Whitford Brown
Encyclopedia
Whitford James Brown OBE, CBE, (13 May 1910 – 14 April 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua
City, a city in the Wellington Region
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
at Wanganui
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Keith Holyoake
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
Whitford James Brown OBE, CBE, (13 May 1910 – 14 April 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua
City, a city in the Wellington Region
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
at Wanganui
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Keith Holyoake
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
Whitford James Brown OBE, CBE, (13 May 1910 – 14 April 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua
City, a city in the Wellington Region
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
at Wanganui
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Keith Holyoake
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
City, a city in the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Biography
Whitford James Richard Brown, or "Brownie" as he was more generally known, was born at Maori Creek near Greymouth in the South Island on 13 May 1910.Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
at Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
Frances Ward
Frances Mary Brown was the Foundation Mayoress of Porirua City for 21 years.Frances Mary Brown, also known as "Francie", was the wife of Whitford Brown, the Foundation Mayor of Porirua City, Wellington, New Zealand for 21 years , the first three years of which Porirua was a borough and...
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
State housing
State housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
Mayor of Porirua
Two years later, when Porirua was constituted a borough, Whitford Brown was elected mayor. His first official function was to open the Mungavin Avenue Community Hall in Porirua East.The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay is a suburb of Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the foot of a short peninsula along the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city centre. The suburb's population in 2006 was 7,527...
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Awards and honours
Whitford Brown, as Mayor of Porirua City, was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1972 for his years of service as Mayor.In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Queen's Birthday Honours in 1972 list
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE)
- New Year's Honours List in 1984, for services to local government.
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
- The Hutt Valley Energy Board.
- Wellington Trustee Savings Bank.
- Founding Chairman of Porirua College Board of Governors.
- Wellington Regional Councilor.
- Wellington Harbour Board.
- The Porirua Licensing Trust.
- Patron of the Maraeroa Community Trust.
Sources
- Golden Wedding Anniversary: Article In The Wellington Paper "THE EVENING POST": "MAYORAL COUPLE
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
- "Porirua Public Library Records"
- "His death closes a chapter", Kapi Mana News, 22 April 1986
- "Porirua's Mayor is deeply involved in community", Kapi Mana News,21 July 1973
- "Long Serving Mayor dies", Kapi Mana News, 15 April 1986,
- "Porirua's former mayor pleased with portrait", Kapi Mana News, 14 May 1985
- Text of News Feature on the City of Porirua and its foundation Mayor for 21 years, by freelance writer Jane Symonds
- Whitford's eldest son: Derek Brown
- Whitford's Granddaughter: Angela Daymond
Whitford James Brown OBE, CBE, (13 May 1910 – 14 April 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
City, a city in the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Biography
Whitford James Richard Brown, or "Brownie" as he was more generally known, was born at Maori Creek near Greymouth in the South Island on 13 May 1910.Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
at Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
Frances Ward
Frances Mary Brown was the Foundation Mayoress of Porirua City for 21 years.Frances Mary Brown, also known as "Francie", was the wife of Whitford Brown, the Foundation Mayor of Porirua City, Wellington, New Zealand for 21 years , the first three years of which Porirua was a borough and...
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
State housing
State housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
Mayor of Porirua
Two years later, when Porirua was constituted a borough, Whitford Brown was elected mayor. His first official function was to open the Mungavin Avenue Community Hall in Porirua East.The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay is a suburb of Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the foot of a short peninsula along the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city centre. The suburb's population in 2006 was 7,527...
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Awards and honours
Whitford Brown, as Mayor of Porirua City, was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1972 for his years of service as Mayor.In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Queen's Birthday Honours in 1972 list
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE)
- New Year's Honours List in 1984, for services to local government.
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
- The Hutt Valley Energy Board.
- Wellington Trustee Savings Bank.
- Founding Chairman of Porirua College Board of Governors.
- Wellington Regional Councilor.
- Wellington Harbour Board.
- The Porirua Licensing Trust.
- Patron of the Maraeroa Community Trust.
Sources
- Golden Wedding Anniversary: Article In The Wellington Paper "THE EVENING POST": "MAYORAL COUPLE
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
- "Porirua Public Library Records"
- "His death closes a chapter", Kapi Mana News, 22 April 1986
- "Porirua's Mayor is deeply involved in community", Kapi Mana News,21 July 1973
- "Long Serving Mayor dies", Kapi Mana News, 15 April 1986,
- "Porirua's former mayor pleased with portrait", Kapi Mana News, 14 May 1985
- Text of News Feature on the City of Porirua and its foundation Mayor for 21 years, by freelance writer Jane Symonds
- Whitford's eldest son: Derek Brown
- Whitford's Granddaughter: Angela Daymond
Whitford James Brown OBE, CBE, (13 May 1910 – 14 April 1986) was the foundation mayor of Porirua
Porirua
Porirua is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand, immediately north of the city of Wellington, with their central business districts 20 km apart. A large proportion of the population commutes to Wellington, so it may be considered a satellite city. It almost completely surrounds...
City, a city in the Wellington Region
Wellington Region
The Wellington region of New Zealand occupies the southern end of the North Island.-Governance:The official Wellington Region, as administered by the Wellington Regional Council covers the conurbation around the capital city, Wellington, and the cities of Lower Hutt, Porirua, and Upper Hutt, each...
of New Zealand, for 21 years from 1962 to 1983. Porirua, when "Brownie" and "Francie" moved there, was part of what was then called the Makara County Council. In 1961, the Local Government Commission deemed that Porirua should become a borough. The region had its first elections in October 1962, and, since Brownie (as well as his wife Francie) had already been involved in local affairs since shifting there from Wanganui, they became Porirua's first Mayor and Mayoress.
