WICKES, EDMUND (1836-1913) was born in London, educated there and brought up to the timber trade. He worked on the building of the Great Exhibition in 1851, and two years later came to Australia in the Strathfieldsaye. He was mining at Ballarat and Queensland and was present at the Eureka stockade. In 1863 he came to Auckland and worked as a builder. Two years later he moved to the West Coast, and in 1865 established himself at Greymouth as an ironmonger, auctioneer and commission agent. He married (1866) Eliza Hinchey. Wickes was a promoter of the Wealth of Nations mines and was associated with the flotation of the Wallsend mine. He established a sawmill at Coal Creek, and began in 1878 to ship red and white pine to Canterbury. He was chairman of the first town improvement committee in Greymouth; a member of the first borough council, and mayor of Greymouth (1871-72). He represented the town in the Westland Provincial Council (1874-75). He died on 20 Aug 1913.

Cycl. NZ, v; Harrop (p); Grey Star, 25 Feb 1928 (p).

Reference: Volume 2, page 254

🌳 Further sources