenticeship he worked for a few years at his trade, and further continued his endeavours in becoming proficient in all which pertained to the trade which he had so much at heart. Then Mr. McDowall, like so many others, heard of the golden prospects of Australia, and after due considertion, he bade farewell to the land which gave him birth, and in the beginning of the year 1857 set sail in the ship “Negotiator,” landing in Melbourne after a monotonous and lengthy voyage. After his arrival he spent a few weeks in Melbourne working as journeyman on some works which were in course of erection. It was in that city that he chanced to become acquainted with Mr. James Barry, who was destined to be Mr. McDowall's life-long friend and partner during the whole of his business career. Shortly afterwards, he found himself suffering from a serious but prevalent complaint, viz., gold-fever, and was one of the many who tried their luck at the diggings at Ballarat, and sought to win the much-prized metal from mother earth, with varying success. In 1861 the rush set in for New Zealand, and Mr. McDowall decided to join it, and proceeded to that Colony. Landing in Otago, he joined in the search for gold, and was at the famous Dunstan diggings. The fickle goddess, luck, seemed to have turned her back on him, for, during the next few years he worked at mining and page 601 prospecting for gold, but all to no purpose, so he returned to Otago, and after working at his trade for a time, left by a sailing vessel for Peru, South America. Being very restless, he stayed there only for four mouths, and then returned to New Zealand, landing this time at Wellington in July, 1864. This was the turning point in his fortune, for after having worked at his old trade of building for some time, and seeing that things were especially good in the trade, he started in business for himself, taking as a partner his old friend. Mr. James Barry, the partnership turning out to be a most successful and profitable one for both parties. As a private citizen his character is above reproach, and he is esteemed and respected both by his friends and the general public for the ability, shrewdness, and business capacity which he has exhibited during the whole of his career in this city. Like many another old colonist, Mr. McDowall felt a desire to once more see his native country, from which he had been separated for such a length of time, and in 1891 he took a trip to the Old Land and spent some months revisiting scenes which were familiar to him in boyhood.