Richard Henry Leary

Born in Southall, Middlesex to John Leary & Jane (née COOPER) on 3 November 1840, Richard first travelled to Australia when aged 14, he worked for a time in Victoria in the timber trade and then in the goldfields. He then became a very successful immigrant to New Zealand, moving to Dunedin in the Otago region of New Zealand in 1861, working at different diggings in goldfields following the discovery of Gabriel’s Gully gold deposits, the site of the first major gold finds in New Zealand. Gold made Otago the wealthiest province there. Richard later began his successful business life in Dunedin.

In 1862 he worked for Messrs R Wilson & Co and became friendly with a young man also named Wilson. This man had saved money and went South in order to purchase land. When he didn’t return at the appointed time, Richard was anxious and went South to look for him and traced him to where he was last seen. The tragic end to this story is that Wilson had been murdered by a man named Fratson and Richard Leary is credited with being active in the arrest, conviction and ultimately pronouncement of the death sentence in the first murder case in Otago.

Richard became an accountant, a Public Accountant, a Provisional Trustee in Bankruptcy for the district of Otago and Southland in 1871 and an auctioneer. In 1875 he was a City Councillor, twice becoming Mayor of Dunedin, firstly in 1877 – 8. Importantly, due to his casting vote, the Silverstream Water Supply Scheme was adopted and began serving the city in 1878. He was made Mayor again in 1886 - 7. During this term of office, he investigated the bookkeeping of the gas department which led to the sacking of the manager who was later reinstated! Richard resigned in protest over this - only to be persuaded to stand again - and was re-elected.
In May 1881, with Richard named as Manager, an application was put forward to register the Switzers Freehold Sluicing Co (under the provisions of the Mining Act 1872) - at last, a way of properly disposing of the waste water.

In 1894 Richard was travelling to London, negotiating business about the City Loan Conversion Scheme on behalf of Dunedin when he became ill in Paris with influenza on the long overland part of the trip. On reaching London, he was in contact an old English-born friend and fellow Councillor from NZ days, James Doughty, who gave Richard his devoted attention when ill and, although appearing to rally, he developed double pneumonia and died in York Road, Tunbridge Wells on 14 May 1895 aged 54. Richard was attended by Dr Stamford whilst in Tunbridge Wells. At first, his body was going to be embalmed and taken back to Dunedin but, as he is buried here in the cemetery, that didn’t happen. A memorial service was held for him at Trinity Church and James Doughty was amongst the mourners.

The memorial stone consisting of a dark grey polished granite obelisk surrounded by low, black iron railings was erected by his widow but, sadly, no members of his family were able to attend the funeral. Richard was described as “of a quiet, retiring and somewhat reserved disposition but of a cheery, genial nature and a warm heart”.

He had married Caroline Georgina POPE of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in Dunedin New Zealand on 13 November 1862. Richard’s widow Caroline died 6 years after him on 8 July 1901 in Dunedin aged 58 years. They had at least 17 children, two of whom died in infancy and one who came to England and married an English girl. He lost one grandson in WW2 who is commemorated on the Battle of Britain Memorial in London, and another, a RNZAF flying instructor and past RAF pilot, died in fog in the mountains in New Zealand in a ‘plane crash in 1952.