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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Otago & Southland Provincial Districts]

Mr. Alexander Kirkland

Mr. Alexander Kirkland , Of “Townend,” Green Island, near Dunedin, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and came to New Zealand in 1852 by the ship “Maori,” which also brought his father, mother, brother, and two sisters to Dunedin. His father, Mr. William Kirkland, had, before leaving Scotland, bought land at Green Island, and lived on his pro page 388 perty until the year 1883, when he died at the age of eighty-four. His wife had died a few years earlier. Mr. Alexander Kirkland helped his father to clear the land which was, at first, in its wild native state, and also helped to put up the family's first house. It was of the excellent wattle-and-daub order, so suitable to the early days of colonisation, and comfortable, too, to colonists of the right stamp—men and women who heartily appreciated the prospects of a new country, and spiritedly faced and overcame the accompanying drawbacks and difficulties. The “auld hoose” at “Townend” has, however, long since been replaced by a handsome modern villa residence. Mr. Kirkland, who is of retiring and studious habits, has taken no part in public affairs, and has devoted his leisure to the study of general literature and the social questions of the day. In 1884, he and his sister, Miss Kirkland, travelled to England, by way of America, and returned, via Suez. Miss Kirkland is an enthusiastic florist, a member of the Dunedin Horticultural Society, and has won numerous prizes at various flower shows. Her garden, which is under her personal care, is stocked with some of the choicest flowers that can be grown in Otago. Mr. Kirkland is unmarried.