File:Quintin McKinnon - Letter from to the Minister of Lands, 1906 (11440208026).jpg
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On 29 December 1892 explorer Quintin McKinnon crossed Lake Te Anau on his way to Milford, and was never seen again. His wrecked boat and belongings were discovered but his body was never recovered, and he was presumed drowned in Lake Te Anau. Originally from Scotland, McKinnon was an authorised surveyor for the New Zealand government and was the first European to explore much of Fiordland. He married Barbara Sinclair in Dunedin in 1879. The fate of Sinclair after her husband’s disappearance is documented in a file titled ‘Quintin McKinnon’s Widow’, created by the Department of Lands and Survey. This file contains letters and newspaper articles documenting how the Department assisted Sinclair after she fell on hard times. Sinclair had emigrated to Melbourne with her son and tried to earn a living as a typist but without success. In January 1894 her plight was reported to the New Zealand Herald, and Sinclair petitioned the New Zealand government to provide some form of assistance to her in recognition of McKinnon’s service to the country. The petition was fulfilled. In mid-1894 the New Zealand government paid for a saloon passage for Sinclair and her son on a Union Steamship Company Vessel to Dunedin. There the Minister of Lands authorised her employment in the Dunedin Office of the Department of Lands and Survey as a shorthand typist with a salary of £10 per month, despite there being concerns expressed about the inadequacy of facilities for a female employee at the time. Sinclair’s employment with the department was highly successful, and she remained there for five years, after which she remarried and resigned from her position. The Department’s file reveals a less than happy ending however. In 1906 Sinclair wrote to the Minister of Lands seeking re-employment with the Department. She indicated that her second marriage had been unhappy and she was forced again to earn her own living. The reply to her from the Department merely regretted that no vacancy existed at that time. What happened to Quintin McKinnon’s widow from that time on is not documented in the file. Archives Reference: ABWN 7609 W5021 825/22159 1 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material supplied by Archives New Zealand |
| Date | |
| Source | Quintin McKinnon - Letter from to the Minister of Lands, 1906 |
| Author | Archives New Zealand from New Zealand |
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