Biography
Whitford James Richard Brown, or "Brownie" as he was more generally known, was born at Maori Creek near Greymouth in the South Island on 13 May 1910.Brown moved to Wanganui as a teenager, then transferred from the New Zealand Public Works Department to the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
at Wanganui
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
, where he worked as a civil engineer until shifting to Porirua East in Christmas 1954 to work in the New Zealand Railways Head Office in the Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station
Wellington Railway Station is the southern terminus of New Zealand's North Island Main Trunk railway, Wairarapa Line and Johnsonville Line. In terms of number of services and in passenger numbers, it is New Zealand's busiest railway station.-Development:...
.
After his marriage to Frances Ward
Frances Ward
Frances Mary Brown was the Foundation Mayoress of Porirua City for 21 years.Frances Mary Brown, also known as "Francie", was the wife of Whitford Brown, the Foundation Mayor of Porirua City, Wellington, New Zealand for 21 years , the first three years of which Porirua was a borough and...
, daughter of New Zealand astronomer Joseph Thomas Ward, Whitford Brown and his family settled in Porirua East two weeks before Christmas 1954. Their 4 Martin Street home was one of many in the Government's state housing
State housing
State housing is the system of public housing offered to New Zealand residents on low to moderate incomes. Some 66,000 houses are managed by Housing New Zealand Corporation, most of which are owned by the government.-The Liberal Government:...
scheme but, at this time, there were relatively few houses at all in the area and remote from shops and other facilities.
He first stood stood for the then Makara County Council in 1959, and although he was unsuccessful, was elected at a by-election the following year.
Mayor of Porirua
Two years later, when Porirua was constituted a borough, Whitford Brown was elected mayor. His first official function was to open the Mungavin Avenue Community Hall in Porirua East.The air in Porirua East was still full of the dust from earthworks as the contours of the countryside were dramatically altered to provide hundreds of housing sections for new families arriving daily.
His first concern as mayor was to obtain industrial land and the then Prime Minister of New Zealand
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
Keith Holyoake
Keith Holyoake
Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, KG, GCMG, CH, QSO, KStJ was a New Zealand politician. The only person to have been both Prime Minister and Governor-General of New Zealand, Holyoake was National Party Prime Minister from 20 September 1957 to 12 December 1957, then again from 12 December 1960 to 7...
proved most helpful becoming one of Brownie's closest friends.
The new borough negotiated with the government to free land where the Todd Motors car assembly plant was built in 1975, and Broken Hill was also zoned industrial use. Other major industries were also established as well as a modern shopping centre where there once had been empty space.
"It was like being the midwife at the birth of a new community" Mr Brown once said.
Porirua became a city in 1965 and Whitford Brown was the city's first mayor, and was re-elected at every election until he retired from the mayoralty in 1983.
In his 21 years as Mayor, "Brownie" took humble pride in heading a multicultural city and did his utmost to promote racial harmony.
Jocularly but with humility he termed himself "The only white mayor called Brown in New Zealand".
In 1970, he was the recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Award and spent three and a half months studying pollution problems overseas.
In 1980 he saw the successful establishment of a sheltered workshop for handicapped people at Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay
Titahi Bay is a suburb of Porirua in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the foot of a short peninsula along the west coast of the Porirua Harbour, to the north of Porirua city centre. The suburb's population in 2006 was 7,527...
, a suburb of Porirua, which bears his name: "The Whitford Brown Community Workshop which is designed to help people with disabilities get back into the workforce.
"Whitford Brown Avenue" (about two kilometres north of the Porirua Shopping Centre) which leads up the hill to the suburb of Ascot Park from State Highway One was also named after him. He was also a founder member of the Whitireia Park Board.
Tributes flowed in when Whitford Brown died on 14 April 1986, following an accident at home (cerebral haemorrhage). He was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery. north of Porirua where he was cremated. At the time of his death in 1986, Whitford Brown was survived by his wife, three sons, two daughters, 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Awards and honours
Whitford Brown, as Mayor of Porirua City, was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1972 for his years of service as Mayor.In May 1984 he was invested as a Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent order of the British Empire (CBE)
- Order of the British Empire (OBE)
- Queen's Birthday Honours in 1972 list
- Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (CBE)
- New Year's Honours List in 1984, for services to local government.
Whitford Brown was closely associated with many Porirua and regional community and business organisations over the years; including:
- The Hutt Valley Energy Board.
- Wellington Trustee Savings Bank.
- Founding Chairman of Porirua College Board of Governors.
- Wellington Regional Councilor.
- Wellington Harbour Board.
- The Porirua Licensing Trust.
- Patron of the Maraeroa Community Trust.
Sources
- Golden Wedding Anniversary: Article In The Wellington Paper "THE EVENING POST": "MAYORAL COUPLE
CELEBRATE" - By Tim Donoghue.
- "Porirua Public Library Records"
- "His death closes a chapter", Kapi Mana News, 22 April 1986
- "Porirua's Mayor is deeply involved in community", Kapi Mana News,21 July 1973
- "Long Serving Mayor dies", Kapi Mana News, 15 April 1986,
- "Porirua's former mayor pleased with portrait", Kapi Mana News, 14 May 1985
- Text of News Feature on the City of Porirua and its foundation Mayor for 21 years, by freelance writer Jane Symonds
- Whitford's eldest son: Derek Brown
- Whitford's Granddaughter: Angela Daymond