CAWTHRON, THOMAS (1833-1915) was born at Camberwell, London, received a good education at Hoxton school and at the age of 15 came to New Zealand with his father, arriving in Nelson in the Mary (1849). His strength being unequal to working on his father's farm at Richmond, Thomas went to Wellington and obtained clerical employment with W. B. Rhodes. In 1852 he was attracted to Australia by the gold discoveries and spent several years on the diggings at Bendigo and Ballarat. His health had greatly improved and he made a considerable amount by contracting and carrying on the goldfields.

Owing to his father meeting with an accident Cawthron returned to Nelson on a visit (1857), but eventually decided to remain. He accepted mining contracts, the first being for the Jenkins Hill coalmine. While carrying out a contract at the Dun Mountain copper mine he pushed a heavy wheelbarrow all the way from Nelson to the site, round Wooded Peak. About 1859 Cawthron went into business in Nelson as a merchant and shipping agent, and for the next 30 years he represented the Sydney and New Zealand Royal Mail Co. and other shipping lines and carried out many coal contracts. Possessed of acute business judgment and vision, he steadily amassed a large fortune and late in the eighties was able to retire from business and devote his attention to the management of his estate. His gifts to the city and district were on a munificent scale, directed towards social, charitable and church objects, the beautifying of the city and finally to scientific research. He gave £15,000 towards the new hospital and £30,000 for a solar research laboratory, and when he died (8 Oct 1915) he left a large sum for the establishment of an industrial and technical school, institute and museum. Out of this bequest originated the Cawthron Institute.

The Colonist, 9, 12 Oct 1915; Cawthron Institute Lectures (p).

Reference: Volume 1, page 90

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