Before there was the legendary New Zealand painter C.F. Goldie, there was his father: David Goldie.
While his son captured history on canvas, David was busy shaping it in politics as a Member of Parliament then as very popular Mayor of Auckland. Fearless in commitment to his principles, he stuck to them even if it meant snubbing the Royal Family!
Here’s the story of a man who chose his convictions over the Crown:
Born in Tasmania, David made his fortune in Auckland as a highly successful timber merchant and eventually stepped into politics when he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Auckland West in 1887 and the for Newton in 1890. He may be best remembered as the wildly popular Mayor of Auckland, a position he held from 1898 to 1901, running unopposed in the second to years.
That came to an end In 1901 when the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and Queen Mary) were scheduled for a grand royal visit to New Zealand. As Mayor, David was expected to lead the celebrations, which included the mandatory, highly public tradition of raising a glass of champagne to toast the royal family.
His response? As a devout Primitive Methodist and a strict temperance advocate, he refused! Rather than compromise his faith and his stance on alcohol, David chose to step down, retiring at the April 1901 election, voluntarily stepped down from one of the highest offices in the city and paving the way for John Logan Campbell to take over as Mayor specifically to handle the royal visit.
In his private life, David cultivated a love of flowers. His garden at Milford Takapuna, was considered one of the finest in the region, and for two decades he brought massive amounts to the Alexandra Street Primitive Methodist Sunday School, which he personally arranged into bouquets, gifting them to the attendees upon their dismissal in the afternoon. The Auckland Hospital was another major beneficiary of his garden.
David was also a prominent timber merchant, coming into the trade in 1867 and becoming a part of the Kauri Timber Company. He built houses for his family in Auckland made from the kauri from his mills. In 1925 he gifted 192 hectares of this bush country to the people of Auckland. The land located between Muriwai and the Waitākere ranges is known as Goldie’s Bush, or now the Goldie Bush Scenic Reserve, and is home to the Mokoroa Falls.
Goldie’s Bush Land
David Goldie, a beloved public servant and man of faith, lived until the age of 84 in his Auckland home. He died on 8 June 1926 and is buried at Purewa, Block E Row 48 Plot 080.
David Goldie
Died 1926
IMAGE: Herman John Schmidt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
