St Pauls Papanui Cemetery - Christchurch City Libraries

years’ engagement to the Bishop of Christchurch. With him came his young wife,
Elizabeth Fey. Of Huguenot extraction, she was the only woman on board.
The voyage was dramatic. A mutiny broke out. It was thought that, for her own safety,
Elizabeth Stocker should be locked in her cabin with armed passengers being
stationed outside to protect her. After negotiating for several days, the captain and the
mutineers agreed on a settlement.
The next exciting event was the shooting of an albatross which the captain dressed
and made into a foot warmer for Elizabeth Stocker. Finally, and tragically, the cabin
boy fell from the rigging and was killed.
Stocker preached his first sermon in the new land at the place where he would be
buried – St. Paul’s, Papanui. He then took charge of the Burnham parish ‘where there
was a lonely little church set in the midst of mile upon mile of flat tussock land, with
no homestead in sight’.
The Church news had enthusiastic things to say about Stocker’s time at Burnham.
It stated that the church and vicarage were built in 1864 on a site given by Richard
Bethell and, in more senses than one, high and dry. The bulk of the population to
which Stocker had to minister were resident on the better class lands of Springston,
Lincoln and Tai Tapu, mostly at a distance which precluded attendance at the
Burnham church. Stocker set about interviewing the leading farmers
… with the result that, thanks largely to his zeal and energy and a winning
personality which won the love and esteem of his parishioners, all obstacles
were overcome and, in the course of three or four years, three churches were
built and a fourth was under construction, and the Parochial District,
comprising Springston, Lincoln, Tai Tapu and Greenpark, were soundly
established. At the time of his resignation, the cure was one of the most
prosperous in the diocese.
Many roads … in the recently drained and occupied swamp were … almost
impassable. Much of his [Stocker’s] visiting and organizing work had to be
done on foot and, often, he would arrive at home or whare weary and mudsplashed
but always hearty and smiling, cheery and sanguine as to the future.
Willing help he received in all directions. Farmers lent their teams or came
themselves to assist in [the] transport of building material or to prepare
foundations [and], after a hard day’s work, would tramp miles to attend a
meeting in the evening. And no wonderthat, on Sundays, the men would ride
or drive in from distant station orfarm to attend the services in church or
schoolroom or men and womencome in, often carrying children too young to
be left alone at home. Forthe heads of households were regular attendants and
did not satisfy themselves with seeing their wives taking their kiddies to
church.
W. Miles was in contact with Stocker who suggested that he, Miles, become a lay
reader. Miles ‘modestly demurred on the grounds that there were older and more
experienced men to be considered’. Said Stocker: “Yes, and they all say that you are
the man for the job”. Much later Miles was to comment:
St. Paul’s Papanui Cemetery
2007
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