WEBSTER, JOHN (1818-1912), the son of a merchant, Andrew Webster, was born in Montrose and educated at the Montrose Academy. At the age of 15 he entered a chemical manufacturing company in Glasgow and took lectures in chemistry and drawing. His personal wish was to go to the West Indies, but his mother advised Australia, and he sailed in the Portland on 23 Aug 1838. Arriving at Sydney in Dec, he took employment with Howe brothers, of Glenlee station, 250 miles from Sydney. In Oct 1839 he started with 800 of the firm's cattle overland for Adelaide to escape the drought and reached his destination with the loss of 9 per cent. At their camp at the Gawler river the Governor of South Australia visited the drovers. Webster made another overland journey, and returned by paddle steamer to Melbourne and thence overland to a new station formed by Howe at Broken river, 200 miles up country. From here he helped Howe to drive his cattle down to Melbourne.

In Apr 1841 Webster crossed to New Zealand in the Jupiter, and joined his brother William in a sawmill at Hokianga. William (1816-95) came in the Bengal Merchant to Wellington (1839), bringing sawmill machinery. Finding no suitable forests there, he went north and settled early in 1840 at Wairere creek. He chose this site, a few miles higher than Te Horeke, to be free of sand, which injured the saws. A third brother, George (q.v.), who arrived in the Jane Gifford, was engaged in the venture. All three frequently visited the family of the missionary Hobbs on Sundays.

In company with Frederick Maning (q.v.), John saw a considerable amount of the fighting in Heke's war. For a few years he acted as agent for Brown and Campbell, trading with the native tribes, and in 1849, on the discovery of gold in California, he sailed as their supercargo in the barque Noble to San Francisco. There he joined company with Benjamin Boyd, the owner of the armed yacht Wanderer, 240 tons, 12 guns, in which he cruised amongst the Pacific islands, trading and making water colour sketches. Boyd was murdered at Guadalcanar, in the Solomons, on 15 Oct 1851; the Wanderer was wrecked at Port Macquarie; and Webster found his way back to Sydney. From there he went to the Turon goldfields, and then to the Victorian diggings. At Mount Alexander he discovered a reef which could not be worked without machinery. While visiting London to raise capital for the venture he showed his pictures, attended meetings of the Royal Society and met Sir George Grey (who had been recalled from the Cape). Returning to New Zealand in 1855, Webster married a daughter of G. F. Russell (Kohukohu). He was engaged for many years in the timber trade in partnership with his brother, A. S. Webster. They had an office in Sydney and during the years 1855-74 had ships trading in many parts of the world carrying timber and tea. When they sold out, Webster retired to a property of 700 acres which he had acquired at Opononi, near Hokianga heads. Planted with trees as protection against the bleak winds, it became a model farm and homestead which was seen by many prominent visitors.

Webster took a keen interest in cultural studies, and was an active member of such societies as the New Zealand Institute, the Polynesian Society, and the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. His knowledge of Maori and sympathy for the race were recognised by his election as a member of the district runanga (3 Mar 1863). He died on 30 May 1912. Amongst his writings were the story of the Wanderer (published in 1858) and Reminiscences of an Old Settler.

Morton; Webster, op. cit. (p); Cycl. NZ, ii (p); NZ Herald, 30 Apr, 7 May 1892, 31 May 1912

Reference: Volume 2, page 241

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