HIGGINS, ROBERT LUKE (1828-92) was born in Australia and was managing runs in Victoria for John Terry Murphy (a cousin of Gabriel Read), who sent him across to Canterbury with stock to take up a station. He took up Murphy's run on the Waimakariri, and acted as managing partner until Murphy's death, when he was executor. He also had a property of his own near Cust.

Higgins represented Ashley in the Canterbury Provincial Council (1857-61) and Oxford (1870-75). Gabriel Read's diary (in the Dunedin Public Library) shows that Higgins did him many services, which he recognised by sending a quantity of seeds of trees collected in Tasmania by the naturalist Dickenson. From these the fine plantations at Cust originated. Higgins died on 9 Nov 1892.

Canterbury P.C. Proc.; Acland; Lyttelton Times, 29 Nov 1892.

Reference: Volume 1, page 211

🌳 Further sources