DONALD, WILLIAM (1815-84) was born in London of Scottish origin, and after receiving his medical training and some years of practical experience at Southwark and in France, he became surgeon to a railway construction company, first in France and later in Wales. Arriving in New Zealand in 1849, he was appointed medical officer in Canterbury. For 20 years (1861-81) he was resident magistrate at the port of Lyttelton. He represented Lyttelton in the Canterbury Provincial Council (1855-57), and for three years (1862-65) was chairman of the municipal council. A prominent freemason, Donald was one of the founders in 1857 of the Lyttelton lodge, and from 1868 until a few weeks before his death on 29 Jun 1884, he was provincial grand master.

Barclay; Cox; Lyttelton Times, 1 Jul 1884.

Reference: Volume 1, page 126

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