Duncan Sinclair and family c1899 – Wainuiomata Historical Museum Collection – P1141
Back Left to Right: Harold (1880-1938), Duncan Jnr (1874-1927), Agnes (1877-1955), Hugh (1872-1947), Norman (1880-1963);
Front Left toRight: Edith (1879-1941), Duncan Snr (1846-1920), Martha nee Mowlem (1842-1935), Alice (1879-1935).
The Sinclair Family, among the earliest settlers in Wainuiomata, established a logging operation in the eastern Homedale area.
Hugh Sinclair, a notable figure among Wainuiomata’s early settlers, arrived from Sydney alongside his employer, J. D. Crawford, F.C.S., a New South Wales squatter. They embarked on the “Success” along with ten other passengers, reaching Cook Strait on November 14th, 1839, before proceeding to Kapiti to arrange goods transport for trade with some Maori.
After departing the ship, they journeyed on foot to Port Nicholson, arriving around January 22nd, 1840, coinciding with the arrival of the immigrant ship “Aurora.” Crawford later returned to New South Wales in 1846, leaving Hugh in Wellington. There, he purchased land in Lowry Bay in 1844, following encouragement from a friend, Dr. Taylor. Hugh managed Mrs. Jackson’s estate after James Jackson’s passing in 1846 until her return to England around 1859.
By the late 1850s or early 1860s, Hugh acquired significant land in Wainuiomata, establishing a sawmill between the Wainuiomata River and Moores Valley Stream which is known today as the Wainuiomata Stream. The sawmill was one of the first in the North Island and, at the time, the largest. As his sons, John and Duncan matured, they took over milling operations, expanding into Skerretts Gully and Reservoir Valley which at the time was called Sinclair Valley. In the 1870s, they introduced an iron railway track and a locomotive from Wellington Wharf to improve transportation.
The family lived in “Northbrook“, the family’s residence, where most of the children were born. In 1871, Hugh Sinclair died and was buried in the Sinclair Cemetery near what is now, Hine Road Recreation Area. Later in 1878, Hugh’s wife passed on in 1878 and was buried there also with three other family members being buried there and two other individuals including Richard Prouse IV. John Sinclair died in 6th of June 1925.
By 1880, the Wellington City Council’s pipeline project recommended the acquisition of Sinclair-owned land in the reservoir area to preserve the quality of the watershed. At the same time, timber milling in Wainuiomata became increasingly unprofitable due to competition from regions with access to the Wairarapa railway line. As a result, the Sinclairs eventually declared bankruptcy and left Wainuiomata.
Norman Sinclair, Duncan’s son, moved to Lowry Bay in 1881 and later Duncan John Sinclair and a Captain Mowlem bought Lowry Bay or part of it for for £3500, which included the Governor’s (Sir William Jervois) residence. After four years, they resettled in Palmerston North, where Duncan Sinclair made significant contributions to local engineering projects and civic activities until his passing on December 20th, 1920.
In the late 1870s, the Sinclair family departed Wainuiomata following the passing of Mrs. Mowlem’s parents. Duncan Sinclair, who had married Martha Mowlem, the sister of Captain Mowlem, settled in Terrace End in 1885. He took on the role of engineer for the Pohangina County Council, overseeing projects such as the Marton Waterworks and the Apiti Bridge. Duncan also served as a Palmerston North Borough Councillor, a member of the beautifying society, and contributed to the Terrace End School Committee, alongside his active involvement in St. Paul’s Methodist Church. Duncan passed away on December 20th, 1920.
Some information was sourced from a transcription taken from a copy of a handwritten document held in the Local Studies Biographies collection at Petone Library.
