BOOK REVIEW

From Little Towns in a Far Off Land We Came

by Helen MacLean Buckley

Helen MacLean Buckley, brought up in New Zealand and later living in England, can trace a direct family link to Coll.

This enchanting personal memoir, published in 1950 as part of the commemoration and celebration of the centenary year of Canterbury, New Zealand, tells the story of this family: from humble origins on Coll to landownership and prosperity in New Zealand.

The early chapters of the book elaborate on the history and origins of the Clan MacLean, setting the scene for the eventual emergence of this one small branch. We learn that in battle to distinguish friend from foe, men wore a stem of holly, the badge of the House of Coll. This was how the Christchurch home of the widowed Mary MacLean, Helen MacLean Buckley's great grandmother, came to be called 'Holly Lea'. It still stands.

The story then moves to Alexander, (The Coll Cooper), and Mary MacLean of Lagmhor, Coll, great grandparents of the author. Following Alexander's death, the family sailed to Australia, arriving in 1840, where the three sons, John, Allan and Robertson, worked as shepherds. Soon they were able to buy a farm and later, following the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851, they prospered as couriers, merchants and goldbuyers. In 1852 they sold their farm and sailed to New Zealand with some capital, 500 ewes, some cattle and some horses.

The family made their home on the Plains of Canterbury, purchasing land on the banks of the Waimakiri river. They built themselves a small wooden house with a shingle roof by the river bank, opposite an island which is to this day known as Maclean's Island.

In the years that followed, John and Allan became successful farmers. They were pioneers, pushing back the boundaries of the known world and opening up vast tracts of ground in order to farm sheep. One station alone had 20,000 sheep on it. Another station in the Province of Otago, covered 2,028 miles of territory. By 1875 the brothers jointly owned 4 extensive stations and had become very prosperous.

Allan MacLean eventually came to live in a twenty one room mansion which he had designed himself. It was surrounded by an outstanding formal English style garden. He entertained lavishly and wearing his bright MacLean tartan was a noted local character.

At his death he founded the MacLean Institute, bequeathing his home in Christchurch to `women of refinement and education in reduced and straitened circumstances'.

With acknowledgements to Betty MacDougall who kindly lent her only copy of this book to me. ACM